Week 7 Discussion: Shared Practice – Ethical Code for Financial Management
Ethics is the basic standard of right or wrong which is practiced in our everyday lives be it professional or personal, it helps individuals to control their actions. Organizations have a mission statement which identifies their company value. These values are used as a guide in decisions making when faced with problems and determining the outcome. After reviewing Eli Lily and Company organizational ethical code for financial management, it appears to be very thorough and touches most if not all of the main points that a company should display as their code of conduct. The principles listed were acting in confidence, complying with rules and regulations, promoting ethical
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If anything it should be displayed and be promoted the most, and should be a part of a quarterly training so that it stays fresh in the minds of management as well as employees. When top executives practices ethical behavior, it behooves their employees to follow suit. Financial management tends to create a variety of problems, hence the importance of why a financial institute or an accounting firm should ensure that their ethical standards include discretion, honesty, fairness and proficiency. Therefore, when at a crossroad in making the right decisions, management will be able to look back at the company’s ethical standards which will assist them in making the right decision.
References:
Chun, J. S., Shin, Y., Choi, J., & Kim, M. S. (2013). How does corporate ethics contribute to firm financial performance? The mediating role of collective organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior. Journal of Management, 39(4), 853–877. Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Eli Lilly and Company. (2014). Code of ethical conduct for financial management. Retrieved from
Ethics has been around for a long time. Merriam-Webster defines ethics as rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad. It is an area of study that deals with ideas about what is good and bad behavior. Ethics has much to do with feelings and beliefs. If you feel deep down in your heart that something is not right, then it you should not do it. The Bible says, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17 English Standard Version). Ethical business procedures include guaranteeing that the main legality is in place. Also, the company observes moral standards in its relationships with the people in its business community, which includes the most important people in their business, who are the customers. This report will discuss ethics in business, ethically transformed organizations; organizations preparation to make ethical decisions, ethical danger signs, and organizations that does business globally.
Ethics should form an integral part of every organization. Most companies have a manual that lays down guidelines regarding ethical practices in their organization. People associated with the company should abide by these guidelines.
A code of ethics highlights the responsibility and accountability standards of each and every employee within the organization. These codes are also motivating factors that guide the employees’ behavior, set the standard regarding ethical conduct, and build an organizations trustworthiness within
There are several steps corporate and governmental leaders can take to promote ethical behavior to include developing a code of ethics and implementing ethical policies. Maintaining and supporting open communication with stakeholders and employees builds trust so that concerns are brought forward without fear of retaliation. Establishing systems and processes that support and do not sabotage ethical practices is significant to safeguarding against fraudulent and unethical behavior. However, even with the proper policies and reporting mechanisms, companies are not guaranteed that unethical behavior will not occur. With systems in place, a company is able to address issues and take action to discontinue the behavior. The most effective way to promote ethical behavior is through leadership commitment, training and demonstrating appropriate behavior. (Center for Ethical Business Cultures, 2008)
When functioning in the corporate world, it is an essential to include moral ethics. Ethics is also particularly imperative when laboring with financial information. It is very hard to have faith in someone managing plenty of money. Corporations in the past have distorted their financial statements in regulation to look superior to stockholders, without thinking of the penalty that may be a consequence if they get caught. If a corporation does not encourage good quality ethical conduct within the business, it is
Businesses should make it imperative that its officers, directors and employees act at all times in an honest and ethical manner in connection with their service to that particular company. The principles of integrity and accountability are the cornerstone of that companies' success. This code of business conduct and ethics sets basic principles to guide all employees, officers, and directors of that particular company. All of the personnel and directors of that business should conduct themselves accordingly to avoid in fact and the appearance of improper behavior. Ethical business conduct calls for all companies and their personnel to assume responsibility for safeguarding and preserving that company's assets and resources in the
Admiring how ethics takes a role in the workplace is a significant way to start individual's thinking about the emotional and psychological aspects of ethical decision-making. There are many steps businesses can take into account when incorporating ethical decision-making into their practices, beginning with ethics training. All businesses, regardless of for-profit status should embrace ethics training at all levels of the organization. When an entire business takes part in learning the values of ethics together the program will be more successful. Ethics training is an important motivator for productivity as well as a way to practice the organization’s values. This training will enhance awareness of employees and open up the opportunity to discuss unusual ethical decisions that may
While some students may naturally excel in Psychology, others may fare poorly; It is through the study of learning techniques that we can figure out why this may be, and give students a better chance at retaining and displaying knowledge, regardless of natural ability. In this essay, I aim to describe and evaluate both ‘Distributed Practice’ and ‘Highlighting’, in order to assess their effectiveness.
