...Joe Paterno is a famous football coach at Penn State. As a college football coach, he has won more games than any college coach, active or retired. He made Penn State an elite football program. During his time, he has won multiple championship and bowl games. Joe Paterno was a mentor and teacher to many football players and students. When any student who goes to Penn State, he or she will know the name of Joe Paterno. Even so, he faced an ethical issue that will haunt his legacy. A man named Jerry Sandusky coached under Joe Paterno. Police accused Jerry Sandusky of sexually molesting and arrested him for doing this. Another coach who witnessed Jerry Sandusky sexually molesting a boy told Joe Paterno. After Joe Paterno gained knowledge of the situation, he informed his athletic director. Both he and his athletic director did not call the police. The ethical issue for Joe Paterno was covering up for Jerry Sandusky while not calling the police. What seems to be the basis of the issue? Abbie Identify ground rules that manifested the situation. Abbie What ethical change, deficiency, or conflict brought it about? MELISSA The incident that brought scandal to Penn State University is the allegations of child molestation and endangerment that Jerry Sandusky, Penn State assistant football coach, was accused of. The ethical deficiency that this situation displays is the leadership of Penn State did not report an issue that required multiple...
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...How can we ourselves overcome our natural tendency to evade and self-deceive? In regards to the Penn State child-raping scandal, we continue to see these actions. People are really good at self-deception. We attend to the facts we like and suppress the ones we don’t. Most of the people who had the authority at Penn State to stop the raping of children by Jerry Sandusky proved themselves to be worthless. Despite the status of many individuals, we as a society should eliminate the camouflaging of crimes. In order to seek justice and moral responsibility; motivated blindness, normalcy bias, and bystander effect must all be eliminated. First off, the world today has negative pre-determined imagery of change. This case in relation to other readings previously discussed in class, shows how many deceive change as horrifying. Mike McQueary, for example, an eye witness of the alleged attacks, was so blinded by the negative consequences he couldn’t bring himself to make known. When people find themselves in unsettling circumstances, they shut down and pretend everything is normal. McQueary’s failure to fulfill his moral responsibilities abruptly could have had an effect in why Joe Paterno, or the Penn State athletic director failed as well. Change in the Penn State program created a sense of normalcy bias, weighing more important to McQueary and Paterno than the little boys. In other words, “Nobody wants to damage the brand.” Today our major institutions lie because of a culture in...
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...As mentioned in the Penn State e-education instituted by John A. Dutton, “The key question here is how hard we should try, or how much we should sacrifice, to help others. The more selfish we are, the less we will try to help others; the more altruistic we are, the more we will try to help others”. Martin Luther King did not care what race you were or if you were female or male he just wanted equality for everyone. Martin Luther King never showed concern only for himself. He cared about the others needs and feelings. Theirs a lot of things Martin Luther King did that were not selfish in any shape or form. Like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. mentioned in Where Do We Go From Here, on 1967, "I have decided to stick with love…Hate is too great a burden to bear’. (King, 1967)...
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...Scandal Jerry Sandusky was once seen in the eyes of many as a well-respected individual, and an astounding assistant coach for the Penn State University football team. Once the scandal arose of him sexually abusing children, eventually leading to his conviction of sexual harassment crimes, his whole reputation and all that he had worked for his entire coaching career was lost. No one could really grasp what had occurred at first, especially those who worked with him, for so many years he was seen as such a remarkable coach, person, and as a role model for young people. Tavris and Aronson state in their book, Mistakes Were Made But Not By Me, “Because most people have a reasonably positive self-concept, believing themselves to be competent, moral, and smart, their efforts at reducing dissonance will be designed to preserve their positive self-images” (29). With Sandusky being put in a light as such an overall good person it was hard for individuals to think that he could do something so appalling. Leon Festinger, a social psychologist, is referenced by Tavris and Aronson in the opening chapter of this book saying, “The engine that drives self-justification, the energy that produces the need to justify our actions and decisions -especially the wrong ones- is an unpleasant feeling that Festinger called cognitive dissonance” (13). “Cognitive dissonance is a state of tension that occurs whenever a person holds two cognitions (ideas, attitudes, beliefs, opinions) that are psychologically...
