CM 415: Effective and Appropriate Communication in the WorkplaceUnit 6 seminarCommunication EthicsSUSAN HARRELLKAPLAN UNIVERSITY

Project: Unit 6• Scenario: Reread Case 12-1: Excel Industries (A), then consider your answers to

the questions after the case (the case involves on-site child care and whether or not Excel should keep the center open despite declining employee enrollment and increasing costs). Decide what Mr. Lohman should do and then write a business letter from Mr. Lohman to the parents of the Learning Center explaining his decision. Keep in mind, this is an ethical decision that should take into consideration all of the factors of the case, which should be reflected (and referred to) in his letter. 

• Many of the parents are not company employees; therefore, his general audience is an external audience. 

• If you decide that Mr. Lohman should close the center, consider how you will tell your audience this bad news. You may have to refer back to the reading in Unit 3 to refresh your memory about how to convey bad news in writing. 

• If you decide that Mr. Lohman should keep the center open, his solution should be reasonable and feasible given the background of this case.  Keep in mind board members are going to have to buy off on this decision. A complete description and the feasibility of that decision should be reflected in his letter.

• Follow the format for a business letter as discussed and shown in previous readings.    

“Current event” exercise unit 6 Find articles from 2001-present on issues related to ethical situations in

the workplace) Possible search terms for this week’s discussion: conflict of interest,

professional ethics, business ethics, work ethics, sexual harassment, whistleblowing, corporate mission statements

Use credible sites (like The New York Times or Washington Post, professional society sites), or use the Newspaper Source or Business Source Premier databases in the Kaplan library

Post the article’s bibliographic information in correct APA format, and in four distinct paragraphs discuss:

1) the article’s relevance to the week’s unit material 2) the main ideas of the article 3) your reflection on the content 4) why is this information important to professionals in communication? 

Would you recommend others read this article?  Why or why not? Respond to the posts of two classmates

Unit 6 Issues to consider

•How do we define “ethical”? How does “ethics” differ from “morality”?

•What kinds of ethical dilemmas might we face in the workplace?

•How do we make ethical decisions?•How does the culture and leadership of a

company determine the behavior of its employees?

•How can companies use mission statements to convey core values?

Three levels of inquiry

•Individual•Organizational•Business system

• See pp. 152-153

Three views of decision-making

•Moral point of view•Economic point of view•Legal point of view

•Integrating these perspectives

• See pp. 153-154

Nature of moral judgments

•Normative judgments express values , make claims about “right and wrong,” and prescribe behaviors.

•Nonnormative judgments are “value-neutral” and descriptive.

•Moral judgments are a subset of normative judgments.

• See p. 154

Moral principles

•Have serious consequences for humanity’s well-being

•Must be rooted in strong reasons•Should override self-interest•Should be based upon impartial

considerations

• See p. 155

Resources for making decisions and moral judgmentsDecisions are made based upon. . .

Moral judgments are rooted in. . .

• Observations• Assumptions• Value judgments• Proposals

See pp. 155-156

• Ethical sensibility• Ethical reasoning• Ethical conduct• Ethical leadership

See pp. 156-157

Question 1

•“Can people learn to be honest in the workplace?” (Asacker, 2004).  The keyword here is “learn.”  Explain your answer to this question.

Plagiarism and cheating in the classroom• Almost 80% of college students admit to

cheating at least once-- The Center for Academic Integrity studies.

• 36% of undergraduates have admitted to plagiarizing written material-- Psychological Record survey.

• 90% of students believe that cheaters are either never caught or have never been appropriately disciplined-- US News and World Report poll.

• 58.3% of high school students let someone else copy their work in 1969, and 97.5% did so in 1989-- The State of Americans: This Generation and the Next.

• See plagiarism.org website for more details. . .

Question 2

•What are the benefits and drawbacks to legislating ethics in the workplace? What kinds of ethical behaviors might be enforced or at least encouraged by a company?

Question 3

•How can a company make a code of conduct personal as well as organizational?

What makes a company’s ethical statement work?• Write it down!• Tailor it to the company culture; what issues are relevant to that

company?• Communicate it to the employees and the public.• Promote it—make sure others know what your position is.• Revise it as needed to make sure it reflects the current situation.• Walk the walk—the company has to live by its mission statement.• Enforce/reinforce it. If employees or management violate the

code, punishment must be given fairly.

• See pp. 159-160

Case study 12-3

•“The Soul of Dell”: are corporate philosophy statements valuable? What are some companies whose philosophies are well-known? How does this impact the behavior of employees?

Kaplan’s Mission Statement

•“Kaplan helps individuals achieve their educational and career goals. We build futures one success story at a time.”

Kaplan’s five core values

•Integrity•Knowledge•Support•Opportunity•Results

Kaplan’s decision standards

•How will the decision impact students? Will it improve learning and educational environment?

•Will the decision create a better work environment and opportunities for employees?

•What kind of financial impact will the decision have on the corporation?

•Does the decision support Kaplan’s five core values?

Google’s philosophy: “Never settle for the best”

• 1. Focus on the user and all else will follow.

• 2. It's best to do one thing really, really well.

• 3. Fast is better than slow.

• 4. Democracy on the web works.

• 5. You don't need to be at your desk to need an answer.

• 6. You can make money without doing evil.

• 7. There's always more information out there.

• 8. The need for information crosses all borders.

• 9. You can be serious without a suit.

• 10. Great just isn't good enough.

Trader Joe’s Mission Statement• “The TJ mantra is to offer value and a

dedication to quality service through warm, friendly, committed employees along with a pledge to offer quality products. This mission requires a culture that supports loyalty and customer service through personal contact with the consumer. The commitment to the customer is captured on the TJ website, “Our Product Guarantee: We tried it! We liked it! If you don’t, bring it back for a full refund, no questions asked.” The underlying message is that TJ desires to establish an personal relationship with the customer” (Mallinger & Rossy, 2007, para. 5).

References• Asacker, T. (2004). Ethics in the workplace start with honesty. T + D, 58(8),

42-44. Retrieved June 15, 2009, from Academic Search Premier. • Barnett, R. (2003). Ethics in the workplace: It begins with character. Women

in Business, 55(2), 34-35. Retrieved June 15, 2009, from Academic Search Premier.

• O’Rourke, J.S., Chaney, L.H., Martin, J.S., Reynolds, S., Valentine, D., Munter, M. & Paradi, D. (2007). Workplace Communication. Kaplan University: Pearson Custom Publishing.

• Google. (2009). Ten things Google has found to be true. Retrieved June 15, 2009, from http://www.google.com/corporate/tenthings.html

• The Trader Joe’s Experience• The impact of corporate culture on business strategy.• Mallinger, M. & and Rossy, G. (2007). The impact of corporate culture on

business strategy. Graziadio Business Report, 10 (2). Retrieved June 15, 2009, from http://www.themanager.org/Strategy/Trader_Joe_Corporate_Culture_Strategy.htm

• Facts about plagiarism. (2009). Retrieved June 15, 2009, from http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_facts.html.