In order to properly discuss the increasing importance of ethics in a company, it is necessary to look at the nature of ethics and how it applies to behaviour in the workplace. Ethics are descr

ibed as ?the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group? (Dessler 71). In a workplace context, ethics can also refer to the standards used to decide conduct, which also involve the question of morality. An ethical decision will always have the person making the decision asking whether he is going against society?s accepted norms of behaviour. The law is another important factor when making an ethical/unethical decision and at times an action may be legal but unethical, while in other instances a law must be broken in order to ?do the right thing?. Also, the ethics that a person follows will be largely determined by that individual?s own standards, which are formed throughout his/her life. It is up to the company or organization, however, to shape the ethical culture of its employees, and that responsibility rests with those who wield the most power, namely management. Managers plan, control, lead and organize within a company and therefore they are the most directly responsible for its welfare. They also set an example to the rest of the workforce as to what exactly constitutes ethical behaviour. If there is an absence of moral integrity in the higher levels of management, subordinates may feel more inclined to perform unethically as well. Despite this, ethical practices are important in all levels of an organization, and the various factors mentioned that affect ethical decision-making must be taken into account.

Some topics in this essay:
St Thomas, Overview Ethics, Arthur Andersen, Exchange Commission, Enron Tyco, Tyco Enron, Business Introduction, Resulting Benefits, Jeff Skilling, Wall Street, foster ethics, business ethics, enron tyco, ethical behaviour, ethical standards, enron executives, business practices, unethical business, fostering ethics, scandals enron tyco, nature ethics, foster ethics workplace, individuals personal beliefs, unethical business practices, constitutes ethical behaviour,