This article supports all the training and courses that I have taken reaffirming that ethics and making ethical decisions is extremely important. At any given time, a company’s productivity and profitability are greatly influenced by ethical decisions its managers and employees make on a daily basis. To most companies its reputation is its greatest asset and once stained, it is hard to bounce back. A prime example is Enron. Enron is still in business today but is haunted by the unethical decisions it made over 10 years ago.
Codes of ethics are guidelines provided by business entities to communicate to the subordinates the beliefs, values, missions and overall perspectives of what the company or organization is about. In this paper, I will give my ideas of how I feel my code of ethics should be best implemented. In doing so, I will discuss its relevancy to other documents that are included in the code, a strategy of communicating it to all stakeholders, enforcing it, and a strategy for evaluation of revisions. Also, you will find a discussion that gives reasons
Ethics is defined as the moral principles, values, and beliefs that a person uses to interpret a given situation and then decide the appropriate course of action based on these values (Jones). When we think about ethics, we usually think of honesty and doing the “right thing.” Ethics is an important facet in any business environment. When a company behaves ethically in communicating with its stakeholder, both internal and external, the organization gains trust and is able to build a strong, solid reputation. Many books and news articles are available online which discuss making ethical decisions and the importance of maintaining a high level of ethical standards in business.
In light of the recent financial catastrophes, there appears to be an increasing desire for ethical dealings in business. Maxwell suggests that there is currently a trend in the marketplace that seems to be placing more value on integrity, taking a longer view of strategies, and setting more realistic or conservative goals, though the jury is still out regarding the effectiveness of implementation and execution in changing the corporate money-making climate. Despite the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which sets the standard for corporate accountability and penalties for wrongdoing, some experts believe the responsibility for maintaining an ethical environment is up to management (Jackson, 2005).
The textbook assigned for this course highlighted many important lessons that will guide me in my future as a professional. This course allowed me to learn about many companies who were affected due to the lack of ethicality in their culture and employees that will eventually lead the company to misstate its financial statements. Given that the name of the course is “Ethics in Financial Reporting and Accounting,” I think this book gave an excellent overview of how to avoid financial troubles when working for a public company or a professional services firm. While I think every chapter provided important ethical concepts to be taken into consideration when working in a professional career, some moral lessons caught my eye as I learned about them while I read the textbook. These five lessons include identifying ethical blind spots, avoiding motivated blindness, tone at the top and independence, ethical conduct and its effect on financial statement fraud, and the importance of ethical standards and cultural values when engaging in global business. I think these five lessons are the most valuable ethics lesson that will live on with me forever into my professional career.
682). First, the establishment of the code of ethics within the business market has led to the incorporation of a corporate code for organizations (p. 682). Next, the corporate code is the document that outlines the current and future operations of an organization developed by the business (p. 682). In addition, the code outlines the conduct of the organization for the employee, manager, investors, and other beneficiaries of the business required to adhere to ethical principles and values (p. 682). In retrospect, this document formalizes the ethical requirement for the organization when conducting business practices (p.
Ethics ensure that a company achieves its mission, vision, goals, and objectives in such a manner that they give a company a sense of direction and framework. Ethics ensure guidelines are creating that bind the entire organization into one common thread, govern the action of the organizational employees, and avoid deviation from the desired strategic path. Five ways a company can ensure ethics is including in their strategic planning are