An Effective Ethics Program

Some corporate cultures provide opportunities for or reward unethical conduct because their
management lacks concern or the company has failed to comply with the minimum requirements of the
Federal Sentencing Guide-lines for Organizations.

Values Versus Compliance Programs

Two types of control systems can be created. A compliance orientation creates order by requiring
that employees identify with and commit to specific required conduct. The other type of system is a values
orientation, which strives to develop shared values.

Codes Of Conduct
Codes of conduct, which are formal statements that describe what an organization expects of its
employees. Such statements may take three different forms: a code of ethics, a code of conduct, and a
statement of values. A code of ethics is the most comprehensive and consists of general statements,
sometimes altruistic or inspirational, that serve as principles and the basis for rules of conduct. A code of
conduct is a written document that may contain some inspiration statements but usually specifies
acceptable or unacceptable types of behavior. The final type of ethical statement is a statement of values.
The six values that have been suggested for codes of ethics include: (1) trustworthiness, (2) respect, (3)
responsibility, (4) fairness, (5) caring, and (6) citizenship.

Ethics Officers
Organizational ethics programs also must have oversight by high-ranking persons known to respect
legal and ethical standards. These individuals—often referred to as ethics officers—are responsible for
managing their organizations’ ethics and legal compliance programs. They are usually responsible for
assessing the needs and risks that an organization wide ethics program must address, developing and
distributing a code of conduct or ethics.

Ethics Training and Communication

A major step in developing an effective ethics program is implementing a training program and
communication system to communicate and educate employees about the firm’s ethical standards. If
ethics training is to be effective, it must start with a foundation. Training and communication initiatives
should reflect the unique characteristics of an organization: its size, culture, values, management style, and
employee base. It is important for the ethics program to differentiate between personal and organizational
ethics.

Systems to Monitor and Enforce Ethical Standards

An effective ethics program employs a variety of resources to monitor ethical conduct and measure
the program’s effectiveness. Compliance with the company’s ethical code and standards can be assessed
by observing employees, internal audits, surveys, reporting systems, and investigations. An external audit
and review of company activities may sometimes be helpful in developing benchmarks of compliance.
Continuous Improvement of the Ethics Program
Improving the system that encourages employees to make more ethical decisions differs little from
implementing any other type of business strategy. Implementation translates a plan for action into
operational terms and establishes which an organization’s ethical performance will be monitored,
controlled, and improved. A firm’s ability to plan and implement ethical business standards it structures
resources and activities to achieve its ethical objectives.

Common Mistakes in Designing and Implementing an Ethics Program

Failure to understand and appreciate these goals is the first mistake many firms make when
designing ethics programs. A second mistake is not setting realistic and measurable program objectives.
The third mistake is senior management’s failure to take ownership of the ethics program. The fourth
mistake is developing program materials that do not address the needs of the-average employee. The fifth
common mistake made in implementing ethics programs is transferring an. “American” program to a firm’s
international operations. A Final common mistake is designing an ethics program that is little more than a
series of lectures.

Business communication
1(a) Communication Is a Process
A Definition of Communication

Communication is any process in which people, through the use of symbols, verbally and/or
nonverbally, consciously or not consciously, or unintentionally, generate meanings (information, ideas,
feelings, and perceptions within and across various contexts, cultures, channels, and media.

1(b) The Elements of Communication

The communication process is made up of various elements; sender-receivers, messages, channels,
noise, feedback, and setting.

Sender-Receivers.

People get involved in communication because they have information, ideas, and feelings they
want to share. This sharing, however, is not a one-way process in which one person sends ideas and the
other receives them, and then the process is reversed. First, in most communication situations, people are
sender-receivers-both sending and receiving at the same time.

Message

The message is made up of the ideas and feelings that sender-receivers want to share. Ideas and
feelings can be communicated only if they are represented by symbols. A symbol is something that stands
for something else. All our messages are made up up of two kinds of symbols verbal and nonverbal. The
word in the language are verbal symbols that stand for particular things or ideas. Verbal symbols are
limited and complicated different meanings to abstract symbols. Nonverbal symbols are ways we
communicate
Channels

The channel is the route traveled by a message; it is the means a message uses to reach the
sender-receivers. In face-to-face communication, the primary chan- nels are sound and sight: We listen to
and look at each other. We are familiar with the channels of radio, television, CDs, newspapers, and
magazines in the mass media. Other channels communicate nonverbal messages.

Feedback

Feedback is the response of the receiver-senders to each other. You tell me a joke and I smile.
That's feedback.

Noise

Noise is influence that keeps a message from being understood or accurately interpreted. Noise
occurs between the sender-receivers, and it comes in three forms external, internal, and semantic.

