Understanding Ethics and Ethical Behaviors Essay Example for Free

Understanding Ethics and Ethical Behaviors Essay The roadmap of this brief essay is to present an overview of the importance of ethics and ethical behavior in the field of management and business enterprise. This paper hopes to enumerate certain ethical behaviors necessary for the proper conduct of professional affairs, as well as cite certain examples that can help situate the discussions being unraveled. This discussion is important insofar as our present generation spends most of their times in their workplaces. In a manner of speaking, it is within these professional contexts where, according to Delbecq, most people’s characters are forged (qtd. in Schminke ix). Ethics is a science that seeks to shed light on matters that are either right or wrong. Merriam-Webster defines it as the discipline which deals â€Å"with what is good and what is bad, and with what is moral duty and obligation† (Merriam-Webster 398). As such, ethics is both informative and formative. It is on the one hand informative because it concerns itself with knowledge about all things right or wrong. Yet it is on the other hand formative (or imperative) because it demands adherence to moral laws in the conduct of human affairs. Many ethical norms are deemed necessary in view of making ethical the conduct of affairs transpiring within professional workplaces. Among others, honesty, truthfulness and transparency are three of the most fundamental traits that need to be observed. Specifically, dealing honestly with colleagues, being truthful in transacting business with clients, and being transparent in completing database and/or records are conditions of no little importance to one’s professional career (Mary Guy 22). Still, fairness, justice and respect are intricately woven ethical benchmarks as well. Fairness and justice go hand in hand; they behoove equal treatment and distributed opportunities for and to all stakeholders. Just the same, respect for colleagues and the workplace itself are truly important so as to maintain smooth interpersonal interaction. Hardly over, personal integrity and the courage to rectify misgivings are essential aspects of ethical behavior in workplaces as well. These traits enhance ethical decision-making process which individual employees must see through successfully. The case of Sherron Watkins, the once-Vice President who turned her back at Enron Corporation, is a good instance to cite. According to the story, Ms. Watkins was made accessory to accounting frauds, even while she was nervous about being implicated in the process. After much deliberation, she decided to expose the irregularities even to the point of being made to testify to the Congress; all because she wanted to rectify the detestable errors committed by her company (Pellegrini). Taking cue from the example of Sheron Watkins, it seems therefore needless to point that professional workers must take upon themselves the burden of behaving ethically in their workplaces. Far more critical, they should be prepared to handle incidences involving not just accounting frauds but also bribery, racial discrimination, favoritism, unjust wage, unsafe working environment and practices, onerous and unstipulated demands, tax frauds, sexual solicitation and/or harassment, illegal termination and espionage of employees, among others. To briefly conclude, this paper ends with a thought that affirms the importance of the discipline which the science of ethics demands from professionals reporting to workplaces almost on a daily basis. The discussions herein developed emphasized the importance of knowing certain ethical behaviors and implementing them in workplaces. As indeed, the case of Sherron Watkins provides a framework for ethical decision-making process, as well as the basis to be vigilant in correcting instances of misdemeanor committed within professional workplaces. References Delbecq, A. â€Å"Foreword†. Marshal Schminke, Ed. Managerial Ethics: Moral Management of People and Processes. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1998. Guy, M. Ethical Decision Making in Everyday Work Situations. Westport, Connecticut: Quorum Books, 1990. Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. Tenth Edition. Springfield, Massachusetts: Merriam- Webster, Incorporated, 1996. Pellegrini, F. â€Å"Person of the Week: â€Å"Enron Whistleblower† Sherron Watkins†. Time Magazine. 05 January 2009 http://www. time. com/time/pow/article/0,8599,194927,00. html.