TOPIC

UNEHTICAL BEHAVIOUR BY INDIVIDUALS IN ORGANISATIONS

SUBMITTED TO :PROF:KAWALPREET KAUR

SUBMITTED BY:NIRBHAI SINGH ROLL NO. 9105

ETHICS
In

any organisation, from top managemnt to employees at all levels, ethics is considered as everybodys business. Ethics is commonly defined as a set of principles prescribing a behaviour code, explains what is good and right, or bad and wrong. It may even outline moral duties and obligations.

DEFINITION OF ETHICS
According

to Concise Oxford Dictionary, ethics is relating to morals; treating of moral questions; morally correct; honourable. It is the study of morals and moral choices. It focuses on standards, rules and codes of conduct that govern the behaviour of individuals and groups.

UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR
Unethical

behavior in the workplace can be defined as any action that does not conform with the standards of conduct established by the organization. Unethical behavior can occur in the relationships between employees, in the way an employee goes about his business or how he uses company resources. Unethical behavior can even break the law in some situations.

FACTORS INFLUENCING UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR

Behavior

of superiors Ethical practices of ones industry or profession Behavior of ones peers in the organization Formal organizational policy Personal financial need

KEY CAUSES OF UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR...

meeting

overly aggressive financial or business objectives meeting schedule pressures helping the organization survive rationalizing that others do it resisting competitive threats saving jobs

KEY INFLUENCES ON ETHICAL BEHAVIOR...

personal

values supervisor influence senior management influence internal drive to succeed performance pressures lack of punishment friends/coworker influence

UNETHICAL BEHAVIORS BY EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES

sexual lying

harassment of interest

on reports or falsifying records

conflicts theft lying

to supervisors

CONTD..

drug or alcohol abuse improper accounting procedures violation of environmental laws gift/entertainment violations

EMPLOYEE'S UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR

In

any organization, it is unethical of an employee to be corrupt. One is not supposed to accept or give out bribes in exchange for services or goods. An employee who engages in corruption is said to have acted in an unethical manner. Taking excessive breaks or repeated sick leave are also unethical behaviors. This should only happen when there is a serious need to do so.

CONTD..
Mild

headaches do not count. Again, taking office supplies home is extremely unethical. Office property should be kept separately from one's personal property. In some organizations, this conduct can be translated to theft.

INAPPROPRIATE COMPUTER USE

Employees

may use company computers to engage in unethical behavior. For example, an employee who is not permitted to use the Internet for personal reasons commits an unethical act by shopping online while at work. Random Internet surfing takes away from the time she spends on work-related activities.

TIME MISUSE
Unethical

behavior can include "stealing" time from the company, as the company is compensating employees and receiving no productivity in return. In addition to time spent on aimless Internet surfing, time misuse can consist of extending breaks beyond the allotted time, congregating around the water cooler.

EMPLOYER'S UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR

It

is not only employees who can behave in unethical ways. Employers also have a common code of conduct and are required to act in a given manner. For instance, an employer is not supposed to use the company money for his personal expenses.

CONTD..
Employees

sometimes use company email to spread inappropriate websites or videos to co-workers, some of which could be deemed offensive by the recipients.

CONTD..
engaging

in lengthy gossip sessions during working time, falsifying time sheets, coming into work late or leaving early and running personal errands while traveling on company business.

SEXUAL HARASSMEN AND BULLYING

An

employee could commit unethical behavior by sexually harassing coworkers. This could involve making lewd comments, touching inappropriately or making unwanted sexual advances. Bullying typically involves attempting to intimidate a co-worker by making demeaning comments about him

CONTD..
o

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, ongoing bullying can escalate into violence in the workplace.

RELATED EXAMPLE

Japanese Beard Pluckers: A female employee in Japan complained that her boss sexually harassed her when he "forced [her] to pluck his beard." According to the Legal Herald, the man "was fined $5,000 for his conduct."

ILLEGAL ACTS

Some unethical acts can also be illegal. For example, an employee who has access to a company's financial records, such as a bookkeeper or accountant, could use her access and expertise to embezzle company funds. An employee having access to personnel, files such as a human resources representative

CONTD..

could commit identity theft and use employees' Social Security numbers to raid bank accounts or fraudulently obtain credit cards.

EXAMPLE
Recently,

a federal court judge found Allegheny Bottling, a Pepsi-Cola bottling franchise, guilty of price fixing. The firm had ended years of cola wars by setting prices with its major competitor, MidAtlantic Coca-Cola Bottling (New York Times, 1988). Since evidence showed most executives in the firm knew of the illegal price-fixing scheme,

CONTD..
the

court not only fined Allegheny $1 million but also sentenced it to three years in prison--a sentence that was suspended since a firm cannot be imprisoned. However, the unusual penalty allowed the judge to place the firm on probation and significantly restrict its operations

DISCRIMINATION Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. It involves excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to other groups

BASES OF DISCRIMINATION
   

Caste Color Religion Sex

ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE

Drug abuse, also known as Substance abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance (drug) that is not considered dependent. Substance abuse/drug abuse is not limited to mood-altering or psycho-active drugs.

VIOLATIONS OF ENVIRONMENT LAWS Environmental crime refers to the violation of laws intended to protect the environment and human health. These laws govern air and water quality and dictate the ways in which the disposal of waste and hazardous materials can legally take place. Individuals or corporations can be found guilty of a white collar crime when violations of environmental law are committed.

ENVIRONMENT VIOLATIONS

Improper waste disposal Dumping into oceans, lakes, or rivers Improperly handling pesticides or other toxic chemicals Falsifying lab data pertaining to environmental regulations Smuggling certain chemicals, such as CFC refrigerants. Bribing government officials

THEFT
theft is the taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, , looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud.

CONFLICT OF INTREST
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or organization is involved in multiple interests, one of which could possibly corrupt the motivation for an act in the other. A conflict of interest can only exist if a person or testimony is entrusted with some impartiality; a modicum of trust is necessary to create it.

THANX