Ethics
Daniel Shalik
Ethical behavior in an organization means “acting responsibly in gray areas where rules of right or wrong behavior is ambiguous” (Stephen P. Robbins, Guidelines for Acting Ethically). Although many companies have strict rules of conduct to follow written in their employee handbooks, interpretations of these rules are determined by particularized situations. For example, a manager promoting his relative over a more highly qualified candidate for a position in the company might be legal and authorized but it may be construed as unethical. Another example could be choosing a vendor with similar completive prices only because he/she offered you tickets to a hockey game. Microsoft code of ethics handbook explicitly states that “We do not accept incentives such as kickbacks or bribes in return for conducting business with them” with regard to vendors. (Steven A. Ballmer)The definition of ethics “commonly refers to the rules or principles that define right and wrong conduct”. (Stephen P. Robbins)
To comply with the changing business and legal environment organizations ensure ethical behavior by issuing orders of compliance with severe consequences. For example, Microsoft takes the standard of business conduct very seriously and “consequences for such violations may include disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment”. (Enforcement) These are severe penalties with long lasting implications that require employees to take ethical rules and guidelines earnestly to secure a long lasting relationship with their organization.
Taking a personal responsibility for ethical behavior is foremost a necessary requirement otherwise a prevalent attitude of ambivalence will lead to misguided interpretations of what is right and wrong. The feeling of a group norm mentality that everyone else is doing it will prevail without analyzing the results and the true meaning of your actions. For example, if you work in a company that does not recycle because the company manager has decided that is too expensive and time consuming to order recycling bins this may create an ethical dilemma for you. You know because of your core beliefs and values that everyone must do their part to save the environment and not increase landfills with waste but at the same time doing so would go against the wishes of your supervisor and could jeopardize your job. You realize that if you do not follow the supervisor’s wishes to throw paper and plastics into the main trash bin even though everyone else in the company is doing it you could be labeled as a troublemaker and could be fired for insubordination. Even though it is still legal for the company to be socially irresponsible it goes against every grain of your core beliefs. You are faced with the decision to go along with the company’s policy or stand in the unemployment line. This situation would fall into the category of being legal but unethical. Doing the right thing would be ethical. I would either try and change the behavior of the company or resign. Unfortunately, some people’s choices are not so simple, if the employee depends on his wage to pay his mortgage and have adequate health insurance because there is a baby on the way or is responsible for a family member who depends on those health benefits. Ethical choices have to be weighed in order to make the right decision. This is where the gray area comes into play.
Large scale unethical behavior can be practiced widely by a large group of people if there are no guidelines to follow. In the case of the Equity Funding Corporation of America scandal which perpetrated fraud by relying on equity fund policies as their primary source of operating cash, large scale blind loyalty was at its peak. Employees cooperated with top management executives to achieve their goals giving no thought to ethical implications. This 1973 scandal in the insurance industry proved that “guilt is elusive [and that] everyone presumes that somebody else will bear the final responsibility”. (Henderson)
It is interesting to note that laying the blame on higher authorities does not take away the ethical personal responsibility of individuals. If you feel that something is wrong based on your core values and beliefs it probably is. What you as an individual will do to correct the situation is the ethical responsibility that you must bear considering the consequences.
Changes in laws and social standards dictate norms and standards of behavior in corporations and members of groups. (Linda Klebe Trevino) Laws are made to correct imperfections in social responsibilities and injustices but they do insure that they will not happen. This was not more evident than in the recent “egregious unethical behaviors across a wide variety of organizations”. (Luis R. Gomez) AIG, Time Warner, CitiGroup, and the Bank of America were all involved in activities that circumvented proper ethical behavior to its customers. As Hillary Clinton wrote a book called “It Takes a Village”, it only took one person to write that book, as it takes only person to make a stand when injustices surface. The nameless man who stood in front of the tank at Tiananmen Square will forever imprint an image of one lone person who stood up for not only what he believed in but what was right for all society. In the same way, each one of us should stand up and voice our opinion to right a wrong if that is what we believe in. It is our moral imperative as individuals to shape policy and social integrations to the proper ethical behavior in business and in our own personal lives.
Enforcement, Microsoft Administration and. "Microsoft Standards of Business Conduct ." 29 June 2009. Microsoft Business Conduct and Compliance Program. 7 March 2010 <http://www.microsoft.com/About/Legal/EN/US/Compliance/Buscond/Default.aspx>.
Henderson, Verne E. "The cost of blind loyalty is high ." Henderson, Verne E. What's Ethical in Business? . New York: McGraw Hill, Inc, 1992. 83.
