Transcript Business Communication: Process and Product, 3e

Business
Communication
Ethics
Includes material from Guffey text Ch 1
What would you do?
You are driving along in your two-seater car on a
very stormy night. You pass by a bus stop, and you
see three people waiting for the bus:
1. An old lady who looks like she is about to die.
2. An old friend who once saved your life.
3. The perfect man/woman you have been
dreaming about.
Which one would you choose to offer a ride to,
knowing that there could only be one passenger in
your car?
Stages of Ethical Decisions
Moral
Awareness
Moral
Judgment/
Intent
Moral
Behavior
Moral Awareness

Violation of a Behavioral Norm




Motive (accidental, intentional)
Strength (consensus, personal)
Relevance (observer, violator)
Harm




Nature (financial, physical, psychological,
etc.)
Level (individual, group, societal)
Strength (magnitude/concentration of
impact)
Time Frame (potential, realized)
Moral Judgment/Intent

Internal focus


External focus



impact on me, my family, my career
alignment with other’s expectations of me
alignment with community norms
Integrated focus


impact on my view of myself
alignment with my internal set of values/ beliefs
of justice (equity, dignity, reciprocity)
Moral Behavior

Individual Characteristics




Courage
Internalization of values/beliefs (strength of
convictions)
Risk sensitivity (likely reaction/impact on me of
action/non-action)
Environment Characteristics


Norms/expectations
Likely reaction/impact of my action/non-action
on issue
Examples of Unethical
Behavior by Corporations

Physical Harm




Phillip-Morris
Cigarettes
Ford Pinto
Firestone Tires
Nestle Baby
Formula

Financial Harm





Enron
Tyco
Worldcom
Adelphia
Psychological Harm

Beach Nut
Baby Apple Juice
Goals of Ethical
Communication

Telling the truth
half truths
 exaggerations
 deceptions

Goals of Ethical
Communication

Labeling Opinions
differentiating between facts
(quantifiable and/or verifiable)
and opinions (beliefs that are
not verified)
 stating opinions as if they
were facts is unethical

Goals of Ethical
Communication

Being Objective
recognize your own biases and keep
them from distorting your message
 honest reporting means presenting the
whole picture and relating all facts fairly

Goals of Ethical
Communication

Communicating Clearly
use simple language
comprehensible to
average reader
 short sentences, simple
words, clear organization

Goals of Ethical
Communication

Giving Credit
 referring to originators’
names within the text
 using quotation marks
 documenting sources
Five Common Ethical Traps

False-necessity

Doctrine-of-relative-filth

Rationalization

Self-deception

Ends-justify-the-means
Tools for Doing the Right Thing
Rotary 4-Way Test
Of the things we think, say or do:
 Is it the TRUTH?
 Is it FAIR to all concerned?
 Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER
FRIENDSHIPS?
 Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?"
Framework for Identifying and
Resolving Ethical Issues (source: Dunn & Bradstreet)
1.
Why is this bothering me?


2.

3.
Am I genuinely perplexed?
Am I afraid to do what I
know is right?
Who else matters?

Implications for customers,
peers shareholders?
How does the problem
appear from the other side?
Is it my responsibility?

4.
What will happen if I
do/don’t act?
What is the ethical concern?


5.
Whom can give me advice?

6.
Legal obligation?
Honesty, fairness, promisekeeping, avoiding harm?
Supervisor, peers, HR, legal,
ethics hot line?
Am I being true to myself?



Consistency with my values
and personal commitments?
With company values?
Can I share my decision with
family, colleagues, customers?
Can I see my decision on the front
page of the newspaper?
Markkula Center for Applied
Ethics (Santa Clara College)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What benefits and harms are
produced  which action
best overall?
What moral rights to the parties
have  which action respects
those rights?
Which action treats all equally?
Which action advances the
common good?
Which action develops
moral virtue?
Creating Ethical Companies
Behavior standards
 Law
 Professional/trade assoc. codes
 Community concept of morality
 Individual conscience
 Organizational policies
Creating Ethical Companies
Ethical culture
 Code of ethics, ethics training, social audit
 Managers lead by example
Ethical infrastructure
 Hiring processes
 Evaluation processes
 Monitoring/control processes


Identification/punishment of
unethical behavior
Incentivise/reward ethical behavior
Ethical Communication =
Honesty/Integrity
“Being honest means more than not
deceiving. For leaders within organizations,
being honest means do not promise what you
can’t deliver, do not misrepresent, do not hide
behind spin-doctored evasions, do not
suppress obligations, do not evade
accountability, do not accept that the ‘survival
of the fittest’ pressures of business release
any of us from the responsibility to respect
another’s dignity and humanity.”
Dalla Costa The Ethical Imperative 1998
VIDEO
End