Business Ethics

Running head: Business Ethics Persuasive Draft

Business Ethics Persuasive Draft

Jamesina Charles

Kaplan University

CM225-08

March 16, 2010

Business Ethics Persuasive Draft

Despite the bad economy, a percentage of businesses have increased their ethical culture from 9 percent to 18 percent in the past two years based on the study done by the Ethics Resource Center. (Nortz, 2010) All businesses should have an ethics code that links professional conduct with the company’s mission, standards and values. (ERC, 2009) Acceptable and unacceptable behavior with consequences should clearly be defined so that all employees know what is expected. Because business ethics and the code of conduct affect all corporations the aftermath of violations can produce a ripple effect on its employees and the society.

The development of the code of ethics is only the beginning and it must be communicated to all employees for it to be effective. Within the first 30 days of hire an employee should be required to read the Code of Conduct. The Human Resource department and the managers should set up an annual certification every nine months instead of once a year. The certification can be completed with a handout or on the computer with the employee’s signature. The signature certifies that the employee understands the policy and knows what to do if they have any claims. The code of conduct should be reviewed and revised if needed with involvement from all employees.

Businesses that do not follow the ethics code will have an impact on their customers and society. Management must define their expectations about honesty and good ethics. Ethical behavior must be followed by everyone from the CEO to the janitor. According to the research done by the IABC Research Foundation, 67 percent of employees knew that unethical behavior would not be tolerated. (T+ D, 2006) Employees are more inclined to notice ethical behavior from their immediate supervisors that they come in contact with...