Conclusion
It is unfortunate that the media have been given so
much material on unethical corporate behavior over
the last decade. Unethical CEOs have become household
names to the extent that the term business ethics
seems to be more of an oxymoron now than ever
before. In such a negative environment, it is easy to
forget that businesses can and do operate in an ethical
manner and that the majority of employees really
are committed to doing the right thing in their time
at work. Th e organizations that build an ethical culture
based on that fundamental belief can be seen to
succeed in exactly the same manner as their more
“creative” counterparts, with increased revenue, profits,
and market share. In the following chapters we
examine how they attempt to do just that.
However, as we will see in the following chapters,
the challenge of building and operating an ethical
business requires a great deal more than simply doing
the right thing. Th e organization must devote time
to the development of a detailed code of ethics that
off ers “guidance with traction” as opposed to traditional
general platitudes that are designed to cover a
multitude of scenarios with a healthy mix of inspiration
and motivation.
Of greater concern is the support offered to
employees when they are faced with an ethical
dilemma. Th is involves not only the appointment of a
designated corporate ethics officer with all the appropriate
policies and procedures for bringing an issue
to his/her attention but also the creation and ongoing
maintenance of a corporate culture of trust.