Develop a Business Code of Ethics
Now that you have identified for your reader the details involved with your proposed business-related ethical issue, you must determine what rules need to be in place for the organization to eliminate or reduce this issue as a problem for the company going forward.
A code of ethics may help to eliminate some of the differences of opinion when faced with an ethical decision-making situation. Two intelligent professionals may view a situation differently. Their own morals and personal experiences may cause them to reach different conclusion as to acceptable behavior in the circumstance. A code of ethics will make clear what the right thing to do is in that situation.
When professional organizations create a code of ethics, this code serves the purpose of unifying or compromising differences in morality. Two people with differing personal values can share a set of values that they agree will promote their particular profession.
Why are the rules important? The rules are important because they promote a particular standard of ethical behavior. This means that the rules set a minimum standard, a baseline, with respect to certain levels of acceptable behavior expected of all members of the organization.
- For Part 2 of this Assignment, you are to prepare a detailed code of ethics/code of conduct designed to address the ethical issue you described in Part 1. Use the Internet, the library, and other credible sources to find examples of existing codes of ethics/codes of conduct, for an idea of how to format or structure your code of ethics. Please tailor your code of ethics to the specific industry you have chosen for your fact scenario.
- For this task, you can create a general code of ethics for those areas that do not deal with your chosen ethical issue. However, for those sections of your code of ethics that deal specifically with your chosen ethical issue, please make certain that you go into detail. For example, based on the General Gadgets, Inc., scenario discussed in Part 1, the code of ethics does not need to go into detail on the subject of conflicts of interest, but it should go into detail on the subject of marketing responsibly and securing the trust of customers.
Remember: Design your code of ethics to provide guidance for an employee faced with an ethical decision-making opportunity. Keep in mind that guidance does not mean that the code of ethics will always tell the employee specifically what he or she should do in every situation. However, it should provide sufficient direction that a thoughtful, well-meaning employee should be able to determine the course of action she or he should take, including seeking out advice from a superior, or a particular department or group within the organization.
Your proposed code of ethics should include comments for the sections addressing the ethical issue that is the focus of this assignment. Your comments should indicate why each provision is important, and how it is intended to address the chosen ethical issue.