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Essay on Management Planning and Ethics

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Management Planning and Ethics

The recent breakdown in trust resulting from the lack of character of some leaders in corporate America should cause less finger-pointing and more serious introspection. These leaders are not from outer space, here to impose some alien standard of conduct, but came from among us and as such, reflect attitudes and values that we have lazily slipped into. The tendency is to punish the “evil-doers” and move on confidently in the knowledge that the problem has been solved. Certainly there should be a punishment and one sufficient enough to give all of us pause when considering giving in to expediency, but if we are to “solve” the problem, the incentive is on us to look at ourselves and shore up our own …show more content…

We understand that ethics programs may seem more process-oriented than most management practices. Managers tend to be skeptical of process-oriented activities, and instead prefer processes focused on deliverables with measurements. However, experienced managers realize that the deliverables of standard management practices (planning, organizing, motivating, controlling) are only tangible representations of very process-oriented practices. For example, the process of strategic planning is much more important than the plan produced by the process. The same is true for ethics management. Ethics programs do produce deliverables, e.g., codes, policies and procedures, budget items, meeting minutes, authorization forms, newsletters, etc. However, the most important aspect from an ethics management program is the process of reflection and dialogue that produces these deliverables.

As with any management practice, the most important outcome is behaviors preferred by the organization. The best of ethical values and intentions are relatively meaningless unless they generate fair and just behaviors in the ministry. That's why practices that generate lists of ethical values, or codes of ethics, must also generate policies, procedures and training that translate those values to appropriate behaviors.

We find that the best way to handle ethical dilemmas is to avoid their occurrence in the first place. That's why

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