The value of what should be done and what should not be done from the business point of view

Problems, situations, or opportunities requiring an individual to choose among actions that may be evaluated as right or wrong, ethical or unethical ethical issues arise because of: conflict among personal/organizational values conflicts with societal values

 Product safety standards. Advertising contents. Working environment. Unauthorized payments.

Employees privacy.
Environmental issues.

 Meeting overly aggressive financial or

business objectives. Meeting schedule pressures. Helping the organization survive. Rationalizing that others do it. Resisting competitive threats. Saving jobs.

 Personal values. Attitudes/behaviors of supervisor. Attitudes/behaviors of senior management. Internal drive to succeed. Performance pressures.

No threat of punishment.
Friends/coworkers.

Ethical conflicts arise when someone has to make a choice between violating and abiding by one or more of their moral principles, leading to a paradox where neither choice leaves the individual satisfied.

Internal Conflicts

Workplace Conflicts Religious Conflicts

Political Conflicts

Conflict of interest. Honesty & fairness. Communications issues.

Organizational relationships.

 Exists when an individual must choose

whether to advance his or her own personal interests, those of the organization, or some other group. Must be able to separate personal interests from business dealings. Bribery is a significant concern.

 Honesty relates to truthfulness, integrity &

trustworthiness. Fairness related to being just, equitable & impartial. Breaking or bending laws violates trust Business should not be played as a game. Lack of rules & poor enforcement leads to unethical behavior.

 Issues involved relate to advertising, product

safety, pollution, & employee work conditions Lying is a major ethical issue with internal & external communications False advertising relates to:

Exaggerated claims. Concealed facts & ambiguous statements. Lying.

 Relate to behavior of organizational

members toward customers, suppliers, subordinates, superiors, peers & others. Plagarism is one ethical issue of concern to organizations.

 Owners have an obligation to society as well

as their employees & customers:

Minimize pollution. Compensate workers fairly. Produce safe products.

Must be sensitive to legal & ethical risks of

their industry & region.

 Reporting & use of the companies

finances. Pricing products/services fairly. Avoiding any antitrust activities:

Price fixing

Sensitivity to socially responsible

investing.

 Employee theft, sabotage & competitive

intelligence. Fear of layoffs Salary plateaus Upward mobility Discrimination Privacy & data access Health & safety

 Must consider consumer feedback: Safety. Environmental (can lead to boycotts). Maximize positive publicity & avoid negative.

 An activity approved by most members of

the organization & customary in the industry is probably ethical. If the issue withstands open discussion between groups within & outside the organization is probably ethical. Covert discussion, destroyed or disguised documents indicate potential problems.

Business Communication and Legal Issues

 Legal issues in business communications

become more complex with the advancing improvement to technology. Use of new devices increases efficiency and allows for more productivity, but it also raises legal concerns as a business worries about the erosion of privilege, interception of data or storage of communications.

Defamation

Publication of Faults Privileges Defamated Terms

Invasion of Privacy
An employee personal Disabilities An employee personal identity and private

facts
An employee record reports letter and

Electronic data

Misrepresentation And Fraud

Innocent misrepresentation Fraudulent Sales warranty Fraud

Laws Regarding Employment Credit and Collection

Employment and pre employment

inquires. Credit and collection.

Other areas of caution in Business Communication

Copy write Computer data security