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Ethical Issues in Management

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Ethical Issues in Management
Juanita Bell
University of Phoenix

Ethical Issues in Management What is business ethics? According to wiseGEEK (2003-2010), business ethics “Is the behavior that a business adheres to in its daily dealings with the world.” (What is Business Ethics? para.1). The ethics of a organization may be discrete, however ethics do not just apply to how the business communicates with the world, but also includes the business’ one-on-one relations with individual clients and employee’s. There are many ethical issues involved in management. Diversity has become a major issue in the management world. Workplace diversity refers to the extent of cultural diversity within a company. “Diversity is generally defined as acknowledging, understanding, accepting, valuing, and celebrating differences among people with respect to age, class, ethnicity, gender, physical and mental ability, race, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and public assistance status (K.A. Green, M. López, A. Wysocki, & K. Kepner, 2008)”. Diversity in business allows a business to better understand the demographics of its marketplace. Many advertise themselves as “Equal Opportunity Employers”, meaning they maintain a diverse workplace and will not discriminate. Though many ethical issues can be found with in the workplace, the most common is discrimination. Discrimination is one of the main issues currently stopping diversity. “Discrimination occurs whenever something other than qualifications affects how an employee is treated (L. Trevino & K. Nelson, K., 2007, p. 69)”. Factors contributing to discrimination often include age, race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, gender, and sexual preference. Discrimination occurs not only during the hiring process, but also in decisions for promotions and layoffs. The proverbial “glass ceiling” is an excellent example of discrimination

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