Module 7

Question 1

What is an Organizational Ethics Program?

Answer 1

Organizational ethics programs are
collections of control mechanisms, that is.
ways of standardizing employee behavior
within the domains of ethics and legal
compliance. These control mechanisms
are embedded into the systems and
policies of the organization.

Question 2

What are the three levels on Inquiry?

Answer 2

There are three levels of inquiry into
business ethics that relate to the multi
-faceted and multi-disciplinary nature of
business ethics. These are micro, meso.
and macro. These three levels of inquiry
are important to the discussion of ethics
programs and the nature of evaluation of
an effective program.

Question 3

What is the objective of an Ethic Program?

Answer 3

One of the primary objectives of an ethics
program is to improve the ethical culture
of an organization.

Question 4

Why is interest in ethics growing?

Answer 4

Corporate scandals like Worldcom, Enron,
J.P. Morgan. City Group, and ICN
Pharmaceuticals have given rise to a
growing worldwide interest in business

Question 5

Why is the reward system significant?

Answer 5

The reward system can be crucial in
supporting an unethical system. The Enron
reward system consistently promoted
greed, selfishness, and jealousy within the
organization.

Question 6

Why are ethics programs increasing?

Answer 6

As the scandals have had larger and larger
financial impacts on society. the scrutiny
into the culture and ethics policies of
organizations has increased.

Question 7

What is the goal of ethics program?

Answer 7

Control in an organization is part of the
primary goal of an ethics program.
Creating a strong control system is
important in developing a culture that
supports an ethics program.

Question 8

What are control mechanisms?

Answer 8

The control mechanisms have to be carefully
developed because the end result can
range from rebellion to buy-in.
Compliance based approaches to ethics
emphasize detection and discipline of rule
violations.

Question 9

What are Value based approaches?

Answer 9

Values-based approaches to ethics
emphasize the development of shared
principles regarding ethical behavior.

Question 10

What is the dimension of ethical culture?

Answer 10

Improving the ethical culture of an
organization requires that the dimension of
an ethical culture be identified.
Relationships between the components of
an ethics program and the dimensions of
ethical culture differs in strength, nature.
and significance.

Question 11

What reinforces an ethical culture?

Answer 11

Trevino and Nelson
(2007) state that an organization’s culture
is reinforced, by code of ethics, employee
ethics training, and organizational
enforcement mechanisms.
These interactions are complex. Ultimately the
individual values of employees.
management structure, organizational
systems, and ethics programs interact to
create the complex ethical environment.

Question 12

What possible interactions are concerned?

Answer 12

In order to electively use an ethics
program within the organization, the
development of the policies must consider
the complexities of the interactions
between the human resource policies and
management systems. This provides a
foundation of support for ethical or
unethical behavior. In addition. the
organization needs a systematic approach
to evaluating the ethics programs that
have been designed.

Question 13

Why is leadership important?

Answer 13

It is important for the leadership within an
organization to clearly and concisely
communicate the ethics view. The key to
this is for leadership to consistently
behave in a way that supports the
communicated codes of conduct. This
increases the efficacy of the ethics
program.