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...Organizational Behavior in the Case of the Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal Kelley Griffin OL-500 Human Behavior in Organization Southern New Hampshire University Lisa Wright March 23, 2013 Organizational Behavior in the Case of the Penn State Sex Abuse Scandal In 2012, “former Penn State defensive coordinator Gerald “Jerry" Sandusky was found guilty of sexual abuse. . . . He was accused of sexually abusing 10 boys over a 15-year period in a scandal that has rocked the university's community” (Chappell, 2012, para. 1). When the story of Jerry Sandusky broke to the press, the University board believed the investigation currently underway at their university was solely concerning Jerry Sandusky, but unbeknownst to them, the organizational breakdown of Penn State was involved in the investigation as well. The investigation analyzed documents and conversations from Penn State’s leaders that spanned from 1998 to 2011. What came to light was that Sandusky, a renowned alumni of 32 years, ex-Penn State football coach, and an active member in youth charity programs, had been sexually harassing minors on and off university property. In addition, at various points during this time frame, leaders in various positions within Penn State’s organization knew of these accounts and did nothing about it. This report aims to focus on how the organizational culture as well as the breakdown in leadership responsibilities, aided in the allowance of such acts to continue...
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...value for the firm. In the process of carrying out various marketing activities, through different media, the question of marketing ethics comes to the fore. Marketing ethics according to Philip Kotler is “the area of applied ethics which deals with the moral principles behind the operation and regulation of marketing”. Applied ethics, in the words of Brenda Almond, co-founder of the Society for Applied Philosophy, "the philosophical examination, from a moral standpoint, of particular issues in private and public life that are matters of moral judgment". It is thus a term used to describe attempts to use philosophical methods to identify the morally correct course of action in various fields of human life. An ethical practice would bring about the greatest good and value for all those involved. Marketing is hinged on the need to transmit the value of a product or service to end users to influence buying behavior and unethical practices may arise from the hassle to meet performance targets. Marketing cannot be said to be totally ethical since it involves reaching out to a large mass of people with different backgrounds, lifestyles and inclinations. Ethics, been more of a philosophical question provided the product or service been marketed is not intended to cause harm will be difficult to generalize as the market consist of demographics ( Penn, Christopher). Although some practices in marketing are obviously unethical like the misrepresentation of facts on a product or service...
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...Irony & Ethical Execution: A closer look at nonprofit behavior code Felecia M. Daniels August 24, 2012Fmdaniels7770@yahoo.com Nonprofit Organization Management Professor Jennifer Pryor Irony & Ethical Execution: Table of Contents Introduction…………………………………………………………………….Page 3 Why is a Code of Ethics Important?..................................................................Page 4 Important Ingredients in the Code of Ethics………………………………….Page 4 Administration of the Code of Ethics………………………………………….Page 6 Cases of Nonprofit Ethics Issues………………………………………………..Page 6 Minimizing Unethical Behavior…………………………………………………Page 7 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………...Page 9 References…………………………………………………………………………Page 11 & 12 2|Page Irony & Ethical Execution: Introduction In wake of the Pennsylvania State University recent scandal, the United Way indiscretions, NAACP payout for sexual harassment, Goodwill Industries of Santa Clara, California embezzlements and even the debacle of The American Red Cross’ lack of attention on the donor’s intentions during 9/11 along with a near endless list of other the of quality ethics in nonprofit organizations is illuminated as a topic needing acute attention. The supposed intent of a nonprofit organization is to do something in good faith for the sake of mankind. It seems, though, that increasingly the ethical standards have lessened over time. More and more, there are reports of nonprofit personal albeit staff or members of the administration...
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...Running header: ETHICS 1 Is Ethics Natural or Learned Behavior? N. Rodriguez PHI 200 Philosophy Mind and Machine Instructor Yelena Gidenko June 3, 2013 ETHICS 2 Is Ethics Natural or Learned Behavior? Ethics is the philosophical study of good and bad, right and wrong. It is commonly used interchangeably with the word morality. It differs from other aspects of philosophy in being more concerned with what should be than with what actually is. What my understanding is about Ethics? Is that some say ethics has to do with what a person’s feelings are telling them what is right and wrong. Some say it has to do with their religious belief. Others believe that ethics coexist with the requirements of the law or what are societies deems expectable. All very good answers to what ethics is. At least what it means to some individuals. Is a person born with ethics? Just as soon as you’re able to form thoughts, are you also determining what good morals are and what are bad? Or are they thought through love and compassion from your families and elders. Actually ethics is a fairly new concept in human development. Because you cannot call a slave keeping society “ethical”. Is ethics taught? I think so. In times of war mass amount of people...
