Presented by

Abdul Hameed
Sarfraz Khan
MBA- I Sec: A

Institute Of Business and

Technology, Karachi
CHAPTER 4
BUSINESS
COMMUNICATION
AND THE ETHICAL
CONTEX
What is Ethics?
The application of general ethical
concepts to the unique situations
confronted in business. It asks
what is right or wrong behavior in
business and what principles or
rules can be used as guidance in
business situations.
We don’t only transfer words
People
Culture
Philosophy
Law
Religion
PEOPLE

Family

Friends

Teachers
Culture
Myths
Stories
Legends

The 4 Concepts of
Ethics
A moral Perspective that attempt
to pattern actions according God’s
Will

“what would God have me do in this

Situation?”
Derived from the Greek word for
Duty
Actions are not justified by their
consequences. Factors other than
good outcomes determine the
rightness of actions

“ They believe that you should

always tell truth”
Consequence driven approach

“They believe that the singular

duty is to maximize good
consequences”
The morality of an action can be
determined by its consequences
An action is ethical if it promotes
the greatest good for the greatest
number
Example:
A deranged Gunman is holding
five people hostage at gunpoint
in a lobby of bank. He asks if any
other customers or employees
are in bank you know that three
customers escaped to backroom
along teller. Do you tell them
truth?
Derived from the Greek word for
Duty
Actions are not justified by their
consequences. Factors other than
good outcomes determine the
rightness of actions
Legal Issue
Key Area For Ethical
Communication
-Personal Written and Spoken
message
-Cross-Cultural Messages
-Advertising Message
Ethics and organizational
resposibility
-Formal V/S Informal ways of
Comm.
Defamation and privacy
-An employees personal Disabilities
-An employees personal identity and
private facts
-An employees Records, Reports, Letters,
Electronic Data
Discrimination and Harassment
Plagiarism
Copyrighting
Message Purpose
Research methods
Selection Material
Development of ideas
Use of language
Ethical context
Self-analysis
Cultural context
Misunderstandings
Language
Accountability
Language
Graphics/print
Omission
Truth
Accountability
Formal Communication
Public messages
Employees manuals and policy
statements
Mission statement and ethical
codes

Informal Communication
T