ETHICS IN THE WORKPLACE

ELIZABETH P TIERNEY

Published by NuBooks, an imprint of Oak Tree Press, 19 Rutland Street, Cork, Ireland

www.oaktreepress.com

ISBN: 978-1-84621-122-5 (PDF)

ISBN: 978-1-84621-123-2 (ePub)

ISBN: 978-1-84621-124-9 (Kindle)

© 2012 Elizabeth P Tierney.

All rights reserved. This eBook may not be reprinted or distributed in electronic, print, web or other format without express written permission.

INTRODUCTION

We live in a competitive environment – a global village, if you will. As managers, we need to remember that recognising, handling and resolving ethical dilemmas is imperative because these knotty problems are the norm rather than the exception, and we overlook them at our peril. On a grand scale, on the world stage, we might, like many others, become headline news: do any of these names ring a bell?

Union Carbide at Bhopal, India, BCCI, the Exxon Valdez, Michael Milken, Barlow Clowes, Barings Bank, Nestle’s Infant Formula, News Corp, Bernard Madoff, Enron, Siemens and Goldman Sachs, etc., etc.

Undoubtedly, you recognise many, if not all, and you probably could provide more names closer to home. Sadly, what they all have in common is that each person or organisation became newsworthy because of alleged dubious business practices, which in most cases were proven to be true.

None of us want our own names or our company’s name on such a list. However, given today’s communications and information technology, the availability of, speed and appetite for news, malfeasance in Oxford makes headlines in Ottawa. Scandals in Tokyo will be on cable in Dublin or online for everyone’s consumption across the globe. Journalists are tenacious and mobile, consumers are demanding, and socially responsible groups are vocal. And the downturn in the global economy has brought more malpractice to the fore, while increasing regulation.

We are subject to potential public scrutiny, and we are expected to be transparent. Should we act inappropriately or act unscrupulously, even after we explain what happened, we may need to reallocate resources for damage control or repair. In other words, if company X produces a product using poorly paid labour, or if company Y does business in a country with a history of human rights violations, that information eventually will surface, and disapproving consumers may choose to boycott X and Y and do business with company Z instead leaving X and Y to battle to regain lost market share.

On a smaller scale, in our own offices and workplaces, we need to maintain values and expectations for ourselves and for our employees. This NuBook was written to remind you that organisations consist of unique individuals and how important it is to maintain ethical standards both for them and for you. Ethics should be an integral part of your business.

WHAT ARE ETHICAL DILEMMAS?