BUS560 Module 2: Organizational Ethics

BUS560 Module 2: Organizational Ethics
Check Your Understanding
1. Consider the functional departments reviewed in chapter 3. Which department do you think faces the greatest number of ethical challenges? Why?
It would seem that the finance or bookkeeping department of any company faces the greatest number of ethical challenges because the opportunity to manipulate the accounting and misrepresent or otherwise take money from the company is ‘ever-present.’ However, there are opportunities for unethical behavior in all areas of a business – and in all businesses in the economy.

2. Provide three examples of unethical behavior that you have observed at the company you work or (or worked for in the past). What were the outcomes of this behavior?
While small businesses may be the backbone of the American economy – they can also be places where unethical behavior occurs without oversight or consequence. Limited resources sometimes make it appear to be standard or unavoidable to engage in unethical practices. The following unethical behaviors in small businesses are cancerous and they encourage ethical breaches in various (perhaps unintended) areas of any business.
The first week I was employed for a small business that was a contractor for a project with another company, my fellow workers encouraged me to ‘fudge’ my timesheet – indicating that it was a common practice among employees. It was indicated to me that the boss was a tightwad with money and underpaid employees so the timesheet fudges were standard and it was even suggested that ‘in order to get along I needed to go along.’ I was very uncomfortable when I realized that this activity severely compromised my morals and personal ethics, I could not remain with the company beyond two pay periods. I could only assume that the poor ethics of the employees bolstered