Business experts see a role for reward and punishment in promoting ethical conduct in the workplace. For example, such techniques as “spot rewards,” unexpected monetary bonuses for outstanding ethical conduct, can be effective. However, the allocation of rewards and punishments must be perceived as equitable to be effective, and positive reinforcement is preferable to punishment. According to author and behavioral scientist Charles D. Kerns, punishment may produce compliance with ethical guidelines, but positive reinforcement of ethical behavior "produces a work culture that becomes reinforcing in itself."
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