Ethics and the Organization

Every year I and 67,000 other employees are required to read and sign a Code of Business Conduct that is about 60 pages of what equals right and wrong in our organization. When I read through this document I am surprised at how spelled out things are. Some things that to me would seem very natural to know are wrong have to be put into a document for people to read and sign. I guess it is just a way to emphasize what the company deems right and wrong and to constantly revisit those facts. We also have an entire department that is specifically dedicated to ethics with tools for managers and new hires on how to approach situations ethically. I guess I am lucky to work for an organization that is dedicated to employing ethical individuals. Many people might say that companies that do this are just trying to show on the surface that they are ethical and are doing it all at face value but I truly believe that the organization that I work for based on their actions, statements, and values is an ethical organization. We have won awards based on our ethics. Maybe more organizations need to be more focused on and know the value of being ethical and it would not be so hard to teach to our future leaders. Actions speak louder than words and large organizations need to lead by example.

Social Responsibility and Ethics

Here are some new buzzwords to add to our organizational dictionary: social responsibility, corporate responsibility, corporate philanthropy, and how about GREEN! What do these terms and concepts really mean to the organization? What are the motivations behind claiming your company is green? Have the organizations suddenly just grown souls and seen the light in the value of ethics or are these concepts a way for these organizations to jump on the bandwagon? What does it mean to be socially responsible? These are important question to ask when looking at these new terms and the ethics of an organization. While these are not the only things that make up and ethical company they definitely contribute to it. How a company views and works with and in the community and environment it is a part of should tell a lot about how that company will be in other parts of business. If the company truly values how it effects the environment and how it can give back to the community and works to change these things then that is how the term social responsibility can equal ethics.