Introduction To Business Ethics

Is it possible for an individual with strong moral values to make ethically questionable decisions in a business setting? What affects a person's inclination to make either ethical or unethical decisions in a business organization? Although the answers to that question are not entirely clear, there appear to be three general sets of factors that influence the standards of behavior in an organization; individual factors, social factors and opportunity.

Several individual factors influence the level of ethical behavior in an organization. An individual's knowledge level regarding an issue can help to determine ethical behavior. A decision maker with a greater amount of knowledge regarding an object or situation may take steps to avoid ethical problems, whereas a less-informed person may unknowingly take action that leads to an ethical conflict. One's moral values and central, value-related attitudes clearly influence his or her business behavior. Most people join organizations to accomplish personal goals. The types of personal goals an individual aspires to and the manner in which these goals are pursued have significant impact on that individual's behavior in an organization.

A person's behavior in the workplace is, to some degree, determined by cultural norms, and these social factors vary from one culture to another. For example, in some countries it is acceptable and ethical for customs agents to receive gratuities for performing ordinary, legal tasks that are a part of jobs, whereas in other countries these practices would be viewed as unethical and perhaps illegal. The actions and decisions of coworkers is another social factor believed to shape a person's sense of business ethics. For example, if your coworkers make long-distance telephone calls on company time and at company expense, you might view that behavior as acceptable and ethical because everyone does it. Significant others are persons to whom someone is emotionally attached-spouses, friends, and relatives, for instance. Their moral values and attitudes can also affect an employee's perception of what is ethical and unethical in the workplace.

Opportunity refers to the amount of freedom an organization gives an employee to behave ethically if he or she makes that choice. In some organizations, certain company policies and procedures reduce the opportunity to be unethical. For example, at some fast-food restaurants, one person takes your order and receives your payment and another person fills the order. This procedure reduces the opportunity to be unethical because the person handling the money is not dispensing the product, and the person giving out the product is not handling the money. The existence of an ethical code and the importance management places on this code are other determinants of opportunity. The degree of enforcement of company policies, procedures, and ethical codes is a major force affecting opportunity. When violations are dealt with consistently and firmly, the opportunity to be unethical is reduced.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Employment, Education, and Finance

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U.S. Ends Oil Dependency; Turns B.S. Into Fuel
While America is experiencing a gasoline shortage, the nation’s dependence on foreign oil is about to end.

A researcher at The Department of Energy, from which breakthrough ideas emanate on a regular basis, noticed that Americans, along with most people who ever lived, have a virtually unlimited and renewable supply of B. S. He wondered if it might be turned into fuel.

The hypothesis proved so promising that his work produced a marvelous result in as short a time as it took to record some B. S. from a wonderfully fertile colleague and wire it to a refinery. He calls the new potion Bio-Super.

“It’s the most concentrated fuel in history,” he tells us, “with an octane rating of 99.9. I figure we’ve got enough of a supply to meet our total energy needs for the foreseeable future. All we have to do is keep B. S.-ing the way we do, and we’ll have all the Bio-Super we and our children need.”

The product is ready for mass production. The technique calls for the collection of B. S. from all over the country by having the most irrepressible exponents of it talk into microphones. The B. S. is then broadcast to the closest refinery.

Bio-Super also has an advantage over other fuels in terms of pollution, because the process actually takes a lot of it out of the air.

Since the B. S. is so highly concentrated to begin with, the production of Bio-Super is quite a lot more efficient than the manufacture of biofuel from corn or woodchips. Just a hundred words of good old American B. S., particularly from people who like to hang out at bars after work and talk their heads off, can produce enough to fill up the gasoline tank on a Hummer.

The only negative aspect is the product’s exceptional volatility. Once you pump it into your tank, you have to slam the gas cap shut instantly or it will all evaporate. Motorists are also advised only to remove the cap when the gauge is nearly on empty and to stand aside; otherwise, there is the risk of being knocked out with a force that scientists have calculated is equivalent to six airbags.

Tom Attea, creator of Newslaugh.com, has had six shows produced Off-Broadway and has written comedy for TV. Critics have called his writing ""delightfully funny" and "witty" with "good, genuine laughs."

Da Wingy Code
Critics say the film is crap. The people say it’s insulting to God. It’s banned, and then it’s not. We have not had such a circus over a new movie release for quite some time now. I almost missed all the hoopla.

Thank you Mr. Ron Howard. Thank you for waking the sleeping masses. Why do we see all these protest over a film that no one has seen yet? It’s everyone’s chance to get his or her 15 minutes of fame I guess. It did bring about an interesting sound byte by the Director of The Da Vinci Code at the press conference at Cannes though. He said to all the people that were protesting the release of the film “Don’t watch it!” I think that’s reverse psychology at its best. He went on to say that those who think that they might be offended by the movie should wait tell they meet someone who has actually seen the film and then discuss the matter and decide whether to watch it or not.