Linda Klebe Trevino, Katherine A. Nelson. "Norms - "The Way We Do Things Around Here"." Linda Klebe Trevino, Katherine A. Nelson. Managing Business Ethics . New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. , 1999. 208.
Luis R. Gomez, David B. Balkin, Robert L. Cardy. "Ethics and Social Responsiblity ." Luis R. Gomez, David B. Balkin, Robert L. Cardy. Managing Human Resources . Boston: Prentice Hall , 2010. 19.
Stephen P. Robbins, David A. DeCenzo. "Guidelines for Acting Ethically." Stephen P. Robbins, David A. DeCenzo. Supervision Today . Upper Saddle River : Prentice Hall , 2010. 51.
Stephen P. Robbins, David A. DeCenzo. "What is ethics? ." Stephen P. Robbins, David A. DeCenzo. Supervision Today . Upper Sadle River : Prentice Hall , 2010. 44.
Steven A. Ballmer, Chief Executive Officer. "Microsoft Standards of Business Conduct ." 29 June 2009. Microsoft . 7 March 2010 <http://www.microsoft.com/About/Legal/EN/US/Compliance/Buscond/Default.aspx>.
Transition to Supervisor
Working in an organization as an operative employee consists of working on specific tasks to physically produce a company’s goods and services. (Stephen P. Robbins) As a low level employee on the organizational hierarchical pyramid incentives are created by working hard to achieve a promotion as a reward. Organizations frequently hire from within their own company to promote individuals to a supervisory level. Knowledge of the people that they are going to supervise and the technical skills necessary have already been learned aside from new supervisory training. (D. A. Stephen P. Robbins)
There is no guarantee that a highly motivated and productive employee rising from the ranks to a supervisory level will have the necessary skills to motivate others. This is the one unknown factor that upper management is gambling on, that their candidate for a position as a front line supervisor will be able to successfully inspire their employees to achieve company goals and satisfy the mission of the organization. A model employee who is self motivated with a strong work ethic, proven track record of performance skills and an established reliability of being on time is a strong candidate for promotion. The ability to transfer these traits to others is the key to becoming a good supervisor. It is much easier to motivate yourself that it is to motivate others. Managing a group of employees that you were once were a part of is even more difficult than supervising employees that you do not know complicating matters even further.
You ex-coworkers, who confided in you, joked around, and invited you out with them to after work happy hours, are now giving you the cold shoulder. You are now considered one of them and are not one of the guys or gals any longer. The camaraderie that once existed with your work team has now vanished. This is confusing to many first time transitional front line supervisors, after all you still are the same person but they see you as different because you have taken on a new role. You are their boss.
Overcoming your new role as a supervisor of the same people who were your coworkers requires you to fine tune your interpersonal skills. You will have to reestablish the trust that you earned with them in much the same way you did when you were their coworker. Understanding that your role as their boss is confusing to them as well, and change is not an easy concept to embrace. Integrating your new duties include communicating company goals, new concepts, expectations of management, and attaining high performance levels. Your employees already are familiar with you and your character and in time they will be receptive in your new role as their supervisor.
Your new role as a front line supervisor with employees you previously worked will have you wondering why you even put in for this job. You will be giving up overtime pay and may even make less money per year than in your former position as an operative employee. The title has a manager supervisor is a progression in your career if you are one who is motivated for upward mobility. However, as alluring as this may sound, the reality of the job requires you to answer to upper management and handle conflicts on the workroom floor as well. You will be a coach, mediator, counselor, scheduler, budget watchdog and sometimes are placed in the position of issuing discipline to your former coworkers if necessary. In lieu of these extra duties it is important to remember to continue your education and keep up to date with the latest technologies to keep your “competencies up to date”. (D. A. Stephen P. Robbins) This helps with enhancing your credibility with upper management and your employees under you as well. Gaining a new respect from your ex-coworkers takes time and is an ongoing learning process.
The outcome of the production levels in your unit depends on the manner in which you conduct yourself as a leader in your work team. Highly motivated employees will eventually use you as an example that a good work record is rewarded with a promotion in the organization. Knowing what motivated you as an operative employee and transferring this knowledge to emulate these skills will inspire your team members to be productive. It is a win-win situation for everyone when the culmination of your efforts in your new role as a supervisor produces positive results. It is also rewarding to an individual placed in a role of accepting the responsibility of being accountable to the organization and being part of the management team. Having the ability to produce work through others rather than just yourself is a skill that is required as a front line supervisor. Producing work from your ex-coworkers is a skill that requires more of an effort and it is imperative that your employees have trust and respect for you in your position as their boss. These ongoing processes are necessary as you transform from an operative employee to a supervisor.
