Ethics Issues

Businessmen and women make ethical decisions regularly on things that will impact themselves, their family, or their organization. Business Ethics can be defined as situations individuals and organizations find themselves in which they must determine what is “right or wrong where values are in conflict” (Trevino, 2006, p. 3). It was once believed that unethical decisions were attributed fully to the individual who used poor judgment. It is now further understood that there can be many breakdowns within an organization in which ethics are not addressed or that unethical behavior is acceptable which leads the individual in making an unethical decision. There are many types of unethical behaviors organizations face on a regular basis such as discrimination. One type of discrimination organizations must be watchful of is sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is defined as “an unwelcome sexually oriented behavior that makes someone feel uncomfortable at work” (Trevino, 2006, p. 72). One particular kind of sexual harassment is the “Quid pro quo,” which implies that the only way for advancement in the organization is by providing sexual favors (Trevino, 2006, p. 72). Women often are victims of this type of sexual harassment and this behavior is considered unethical because their advancement is not contingent upon their individual abilities and skills, but based on a sexual basis. This can be a touchy subject because what may be considered harassment to one may be considered acceptable to another. This is why people should not only be considerate of what they are saying, but they must also consider how this might be interpreted to another. Conflicts of Interests are another type of ethical issues that affect the community and many organizations today. Conflicts of Interest “erode trust by making it look as special favors will be