Business Ethics

Wikipedia defines ethics as "elements of professional practice that are part of dispute resolution or which have some great potential for: bodily harm, urban planning, medicine, law, politics and theories of civics (Wikipedia, 2005)." Today when a person turns on the news all they hear about is the ethical crises making the headlines. Companies have to protect themselves from ethical issues like embezzlement, fraud, or misuse of company products or services. An ethics statement explains how a business operates. The objective of the ethics statement is to ensure that the highest standards of ethical behavior is practiced while conducting business and ultimately acting in the best interest the company. A large part of a Human Resource professional's role is to be strategic business partners. This includes living objectives of the code of ethics.

John Maxwell, in the first chapter of "There's No Such Thing As "Business" Ethics: There's Only One Rule For Making Decisions" titled "Whatever Happened to Business Ethics?" says that most people are disgusted with the state of ethics in America, and are sick of dishonesty and unethical dealings by both the company and its employees (2003). One of the definitions of an ethical dilemma states that it is undesirable or/and unpleasant choice relating to a moral principle or practice. One problem is that ethics is never a business issue or a social issue or a political issue - it is always a personal issue. People say they want integrity, but at the same time, ironically, the majority of people do not always act with the integrity they expected from others. The question is - what should be done in such situations? and what is it indeed- the easy way or the right way? For instance, what should I do when a clerk gives me too much change? Should I lie in case there is a chance to cover a mistake? Is there a limit in my promises aiming to win a client? As human beings, we seem prone to fail personal ethics tests. A lot of people think that embracing ethics would limit not only their options, but also their opportunities, and their very ability to become successful in business.

According to an article written by Dawn-Marie Driscoll and Dr. W. Michael Hoffman, human resource plays a central role in ethics within an organization. Human resources professionals are taking the lead in ethics by setting the standards, being examples for others, promoting fairness for all employees and implementing training programs. From these actions HR professionals will earn individual respect and increase credibility with their staff. In addition, provides on-going training that creates opportunities for employees to practice responding to real-life ethical dilemmas. Recognizing the need for ethics programs and making the programs successful develops a workplace where ethics are second nature. Although the process is time consuming, it is time well spent. According