What corporate America is teaching about ethics

Many corporations believe that an ethical corporate culture is related to strategic advantage. Corporations have worked at establishing codes of ethical conduct to establish such a culture. Now, as corporations complete the establishment of codes, a growing number are turning to ethics training as t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Academy of Management perspectives 1991-02, Vol.5 (1), p.21-30
Main Author: Harrington, Susan J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Characteristics
Corporate culture
Decision making
Effectiveness
Employees
Ethics
Executives
Objectives
Product development
Training
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Summary:Many corporations believe that an ethical corporate culture is related to strategic advantage. Corporations have worked at establishing codes of ethical conduct to establish such a culture. Now, as corporations complete the establishment of codes, a growing number are turning to ethics training as the next step in incorporating ethical considerations in the decision-making process. There is a wide variation in ethics training. Corporations that conduct ethics training generally include messages from chief executive officers or other managers, discuss codes of ethics, and provide mechanisms for reporting problems. Corporate classes on ethics also include case studies, guidelines for ethical decisions, decision-making frameworks, and cognitive intervention. If ethics training is to be effective, executives must make sure that: 1. a code of ethics is in place and is followed, 2. an ethical concerns procedure is established, 3. line and staff employees are involved in the identification of ethical issues, and 4. executive priorities and effort related to ethics issues are communicated to employees.
ISSN:1558-9080
1943-4529
DOI:10.5465/ame.1991.427471