Business Communication And Ethical Context

Business ethics: It is the behavior that a business adheres to in its daily dealings with the world. The ethics of a particular business can be diverse. They apply not only to how the business interacts with the world at large, but also to their one-onone dealings with a single customer.

Many businesses have gained a bad reputation just by being in business. To some people, businesses are interested in making money, and that is the bottom line. It could be called capitalism in its purest form. Making money is not wrong in itself. It is the manner in which some businesses conduct themselves that brings up the question of ethical behavior. Good business ethics should be a part of every business. There are many factors to consider. When a company does business with another that is considered unethical, does this make the first company unethical by association? Some people would say yes, the first business has a responsibility and it is now a link in the chain of unethical businesses. Many global businesses, including most of the major brands that the public use, can be seen not to think too highly of good business ethics. Many major brands have been fined millions for breaking ethical business laws. Money is the major deciding factor.

Benefits of effective communication in an organization If the business communication is effective: At the employee level, it allows you to make decisions, provide feedback in an ongoing basis, make agreements, etc. At the team level, it allows you to build an open communication environment that facilitates the creation of commitment, the creation of breakthrough ideas, the creation of trust, etc. At the organizational level, it allows you to align your whole company in order to execute its strategy, reach its vision, and fulfill its mission. What are the ethics of the business?

Business ethics is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment. It applies to all aspects of business conduct and is relevant to the conduct of individuals and entire organizations.

Good business ethics should be a part of every business. There are many factors to consider. When a company does business with another that is considered unethical, does this make the first company unethical by association? Some people would say yes, the first business has a responsibility and it is now a link in the chain of unethical businesses.

Many global businesses, including most of the major brands that the public use, can be seen not to think too highly of good business ethics. Many major brands have been fined millions for breaking ethical business laws. Money is the major deciding factor.

 Many businesses have gained a bad reputation just by being in business. To some people, businesses are interested in making money, and that is the bottom line. It could be called capitalism in its purest form. Making money is not wrong in itself. It is the manner in which some businesses conduct themselves that brings up the question of ethical behavior.

7 Signs of an Ethical Business: 1. Teach employees how to behave ethically by demonstrating, recognizing and rewarding ethical behavior. 2. Tell the truth. Fully reveal relevant information to stakeholders and authorities. 3. Consider the interests of everyone who will be affected by their business decisions. 4. Treat all individuals and groups with dignity and respect. 5. Maintain honest and complete communication with employees, customers and the community. 6. Avoid conflicts of interest. 7. Demonstrate, encourage and support active involvement in their communities.

Case Study of John Rey About the ethics of business communication:

As awareness of the need for ethical business behavior increases, business people must address the issue of an ethical standard acceptable for use in international business or, in individual situations, which country's ethical standards will be respected. Ethical absolutes cannot be determined without cultural bias. Legalistic, religious, and situational frameworks all reflect existing prejudices and values. Legalistic ethics occur most commonly in low-context cultures that place great value on the written word. High-context cultures tend to favor a situational approach to ethics. Religious ethics are determined by the individual religion to which one adheres. In each of these cases, culture divides the ground for a universal ethical standard. In international business, the question arises: at what point should one reject the norms and values of one's own culture to accommodate those of another? The most practical approach to the international businessman is ethical relativity, a willingness to modify one's own ethical views to communicate effectively across cultures. However, ethical relativism in international business does not address the situation in which a society condemns people based on an immutable characteristic such as gender or race. Business people should be encouraged to accept and work with cultural differences but adhere to individual ethics.

Ethical Situations: Yon make ethical decisions every day; you build on a concept of right and wrong: you establish certain ethical principles. Consider the following .situations. How would you react? 1. During an on-campus interview, a recruiter asks you why lie should hire you over another candidate (a classmate of yours). You have some negative information about this person. Do you share it with the recruiter? 2. You witness another student cheating during an important accounting exam. Do you confront the student? Do you tell other students or a professor about the incident? 3. A firm invites you for a second interview at its corporate office. You are not especially interested in this company, but you are considering taking the trip because you have a good friend you would like to visit in a distant city and yon could use the frequent-flyer mileage. Do you accept the interview? A quick response to the above three incidents is that you would always make the right and moral decision; Friendship should take precedence over personal gain. Cheating is wrong and should not go unchallenged. If a job does not interest you, do not pretend that it does and accept the plane ticket and hotel room. But are these the right and moral decisions? Are there circumstances when you would act differently? Why not tell the recruiter damaging information about the other candidate? After all, it's a competitive world. Perhaps you would ask the person cheating why he or she had done it. The answer may put the unethical act into a different context. Should you lake the recruiting trip even though you are not interested? Win not give the company a chance to change your mind? Putting ethical events into different contexts changes the way we perceive the event. The right answer is not always clear.

COMMUNICATION AND ETHICAL ISSUES

Communicating ethically in the business arena challenges you on several levels. Legal issues have an impact on you personally and on the organization to which you belong. Organizational challenges include constructing a productive company culture with employees who have diverse backgrounds, values, and beliefs. In all these challenges, your personal system of values will influence yours and others' behavior in business.

Legal considerations such as defamation and privacy are concerns in all organizations. Statements that damage a person's name or reputation, are communicated to others, and involve false and malicious statements that may be defamatory. Written defamation is libel; oral defamation is slander. Individuals or companies can be sued for defamation of character. Although these are legal issues, they are also ethical issues because slander and libel violated basic principles of honesty, respect, and human dignity.

Our laws protect individual privacy. Of major concern are the large databases credit, marketing research firms, and medical companies collect. The proliferation of computerized data has greatly increased the chances that our private information can become public.

Ethical Standards evaluation: When organizations use a top-down approach to communicate ethical standards, they typically express ethical values in the following three ways: Public messages. Formal statements of organizational values and ethics appear in speeches by CEOs and in public statements such as press releases and annual reports. Speeches and press releases frequently follow an organizational crisis, and when the crisis calls the organizations values into question, high-level executives usually attempt to explain the company's position. Ethical statements are also found in the body of the annual report or the chairperson's letter preceding the report. Executives use these channels to formally communicate the ethics and values of the organization to employees, stockholders, and other constituencies.

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