Business ethics is often a very touchy subject for anyone involved in running a corporation. Thousands and thousands of pages have been written about ethics in business and corporate responsibility, but many people are still as confused as before. It is difficult to come up with an appropriate code of conduct ” one that will guide your business through hard times while allowing it to be competitive. That is what it comes down to ” maintaining your responsibility to the stockholders while not being a burden on the community.
Most medium or large sized companies employ a business ethics expert. As a matter of fact, many MBA programs allow a specialization in ethics in business for those who are interested. for smaller companies, however, it is difficult to have someone dedicated to making sure that the business runs ethically. After all, this is something that can be cut in a company with a tight budget.
That doesn’t mean that these companies can’t keep ethical business standards, however. The key is to formulate a business philosophy early on and to keep with it whenever things get tough. The most obvious part of business ethics is to not break the law. Don’t take shortcuts even if you won’t get caught. It is always a slippery slope in business, and one thing always leads to another. The better you conform to OSHA regulations and other federal rules, the less likely you are to get in major trouble with the government or be sued down the road. Start early, and keep with your program.
for many companies, it pays to hire an ethics and business experts. These experts will evaluate your business and determine whether your practices are ethical, legal, and moral. It usually doesn’t cost too much, and the report will be valuable for years to come. Business ethics don’t change, so the findings that are true one year should be relevant five or 10 years down the road unless your company expands into other areas.
Have them help you write a code of conduct for corporate ethics and responsibility. Make sure that everyone sees it ” workers on every level from the very top to the very bottom. It is important that everyone in your company knows that you are dedicated to business ethics. It will set the culture of the office, which is one of the most important factors in the success or failure of any business venture.
Ethics
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Ethics
Ethics