Ethics+and+Corporate+Culture

I am not sure how long business ethics and cultural values have been taught at the undergraduate or graduate level but I have seen a dramatic increase over the last 15 years of my career the amount of effort companies have put forth in teaching these vital skills to all members of their "teams". The last two companies I have worked for have had a written set of guidlines which spell out what is proper business ethics and welcome/encourage cultural diversity. The company I presently work for has gone a step further. Comprehensive training in these areas is offered every year to all employees and, in fact, it is mandatory to take these classes and pass knowledge based tests based upon said teachings. We all must also reaffirm our commitment to conduct ourselves in all business endeavers in an ethical manner. I have found a lot of the teachings presented in our readings and in the web presentations to be quite revelent to what I have experienced first hand in the business world. We truely are in a global business environment and our successes and failures are duelly intertwined with those of our business associates from other cultures. I have found that there is quite a lot to be learned from truely listening to others who have differing views and perspectives on the same issues. This being said, I have also come to understand that we are all basically the "same". By this I mean everyone I have meet throughout the world, although from differing cultures, all have the same aspirationsas I do; to work hard, do a good job, be a good person and enjoy a happy and productive work and family life. I believe the more we learn this fact the more success we will collectively have.

The company I currently work for also provides extensive compliance and ethics training to new hires and a refresher course every six months. In addition employees are required to sign an agreement stating they will adhere to the company’s policy. These trainings are beneficial to the employees as they provide guidance; they also benefit the company as it can mitigate the company’s legal liability. My employer also has branches overseas, I imagine they would conduct a similar compliance program but believe it would be a greater challenge at first as they are operating in a foreign country where standards and customs differ.

Below I have listed the “Top 10 Mistakes that Organizations Make in Developing Global Ethics Programs” as it relates to our discussion. This information was obtained from the International Business Ethics Institute, website: [|www.business-ethics.org] TOP 10 MISTAKES ** 1.  Lacking consensus on the objectives for globalization 2.  Not integrating international personnel into the development process 3.  Discounting the importance of promoting the program as a competitive advantage 4.  Basing company policies on legal requirements in the domestic market 5.  Not establishing ethics offices or resources in international locations 6.  Appointing headquarters staff or expatriates (i.e., non-international employees) to fill ethics positions 7.  Offering training materials only in English 8.  Using the word “ethics” extensively in program materials 9.  Translating the code without translating the code 10.  Focusing on the few cultural differences rather than acknowledging the many cultural similarities
 * Top 10 Mistakes that Organizations Make in Developing Global Ethics Programs **