Translate Home A A A More Sharing ServicesShare Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on LinkedIn Free Management Library Business Ethics and Social Responsibility Your Guide David Gebler David Gebler website my blog About Library What It Is How to Use It To Get Updates Librarys Blogs List of Blogs Add to Library Community Rules Submit your links Contact Us Provide Feedback Help Using Library Developed by Authenticity Consulting, LLCDeveloped by Authenticity Consulting, LLC Click to sign up for FML >> Links, an ePub from Authenticity Consulting, LLC and Free Management Library. Business Ethics and Social Responsibility Sections of This Topic Include About Ethics, Principles and Moral Values What is Business Ethics? Managing Ethics in the Workplace - - - Managing Ethics Programs in the Workplace - - - Developing Codes of Ethics - - - Developing Codes of Conduct - - - Resolving Ethical Dilemmas and Making Ethical Decisions - - - Ethics Training Assessing Culture and Cultivating Ethical Culture Some Contemporary (Arguably) Ethical Issues General Resources for Managing Ethics in the Workplace Social Responsibility Boards and Corporate Social Responsibility General Resources for Social Responsibility Also see Related Library Topics Also See the Librarys Blog Related to Ethics and Social Responsibility In addition to the articles on this current page, also see the following blog that has posts related to Ethics and Social Responsibility. Scan down the blogs page to see various posts. Also see the section Recent Blog Posts in the sidebar of the blog or click on next near the bottom of a post in the blog. The blog also links to numerous free related resources. Librarys Business Ethics Blog About Ethics, Principles and Moral Values Simply put, ethics involves learning what is right or wrong, and then doing the right thing -- but the right thing is not nearly as straightforward as conveyed in a great deal of business ethics literature. Most ethical dilemmas in the workplace are not simply a matter of Should Bob steal from Jack? or Should Jack lie to his boss? (Many ethicists assert theres always a right thing to do based on moral principle, and others believe the right thing to do depends on the situation -- ultimately its up to the individual.) Many philosophers consider ethics to be the science of conduct. Twin Cities consultants Doug Wallace and John Pekel (of the Twin Cities-based Fulcrum Group; 651-714-9033; e-mail at jonpekel@atti) explain that ethics includes the fundamental ground rules by which we live our lives. Philosophers have been discussing ethics for at least 2500 years, since the time of Socrates and Plato. Many ethicists consider emerging ethical beliefs to be state of the art legal matters, i.e., what becomes an ethical guideline today is often translated to a law, regulation or rule tomorrow. Values which guide how we ought to behave are considered moral values, e.g., values such as respect, honesty, fairness, responsibility, etc. Statements around how these values are applied are sometimes called moral or ethical principles. (Extracted from Complete (Practical) Guide to Managing Ethics in the Workplace.) What is Ethics? Ethics Ethics 12 Ethical Principles for Business Executives The Ground Rules of Ethics Fairness Value at Work ... and at Play Trustworthiness and Integrity -- What It Takes and Why Its So Hard Avoiding Unfair Conduct Honesty in Communications Honesty in Conduct Ought Versus Ethics Why Integrity Is Never Easy Duty to Others and the Golden Rule What are Values, Morals, and Ethics? What is Business Ethics? The concept has come to mean various things to various people, but generally its coming to know what it right or wrong in the workplace and doing whats right -- this is in regard to effects of products/services and in relationships with stakeholders. Wallace and Pekel explain that attention to business ethics is critical during times of fundamental change -- times much like those faced now by businesses, both nonprofit or for-profit. In times of fundamental change, values that were previously taken for granted are now strongly questioned. Many of these values are no longer followed. Consequently, there is no clear moral compass to guide leaders through complex dilemmas about what is right or wrong. Attention to ethics in the workplace sensitizes leaders and staff to how they should act. Perhaps most important, attention to ethics in the workplaces helps ensure that when leaders and managers are struggling in times of crises and confusion, they retain a strong moral compass. However, attention to business ethics provides numerous other benefits, as well (these benefits are listed later in this document). Note that many people react that business ethics, with its continuing attention to doing the right thing, only asserts the obvious (be good, dont lie, etc.), and so these people dont take business ethics seriously. For many of us, these principles of the obvious can go right out the door during times of stress. Consequently, business ethics can be strong preventative medicine. Anyway, there are many other benefits of managing ethics in the workplace. These benefits are explained later in this document. (Extracted from Complete (Practical) Guide to Managing Ethics in the Workplace.) Business Ethics (Wikipedia) What is Business Ethics? Values and Morals, Guidelines for Living Ethics at a Cross Roads Retaliation Soars When Managers Dont Do the Right Thing Ethics is More Than Compliance Taking the Ethical High Road Is Good for Business Ethics and Intentions 3 Sources of Moral Obligation The Best Ways to Discuss Ethics Students Teach Business Ethics It’s Profitable to be Ethical Transparency is a key to performance Choices Make all the Difference Ethical Decision Making and the Entrepreneur Managing Ethics in the Workplace Managing Ethics Programs in the Workplace Organizations can manage ethics in their workplaces by establishing an ethics management program. Brian Schrag, Executive