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...Are Ethics in the Workplace Disappearing? By CATHERINE VALENTI Feb. 21, 2012 Enron executives allegedly made millions selling company shares while urging employees to buy the soon-to-be-worthless stock, and set up private partnerships that cloaked huge losses as they touted their successes to investors. While investigators struggle to determine who knew what when in the Enron debacle, the giant energy firm's implosion promises to be a virtual case study in corporate ethics. Was the downfall the fault of a few executives who knowingly misled others, the outcome of a distorted corporate culture, or mere incompetence? Bad Actors, Peer Pressure The history of business in the United States is littered with tales of fraud, deceit and corruption, not only by the hands of a greedy few at the top, but also with the help of employees willing to go along with the charade. Unethical behavior at the office can sometimes stem from a few "bad apples" among the bunch, people like Nick Leeson, the young stockbroker whose huge losses from illegal trades led to the downfall of the venerable Barings Bank. But experts note that ethical breaches are often the result of the corporate culture or pressure from management, pressure that can emerge when a company finds itself unable to live up to financial forecasts or expectations and tries to bend the rules to achieve them, says Linda Treviño, professor of organizational behavior at Penn State's Smeal College of Business Administration...
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...Chapter 1 Ethical Reasoning: Implications for Accounting Ethics Reflection PENN STATE CHILD ABUSE SCANDAL: A CULTURE OF INDIFFERENCE What motivates an otherwise ethical person to do the wrong thing when faced with an ethical dilemma? Why did Joe Paterno and administrators at Penn State University look the other way and fail to act on irrefutable evidence that former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky had raped and molested young boys, an offense for which Sandusky currently is serving a 30- to 60-year sentence? According to the independent report by Louis Freeh that investigated the sexual abuse, four of the most powerful people at Penn State, including president Graham Spanier, athletic director Timothy Curley, senior vice president Gary Schultz, and head football coach Joe Paterno, sheltered a child predator harming children for over a decade by concealing Sandusky’s activities from the board of trustees, the university community, and authorities. The Freeh report characterizes the inactions as lacking empathy for the victims by failing to inquire as to their safety and wellbeing. Not only that, but they exposed the first abused child to additional harm by alerting Sandusky, who was the only one who knew the child’s identity, of what assistant coach Mike McQueary saw in the shower on the night of February 9, 2001.1 McQueary testified at the June 2012 trial of Sandusky that when he was a graduate assistant, he walked into the locker room and heard sounds of slapping...
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...Ethics in College Athletics: How Far Does Winning Go John Williams 27 September 2013 Abstract Introduction Whether it is ultra-competitive collegiate athletes, the need for university programs for funding, or the drive for a championship, the perceived need to win is ever increasing in today’s collegiate sport programs. This perceived need plays a large role in the perceived successfulness of the program. In today’s collegiate world, more wins equates to more money for the program, more recognition for coaches and players, as well as increased awareness of the university as a whole. These benefits to winning are the drive behind many collegiate programs to get a step ahead of the competition, however, when does this drive and the pressure to win outweigh the coach’s and program’s code of ethics. The collegiate world has recently seen many different scenarios where the need to win has resulted in the poor decision to throw away one’s ethics for the benefit of personal gain or the win of single game. Each of these scenarios is a culmination of poor personal decisions, poor program management, and poor character development. These scenarios present themselves as learning experiences as well as opportunities to educate the future leaders of our sporting world. Review of Literature The term ethics is defined as, “moral principles that govern a person’s or group’s behavior” (Meriam-Webster, 2013). By this definition, there is a code of conduct that guide...
