The Role of Business in Social

and Economic Development:

Common Practices in Business
Organization
 Ethics primary concern is a person's moral judgment on what is
right and wrong. Every decision made within an organization are
influenced by whatever is the culture of the business or the company.
The decision to behave ethically in the context of having moral
standards in an organization is important; employees decides what
they think is the right course of action in a certain situation but this
may also mean rejecting the course imposed if it will lead to a
biggest short-term profit for the company.
What are the possible benefits of having ETHICS as a guiding principle to a business?

Keeping an principled environment in a company may:

• make employees want to stay longer with the business or
company and reduce labor turnover and lead s to an increase
in productivity;
• attract more employees wanting to work for the business or
company and reduce recruitment costs and enable the
company to get the most talented and efficient employees.
• attract more customers and increase sales and profits;
• attract investors and keep the business and company's share
price high, thereby protecting the business from being takeover
or from bankruptcy.
 Protocol and Decorum:
Business Manners
Protocol and decorum is an important factor in
running a business or organization. Without protocol
and decorum there will be unavoidable friction,
confusion, misunderstanding and emotions that may
get in the way of the business. Following protocols of
a professional and executing words with decorum,
gives the business person a powerful tactical
advantage over their clients. Following strict
protocols and decorum's means that the business
person cannot be easily drawn into making a
appalling business decisions.
• Protocols are established procedures one follows
to execute a task.
Protocols are defined by custom,
education, professional codes and statutory law.
The protocol, "do business in a business like
way" means that this approach to business is the
most efficient, effective, trouble-free and
profitable means to conduct business. No one
can make a business person acknowledge or
forcible accept this rule but to ignore it may
affect profitability and expect a conflicting
business environment.
• Decorum relates to how a person negotiates a sale and
handles any ensuing problems.
Decorum indicate the emotional situation in which
business is conducted. Considerate, personable, cheerful,
responsible, patience, and the like describe some of the
elements of decorum. A violation of decorum would be to
express outrage and emotion towards the case worker
regarding how a process is being handled.
The mathematical nature of conflicts and the need for protocol and decorum
here are situations where proper workplace decorum is necessary:

1. BUSINESS MEETINGS IN PERSON (FACE TO FACE)

How you conduct yourself during an in-person meeting will leave a lasting
impression on your boss and colleagues.
Be considerate of others’ time.
- Be on time.
- Communicate the purpose, duration and the items for discussion in advance.
- Thank attendees for their participation and contribution. Demonstrate appreciation b circulating minute
of the meeting.
- Avoid monopolizing the conversation. Have a listening and attentive ears. Ensure that everyone has
had a chance to speak before ending the meeting.
- Avoid assigning responsibility to anyone not present in the meeting unless you have had the chance to
inform the person ahead of time.
- If you are attending another person's meeting, be respectful and resist the urge to multi-task.
- If waiting for an unavoidable phone call, turn your phone to vibrate or silent, and excuse yourself before
answering. Otherwise, turn your devices off.
2. ON THE PHONE
Although the cell phone has allowed us to take calls wherever and whenever, there are still
proper phone etiquette to guide us especially in workplaces.

 
- For company landlines, always answer the phone with warmth and enthusiasm,
and identify yourself and your department.
- When initiating a call, be sure to introduce yourself and explain why you are
calling. This will help ensure that you are reaching the right person or
department.
- Always return calls within twenty-four (24) hours. If you do not have an answer
for someone, advise the person that you will address the concern the soonest
possible. If someone else would better serve them, point them in the right
person and department.
 3. USING E-MAIL
Email is a very efficient and effective communication tool, but it is not always the
best choice of communication. It is important to know when it is appropriate to email, when
it is better to pick-up the phone or to meet in-person.