Secretary of the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, clarifies. Typically, ethics programs convey corporate values, often using codes and policies to guide decisions and behavior, and can include extensive training and evaluating, depending on the organization. They provide guidance in ethical dilemmas. Rarely are two programs alike. All organizations have ethics programs, but most do not know that they do, wrote business ethics professor Stephen Brenner in the Journal of Business Ethics (1992, V11, pp. 391-399). A corporate ethics program is made up of values, policies and activities which impact the propriety of organization behaviors. Bob Dunn, President and CEO of San Francisco-based Business for Social Responsibility, adds: Balancing competing values and reconciling them is a basic purpose of an ethics management program. Business people need more practical tools and information to understand their values and how to manage them. (Extracted from Complete (Practical) Guide to Managing Ethics in the Workplace.) Ethics Management Programs: An Overview Is It Time for a Unified Approach to Business Ethics? 10 Benefits of Managing Ethics in the Workplace 8 Guidelines for Managing Ethics in the Workplace 6 Key Roles and Responsibilities in Ethics Management 12 Ethical Principles for Business Executives Responsibilities in the Employer-Employee Relationship Why Should Business Executives Be Concerned With Ethics? Organizational Character and Leadership Development Ten Steps to Designing a Comprehensive Ethics Program Developing Codes of Ethics According to Wallace, A credo generally describes the highest values to which the company aspires to operate. It contains the `thou shalts. A code of ethics specifies the ethical rules of operation. Its the `thou shalt nots. In the latter 1980s, The Conference Board, a leading business membership organization, found that 76% of corporations surveyed had codes of ethics. Some business ethicists disagree that codes have any value. Usually they explain that too much focus is put on the codes themselves, and that codes themselves are not influential in managing ethics in the workplace. Many ethicists note that its the developing and continuing dialogue around the codes values that is most important. (Extracted from Complete (Practical) Guide to Managing Ethics in the Workplace.) Creating a Code of Ethics for Your Organization Can You Improve Your Code of Ethics? Developing Codes of Conduct If your organization is quite large, e.g., includes several large programs or departments, you may want to develop an overall corporate code of ethics and then a separate code to guide each of your programs or departments. Codes should not be developed out of the Human Resource or Legal departments alone, as is too often done. Codes are insufficient if intended only to ensure that policies are legal. All staff must see the ethics program being driven by top management. Note that codes of ethics and codes of conduct may be the same in some organizations, depending on the organizations culture and operations and on the ultimate level of specificity in the code(s). (Extracted from Complete (Practical) Guide to Managing Ethics in the Workplace.) Effective Methods of Employee Code of Conduct Training Rethinking Codes of Conduct Establishing a Code of Business Ethics Codes of Conduct in Light of Sarbanes-Oxley 7 Rules for Avoiding Conflicts of Interest in a Family Business Resolving Ethical Dilemmas and Making Ethical Decisions Perhaps too often, business ethics is portrayed as a matter of resolving conflicts in which one option appears to be the clear choice. For example, case studies are often presented in which an employee is faced with whether or not to lie, steal, cheat, abuse another, break terms of a contract, etc. However, ethical dilemmas faced by managers are often more real-to-life and highly complex with no clear guidelines, whether in law or often in religion. As noted earlier in this document, Doug Wallace, Twin Cities-based consultant, explains that one knows when they have a significant ethical conflict when there is presence of a) significant value conflicts among differing interests, b) real alternatives that are equality justifiable, and c) significant consequences on stakeholders in the situation. An ethical dilemma exists when one is faced with having to make a choice among these alternatives. Whats an Ethical Dilemma? Some Contemporary (Arguably) Ethical Issues General Resources Regarding Managing Ethics in the Workplace Social Responsibility (social responsibility is but one aspect of overall business ethics) General Resources Regarding Social Responsibility Making Ethical Decisions: Conscience Prodders Lessons in Ethics from Richard Branson Components of an Ethical Decision: Commitment, Consciousness, and Competency The Dirty Dozen: Twelve Common Rationalizations and Excuses to Avoid 12 Questions for Examining the Ethics of a Business Decision Assessing and Cultivating Ethical Culture Culture is comprised of the values, norms, folkways and behaviors of an organization. Ethics is about moral values, or values regarding right and wrong. Therefore, cultural assessments can be extremely valuable when assessing the moral values in an organization. Assessing Corporate Culture - Part 1 Assessing Corporate Culture - Part 2 Guest Post: En Route to an Ethical Corporate Culture En Route to an Ethical Corporate Culture Establishing an Ethical Environment: Inspiration Creating an Ethical Workplace Culture Creating a Sustainable Ethical Culture The Boards Role in Ensuring an Ethical Corporate Culture Culture Saves Lives Combating the Hero Worship Culture at Penn State: the NCAA Got It Exactly Right Also see Organizational Culture Organizational Assessments Ethics Training The ethics program is essentially useless unless all staff members are trained about what it is, how it works and their roles in it. The nature of the system may invite suspicion if not handled openly