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...the organization. This paper looks at a leadership style, “full range model,” which is a combination of transactional leadership, transformational leadership, with laissez-faire behaviors. Another key factor in organizations is ethics. Ethical standards are necessary to have a positive leader who is setting a first-rate example of what employees should do, how to act, what to wear, etc. Keywords: transactional leadership, transformational leadership, laissez-faire, ethics, full range Leadership There are various forms of leadership styles in organizations that exist today. Traditionally, leadership can be defined “as the capability of the manager to direct, inspire and motivate their employees to produce greater work than their normal level of performance, with this contributing to organizational effectiveness” (Michie, 2012, pg. 609). Not only is crucial the manager has leadership, but ideally the employees will have leadership skills too to work through the days, help colleagues, and/or customers. Any one person can have skills that “classify” them as a “leader.” To be on task, a role model, going out of the way to help others, holding confidence, having customer service skills, and other special qualities, generates a good, productive leader. Ethics is a key factor in any leadership position. One of the styles used today is the full range model and it is primarily based on transactional and transformational leadership styles, as well as laissez-faire (van Eeden, 2008). ...
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...the organization. This paper looks at a leadership style, “full range model,” which is a combination of transactional leadership, transformational leadership, with laissez-faire behaviors. Another key factor in organizations is ethics. Ethical standards are necessary to have a positive leader who is setting a first-rate example of what employees should do, how to act, what to wear, etc. Keywords: transactional leadership, transformational leadership, laissez-faire, ethics, full range Leadership There are various forms of leadership styles in organizations that exist today. Traditionally, leadership can be defined “as the capability of the manager to direct, inspire and motivate their employees to produce greater work than their normal level of performance, with this contributing to organizational effectiveness” (Michie, 2012, pg. 609). Not only is crucial the manager has leadership, but ideally the employees will have leadership skills too to work through the days, help colleagues, and/or customers. Any one person can have skills that “classify” them as a “leader.” To be on task, a role model, going out of the way to help others, holding confidence, having customer service skills, and other special qualities, generates a good, productive leader. Ethics is a key factor in any leadership position. One of the styles used today is the full range model and it is primarily based on transactional and transformational leadership styles, as well as laissez-faire (van Eeden, 2008). ...
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...Improving and Sustaining Business Ethics and Corporate Responsibility ! Business Ethics is emerging as one of the greatest recognized needs in business today. No other element in business life can profit so greatly for such a small investment. Ethics and corporate responsibility not only describes what a company does internally, but also shows what they did externally. If a company lack this, it can cost business dearly. In order to start looking at how to improve and sustain business ethics, we must first ask what ethics itself is. In a simple definition, ethics involves learning what is right from wrong. Then taking that knowledge and acting on what is right. However, that’s not as straightforward as conveyed in a great deal of business ethics literature. Philosophers have been discussing ethics for at least 2500 years, since the time of Socrates and Aristotle. Many consider ethical beliefs to be legal matters. For example, what becomes an ethical guideline today is often translated to a law, regulation or rule tomorrow. Many companies use public relations as a diving board into the world of ethics." " " Public relations are a huge way that companies can effectively show ethics and corporate responsibility. Business ethics and corporate responsibility are a huge part of businesses and companies around the world. In the public’s eye, ethics are a reason why people do business with a specific company or not. A good way for companies to Page 2 of 7 show that they are...
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...Ethics in Leadership Why is Ethical Leadership a Social Responsibility? * Enron * Wells Fargo * Penn State * Lehman Bros. * MF Global Does the general public have a positive impression of the organizations listed above? Now we know, on average, that there are ethical employees at these firms. However, the employees did not lead them to their corporate demise or negative public perception. It was leadership culture without social responsibility as a cornerstone. And the results can be devastating. It can destroy a schools reputation. Destroy a company’s financial footing by eroding the confidence of the investors. In short, the lack of ethical leadership will almost always end badly for all concerned. Five Ethical Leadership Behaviors Ethics are what you do while values are what you say. Ethical leadership means that people look at your behavior and what you do, not just what you say. Unethical behavior kills leadership. According to Andrew Dubin, there are five ethical leadership behaviors. These include: * Be honest and trustworthy. This will build creditabilty * Pay attention to all stakeholders. This enhances the team concept * Build community. This lead to having a culture that is goal oriented * Respect the individual. The golden rule. * Accomplish silent victories. Let others receive praise and recognition What NOT to do: There are three behaviors that leaders must be aware of that can kill ethical leadership...
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