Ethics Issues

Ethics Issues

Lisa L. D'Annunzio

MGT/216

May 19, 2010

Jim O'Keefe

Ethics Issues

Business ethics help determine the workplace attitude. Employees are familiar with the company’s ethics and consequences if the ethics are violated. Ethical issues abound in every industry. Specific ethical issues are unique to certain industries.

Business Ethics

According to the Gale Virtual Reference Library (2008), business ethics is defined as “the moral values or principles that play a role in shaping the business practices of companies or individuals” (Overview: Business Ethics, para. 1). Employees of a company learn the concept of right or wrong. The understanding of right or wrong helps the employee in decisions that are for the good of the company.

Ethical Issues

All businesses are not immune to ethical issues. Some ethical issues that affect all industries are employee harassment, gender discrimination, and compliance of health and safety standards. Two ethical issues that affect the healthcare industry are protecting the patients’ information and healthcare professionals protecting him or her from contagious diseases without the patient being uncomfortable with the protective devices.

Employee harassment is not just physical or sexual contact. Harassment can be a verbal comment or joke that offends another employee even if the comment or joke was overheard. Bullying is another form of harassment. Harassment creates a hostile or abusive work environment.

Gender discrimination happens to men and women; most often discrimination happens against women, depending on the industry field. Gender discrimination happens with hiring, firing, or promoting an employee. The pay, job classification, or benefits are other areas of gender discrimination.

Businesses are to be in compliance of health and safety standards. The compliance ensures employees safety in the workplace. Safety standard compliances help keep work-related injuries to a minimum....