Baseline Organizational Ethics

Background Information

Initiating a study of ethics often requires changing the paradigm you use for evaluating individuals, organizations, and events. Many people evaluate ethical behavior from either a passive “benefit of the doubt” approach, or use a relative comparative analysis of the ethics of an individual or organization as compared to some other individual or situation. A true study of ethical behavior might better be demonstrated in a black-and-white world – behavior is either ethical given the situation, or it is not.

Colossians 1:21 says we are alienated from God and enemies of Him in our minds because of our evil behavior. This is a black-and-white dichotomy; no shades of gray exist. There is a solution to this situation: the sacrificial blood of Christ. In our organizations, the tendency is to look at ethics from a passive or relative comparative perspective; yet this tendency has led many organizations into poor ethical choices. Just as in your personal lives, there is a solution: You must develop the ability to make organizational decisions from a black-and-white perspective even when what is black and white is difficult to determine.

Instructions

1. View the videos “Jones Soda: Social Responsibility” and “Honest Tea: Ethics, Company Mission and Values.”
2. Download the Baseline Organizational Ethics Chart.
3. In the left-most column, put the name of the last five companies, groups, or organizations that you have been regularly engaged with for a month or more. These columns can contain employers, non-profit organizations, neighborhood groups, fraternities/sororities, and similar groups.
4. Next, identify your affiliation to the group.
5. In the middle column, rate (as low, low to medium, medium, medium to high, or high) the standard or average level of ethical behavior in that organization as compared to the level of behavior in a company you see as a model of ethical organizational behavior.
6. In the right-most column, identify what ethical policies, procedures, or standards the company used to promote or hinder ethical behavior.
   1. Examples that promote ethical behavior might be:
      1. Ethics training
      2. A clear and committed set of corporate values
      3. Acknowledgment of God as the source of values
   2. Examples that might hinder ethical behavior include:
      1. Deceptive billing or proposal practices
      2. Overstatement of expenses on managers expense accounts
      3. Failure to fully disclose all relevant information when appropriate
   3. Identify at least two examples for each organization.

Example Baseline Organizational Ethics Chart

1. Navigate to the threaded discussion. Attach your completed Word document, then respond to the following questions:
   1. What relationships, if any, do you observe between the ethical behaviors of the organizations in your table and the ethical policies, processes, or standards that may exist?
      1. Discuss how this compares with the same relationship that existed in at least one publicly traded company that has exhibited notable ethical lapses in the past.
      2. Provide a detailed explanation of your evaluation that demonstrates clear, insightful critical thinking.
   2. What are the primary factors that contributed to your rating of the five companies, groups, or organizations?
      1. Discuss how the examples you noted compare with similar policies, procedures, or standards that contributed to the ethical lapses in the publicly traded company selected for Step 6.a.i of this assignment.
      2. Provide a detailed explanation of your evaluation that demonstrates clear, insightful critical thinking.
2. Your initial post should be 200 to 300 words in length and include two academic resources that are properly cited.
3. Your initial post is due by the end of the fourth day of the workshop.

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