There are numerous items listed on the code of ethics for Toys R Us such as ethical behavior and ethical decisions, but it does not specifically state ethical culture. Ethical behavior and decisions create an ethical culture.
A written code of ethics is only a tool that can be utilized in creating an ethical culture. A code of ethics for Toys R Us does not ensure that Toys R Us will have an ethical culture.
Top Management have large role in creating an ethical culture. Toys R Us has a very strong code of ethics but if the stakeholders view the company as being dishonest, the ethical culture will not exist. A code of ethics and a good ethics program is necessary for an organization, but without a strong ethical culture to support it,
The term “ethics” is defined as moral principles that govern a person’s or group’s behavior. When speaking of business ethics, one is referring to the study, and examination of moral as well as social responsibility relating to business practices, also including its application to the four functions of management as well as the decision-making process in business (Batesman, pg.167). This internal factor can easily influence the how an organization goes about accomplishing the four functions of management. Wal-Mart, like most businesses believe they uphold ethical standards in their business practice. According to Wal-Mart’s statement of ethics, leading with integrity in a workplace is key to running a business (Wal-Mart Ethics pg.10). Leading with integrity, and expecting teammates to work with integrity is one of their main focuses- Wal-Mart’s original founder Sam Walton said,” that it has always been an ethically led company” (Wal-Mart Ethics pg.4). They follow their three basic beliefs: respect for individuals, service to the customers, and striving for excellence (Wal-Mart Ethics pg.5). Although organizations may have their code of ethics, they still come across the occasional ethical problem in the company. Wal-Mart for example, had an issue with an employee named, Chalace Epley Lowery. Lowery believed that another
Wal-Mart was started over fifty years ago in Arkansas and within those fifty years has emerged into the largest retailer in the world. Wal-Mart operates in many countries with thousands of stores and millions of employees. One reason for Wal-Mart’s is the value and hard work they put into upholding their code of ethics. Wal-Mart has three basic beliefs – respect for the individual, service to their customers, and striving for excellence. Of the five key elements that I believe are key foundations for the ethics and character for the company, three come from their basic beliefs. The five key elements of Wal-Mart’s code of conduct are – respect, service to customers, striving for
A company must have an effective ethics program to ensure that all employees understand its values and comply with the policies and codes of conduct that create its ethical culture (Ferrell, Ferrell & Fraedrich, 2008, p. 211). In order to develop an effective ethics program, it must contain certain items. It must first have a code of conduct
Wal-Mart started as a single store in 1962 and since then has expanded to over 3,600 stores in the United States and operates in 15 international markets. This paper will discuss the role of ethics and compliance in the Wal-Mart organization as it relates to the financial environment. We will describe the procedures in place to ensure ethical behavior and identify the processes used to comply with SEC regulations. Using the annual report information for Wal-Mart we will evaluate the financial performance over the past two years and calculate financial ratios. Based on those financial ratios, we will discuss the trends evidenced and the organization’s financial health.
The guide of a company which dictates what happens / how things are governed in a setting and how they are expected to work / the manner that they must act in accordance to the ethics, and principles and values. It is based on a childcare practitioner:
Walmart has created the Global Ethics to promote its ethical culture to all associates, customers, shareholders, suppliers, and any company or individuals conducting business with them. The Global Ethics provides a Statement of Ethics which serves as a guide and resource in order to reach an ethical decision. Walmart is one of the largest corporations in the United States with a social responsibility to both the customers and the people it employs which is outlined in their Statement of Ethics.
(Panza & Potthast, n.d.) Ethics is very important to a company’s success. Ethical behavior can bring benefits to a business. They can attract customers, which can lead to a boost in sales and profits. It can attract the right employees and increase productivity. It can also attract investors and keep the company’s share price high. Unethical behavior on the other hand can damage a company’s reputation and make it less appealing to stakeholders. It could also result in lower profits.
The culture of an organization has a bearing on all levels of management, and employees and their behavior in making decisions concerning the organization (Mathis & Jackson, 2011, p. 13 ). In creating a code of ethics, begin by acknowledging actions that may create concerns, contemplate which are considered to be of moral value, such as matters in regard to esteem, objectivity and trustworthiness.
In a National Nonprofit Ethics Survey, the Ethics Resource Center categorizes an organization as having a strong ethical culture when top management leads with integrity, supervisors reinforce ethical conduct, peers display a commitment to ethics, and the organization integrates its values in day-to-day decision making (Berger
Every organization also has a profession responsibility to conduct business honestly and ethically. Our readings reported, “Experts estimated that U.S. companies lose about $600 billion a year from unethical and criminal behavior” Kinicki and Kreitner (2009). The organization could avoid having ethical issues by meeting the
The Code of Ethics “offers a set of values, principles and standards to guide decision making and conduct when ethical issue arise…specific applications of the Code must take into account the context in which it is
Working ethically requires a lot more than just a set of rules. The CEO of the company and
Today ethical codes are widespread in the U.S. and found in about fifty-three percent of the largest companies worldwide. They are becoming more common globally as an increasing number of companies choose to adopt them. Scholars have observed that code content differs across countries and continents. LangLios and Schelgelmilch’s study of codes from England, France, Germany and the U.S. showed that British and European codes addressed government and customer relations less frequently than American ones. Kaptein also identified content differences among European, Asian and North American codes. He found that European codes focused more on the environment than American codes and discussions of honesty were more prevalent in American codes. Indeed, sixty-four percent of American codes addressed honesty compared with forty-five percent of European codes and thirty-eight percent of Asian codes. The concept of fairness was found more frequently in European and Asian codes than American ones. Cultural beliefs, values, and political norms are likely to have influenced these international differences in code content.
How do ethical values shape behavior in organizations? According to Saleem (2014), ethical values and behaviors of an organization are made up of organizations institutionalized philosophies along with the moral ideologies of its members. In addition, the codes of ethics help to enhance the moral reasoning of employees while shaping their behaviors towards morally questioning unethical situations. Organizational leaders are encouraged to build cultures of trust with leadership who establish concerning goals employees pursue y setting examples for others to follow (Crosbie, 2008). The leaders whom are able to build training and development throughout their organization helps design and build relationships characterized by collaborative behaviors those results in mutually beneficial outcomes (Crosbie, 2008).
As any other organization, we have established organizational codes of ethics. Many of these codes Ferrell described are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. (Ferrell pg. 226) Principles and values that we have in our organization are very important to the organization to set the boundaries for behaviors that