Ethics - Communication And The

Ethical Context
 Outline
A. Background to EthicalContext
 Ethical Situations
 Ethics As a Communication Issue
 Ethics in Corporations – An Historical View

B. Communication on Ethical Issues

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

C. Influences on PersonalEthics
 People
 Culture
 Philosophy
 Law
 Religion
 Background to EthicalContext

 Ethical Situations

 Ethics As a Communication Issue

 Ethics in Corporations–A Historical View

Background to EthicalContext

Ethical Situations

An Ethical dilemma is a complex situation that often involves

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

Making ethical decisions is relatively easy when all thefacts of

a situation are known.
Background to EthicalContext
Ethics As aCommunication Issue

We communicate our values and beliefs toothers via verbal

and nonverbal behavior.

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

we behave.

We also need to communicate toothers 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 personalworth
of each person in the organization
 Background to EthicalContext
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 thebest
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 intothe
very heart of the business and reinforcing the idea of ethical behavior,
businesses can run efficiently, legally and ethically.
Communication and Ethical Issues

Legal Issues

 Key Areas for Ethical Communication

Ethics and OrganizationalResponsibility

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 youbelong.

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 SpokenMessages

Cross-Cultural Messages

Advertising Messages
Communication and Ethical Issues
 Key Areas for Ethical Communication
Personal Written and SpokenMessages
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 ineach
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 assessyour
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 forAdvertising:
1.Language
2.Graphics/ print
3.Omission
4.Truth
5.Accountability
Communication and Ethical Issues
Ethics and OrganizationalResponsibility
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 CSRmodels 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
Influence on Personal Ethics
People

Culture

 Philosophy

 Law

Religion
 Influence on Personal Ethics
 People

Your family played a large part in shaping yourpersonal ethics.

Your family member and friends exert strong influence onyour

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 ,teacheretc.
 Influence on Personal Ethics
 Culture

Culture is an integral part of everysociety.

 It is a learned pattern ofbehavior 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 ofa society.
Culture is way of life.

A culture is a way of life thatis based on beliefs and values, such

as art, food, dance, rituals, religion, etc
 Influence on PersonalEthics

 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 andlanguage.

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 personalethics.

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, teachingsprovide
guidelines for ethics, but leave latitude for the believer to
interpret what is ethical and what isn't.
 Thanks!
For your support and understanding