Assignments

Paragraphs for
Contextual
Grammar Practice
 Chapter 4
Business Communication and the
Ethical Context
 Outline
A. Background to Ethical Context
 Ethical Situations
 Ethics As a Communication Issue
 Ethics in Corporations – A Historical View

B. Communication on Ethical Issues

 Legal Issues
 Key Areas for Ethical Communication
 Ethics and Organizational Responsibility

C. Influences on Personal Ethics

 People
 Culture
 Philosophy
 Law
 Religion
 Background to Ethical Context

 Ethical Situations

 Ethics As a Communication Issue

 Ethics in Corporations–A Historical

View
Background to Ethical Context

Ethical Situations

An Ethical dilemma is a complex situation that

often involves an apparent mental conflict
between moral imperatives, in which to obey
one would result in transgressing another. This
is also called an ethical paradox.

Making ethical decisions is relatively easy

when all the facts of a situation are known.
 Background to Ethical Context
Ethics As a Communication Issue
We communicate our values and beliefs to others via verbal and
nonverbal behavior.

 We are defined in the eyes of others according to the way we

behave.

 We also need to communicate to others the importance and

necessity of good ethics.

It follows that we have a responsibility to act in ways that promote

honesty and fairness to maximize the personal worth of each person
in the organization
 Background to Ethical Context
Ethics in Corporations – A Historical View

Companies have long fought the battle of corporate corruption.

Because corporations are run by people and no human being is
morally perfect, ethical issues are bound to arise. How these issues
are handled is the best indicator of a corporation’s ethical
commitment. Establish ethically moral behavior in your corporation
by taking the task seriously.

When company executives behave unethically, that behavior often

ends up in the news. While most companies have ethics policies,
they don't necessarily enforce or even follow them. By
incorporating ethics into the very heart of the business and
reinforcing the idea of ethical behavior, businesses can run
efficiently, legally and ethically.
Refresher: ½ min. break and food for thought
“Avoid abbreviations, esp. unfamiliar ones.”
Refresher: ½ min. break and food for thought
“Untitled.”
Influence on Personal Ethics
People

Culture

Philosophy

Law

Religion
 Religion People

Law Individual Culture

Ethics

Philosophy
 Ethics, Morals, and the Law
• Morals Classification of Actions:
– Principles of right Unethical
and wrong
• Ethics Ethical
– A set of moral
principles guiding Legal Illegal
behavior and action
• Laws
– Binding codes of
conduct; formally
recognized and
enforced Unethical Ethical but
– Company Policies but Legal Illegal
 Influence on Personal Ethics
 People

Your family played a large part in shaping your personal

ethics.

Your family member and friends exert strong influence on

your ethics.

Teacher, especially when you were younger, may have laid

the foundation for ethical decisions.

Personal ethics is strongly influence people around him

including ,parent ,family ,teacher etc.
 Influence on Personal Ethics
 Culture
Culture is an integral part of every society.

It is a learned pattern of behavior and ways in which a

person lives his or her life.

Culture is essential for the existence of a society, because

it binds people together. In the explicit sense of the term,
culture constitutes the music, food, arts and literature of a
society. Culture is way of life.

A culture is a way of life that is based on beliefs and

values, such as art, food, dance, rituals, religion, etc.
 Influence on Personal Ethics
 Philosophy

Theories of philosophy have long been concerned

with ethical and moral issues.

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental

problems concerning matters such as existence,
knowledge, truth, justice, beauty, validity, mind and
language.

A personal philosophy statement serves as an

introduction to you, focusing more on your beliefs and
values than on life experiences and biographical data.
 Influence on Personal Ethics
 Law

Laws, some argue, represent the minimum standard of

behavior.

Law is a set of rules in society set by the government in

order to maintain control.

Law of state has much and more influence one personal

ethics.

Acting ethically mean following the law.

 Influence on Personal Ethics
 Religion

Religion is belief in super natural and divine power or

powers and how we relate to them. It comprises of belief
and practice.

Religious traditions give instructions to followers about

what's right and wrong. That is, belief systems define what
is or isn't ethical. In some religions, unethical behavior is
punished and ethical behavior is rewarded. In other
religions, teachings provide guidelines for ethics, but leave
latitude for the believer to interpret what is ethical and
what isn't. 
Communication and Ethical Issues

Legal Issues

Key Areas for Ethical Communication

Ethics and Organizational Responsibility

Communication and Ethical Issues
Legal 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.

Legal issues in business communications become more

complex with the advancing improvement to technology.
Use of new devices increases efficiency and allows for more
productivity, but it also raises legal concerns as a business
worries about the erosion of privilege, interception of data
or storage of communications.
 Communication and Ethical Issues
 Key Areas for Ethical Communication

Ethical treatment of a subject takes time, thought, and

preparation. As a manager. It is important for you to
focus on ethical communication in three key areas:

Personal Written and Spoken Messages

Cross-Cultural Messages

Advertising Messages
Communication and Ethical Issues
 Key Areas for Ethical Communication
Personal Written and Spoken Messages
Your messages, both written and spoken, demonstrated not
only the message, you intended but also a message
regarding your values and integrity.
Use the guidelines to evaluate your purpose and motives in
each situations.
The guidelines are:
1. Message purpose
2. Research methods
3. Selection of material
4. Development of ideas
5. Use of language
6. Ethical context
7. Self-analysis
Communication and Ethical Issues
 Key Areas for Ethical Communication
Cross-Cultural Messages
Never before have so many people from different cultures
lived and worked together.
The world has become a global village, and the work force
reflects that diversity. Because we have such different
customs and ways of communicating, it is natural that
misunderstandings occur in the workplace.
The cross-cultural ethical outline will help you assess your
ethicality in multicultural situations.
Cross-Cultural Ethical Guidelines:
1. Cultural context
2. Misunderstandings
3. Language
4. Accountability
Communication and Ethical Issues
Key Areas for Ethical Communication
Advertising Messages
It is ethically wrong to advertise products in ways that
confuse. Whether promoting a college jazz event, a gateway
weekend, or a line of products for a multimillion dollar
company, the rule for ethical advertising is consistent:
Tell the truth, don’t misrepresent , and don’t manipulate
language to create a false impression.
Ethical Guidelines for Advertising:
1. Language
2. Graphics/print
3. Omission
4. Truth
5. Accountability
Communication and Ethical Issues
Ethics and Organizational Responsibility
Business corporations exists for one reason: to make money . Today,
however, corporations are mindful of their corporate social
responsibility, or CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), also known as
their "triple bottom line," which includes a concern for profits, but
also an ethical treatment of people and the world in which we live.
Proponents of CSR models say that businesses are actually more
profitable when they employ high CSR standards, but that idea is still
disputed by some corporate and financial analysts.

Environment
Human Rights
Community Development
Employee Welfare