Key Takeaways

  • Ethics is moral principles, a system that defines right and wrong.
  • Business ethics is ethical behavior applied to a business situation.
  • An ethical dilemma is a situation that is presented with options that may be right or wrong.
  • Values define what is important to you: they are your guiding principles and beliefs, they define how you live your life, and they inform your ethics.
  • mission statement is a roadmap of where a company wants to go.
  • Your reputation will affect how people see you throughout your life, which can have either a positive or a negative impact on your career.
  • Every action you take defines you; bear that in mind when making decisions.
  • Your company will make available to you their policies on various ethical issues in the employee handbook; it is your responsibility to read the materials provided and remain familiar with their contents.
  • There are four different types of conflicts of interestfamily interestsgiftsprivate use of employer property, and moonlighting.
  • Bribery, the use of gifts to influence someone, is both unethical and illegal.
  • Many employers will require you to sign a noncompeting agreement; be sure that you understand the details before you agree.
  • Whistle-blowing, the exposure of a company’s wrongdoing to the public, is never your ethical obligation—you are obligated only to refuse to participate. However, it can be a deeply noble act. You must analyze the situation yourself and decide what is called for.
  • While different cultures have different ideas about what is ethical, working in a different country, or with a client from another culture does not excuse you from following company policies regarding gifts, and so on.

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License

The Power of Selling Copyright © 2021 by Dr. Michelle Clement is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book