and honestly. In addition, no matter how fair and up-to-date is a set of policies, the legal system will often interpret employee behavior (rather than written policies) as de facto policy. Therefore, all staff must be aware of and act in full accordance with policies and procedures (this is true, whether policies and procedures are for ethics programs or personnel management). This full accordance requires training about policies and procedures. Establishing an Ethical Environment: Education and Training Do the Right Thing -- Ethics Training Programs Help Employees Deal With Ethical Dilemmas Establishing an Ethical Environment -- Education and Training Ethics Training and Development in the Military Does Your Ethics and Compliance Training Meet the Standard? Teaching Right and Wrong Ethics Training: New Needs, New Times Some Contemporary (Arguably) Ethical Issues Banana Logic Toyota Ethics: Questions to get to Answers OK, Mr. Blankfein, How are you going to put ethics first? Ethics Lessons in a New Era The Fragility of Transparency The Bloom is off the Tylenol Rose Why Leaders have Trouble Restoring Trust The Power of the Lowly Expense Report Why its so Hard to get Safety Right Ethics Practices that Could Have Prevented the Shirley Sherrod Debacle Insignificance of Ethics in Leadership Ethics of Whistleblowing J&J Accused of Ignoring Red Flags Business Case #1 -- Employee Reference J&J Dig Deeper! How not to change a safety culture Is Saying No to $12 million ethical, or unethical? The Cost of Values Employee References Charlie Sheens Business Ethics Are companies responsible for how countries use their products? Is “Free” Really Free? Is News Corp Past the Tipping Point? Cost of a Culture of Fear? $500 million for starters General Resources Regarding Managing Ethics in the Workplace Extensive list of lists of Websites General business ethics resources at the Center for Applied Ethics Ethical Leadership Groups articles General site for ethics on the Web List of listservers and groups Ethics & Compliance Officer Association Business Ethics Business Ethics Resource Renewal Institute Business Ethics Center Legal Ethics - Focusing on the ethical issues associated with the use of technology by legal professionals Business Ethics Information & Resources Business Ethics References in 200 Years of Books Ethics 2012 – The Forecast is Cloudy Get to the Start of the Slippery Slope Social Responsibility Social responsibility and business ethics are often regarding as the same concepts. However, the social responsibility movement is but one aspect of the overall discipline of business ethics. The social responsibility movement arose particularly during the 1960s with increased public consciousness about the role of business in helping to cultivate and maintain highly ethical practices in society and particularly in the natural environment. Business for Social Responsibility (click on Intro to Corporate Social Responsibility) Business of Social Responsibility Global Green Standards Winning with Integrity - Business Impact Task Force Report Launched Profit Versus Social Responsibility Debate Social Responsibility -- a newsletter Corporate Social Responsibility: An Insiders View Responding to The Case Against Social Responsibility Mother Theresa- An Inspiration For Social Responsibility Corporate Social Responsibility: How Can Learning Contribute? Four CSR Trends to Watch in 2011 Investing in Corporate Social Responsibility to Enhance Customer Value Strategy and Society: The Link Between Competitive Advantage and Corporate Social Responsibility Boards and Corporate Social Responsibility 2012 Trends for Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics and Compliance The Business Case for Corporate Social Responsibility The Corporate Responsibility to Respect Human Rights Investing in Corporate Social Responsibility to Enhance Customer Value Why CSRs Future Matters to Your Company Organizing for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability The Responsible and Sustainable Board Sustainability and climate change Chief Sustainability Officer Sustainability Matters: For Directors, it’s all in the Framework Sustainability in the Boardroom Corporate Social Responsibility – What Is Wrong with This Picture? Deconstructing Sustainability Board Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility Nasdaq Hacking a Wake-Up Call for Boards 6 Criteria for Selecting a CSR Consultant General Resources Regarding Social Responsibility There are many online resources in regard to social responsibility. The following will help to get your started. Business for Social Responsibility Educators for Social Responsibility Behaviorists for Social Responsibility Center for Computing and Social Responsibility Business Ethics and Leadership Blog Submit a link For the Category of Ethics: To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources. Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature. Related Library Topics Recommended Books Business Ethics Social Responsibility Business Ethics The following books are recommended because of their highly practical nature and often because they include a wide range of information about this Library topic. To get more information about each book, just click on the image of the book. Also, a bubble of information might be displayed. You can click on the title of the book in that bubble to get more information, too. Social Responsibility The following books are recommended because of their highly practical nature and often because they include a wide range of information about this Library topic. To get more information about each book, just click on the image of the book. Also, a bubble of information might be displayed. You can click on the title of the book in that bubble to get more information, too. 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Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 22:36:38 +0000
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