Question

Develop a comprehensive Code of Ethics that you feel should be adopted throughout this nation. How should the USA as a country operate?

Answer 1

US is a large nation with considerable size of population. In case of Code of Ethics, I feel, when the Organizations of all sort, be it Government or Private, have ensured the application of Code of Ethics within their system, it shall overall ensure the follow of ethical conduct in the country at large. Hence, by way of applying Code of Ethics in each of the Organizations in the country that subordinates the Constitution of US, a country can operate well.

Code of ethics in an Organization refers to the universal adherence of the principles across the Organization and therefore it shall help the management to guide them doing the right things. It could therefore serve an important value if it could be incorporated in the HR policies to govern unethical behavior apart from a definite program of Corporate Governance to take care of the legal issues pertaining into the Organizational activities. For example, Business firms have to operate profitably or they will not survive over the long term; that is their economic performance. Here, the code of ethics helps in sorting out the ethical dilemmas for the leaders undertaking this activity.

Following could be a comprehensive Code of Ethics that I feel, should be adopted nation-wide through each of the organizations:

• Decision making process should give an affirmation of their individual freedom and responsibility.
• It should promote consideration and respect for all constituents.
• Encouraging calculation of the long term impact of decisions before any decisions are reached.
• It should be relatively free of religious, cultural or nationalistic bias.
• Exercising the rights to privacy and rights to speech within the Organization.
• Appreciation and rewards to the ‘Whistle-blowers’ in the Organization who brings into light the wrong-doings or inappropriate behavior of the Department or employees.
• Imposing of and enforcing of rules fairly and impartially so there is an equitable distribution such as in the category of wages or using use seniority as the primary determinant in making layoff decisions
• Altering people’s values or souls isn’t the aim of our organizational ethics program – managing values and conflict among them is.
• “When the topic of business ethics comes up, people are quick to speak of the Golden Rule, honesty and courtesy.” These are our basic minimum requirements of Ethical policy in the Organization.
• We believe that Stress or confusion are not excuses for ethical actions – they are reasons.
• Social responsibility movement is one aspect of the overall discipline of business ethics and hence the Organization is bound by it.
• Values of our management are also highly important as other Management decisions and strategic planning.
• To incorporate Corporate ethics, an organization would require to maintain integrity in terms of Wholeness, reliability, consistency, treating the other employees with respect and Honesty in the best possible manner.
• Commitment to the promises should also be highly regarded.
• All the departmental goals should be clearer to ensure stronger commitment.
• Corporate ethics should be applied both internally and externally in terms of meeting the obligations of the staff employees as well as that with the vendors.

Thus in the above way, Code of ethics ensures in general that the employees try to bind by the ethical values governing our Organization in the best way. If need be, timely training and development activities reinforcing the concepts of Corporate ethics would also be imparted to the employees working at all levels in the Organization. It further helps the Corporate to control the unfair practices in the firm.