Stephen P. Robbins, David A. DeCenzo, Robert Welter. "What else is critical for me to know about supervising? ." Stephen P. Robbins, David A. DeCenzo, Robert Welter. Supervision Today. Upper Sadle River : Prentice Hall , 2010. 17.
Stephen P. Robbins, David A. DeCenzo, Robert Wolter. "Transition from Employee to Supervisor ." Stephen P. Robbins, David A. DeCenzo, Robert Wolter. Supervision Today. Upper Sadle River : Prentice Hall , 2010. 10-11.
Stephen P. Robbins, David A. Decenzo, Robert Wolter. "What are the Organizational Levels? ." Stephen P. Robbins, David A. Decenzo, Robert Wolter. Supervision Today . Upper Sadle River : Prentice Hall , 2010. 5.
The Google Optimization program here works great. Go to My Bonanzle and click on the Google optimization. I just joined here a few days ago – imported Ebay items and have been edited my items to remove Ebay links. (only fair to Bonanzle) It is a tedious process but most of my Ebay items do not have RSS graphics (some do) and all of the important item description text was imported. It is interesting to note that the import did not pick up many item specifics. Your item specifics is the key to google optimization. When you are listing an item, do not ignore the bottom left hand side of your listing block. You will not be able to see the optimization until you actually put your item in a category. Very important to put your item in the proper category if you want your listing to appear on a google page. Once you have put your item in a category – then click on your item specifics to add Condition – New – Used – etc.Also if you are listing movies, dvds, books , tapes etc. include as much of the item specifics as possible. UPC code is important , ISBN number is important. The more you add , the more your listing will be visible to millions of viewers on the google pages. Kudos to Bonanzle for adding this very important tool in the listing page. (This info is for listing individually)To bulk edit your listings is a breeze. It took me less than an hour to edit my item specifics of over 200 listings.More than half of my items did not have item specifics and would not have been listed on google if I did not use the bulk editor. Important – once you are done with one page- SAVE – your work and move on to the next page. If you added all of your item specifics and move on to the next page without saving your work will be lost. There will be a message on the top of your page noting that your specifics were saved. Even FEEBAY – does not have tools such as this. As a matter of fact, many of their item specifics get lost or not included for some reason I noticed – as was evidenced when I used the FEEBAY import tool. That is why many sellers on their site do not get the exposure of their items. On Bonanzle – all of your items get exposure – not just a selected few such as FEEBAY. This is why I enjoy this site – because the owners of this company Bonanzle , really understand SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and offer tools for sellers to use to get the most out of your listings. I know this is getting a little long – so I will cut it short. I hope this has helped someone to understand exactly how “syndication” with affiliate sites and google optimization works. Many syndicated sites pick up google listings anyway – anyone who uses traffic reports on FEEBAY can see that their are many other search engines who crawl for key words and relist your products(listings) or links on their site also. Happy Holidays to everyone and a prosperous New Year! Colorado Foothills Trading Post
Business organizations large or small use particular management functions to operate their company. “Management is a process of planning, organizing, staffing motivating and controlling through the use of formal authority” (Rue-Byars) which is implemented by the person in charge of daily operations. The person in charge does not even have to be there physically as long as they follow the manager’s guidance and influences them in achieving the objectives of achieving a successful operation. For the purpose of a more introspective real life viewpoint of the basic functions of a manager the owner of the Buffalo Pizza Company of Buffalo, New York, Charles Middione, was interviewed for this project.