Setting

The setting is the environment in which the communication occurs. Setting can have a significant
influence on communication. Formal settings lend themselves to formal presentations.

2(a) Can You Improve Your Self-concept

The way you view yourself-is the single most significant key to your behavior, it is understandable
why you might want to improve. But, to make any change in your self-concept requires hard work-"great
determination. Experiences such as education, court- ship and marriage, parenting, the need to make a
living, and exposure to an expanding network of social, family, and business connections will alter your
self-concept for the good. The only way to change the final product-your self-esteem-is to change what
goes into making it- feedback from other people.

How to begin program of change

2(b) The perceptual process
There are three step of perceptual repeat themselves in an ongoing and continual process
sometimes even overlapping one another that directly influence communication behaviors. In selecting
information, it should be clear that you select which cues you choose to pay attention to. Not only do you
actively select the cues, but you actively organize those cues, too.

Because your collection of sensory cues requires structure and stability to be understood. Finally,
you interpret your sensory cues by drawing conclusions or judging, and the final step-often occurring
instantly and simultaneously with the previous steps depends on your past experiences, goals,
expectations, beliefs, values, needs, world gender, feelings at the moment. Interpretations, too, vary from
culture to culture.

3(a) Resolving Conflict Online

The following are tips for handing conflict online with respect, sensitivity, and care." We have
abbreviated or eliminated the discussion of each point for space considerations.

1. Don't respond right away. When you feel hurt or angry about an email or post it's best not to
respond right away
2. . Read the post again later. Sometimes, your first reaction to a post is a lot about how you're feeling
at the time. Reading it later, and sometimes a few times, can bring a new perspective.
3. Discuss the situation with others who know you. Ask them what they think about the post and the
response you plan to send.
4. Choose whether or not you want to respond. You do have a choice, and you don't have to respond.
You may be too upset to respond in the way that you would like, or it may not be worthy of a
response.
5. Assume that people mean well, unless they have a history or pattern of aggression.
6. Clarify what was meant. We all misinterpret what we hear and read, particularly when we feel hurt
or upset. It's a good idea to check out that you under- stood them correctly.
7. Think about what you want to accomplish by your communication.
8. Verbalize what you want to accomplish. Here are some examples, "I want to understand what
you're saying.
9. Use "I" statements when sharing your feelings or thoughts. For example, "I feel..." versus "You
made me feel...."
10. Use strictly feeling statements. Feeling statements include saying you felt hurt, sad, scared, angry,
happy, guilty, remorseful, and so on.
11. Choose your words carefully and thoughtfully, particularly when you're upset
12. Place yourself in the other person's shoes.
13. Start and end your post with positive, affirming, and validating statements. This helps set a positive
tone. End on a positive note as well.

3(b) Defensive Communication

Defensive communication occurs when one partner tries to defend himself or herself against the
remarks or behavior of the other.
 Categories of Defensive and Supportive Behavior

Defensive climate Supportive Climate

 Evaluation  Description
 Control  Problem Solving
 Strategy  Spontaneity
 Neutrality  Empathy
 Superiority  Equality
 Certainty  Provisionalism

4(a) Situational Leadership terms

A situational leader can adopt different leadership styles. The first situational leader success more
on the task and less on the group. The second situational leadership is labeled selling members on the idea
to gain majority support. Selling is high task group.

The major differences between telling and selling are:

Telling Selling
 One way communication  Two way communication
 Use of manipulation and coercion for control  Use of persuasion and explanation for group
 Negative environment support
 Positive environment

The third situational leadership style is participating. Using this style, leaders state the problem but
immediately consult with group members. Participating leader task-high group. The fourth situational
leadership style is delegating. Delegating is low task-low group. Leaders hang back and let members plan
and execute the job.

4(b) Characteristics of Small Groups

All small groups have common characteristics. These groups reflect the culture in which they
function; they have norms-expectations that group members have of how other members will behave; and
they have rules-formal and structured directions for behavior.
Cultural Values

Once the group begins to function, everyone is more or less equal. If someone wants to talk, he or
she is given a chance. If all in the group cannot agree on a solution, the group takes a vote and the majority
decides This kind of group-forming and group-operating be seems so natural that we don’t think twice
about it

Group Norms

Norms are the expectations group members have of how other members will behave, participate.
Norms are informal they are not written down. Members assume that other understand the norms and will
follow them. Norms are important because they give a group some structure.If the member know how to
behave the group will function more efficiently. 6

Group Rules

Unlike norms, rules are formal and structured directions for behavior. Rules may dicatate what jobs
group members should do, how meetings should be conducted, how motions should be introduced, and so
on.