Unit 1, Chapter 3

Business Ethics and Social Responsibility

Ethics – are the rules that help us tell the difference between right and wrong and encourage us to do the right thing.

Ethical Behaviour – is behaviour that conforms to ethics – individual beliefs and social standards about what is right and good.

Values – tell us what we think is important and this, in turn, helps us make decisions about right and wrong.

Morals – are the rules we use to decide what’s good and what’s bad.

Business Ethics

A code of ethics – is a document that explains specifically how employees should respond in different situations.

Watch the DVD – Raging Bull

Class discussion to follow.

What role should ethics play in Business?

A dilemma is a situation where there is a difficult choice between two or more options. They have good points and bad points on both sides. But not all dilemmas are right-versus-wrong scenarios.

An ethical dilemma is a moral problem with potential right or wrong answers. It occurs in business when a business has a decision to make that weighs values and morals against profitability and competitiveness.

Whistle-blowing is the decision of an employee to inform officials or the public about a legal or ethical violation. The employee discovers unethical, immoral, or illegal actions at the workplace and has to make a decision about what to do.

How can businesses resolve ethical dilemmas?

Fraud – is the crime of lying or pretending. Some businesses mislead consumers and try to trick them into buying something in order to maximize their profits.

Accounting scandals An accounting scandal is a publicly exposed

crime involving accountants or senior executives who alter accounting records for personal benefit. They typically take place in large corporations.

What happens when people don’t behave ethically?

A forensic accountant is an accountant who investigates legal and financial documents, looking for evidence of tampering.

Embezzlement is a type of accounting fraud in which an accountant or senior executive invents phony accounts and redirects company money into them for personal gain.

Assets are items that a business owns, such as buildings, land, equipment, cash, and receivables.

Liabilities are debts that a business owes.Auditors are outside accountants who check the financial

records of companies.Insider trading – buying or selling shares in a company

based on confidential information. This type of illegal trading is dealt with by the Provincial Securities Commission.

What happens when people don’t behave ethically?

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – where a business exhibits their values, their ethics, and the contributions that they make to their communities.

CSR Principles1. Providing a safe and healthy work environment.2. Adopting fair labour policies.3. Protecting the environment.4. Being truthful in advertising.5. Avoiding price discrimination.6. Donating to charity,

Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility

Should a business develop and follow their own business ethics, or should they simply follow the laws that apply to the business?

Duty to report – means that businesses must disclose all important information to shareholders, business partners, lenders, insurers, communities , regulators, consumers, employees, and investors.

Laws that Govern Corporate Ethics 1. Workplace Safety – In Ontario, the Occupational Health and Safety

Act (OHSA) was instituted to ensure workplace safety and health. This act defines the rights and responsibilities of workers.

2. Antidiscrimination Issues – Gender discrimination Glass ceiling – describes the invisible barriers to senior leadership

positions.

Page 95 Ethical, Moral, and Legal Considerations.

CSR and Ethics

Harassment – refers to those behaviours that are found to be threatening or disturbing, and these behaviours are not acceptable in society.

Accessibility Issues – employers have a duty to accommodate an employee, regardless of ability or disability. (Canadian Human Rights Act)

Environmental Responsibility -Environmental Protection Act-Kyoto Protocol-Business and the Environment

CSR and Ethics

Labour PracticesIn Ontario, the Employment Standards Act

sets out certain mandatory minimum conditions of employment.

-Pay Equity-Privacy Laws

CSR and Ethics

Fair trade is the practice of helping producers in developing countries bypass expensive middlemen so they can sell their goods in other countries for a fair profit.

Grassroots movement is one that develops from the up, not the top down.

TransFair Canada is one non-profit organization that assures consumers that the goods are certified and that the purchases are benefiting the producers and workers.

Fair Trade