- Email communications should be concise, with a subject line that adequately describes the content
of the message. If a topic is so complex that you cannot sum it up in three paragraphs or less, the
communication probably must be through a phone call.
- "Reply All" must be weighed whether or not you really need to copy all recipients of the original
distribution.
- Be sure that your name and contact information are included in a signature line.
- Use complete sentences and avoid slang, abbreviations or emoticons, unless you are certain the
person receiving the email will appreciate them.
- When emailing someone in authority, have someone read the message before sending it to check
if you have overlooked a detail. If no one is around, read your message aloud and listen carefully
to the tone to ensure that you are not leaving room for misinterpretation.
 4. PROPER DRESS CODE AND APPEARANCE
It is important that one is cautions in their physical appearance. Showing a
lack of concern can be interpreted as being disrespectful to clients or co-workers
and those in authority.
- Iron clothing and avoid worn out clothes in workplaces
- Be sure to shave face and avoid greasy or unkempt hair which conveys lack
professionalism.
- In general, business attire requires men to wear decent shoes, slacks and a collared shirts
if there are no required uniforms and for women; decent shoes, a blouse, dress, pants or a
skirt.
5. BUSINESS AND COMPANY FUNCTIONS
A good impressions made during a gathering, dinner or reception can make
or break a business any deals.
- Always bring calling cards, and be sure to arrive on time.
- Do some work ahead of time to familiarize yourself with attendees, and provide introductions where
appropriate.
- If you forget or are unaware of someone’s name, introduce the person you know first, and the
unknown person may introduce themselves. If not, excuse yourself, and admit you are having
trouble recognizing the person.
Making an Effective Business policy:
A. Balance
The ideal business policy encourages individual productivity without making the employee feel as though
the employer or the person in authority is micromanaging them. According to Entrepreneur magazine, "neither
an extremely detailed nor a nonexistent business policy create a highly productive work environment".
B. Equal Opportunity
Equal opportunity must be clear in any rules; to promote fair treatment in the workplace. Most organizations
implement equal opportunity policies like antidiscrimination and affirmative action policies, for example, to
encourage unprejudiced behavior within the workplace. These policies discourage inappropriate behavior from
employees, supervisors and independent contractors in regard to the race, gender, sexual orientation or religious and
cultural beliefs of another person within the organization.
C. Employees' Job Description
One significant content of your business policy is including a description of every position in the
organization; from the highest ranking down to the ranked in file. Employees must understand their role, duties
and responsibilities and how they will interact with others within the organization.
D. Liability
All employees, including managers, must understand the acceptable behavior boundaries at work. When an
employee misbehave on the duty, the employer may be held liable for how that situation affects clients, individuals or
other employees.
E. Employee Conduct
An employee conduct policy establishes the duties and responsibilities each employee must adhere to as a
condition of employment. This must all be clearly established prior to the start of the work. Conduct policies are in
place as a guideline for appropriate employee behavior, and they outline things such as proper dress code,
workplace safety procedures, harassment policies and policies regarding computer and Internet usage. Such
policies also outline the procedures employers may utilize to discipline inappropriate behavior, including warnings
or employee termination.
F. Consequences for Violations
A business must establish rules that address any violations from the policy. Stating the consequences for
violating business policy puts the employee on notice and also increases the employer's options for effectively
dealing with behaviors contrary to policy.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF A GOOD POLICY

- Policy should help in achieving the enterprise's objectives.

- It should provide only a broad outline and leave scope to subordinates for
interpretation so that their initiative is not hampered.
- Policies should not be mutually contradictory and there should not be
inconsistency between any two policies which may result in confusion and
delay in action.
- They should be sound, logical, flexible and should provide a guide for
thinking in future planning and action. Further, they should provide limits
within which decisions have to be made.
- Policies should reflect the internal and external business environment.
- Policies should be in writing and the language of the policies should be
intelligible to the persons who are supposed to implement them and to
those who are to be affected by them.
 EXAMPLES OF UNETHICAL PRACTICES IN A BUSINESS

1. Misusing company time

When an employees' activity is outside its job description, duties and
responsibilities, it maybe misusing company time. This category includes knowing
that one of your co-workers is conducting personal business transaction, doing
personal errands or simple wasting working time.
2. Abusive behavior
Too many workplaces are filled with managers and supervisors who use their
position and power to mistreat or disrespect co-workers. This is very vital now a days
and situations as such must be given attention by the business' management whether it
involves racial discrimination, gender or ethnic origin.
3. Employee theft
There are so many records of employees stealing from their company. Theft at
work comes in a variety of forms, and oftentimes employees do not view it as
unethical behavior, believing no one gets hurt by the action.
4. Lying to employees
The fastest way to lose the trust of your employees is to lie to them, yet employers
do it all the time. One of out every five employees report that their manager or
supervisor has lied to them within the past year.
5. Violating company internet policies
Cyber slackers and cyber loafers are terms used to identify people who surf the
Web when they should be working. It's a huge, multi-billion-dollar problem for
companies. A survey conducted recently by Salary.com found that everyday at least
64 percent of employees visit websites that have nothing to do with their work. Who
would have thought that checking your Facebook page is becoming an ethical issue?
6. Bending the Rules
Bending the rules in a business situation is often the result of a psychological
stimulus. If an employee is asked to perform an unethical task by a supervisor or
manager, he may do it because his allegiance to authority is greater than his need to
abide by the rules. Turning the other way to avoid trouble for another employee is still
unethical, even though the motivation may be empathetic.
7. Environmental
Unethical behavior by companies, such as releasing pollutants into the air, can
affect cities, towns, waterways and masses of people. Though accidents can occur, the
release of harmful toxins into the environment due to lax safety standards, improper
maintenance of equipment or other preventable reasons is unethical.

8. Wages and Working Conditions

Other unethical practices include not paying workers a fair wage, employing
children under the legal working age and unsafe or unsanitary working
conditions. Any practices that are not in compliance with fair labor standards
and federal working guidelines fall into this category.
 THANK YOU!
HUWAG MAG-ALALA
TAKE IT EASY SIS!