These benefits were attained from http//: www.businessethics.com/index/benefits.htm Many people are used to reading or hearing of the moral benefits of attention to business ethics. However, there are other types of benefits, as well. The following list describes various types of benefits from managing ethics in the workplace.
Attention to business ethics has substantially improved society. A matter of decades ago, children in our country worked 16-hour days. Workers' limbs were torn off and disabled workers were condemned to poverty and often to starvation. Trusts controlled some markets to the extent that prices were fixed and small businesses choked out. Price fixing crippled normal market forces. Employees were terminated based on personalities. Influence was applied through intimidation and harassment. Then society reacted and demanded that businesses place high value on fairness and equal rights. Anti-trust laws were instituted. Government agencies were established. Unions were organised. Laws and regulations were established.
Ethics programs help maintain a moral course in turbulent times. As noted earlier in this document, Wallace and Pekel explain that attention to business ethics is critical during times of fundamental change -- times much like those faced now by businesses, both non-profit and for-profit. During times of change, there is often no clear moral compass to guide leaders through complex conflicts about what is right or wrong. Continuing attention to ethics in the workplace sensitises leaders and staff to how they want to act.
Ethics programs cultivate strong teamwork and productivity. Ethics programs align employee behaviours with those top priority ethical values preferred by leaders of the organisation. Usually, an organisation finds surprising disparity between its preferred values and the values actually reflected by behaviours in the workplace. Ongoing attention and dialogue regarding values in the workplace builds openness, integrity and community -- critical ingredients of strong teams in the workplace. Employees feel strong alignment between their values and those of the organisation. They react with strong motivation and performance.
Ethics programs support employee growth and meaning. Attention to ethics in the workplace helps employees face reality, both good and bad, in the organisation and themselves. Employees feel full confidence they can admit and deal with whatever comes their way. Bennett, in his article Unethical Behaviour, Stress Appear Linked (Wall Street Journal, April 11, 1991, p. B1), explained that a consulting company tested a range of executives and managers. Their most striking finding: the more emotionally healthy executives, as measured on a battery of tests, the more likely they were to score high on ethics tests.
Ethics programs are an insurance policy -- they help ensure that policies are legal. There are an increasing number of lawsuits in regard to personnel matters and to effects of an organisation's services or products on stakeholders. As mentioned earlier in this document, ethical principles are often state-of-the-art legal matters. These principles are often applied to current, major ethical issues to become legislation. Attention to ethics ensures highly ethical policies and procedures in the workplace. It's far better to incur the cost of mechanisms to ensure ethical practices now than to incur costs of litigation later. A major intent of well-designed personnel policies is to ensure ethical treatment of employees, e.g., in matters of hiring, evaluating, disciplining, firing, etc. Drake and Drake (California Management Review, V16, pp. 107-123) note that an employer can be subject to suit for breach of contract for failure to comply with any promise it made, so the gap between stated corporate culture and actual practice has significant legal, as well as ethical implications.
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Ethics programs help avoid criminal acts of omission and can lower fines. Ethics programs tend to detect ethical issues and violations early on so they can be reported or addressed. In some cases, when an organisation is aware of an actual or potential violation and does not report it to the appropriate authorities, this can be considered a criminal act, e.g., in business dealings with certain government agencies, such as the defence Department. The recent Federal Sentencing Guidelines specify major penalties for various types of major ethics violations. However, the guidelines potentially lower fines if an organisation has clearly made an effort to operate ethically.
Ethics programs help manage values associated with quality management, strategic planning and diversity management -- this benefit needs far more attention. Ethics programs identify preferred values and ensuring organisational behaviours are aligned with those values. This effort includes recording the values, developing policies and procedures to align behaviours with preferred values, and then training all personnel about the policies and procedures. This overall effort is very useful for several other programs in the workplace that require behaviours to be aligned with values, including quality management, strategic planning and diversity management. Total Quality Management includes high priority on certain operating values, e.g., trust among stakeholders, performance, reliability, measurement, and feedback. Eastman and Polaroid use ethics tools in their quality programs to ensure integrity in their relationships with stakeholders. Ethics management techniques are highly useful for managing strategic values, e.g., expand marketshare, reduce costs, etc. McDonnell Douglas integrates their ethics programs into their strategic planning process. Ethics management programs are also useful in managing diversity. Diversity is much more than the colour of people's skin -- it's acknowledging different values and perspectives. Diversity programs require recognising and applying diverse values and perspectives -- these activities are the basis of a sound ethics management program.
