DQ1. An example of an acceptable practice of particular cultures is bribery in business arrangements. Evidence from the article authored by McKinney and Moore (2008) identifies bribery developing inefficiencies in the system of international business and greatly effects the underprivileged individuals as the attention may be steered away from social services due to the special interest involved in the given bribe. As discussed in previous discussion question posts, perception is a person's reality. If the cultural experiences of an individual consist of the examples displayed by a business model that commonly accepts bribes, then the perception is that the practice of utilizing bribes for special interests is legitimate and is part of the system's culture. Although the business practice of bribery is prevalent it does not mean that it is ethically sound and until an individual's moral compass generates though for members at-large, the practice may continue to occur.

It is my assertion that culture imparts a great impression upon members of society. Although cultural norms are presented through life experiences. I firmly believe that the uniqueness of a moral compass allows for the questioning of cultural ideas and beliefs. It takes a strong individual with charismatic moral character to challenge societal norms accepted by ones culture, but a challenge is where change can start.

McKinney, J. A., & Moore, C. W. (2008). International bribery: Does a written code of ethics make a difference in perceptions of business professionals. Journal of Business Ethics, (1/2). 103.

DQ2. This is the only DQ post I do this because it is such a powerful lesson. I respond to everyone with the same response.
The parable is about structures. Since there were no structures on the mountain, the outcome was arbitrary. Our organizations are just like this. If we do not create the structures--the code and leadership modeling, we will fall prey to similar arbitrary outcomes. Structures precede outcomes.

I noted modeling is critical to ethical leadership, but the other dynamic is rewards and corrections. I like to joke that everything I learned about leadership, I learned from my dog trainer. When I first got my chocolate lab, it became apparent that I needed help or my house was going to be chewed into a pile of rubble. After research I found a trainer with a great reputation and a price tag to match.

When the Gary the trainer arrived, he spent considerable time teaching me about dogs--I was thinking "hey, there's my dog. Fix her." Yet, what I learned was he was training me to train the dog. Here is what he taught me:

•You are always training your dog whether you know it or not.
•Your dog must always know she is safe with you.
•Praise her desirable behaviors.•Correct her undesirable behaviors.
•If she makes mistakes, it is the trainer's fault.

I am learning this as a scholar in leadership and the light bulb went on! Here is how I synthesize that:

•You are always leading your people--they're watching.
•Your people must always feel safe--trust is important.
•Praise desirable behaviors.•Correct undesirable behaviors.
•If followers make mistakes, responsibility rests with the leader.

So, here is the question: If rules were in place on the mountain and leaders modeled it--praise and correct, would we be able to predict the outcome with some accuracy?

DQ3. Corruption in the western world is alive and difficult to curb, and it affects everyone socially, economically, and politically (Johnson 2014). In the pharmaceutical industries and healthcare businesses, there is rampant bribery and corruption especially by the sales representatives who have to bribe the doctors to prescribe their new drugs to patients (Benton et al. 2013) or those who have to bribe hospital so they can discharge Medicare patients to their organization. As we have been learning for several weeks, there are policies in place to eradicate bribery; there are ethical codes of conducts to encourage a culture of transparency; large organizations and small companies trained their employees about bribery and corruption, and implement the code of ethics for accountability. However, organizations are learning that employees continue to manipulate all the efforts set forth to combat this ethical dilemma and according to Benton al et. (2013), one in five employees continue to violate the code of ethics and most importantly, the top level management are aware of the violations. At the place of this writer's employment, upper management took bribery very seriously and implemented a new policy and code of ethics that stipulates that sales representative shall not give or donate any monetary gift that is more than ten dollars.

References:

Benton, L. A., Deming, S. H., Helmer, E. V., &Reider-Gordon*, M. (2013). Anti-Corruption. International Lawyer, 47(1), 367-386.
Johnson, N., Ruger, W., Sorens, J., &Yamarik, S. (2014). Corruption, regulation, and growth: an empirical study of the United States. Economics Of Governance, 15(1), 51-69. doi:10.1007/s10101-013-0132-3

DQ4. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (2 Tim 4:7)

I know you worked very hard in this course, but I would like your insight one more time.

How could I have made this course better for you? In a two minutes please tell me how I can make this course more effective for learners.

I am grateful for your feedback.

DQ5. McCoy (1997) never found out if the Sadhu has passed or not, but states that the Sadhu continues to live within his classrooms as ethics are taught. While this week's question takes on the development of a moral compass, how much is it culturally determined? While in the parable there are questions about culture in terms of how westernized society dealt with the Sadhu, one could argue that several cultures involved themselves a bit in the situation, but in the end the parable is about the difference in structures. To highlight this thought, this parable addresses the differences over individual ethics versus that of business ethics. For example, if in one culture it is reasonable to bribe others, the structure may indicate that is a way of doing business. Individual ethics may point out that this hurts others from doing business since the affluent may benefit the most in this type of scenario. Perhaps one culture may perceive that by going to a store in the United States and it is unreasonable to not barter for lower prices. When it comes to individual ethics, McCoy (1997) asks, "we cannot quit our jobs over every ethical dilemma, but if we continually ignore our sense of values, who do we become (p.60)?

McCoy, B. H. (1997). The Parable of the Sadhu. Harvard Business Review, 75(3), 54-64.