BUS 148 - Ethics in the Workplace

3 Credits, 3 Contact Hours
3 lecture periods 0 lab periods

Ethical principles in decision making applied to the business and industry workplace. Includes ethical issues in decision making, ethical frameworks for decisions, personal values and ethical priorities, ethics in business and industry, ethical standards in the workplace, ethical choices, application of ethical principles, social and cultural values applied to decisions, and workplace culture.

Gen-Ed: Meets AGEC - OTHER; Meets CTE - OTHER.

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the origin and meaning of ethics as it applies to various aspects of business.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of moral reasoning and illustrate how moral reasoning is used to recognize ethical dilemmas and make critical decisions.
3. Identify and describe ethical dilemmas by applying ethical frameworks and principles to interpret and judge specific cases.
4. Explain the impact of ethical decisions on corporate governance, legal liability, management, marketing, accounting, technology, and public policy.

1. Identify ethical issues in making decisions including the relative viewpoints of parties involved, the role of situational forces, and short and long term consequences.
2. Analyze the ethical frameworks for decisions between and among cultures.
3. Relate ethical frameworks within one’s own culture to decisions.
4. Describe and provide examples of ethical issues which arise in business and industry.
5. List criteria for evaluation of ethical behaviors and apply to dilemmas in the workplace.
6. Describe sources which influence the development of personal values, and conflicts in values which may arise at work, either within oneself or with other employees, and indicate possible resolutions.
7. Apply ethical principles and frameworks to specific cases in local, national, and global contexts.
8. Describe the role of social and cultural values on ethical decisions that are personal, economic, and organizational.
9. Describe positive relationships with co-workers and supervisors, workplace attitudes which contribute to one’s professional success, and office politics which employees face, and indicate methods for coping successfully.

1. Viewpoints of parties involved

1. Value systems
2. Self-interest

1. Situational forces

1. Authority issues
2. Legal and moral contexts

1. Long and short-term consequences

1. Personal
2. Economic
3. Organizational

ΙΙ           Ethical Frameworks for Decisions

1. Overview of historical philosophies
2. Cultural relativism and values

ΙΙΙ          Personal Values and Ethical Priorities

1. Identification of cultural issues
2. Inventory of values and priorities

ΙV         Ethics in Business and Industry

1. Definitions

1. Ethics
2. Integrity
3. Values
4. Social responsibility

1. Levels of ethical issues in business and industry

1. Societal
2. Office policy
3. Relationship between the company and its employees
4. Personal

1. Unethical behavior in the workplace

V          Ethical Standards in the Workplace

1. Criteria for evaluation

1. Legality
2. Personal morality
3. Enlightened self-interest
4. Corporate/professional codes of ethics
5. Common practices

1. Ethical dilemmas

VΙ         Ethical Choices

1. Cultural sources for the development of personal values

1. Environment
2. Family
3. Religion
4. Schools
5. Media
6. Admired people

            B.         Conflicts in values

1. Within oneself
2. With others
3. Methods of resolution

 VΙΙ       Application of Ethical Principles to Decisions

1. Local or limited results and consequences
2. National or broad results and consequences
3. Global or long term results and consequences

 VΙΙΙ       Social and Cultural Values Applied to Decisions

1. Personal decisions
2. Economic decisions
3. Organizational decisions

ΙX         Workplace Culture

1. Relationships at work

1. With co-workers
2. With supervisors and managers

1. Attitudes at work

1. Willingness to help others
2. Avoidance of destructive attitudes
3. Oversensitivity
4. Selfishness

1. Office politics

1. Competition
2. Chain of command
3. Team versus individual goals
4. Conflicts and possible resolutions
5. Coping with stress

1. Confidentiality
2. Ethics in the new economy
3. Ethical issues

1. Personal use of equipment/services
2. Personal use of supplies
3. A day’s work for a day’s pay