Learning Goal 4 – Be Able to Think and Act Ethically

Posted: September 9th, 2013

Learning Goal 4 – Be Able to Think and Act Ethically

Ethical behaviour and social responsibility are important concepts in organizations. Ethical behaviour refers to the code of moral principles, which the employees use when making decisions. They help the employees to do the right thing that will benefit everyone. Social responsibility is an important concept in organizations, and it is a way for organizations to show their ethical side. Social responsibility enables the organization to focus on making profit, and on improving the society. It enables the company to help the community meet some of its needs. Social responsibility is concerned with the organization, but it also reflects on the individuals working for that organization. It is therefore important for the employees to have the right ethical principles, in thought and principle (Champling, 2008). At the beginning of my Co-op placement, I did not know much about the practical application of ethics and social responsibility, other than what I had learned in the ethics class. I found it difficult to identify some of the ethical issues concerned with my CPO. However, this changed after the Co-op placement, and I was able to identify these issues better. I gained more understanding in the four views of ethical behaviour model, which are utilitarian, individual, moral-rights and justice views (Champling, 2008).

While working at Co-op, an incident happened, and this made me reflect on the ethical views. It happened that the internet had problems and the IT personnel were waiting for a new ASDL modem so that they could repair it. One of the students did not seem to understand this, and he was very angry because he could not use the internet to do his assignment. He started shouting at one of my colleague and he talked to him in a very bad tone. Although my colleague tried to explain the situation, the student did not want to understand. Although I was working at something else at the time, I could sense that my colleague was in an uncomfortable situation, and he was getting angry as well, because of the student’s behaviour. I went to where the two of them were, and I told my colleague to help me work on something else. I wanted him excuse him because I could tell that he was frustrated, and I knew that I could handle the student. I was able to talk to the student and calm him down, after which we talked and I explained the delay of the modem. After some time, the student agreed to go back to the classroom.

I believed that I acted ethically in this situation. I treated my colleague with respect, by telling him to help me with something, even though I did not need help at that time. However, my colleague did not know this, and neither did the student. I was able to avoid a possible conflict between the two of them. Later, my colleague realised what I had done, and he appreciated the thoughtful gesture. He admitted that he had started becoming impatient with the student, and he did not know what he could have done, had I not solved the problem. This illustrates the moral-rights view of ethics. This view emphasises on the importance of respecting all people, and protecting their fundamental rights. I respected my colleague and the student by doing what I did. I respected the student’s frustrations, and I showed him that his concerns were important. I respected my colleague by not showing him that he was not handling the student well. This also illustrates the utilitarian view because the decision I made did the greatest good to all the people involved.

I have learnt that there are different ways that one can demonstrate ethics and social responsibility in the CPO. This could be through programs and donations intended to help the community. The organization could help the community in developing sustainable products that will also help in making some money. For the organization to do this, it has to invest a lot of capital, which it will use to support and promote the cause (Champling, 2008). Ethical issues are important and critical in the work place. An ethical employee shows his maturity and shows that he is ready to handle added responsibilities. Such employees earn the respect of their colleagues at the workplace because they treat everyone well, and they have positive attitudes towards their work.

Ethics training is important for all the employees, as it helps in maintaining high ethical standards in the workplace. The society will respect an organization that has ethical employees, because the employees are the image of the organization. Ethical training will help the employees know what to do in difficult situations. It will help them know how to deal with difficult customers. Ethical training will also help the employees when making decisions. This training will benefit the company in the end.