System of Inquiry Paper
Introduction
The System of Inquiry paper will be based on the Code of Ethics for St. Paul Travelers Companies, Inc. The formal 16-page document demonstrates a consistent process throughout an organization that has offices throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The System of Inquiry paper will demonstrate the careful alignment of the document and the organization's goal and mission statement. The basic framework of why, how, when and for whom the document pertains to will be developed throughout the paper. The St. Paul Travelers
…show more content…
Paul Travelers has over 53,000 employees in offices throughout the world; the most efficient method of administering the code of ethics is through an electronic format using the company's secure Internet. The code of conduct is posted to the company's website with a brief introduction to the document from the company's Chief of Compliance Officer. A notification of the document and a link to the web page is sent via electronic mail to all the employees. An electronic signature is a mandatory acknowledgement of receipt and acceptance of the stipulations within the comprehensive document within 30 days of the notice received via electronic mail. The completion notice becomes an addition to the employees' corporate file. If an employee does not return an electronic signature within the stated period, the employee's immediate manager and the department manager is notified. If the employee does not act upon the request within 90 days, the employee receives a formal warning in accordance with the performance warning disciplinary standards assuming insubordination.
The reinforcement of the code of conduct takes form in a mandatory ethics tutorial once every quarter. The text, Managing Business Ethics, and other management texts suggest that a frequent lesson in ethics is the most efficient
We as business owners, management and or in a role of authority must set, address and comply with a solid foundation of ethics. “A code of conduct is the single most important element of your ethics and compliance program. It sets the tone and direction for the entire function. Often, the code is a standalone document, ideally only a few pages in length. It introduces the concept of ethics and compliance and provides an overview of what you mean when you talk about ethical business conduct.”
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
An initial new hire and employee ethics training has to be develop and administered. Also on-going ethics refresher training for use throughout the employees career with Company Q will need to be incorporated in the program. Systems will be developed and put in place to monitor, audit, and report ethics violations. A time-line to re-evaluate these programs and their effectiveness towards meeting the companies social responsibility goals will be established. Based on the evaluation a revision or revamp of the program if necessary will be initiated. The ethics program needs to be reviewed and understood by all employees and expectation for compliance very clear. This can be accomplish by tying compliance in some form to employees and leadership individual performance goals. Shareholders all the way down to entry-level employees will benefit from the ethics program which will also put the company on track to being more socially responsible. Once a code of ethics is in place and training has been given, then Company Q can begin developing trust within the company and employees as well as the community. Continued education and training will enable the company to become more socially responsible.
The function of ethics in structural behavior is the fundamental influence to the achievement and endurance of any business. A set of procedures and principles concentrating on encouraging security, confidence, and responsible preparation inside the workplace should be inaugurated internally. Businesses progress policy of ethics that focus upon the advancement of good. Ethics are vital in improving entrusting interactions amongst
Our Code of Ethics Program is designed to uphold the interests of every stakeholder of Given Company. Our mission is to uphold a high level of integrity by maintaining high company standards, values and principles to ensure the company meets its mission of being a good corporate citizen who is socially responsible. Our program provides effective guidance for daily decision making for all levels of personnel in an effort to establish and promote long-term relationships within Given Company and with our customers and community. The overall goal of the program is to be diligent in establishing a culture
The business ethics programs I believe will convey our company values, these are often stated in a code of conduct, where employees will have to follow and understand policies to guide decisions and behavior. This recommendation I am giving will require employees at INDE to participate in extensive training as as well evaluating situations where ethical dilemmas can arise and lead to crisis such as the one we are facing currently. However, the ethics program will be useless if all staff members aren’t trained about what it is.
We, the employees of Company X, at all levels, recognize and accept a personal obligation to our organization and profession, its stakeholders, and the communities we serve. We hereby commit ourselves to the highest ethical and professional conduct and agree to follow all codes of ethics and conduct as well as all local, state and federal ordinances and laws. The purpose of this document is to establish a basic code of ethics that apply to all Company X employees at all levels including any temporary, seasonal, or contract employees.
In this paper the Code of Ethics from the Department of Human Services will be discussed. General information about the company, the company’s mission statement, the type of ethical system used by the company and how and when the company uses it will be talked about. Thoughts of why the company may need to modify their existing code of ethics will be included, reactions to the code of ethics that employees and managers may have and the acceptance of the code of ethics within the company and affects it has.
“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.
The code will direct all officers and employees while conducting company business to: obey all rules, regulations and laws, conduct themselves with honesty and integrity and to avoid all conflicts of interests with the company business, report to work in condition to work and be free from the influence of alcohol or drugs, respect the rights and deal fairly with all clients, keep honest and accurate records and reports of company information, respect the diversity of all and not engage in discrimination or harassment, preserve the confidentiality of all company information entrusted to them, maintain
It finally has been acknowledged that simply taking an ethics class does not provide the same level of experience as providing a more integrated approach to ethics within the learning process of a student within graduate business school. Gaining the ability and competence to understand ethics is only first step to what awaits the new leaders who will be required to live an ethical life but also sustain and encourage a corporate ethical environment from which staff can also make ethical decisions. The recent financial scandals along with the younger generation’s concerns for the environment has elevated and renewed the importance of corporate leadership in providing more transparent and straightforward accounting reports as well as addressing other issues that do not encourage a culture of ethics within their organization. Wrongdoing should be addressed and ethical decisions need to be encouraged and supported instead. CEOs and board members are just beginning to present themselves and their organizations as ethical decision-makers who are responsibly provide good and wise solutions for stakeholders of the company. In the Journal of Business Ethics, “Business Ethics in North America: Trends and Challenges” the authors reviewed and
There should be training on ethical behavior for all everyone in the organization, including executives, managers, and employees. The ethics program is essentially of no use unless all staff members are trained about what it is, how it works and their roles in it. All staff must be aware of and act in full accordance with policies and procedures, so it is imperative to make ethical training mandatory for all employees from the top down in order to set a good example that specifies no employee is above the law. Training should permit all employees to become familiar with the company's code of ethics, and also include topics such as responsibility, respect, impartiality, trustworthiness and empathy. The ethics program is essentially useless unless all staff members are trained about what it is, how it works and their roles in it (Complete Guide to Ethics Management: An Ethics Toolkit for Managers, n.d.).
We found that although a code of conduct, ethics hotline, and newsletter exist, none were consistently used, enforced, or reinforced by company employees or management. For example, upon joining the company, employees must sign a code of conduct; however, management has not made a sustained effort to implement or reinforce the code.
Ethics are a major issue which is a reason why the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was implemented. Before the Act, firms focused on growth but not as much on professional values. Revenue was the driving factor in auditing firms, and auditors were required to find new clients, keep existing clients, and cross selling. There were also penalties for not obtaining these requirements which could lead to termination (Jones III & Norman 2006). Since the Act many organizations have now implemented a code of conduct (ethics) which sets standards of how an auditor is supposed to act or a place to go to seek advice on handling different situations. The code of conduct or ethics can be viewed as a way an organization wants one to act or behave (Canary & Jennings 2007). Since implementation ethics is being taught more in college classes, and the reason for this is because of the huge scandals that have occurred. One study showed that the key leadership roles in a company often have a MBA, so teaching ethics will reach those leaders, and possibly prevent future ethical dilemmas (Sulivan, D. 2010).
In the workplace as well as one’s personal life is essential for ethics to be maintained; often taking the right action is not always the most popular choice. It is important for maintaining an upstanding ethical code of conduct to be a productive individual as well as function as an employee in the workplace.