The Buffalo Pizza Company adheres to a functional plan with short range objectives utilizing a stability strategy. The company is primarily profit oriented dedicated to servicing customers in the general locality heeding the needs of its employees and their well-being paying particular attention to community social awareness and responsibility. Buffalo Pizza Company is active in charitable events in the community, the Buffalo Police Benevolent Society, local churches and contributes to the success of the Canisius College basketball program. This short range objective cements the company into the community as an integral active viable resource. (Appendix 1)
Charles Middione, owner of the company has established alliances with other restaurateurs in the geographical customer region. This has helped his company when an unexpected circumstance beyond anyone’s control has resulted in the use of a contingency plan. Automatic slicers have broken down, delivery shipments of food items have been delayed and employees have called in sick. Mr. Middione’s business friends have come through with the loaning of equipment and resources with an agreement that reciprocity is understood. (Appendix 2)
Delegating authority using the parity principle which enables employees to do their jobs presents a challenge for any business organization. Buffalo Pizza Company’s employees have specific tasks that need to be accomplished on a daily basis. The owner usually reminds the employees with a list to ensure that the specific jobs are completed. Employees with experience take on the role as a mentor for new hires. Mentors are empowered with the authority to train new employees for two hours a night and report their progress to the manager on duty. This helps the trainers to be self-motivated to want to be successful. Subordinates are enabled with the knowledge that they are responsible for successfully completing the duties that are assigned to them. The knowledge of knowing what is expected of them creates a trust among employees and between team members and management. (Appendix 3)
Charles Middione is a democratic style manager. His decision making leadership style combined with a self-fulfilling prophesy attitude of positive expectations results in high performance productivity from his employees. Although his management leadership style allows his employees not only to allow but to seek responsibility, the initiating structure of the work environment is geared toward the attainment of the company’s ultimate goal of completing the day’s work. This leadership behavior style works more effectively on the production line where the primary goal is to serve the customers efficiently. Buffalo Pizza Company’s employee motivation factors are based on dedication which is rewarded by raises and flexibility in scheduling with time off from work. (Appendix 4)
A moderate amount of control is exercised at the Buffalo Pizza Company including behavior, output and budgetary. There is a video surveillance system installed at the pizzeria primarily for security purposes but it is also used to monitor employees. Sales receipts are tallied and records kept for sales tax reasons but are also used to track profitability. Budgetary control methods used are audited by an external accountant twice a year to prevent a biased report. (Appendix 5)
Economic considerations in the control of the operation have played a major role in the past few years at the Buffalo Pizza Company. Recently after a monthly sales receipt tally by an internal auditor it had been revealed that total sales receipts had decreased by $5,000. A break even chart revealed that the total cost of operating expenses exceeded total revenue. Budgetary management control methods were revised to reduce the cost of variable expenses and employee hours were cut as a temporary measure in order to break even. For example, flour, luncheon meats, hoagie rolls, pepperoni, beverage drinks, pizza boxes, napkins, and other variable costs were reduced to absorb the profit loss. (Appendix 6)
Performance appraisals are achieved at Buffalo Pizza Company by direct observation. The managers/owners of the company tour the premises and work areas on a daily basis. On most occasions the owners work alongside their employees and through personal observations are able to determine the proficiency of the employee work force. The mutual trusts that exist negate the notion that employees are being micromanaged thereby a credulous relationship is enhanced. The work culture at the pizzeria is based on self-motivation together with a family and friendly atmosphere that is transmitted to their customers. (Appendix 7)
Employee rewards consist of both intrinsic and extrinsic varieties. A sense of achievement is derived from being successfully employed together with a sense of accomplishment. Formal and informal recognition exist between workers and the customers of the pizzeria. A chance for promotion and fringe benefits exist by working at the Buffalo Pizza Company. All employees feel like they are part of a team as they are given hats and t-shirts with the company name on them. Although there is a policy whereby employees pay for their lunches at 50 percent of the cost food is frequently available at no cost when new menu items are introduced. Mr. Middione frequently rewards his workers by setting out food items. Incentive payments are made available to the drivers and counter personnel as tip jars are shared at the end of the night. Many social relationships are made possible throughout the work day and at charitable events. One of Mr. Middione’s workers has been there for 15 years after a brief absence he returned citing the reward benefits as one of his reasons for returning to work there. (Appendix 8)
Employees are encouraged to participate in contributing ideas and suggestions to the Buffalo Pizza Company including menu suggestion items. Recently a popular food item in Buffalo, haddock fish, was included as a menu item not only on Friday but throughout the year. This became a very popular item at the restaurant and increased business substantially and it was all because of an employee suggestion. Employees are encouraged to be a part of the total success of the company as all will benefit and this will promote a team concept. (Appendix 9)
One of the main lessons that can be learned from this interview project is that mangers should plan ahead and have a backup contingency plan in case things do now work out. There are many outside variables that could interfere with the original planning of a company such as a downturn in the economy or a natural disaster. Organizing and leading a work team requires an element of trust between management and employees for an operation to be successful. A moderate form of control management is necessary for a business to succeed. Knowledge of knowing when to implement management controls is also a key element. A good effective manager must know how to communicate with his/her employees and exercise an element of human relation skills to persuade his/her work-team to be productive. Implementing a form of control in business organization requires leadership skills to execute plans. The realization that employees are your most valuable resource is good sound management advice to heed.
Appendix
1. How is your company active in community events?
2. What is your contingency plan when things go wrong?
3. How much authority do you delegate to your employees?
4. How do you motivate your employees?
5. What type of quality control methods do you use?
6. How have economic conditions played a role in your company?
7. Do you conduct performance evaluations?
8. How do you reward your employees?
9. Do you listen to suggestions from your employees?
Rue-Byars. Management Skills and Applications. 13th Edition. New York : McGraw-Hill Primis , 2009.