For heavens sake, it’s a work of fiction. Let it be. You won’t turn to dust if you watch it or be condemned to eternal damnation for that matter. The Da Vinci Code movie is just like any other mainstream commercial cinema on the planet, the main objective it to make money. All this extra good or bad publicity only helps it along on that path. But who will explain this to the scores of “faithful” that call for a ban on it. These people are too wrapped up in sentiment.

The one other interesting point to note from all of this was that Ron Howard also reminded everyone that this was a movie and not a documentary. That’s another crucial mistake that people seem to be also making. Somewhere under the arc lights of today’s sharp marketing campaigns that are attached to mega budget productions the line between reality and fiction often blurs. In the process of trying to sell the movie we see it to be packaged as something that really took place. The advertising and marketing people have skills so well honed now that they can almost create any reality that they want. You could say that in many ways it’s the victim of its own success.

Lets not forget that the movie is based on a bestseller. The books are still on the shelves and selling at hyper speed. If the book is still around why ban the movie?

Sasha Masand the founder of Indian Voice Overs is an award winning Television Producer who has been part of the Indian media industry for over twelve years.

Simple Home Remedies for Gout Sufferers
Most people have heard of gout, but I suspect many don't know what it really is. Simply put, gout is a disease caused by excessive levels of uric acid in the blood-stream (hyperuricemia). Not everyone who has high levels of this acid their blood develops gout disease, but it does seem most do. Specifically, gout occurs when uric-acid crystals form around body joints like knees, fingers, elbows and especially big toes - in fact, for the vast majority of gout sufferers, the first sign of the disease is big toe pain! After salt-like crystals form, inflammation, tenderness, and even a reddish rash may occur around affected joints.

The disease has been noted and documented since the time of Hippocrates. Traditionally, it's been associated with exuberant living - eating and drinking well. And there is some indirect evidence to support this. For example, a long-term study noted that heavy consumers of meat and sea food were much more likely to develop gout. Additionally, significant alcohol consumption, especially in the form of beer, is also known to increase the risk of gout development.

Below are simple home remedies that may help to relieve pain and other symptoms linked to this sometimes debilitating disease. It's unlikely they will all work for or apply to you, so it may be worth experimenting with different remedies to find the ones that personally help alleviate your symptoms.

* An old study supported by a recent one and significant amount of anecdotal stories suggest drinking cherry juice may help alleviate pain caused by uric-acid crystal formation.

* Soaking the affected joint or joints in warm water, or having a warm bath, may also help.

* Drinking plenty of water may help eliminate uric acid from the body.

* Cutting back on alcohol and meat (especially red) consumption should reduce the level of digestive purines from which uric acid is formed.

* If you're overweight, slowly losing weight may also help.

* A recent study suggested taking vitamin C supplements may reduce the risk of gout attacks, so this is worth considering too.

These are just some simple remedies that may help curb gout attacks. Visit my website: www.gout-diet-tips.com/gout_relief/ for many more ideas.

Brad Watson is a freelance author, programmer and website-master. He loves researching and writing about simple ways to alleviate symptoms of many common disorders and diseases. To learn more about gout visit: www.gout-diet-tips.com/

Home Schooling the Preschool Children
Each child has unique interests and learning needs, not to mention attention spans. Therefore, for parents who are pondering whether homeschooling is for them, it is best to do an initial evaluation of what the preschool child's needs are.

Several online resources provide lesson suggestions for preschoolers. Parents and tutors will most definitely find these materials very helpful. However, consider them only as a guide to give the children's learning some direction. It is highly advised on most of the popular homeschooling websites to be aware of the learners' interests, be it an inclination to writing, sports, arts and crafts, or any other subject. You can then incorporate these interests into the learner's list of "things that a home schooled child should know."

For different age groups of children, parents and tutors may need to employ different methods and techniques for homeschooling. And in order to know which methods and activities best suits the child under a specific age group, this short list may be of help.

Children of age 2 are found to be the most difficult. The child often gets bored and at times frustrated when being taught. Stimuli are needed in order to catch their interests. Children of this age group are most eager to learn, often walking around, and climbing steps. Common behaviors of this age include self-centeredness and possessiveness. Their sense of humor also develops. Do activities relating to these capabilities of the child.

Homeschooling three-year olds is even more trying. At this point, the child is more physical in affection and in play. They don't mind change, love having friends to play with, and they take verbal instructions very well. Use these to stimulate them to participate in learning activities. At this age, they are already capable of communicating their needs.

Four-year olds are usually capable of working with scissors, hopping around on one foot or skipping. They start to learn to draw and possess a lot of physical energy. Let them try new things, as this will be their number one interest. They are very imaginative so give them an opportunity to develop and express this creativity.

Remember that all children grow at their own rate, and in their own ways. To achieve maximum benefits for the home schooled preschooler, parents and tutors should trust them and give them sufficient freedom to explore, inquire, and ultimately learn.

Gerri Stone publishes recent news, articles and updates about home schooling on her site www.discoverhomeschooling.com