Values and Morals in the Workplace Today

How Professional Values and Ethics Influence Career Success

Enron’s mission statement was to conduct itself in accordance with four capital values: Respect, Integrity, Communication and Excellence (James, 2003). They did not adhere to these guidelines, creating the most scandalous corporate down-fall in history. It was proven that in numerous circumstances, company leaders did not uphold the values of integrity and communications excellence. They did not accurately report to the Securities Exchange Commission, Shareholders, or their employees. The end result was bankruptcy for the corporation and criminal charges for the executives.

Conversely, Zappos.com was able to re-institute core values that had previously been compromised, resulting in a successful turn-around, and a major online business success story. By focusing on customer service as opposed to expansion, Zappos.com actually earned more money, expanded beyond projections, and now enjoy a stellar reputation as one of the premier online retailers.

Conclusion

Conducting business in a free-market, doesn't mean free-for-all. Professional values and ethics must be in place to provide guidelines and regulate behavior of any professional organization. Ideally, they come from within; accumulated wisdom of how to properly conduct business in an ethical manner, in line with established values. Additionally, values and ethics can be suggested as industry standards by professional associations. Finally, there are those that are deemed essential to do business, as dictated by law and regulatory agencies. No matter where they come from, professional values and ethics remind those conducting business of how they should behave, to their ultimate success or failure.

References

100 BEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR. (2009, Feburary 02). Fortune, 159(No.2), 1. Retrieved from http://money.cnn.com/magazine/fortune

EPA. (2010, May 10). About EPA. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/index.html

James,...