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Ethics programs promote a strong public image. Attention to ethics is also strong public relations -- admittedly, managing ethics should not be done primarily for reasons of public relations. But, frankly, the fact that an organisation regularly gives attention to its ethics can portray a strong positive to the public. People see those organisations as valuing people more than profit, as striving to operate with the utmost of integrity and honour. Aligning behaviour with values is critical to effective marketing and public relations programs. Consider how Johnson and Johnson handled the Tylenol crisis versus how Exxon handled the oil spill in Alaska. Bob Dunn, President and CEO of San Francisco-based Business for Social Responsibility puts it best: Ethical values, consistently applied, are the cornerstones in building a commercially successful and socially responsible business.
Overall benefits of ethics programs: Donaldson and Davis, in Business Ethics? Yes, But what can it Do for the Bottom Line? (Management Decision, V28, N6, 1990) explain that managing ethical values in the workplace legitimizes managerial actions, strengthens the coherence and balance of the organisation's culture, improves trust in relationships between individuals and groups, supports greater consistency in standards and qualities of products, and cultivates greater sensitivity to the impact of the enterprise's values and messages.
Last and most formal attention to ethics in the workplace is the right thing to do.
Case Study on Nestle
All information for this was ascertained at the nestle web site http//www.nestle.com.
Nestle's view on Business Ethics
Nestle's view on business ethics is one of great importance. As you can see from their web site www.nestle.com this is one of their major focal points. Nestle, like many other businesses have created what they believe to be a comprehensive ethical policy or codes of ethics, in plain they are lists of what they believe is ethical behaviour and how they should behave. However, the existence of a code of ethics may not guarantee that the company will conduct itself ethically. Ethics codes are often drawn up in response to scandals and to protect the name of the company, and then this only state its legal responsibilities and the conduct it expects from its employees, rather than listing any ethical principals and aspirations that it holds. The emphasis has often been on the company setting standards for the employees to meet, so it will not be caught breaking the law, rather than realising that the company itself needs to be guided in its business conduct. Nestle have got an ethics policy from legislation to child labour, they have covered every single topic they believe comes under the word of ethics. Nestle believe that every single area of their business needs to have an ethics policy in which they should be able to follow, as they are a global company and their arms stretch to many different area's. Nestlé Global Commitment and Responsibilities Since Henri Nestlé develoed the first milk food for infants in 1867, the Nestlé company has gained vast experience through its scientific research into the nutritional needs and food preferences of consumers of all ages. No other food company invests so much in fundamental and applied research. The company has been a leading food manufacturer and major purchaser of agricultural raw materials for over 130 years. Food and agriculture are an integral part of the social, cultural, economic and political context of every community. Since Nestlé activities in Switzerland, its country of origin, account for less than 2% of its global turnover, Nestlé learned very early to respect the social, political and cultural traditions of all countries in which the products are produced and sold. They also learned to be a highly decentralized people and products oriented company rather than a systems centred organisation. Today, Nestlé is the world's largest and most diversified food company, with nearly 500 factories around the globe, producing healthy, enjoyable food products for every stage of life. Quality is the cornerstone of the success of the Nestlé Company. Everyday, millions of people all over the world show their trust in the company by choosing Nestlé products. This trust comes from a quality image that has been built up for over a century. Nestlé carries out its global social responsibility, firstly, by taking a long term approach to strategic decision making which recognizes the interests of our consumers, shareholders, business partners, and the world-wide economies in which we operate. Secondly, our responsibilities and values are reflected by the commitment of management and employees at all levels, to our Corporate Business Principles, which define standards of behavior for all companies in the Nestlé Group, and are intended to complement applicable legislation and international recommendations. P. Brabeck-Letmathe Chief Executive Officer Nestlé S.A. Nestlé Corporate Business Principles From www.nestle.com Nestlé is committed to the following business principles in all countries. Taking into account local legislation, cultural and religious practice: Nestlé's business objective and that of management and employees at all levels, is to manufacture and market the company's products in such a way as to create value that can be sustained over the long term for consumers, shareholders, employees, business partners and the large number of national economies in which Nestlé operates. Nestlé does not favour short-term profit and at the expense of successful long term business development, but recognizes the need to generate profit each year in order to maintain the support of the financial markets, and to finance investments. Nestlé believes that, as a general rule, legislation is the most effective safeguard of ethical conduct, although in certain areas, additional guidance to management and employees in the form of voluntary business principles is beneficial in order to ensure that the highest standards are met throughout the organisation. Nestlé is conscious of the fact that the success of a corporation is a reflection of the professionalism, conduct and ethical values of its management and employees, therefore recruitment of the right people, and ongoing training and development are crucial. Nestlé recognizes that consumers have a legitimate interest in the company behind the Nestlé brands, and the way in which the Nestlé Company operates.
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