If You Scored… All A's -- You're the poster child for ethics. We should all be as pure as you. Mostly A's -- You're not perfect, but you're still a role model. No one's perfect, so you shouldn't feel too bad. Every now and then you stray, so just listen to the little voice that tells you to do the right thing most of the time a little more often. Mostly B's -- You've forgotten a few things your parents taught you. You could do worse -- much, much worse -- but you still stray from the right decision now and then. Mostly C's -- You're far from perfect but could be worse. OK, sometimes you teeter close the edge of unethical and might be damaging your career. With a little hard work, you can probably perform some damage control and get on the right track. All C's -- You'd steal candy from a baby. And laugh about it. Let's be honest, your reputation is probably not so great. In fact, people probably check their wallets once you've left to make sure nothing's stolen. Now's the time to decide if you want to start fresh with strong relationships and a better reputation.

Business Ethics & Social Responsibility

What Contributes to Having a Good Character? Honesty Integrity Fairness Responsibility Respect for others Hard work Positive attitude

Think About It… Would an honest person cheat on a test? Would a responsible person skip classes? Does a bully show respect for others? Are athletes hard working? Do you know people who are known by some of these traits? Are they known for having these traits or, perhaps, for not having them?

Are Ethics & Values the Same? Ethics is the code of conduct that helps determine what is good, right, and proper. Values are the principles, goals, or standards held or accepted by individuals, groups, and societies.

How Do Ethics Relate to Business? For any business to be successful, it must operate legally, ethically, and humanely.  Business ethics is a set of guidelines about how a business should conduct itself. Good ethics = Good business!

Would Your Company Survive? An employee is found to be taking company items home and using them for their personal use. An employee is harassing another one of your employees via text messages. A customer calls to inquire about a product, only to be met with a negative attitude by one of the employees. An employee is undercutting your prices on t-shirts, in order to sell more products. An employee tell a potential customer a lie when asked if the t-shirts were made in the United States. In summer months, the working conditions are unbearable…hot, no windows, and no breaks allowed!

Important Ethical Questions! 1. Is it against the law? Does it violate company or professional policies? 2. What if everyone did this? How would I feel if someone did this to me? 3. Am I sacrificing long-term benefits for short-term gains?

Ethics as Good Business Unethical business practices may cause a business/person to be fined, jailed, fired, or even lose your license.  However, not all unethical practices are covered by the law and, if they are, you may not get caught for violating the law.

Ethical Decision- Making Process 1. Identify the ethical dilemma. 2. Discover alternative actions. 3. Decide who might be affected. 4. List the probable effects of the alternatives. 5. Select the best alternative.

Group Activity Time!!! 1. Create a 4-5 sentence possible ethical conflict that might happen in a business setting. 2. Then, using the ethical decision-making process, students must go through the steps according to their scenario.

Legal Responsibility The March 26 th, 1911 fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Company in NYC, where 146 workers died, sparked the nation’s attention to examine sweatshops. Sweatshops are factories that have unsafe working conditions, treat workers badly, and pay poorly.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets and enforces work-related health and safety rules.

Social Responsibility Social responsibility is the duty to do what is best for the good of society. Businesses have the ethical obligation to provide safe products, create jobs, protect the environment, and contribute to the overall standard of living in society.  Conflict of interest is when a business is tempted to put profits before social welfare.

Responsibility to Customers A business’s 1 st responsibility is to provide customers with a good, safe product or service. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) protects consumers from dangerous or falsely advertised products.  1982 Johnson & Johnson crisis

Responsibility to Employees Businesses have a social responsibility to create jobs, provide employees with safe working conditions, equal treatment, and fair pay. The Equal Pay Act (passed in 1964) requires that men and women be paid the same wages for doing equal work. The Americans with Disabilities Act bans discrimination against persons with a physical or mental disability.  50 million workers are currently covered by this law

Responsibility to Society The biggest issue facing businesses today is environmental responsibility. In 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was created. It enforces rules that protect the environment and control pollution. Businesses who are environmentally responsible have better public relations.  The Body Shop, The Los Angeles Times, Honda, and Toyota incorporate environmental policies into their business.

Homework… Find a company and 1 of their social responsibility programs. In a ½ page (1.5 spaced) typed paper, tell me: 1. Company name 2. Name of program 3. Description of the program and how it relates to being a socially responsible business.