Definition:

Ethics is the study of the principles of conduct that apply to an individual or a group. Ethics
comprises of learning what is right or wrong, and then doing the right thing. The “right thing” is
not almost as straightforward as conveyed. For some people, ethics is a matter of perception —
what their gut feelings tell them about the rightness or wrongness of an act. Others see ethics in
terms of their own religion or the Golden Rule: treat others as you would like them to treat you.

Background to Ethics is the area of philosophy concerned with the evaluation of human conduct.
The concept has come to mean various things to various people, but generally in the context of
organizations coming to know what it right or wrong in the workplace and doing what's right --
this is in regard to effects of products/services and in relationships with stakeholders. In times of
fundamental change, values that were previously taken for granted are now strongly questioned.
Consequently, there is no clear moral compass to guide leaders through complex dilemmas about
what is right or wrong.
Some Ethical Principles:
 Competence and diligence. Competence refers to your skills; you should have the
training and experience to do the job adequately. Diligence simply means hard work.

 Generosity. Although generosity might sound like an unusual obligation, you are
obligated to help your co-workers and stakeholders outside your organization by sharing
your knowledge and expertise. What this means is that if you are asked to respond to
questions or provide recommendations on some aspect of your organization’s work, you
should do so. If a customer or supplier contacts you, make the time to respond helpfully.
Generosity shows professionalism and furthers your organization’s goals.

 Honesty and candour. Stealing includes such practices as embezzlement, “borrowing”

office supplies, and padding expense accounts. Candour means truthfulness; you should
report problems to your employer that might threaten the quality or safety of the
organization’s product or service. Trimming is the smoothing of irregularities to make
research data look extremely accurate and precise. Cooking is retaining only those results
that fit the theory and discarding the others. And forging is inventing some or all of the
data, and even reporting experiments that were never performed. In carrying out research,
employees must resist any pressure to report only positive, statistically significant
findings.

 Confidentiality. You should not divulge company business outside of the company. If a
competitor finds out that your company is planning to introduce a new product, it might
introduce its own version of that product, robbing you of your competitive advantage.
Many other kinds of privileged information — such as quality-control problems,
personnel matters, relocation or expansion plans, and financial restructuring — also could
be used against the company. A well-known problem of confidentiality involves insider
information: an employee who knows about a development that will increase the value of
 the company’s stock, for example, buys the stock before the information is made public,
thus reaping an unfair profit.

 Loyalty. You should act in the employer’s interest, not in your own. Therefore, it is
unethical to invest heavily in a competitor’s stock because that could jeopardize your
objectivity and judgment. For the same reason, it is unethical to accept bribes or
kickbacks. This standard concerns the relationships we have with other individuals. We
owe care and consideration to all people, but we have greater responsibilities to people in
our families, our workplaces, and our communities. The closer a person is to us, the
greater care we owe that person. Therefore, we have greater obligations to members of
our family than we do to others in our community
Unethical Activities to an organization:

Failure to Honour Commitments

You work late-night and finish a job before the deadline. Set for your day off, you discuss it to
your boss who answers "No, we have too much work to do." Your boss engaged in unethical
behaviour that has almost assured your future disbelief and refusal to extend yourself to assist in
department emergencies. In addition, you are likely to protest to your co-workers, causing them
to doubt the promises of the boss and be reluctant to cooperate with his requests.

Illegal Acts

For example, an employee who has access to a company's financial records, such as an
accountant, could use her access and skill to misuse company funds. An employee having access
to workers files, such as a human resources representative, could pledge identity theft and use
employees' Social Security numbers to raid bank accounts or dishonestly obtain credit cards.

Sexual Harassment and Bullying

This could involve making lustful comments, touching inappropriately or creating unwanted
sexual advances. Bullying typically involves trying to threaten a co-worker by making
demeaning comments about him, spreading gossip or even making verbal or physical threats. In
general, a bully attempts to make the workplace as uncomfortable as possible for a co-worker. In
some cases, on-going bullying can escalate into violence in the workplace.
REFERENCE:

Internet source:

http://josephsoninstitute.org/business/blog/2010/12/12-ethical-principles-for-business-executives/

http://www.leanderisd.org/users/0001/docs/10EthicalPrinc.pdf

http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/Research/Documents/IntroductionToEthics.pdf

Book source:
John M. Lannon (Author), 2004. Technical Communication Tenth Edition
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 75 Arlington Street.