Essay about Alcoa’s Core Values in Practice

In order to operate ethically in a global marketplace, corporations like Exxon Mobil need to define the conduct that they expect from their officers, executives, managers and employees. Without a defined code of conduct, employees feel forced to use their personal mores to determine what actions they should take in ethically ambiguous situations. Like children on a playground, employees need to know where the fences are so that they can work effectively.

Unfortunately, the creation of SOX and a code of ethics in no way guarantee’s that everyone will follow the rules; people will always find a way to circumvent the system or misrepresent the code’s intentions. Even the most robust ethics program needs constant oversight to remain effective. The pressure to increase profits and market share can lead executives to push the boundaries of ethical business behavior. Despite the passage of SOX, some of the largest and most well-established companies are currently crossing those boundaries.

An ethical audit is important to establish the company’s current weaknesses and strengths concerning how it conducts itself in an ethical manner. An ethics audit will involve evaluating the company’s standard of ethic, it ethic climate, and how well the company’s employees follow ethical standards. One of the first things to evaluate in an ethics audit is if a company has a written code of ethics and how comprehensive it is. Moreover, the written code of ethics should apply to everyone in the company from the top down with a clear zero tolerance policy in place for ethics violations. Included in a comprehensive ethics code should be a method for

The survey was performed in 2010 involving members of the Ethics and Compliance Officer Association (ECOA). They focused on the evolution of business ethics by analyzing six other studies over a span of two-and-a-half decades. Members of the survey were ethics manager, but members on the previous studies were regular employees and management. The results of the analysis of the previous studies showed that ethics programs in companies during a time span of the 1980’s through the 1990’s was used to show social responsibilities and not necessarily to enforce it throughout the company. It showed that ethics programs now that companies follow ethical laws and they are motivated to be ethical. Another result of the study showed that ethics training at companies has increased since the 1990’s due to the passing of Sarbanes-Oxley and other laws directed at ethics. The passing of the laws in the early 2000’s has led to ethics being a major component of everyday

Safety on the job should always be the main priority for this company, complying with laws regarding safety can save the company lots of money. Training our employee that safety is our top priority can be the difference between major success or failure. At Jones Feed and Seed we need to makes sure as we are hiring a supervisor that they are tediously trained all safety issues

Our employees have the benefit of a safety first oriented work environment and will not experience retaliation when bringing any safety concerns

Potential health and safety risks must be reported immediately to ones supervisor. It is up to the supervisor to use the chain of command and as needed it will even be reported to government offices.

Many business leaders still do not recognize the importance and value of an effective safety committee. They too often see only the immediate financial aspect/cost of safety-related programs. Employers may think that a safety committee is not needed because it is not required by OSHA. They may think they do not have the resources, time, or funds to create a safety committee. They simply may not have the knowledge of how to attempt to establish one.

An organization’s safety and the health of its employees has been an ongoing issue from the industrial revolution starting in about the 1820’s (americanhistory), on to the present day. Somebody had to look out for the individual’s themselves, the conditions they were working in everyday, along

Employees are expected to obey safety rules, follow established safe work practices and exercise caution in all their work activities. Failure to abide by established safety procedures can result in disciplinary, up to and including termination.

Safety is an important function of our daily lives and requires the same attention we give other functions and processes within our daily job routines. Over the years as we continue to do our jobs and the same processes we can become less safe by using short cuts to make a process easier for ourselves. Also, the equipment we use begins to age and breakdown and cause unsafe conditions. Safety professionals use many different types of safety programs to combat safety related issues or problems one may encounter on a job site. Employee involvement is the most important part of any safety program. Without employee involvement safety programs are not as successful, because employees are sometimes not aware of the process and steps in place to protect them.

“Analytically, a corporation’s code of ethics is the documented, formal, and legal manifestation of that organization’s expectations of ethical behaviors by its employees” (Adelstein & Clegg, 2016, p. 55). The corporate credos and code of conducts provide employees with an understanding of the policies of the organization and the organizational ethical position. For these codes to be effective, all employees of the organization must be aware of them. The visibility of the code of conduct that enables the organization to be judged as ethical.

This responsibility motivates the HR department and managers to implement stringent policies to prevent work-related injuries to avoid paying for higher workers’ compensation insurance. Moreover, it inspires the company to promote safety by organizing a safety committee to address hazards in the workplace to prevent injuries or deaths. The committee solicits employee suggestions and participation to increase compliance to company policies. It also develops various safety programs to promote employee wellness to improve their quality of life (Gomez-Mejia, et al, 2010).

In 1991, the U.S enacted the U.S Federal Sentencing Guidelines. The purpose of the guideline was to create incentives for corporations to adjust or create strong ethical programs that detect and manage illegal behavior. The impact on American businesses is prevalent in today’s corporate environment. There are instances where the guideline is used as a model for ethics program. The impact on US companies range from creating or enhancing ethical training to creating ethics officers. Other impact decisions include the creation of ethics offices and ethics hotlines. By using the sentencing guideline, companies have strengthened their ethical programs while focusing on remaining compliant, avoiding fines or legal

It's later CEO Paul O'Neill, empathized workplace health and safety to be one of the most important principles that all employees should abide by. Alcoa also implemented a global ethics and compliance program, and closely complied with the U.S. Federal Sentencing Guidelines and Sarbanes-Oxley Act. In order to ensure that employees were adhering to the company's integrity approach, Alcoa appointed an ethics and compliance officer who regulated the company's a global code of conduct and continuously reported top Board on maintenance of not only its prescription with code but also on its ethics and compliance training for employees, as well as other related systems.