1. COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS
Instructor: Fatima Naseem
Lecture # 07
Sbs/index.asp

2. Business Communication and the Ethical Context
Chapter # 04
Business Communication and the Ethical Context

3. Overview Background to Ethical Context Influences on Personal Ethics
Ethical Situations
Ethics as a Communication Issue
Influences on Personal Ethics
People, Culture, Philosophy, Law, Religion
Communications and Ethical issues
Legal Issues
Key areas
Ethics and Organizational Responsibility

4. Background Facts are important to make ethical decisions
In different situations you decide the right and the wrong.
Decision making is difficult when facts are missing.
Ethical principles centered around fairness, services, quality, honesty, integrity, dignity help in making decisions

5. Ethical Situations
During an on campus interview a recruiter asks you why he should hire you over your friend? You have negative information about him, would you share it?
You witness another student Cheating during an important exam. Do you confront him? Do you tell other students or examiner?
A firm invites you for a second interview at its distant office. They will pay you the travelling fair. You are generally not interested but decide to go because you want to meet a friend staying there. Do you accept to go?

6. A hotel food and beverage manager purchased 20 cases of soft drinks
A hotel food and beverage manager purchased 20 cases of soft drinks. Without managers knowledge the delivering person delivered 1 case at managers place. When manager came to know he decided to keep it as it was other than hotel supply.
A restaurant manager contracts a spying company to render its service to spy his waiters if they deliver order correctly and do they take right orders without discriminating.

7. Ethics as Communication Issue
We are not human beings having spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having human experience.
Car fraud example;
Communicate correctly

8. Influence on Personal Ethics
People
Culture
Philosophy
Law
Religion
Religion
Law
People
Culture
Philosophy
Individual
Ethics
Personal Ethics

9. People
Family
Teachers
Close friends
Relatives
Peers

10. Culture City/ town Country to Country National/ international heroes
Norms/ Myths
China return a penny; its government property
America  good luck

11. Philosophy Theologism  what would God have me do in this case
Descriptive Ethics  facts about moral judgments of people
Normative Ethics discovering, formulating and defining fundamental moral principles
Theologism  what would God have me do in this case
Deontology  always tell the truth
Teleology  maximize good consequences
Utilitarianism  type of teleology (Max good for max people)

12. Law
Not always right
E.g. taxes for war

13. Religion Always a major foundation for ethical behavior
Many of the mainstream religions provide the ethics about ones duties towards God, other human beings and all other living things on earth.

14. Communication & Ethical Issues
Organizational Challenges include developing a productive company culture with employees having diverse background, values and beliefs
Legal Issues
Key Areas for Ethical Communications
Ethics and Organizational responsibility

15. Legal Issues
Defamation  statements that damage persons name and reputation, involve false statements
Libel  written defamation
Slander  oral defamation
Legal as well as ethical issue
Privacy
Discrimination & harassment
Plagiarism
Copy Righting (CR)  legal protection of ones creative efforts

16. Key Areas for Ethical Communications
Ethical treatment takes time, thought and preparation
Written and Spoken messages
Cross Cultural Messages
Advertising Messages

17. Written and Spoken messages
Message purpose (are there any hidden agendas, will it be in favor of receiver)
Research methods (are the resources recent, reliable and unbiased)
Selection of materials (is anything imp omitted)
Development of ideas (use of reasoning & logic, propaganda techniques)
Use of language (overloaded, abstract)
Ethical context
Self analysis (how would I feel)

18. Cross Cultural Messages
Don’t take advantage of misunderstandings of different cultures
Cultural Context
Misunderstandings
Language
Accountability

19. Advertising Messages
Gaining customers through false advertising is both unlawful and unethical
Don’t confuse consumers
E.g.
“White Christmas”
“fat free”, “low-fat”, “healthy”
“100 % natural fruit juice”
Avoid showing negativity to a specific group

20. Advertising Messages Language (no exaggerations)
Graphics/Print (small print)
Omissions (any imp statement omitted/ would it have been affected if included )
Truth
Accountability (would I be satisfied)

21. Ethics and Organizational Responsibility
One org different attitudes of employees
“Organizations are stronger than individuals”
Formal Vs Informal Ways of Communicating Ethics:
Companies must determine whether the ethical values should be suggested from top down or bottom up.
Formal ways
Informal ways

22. Formal Ways
One of the companies considered as the leader in ethically responsible companies has ensured that the highest paid salary is no more than seven times the lowest paid salary.
For top down approach the ethical standards are expressed in three ways:
Public messages
Employee manuals and policy statements
Mission statements and ethical codes

23. Ethical codes  documents stating ethics and values
Public messages:
Speeches by CEOs, press releases and annual reports
Employee manuals and policy statements
Employee policy books and manuals containing rules and regulations of organization.
Considered as a contract b/w employee and employer.
Mission statements and ethical codes:
Mission Statements Fundamental strategic issues
Ethical codes  documents stating ethics and values

24. Informal Ways Imported through individuals
Organizations own value system
Behavior of managers

25. Any Questions ?

26. Paper Pattern Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 14 Audience Analysis
Lecture 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Go through all chapters form book specially for diagrams, models and specific definitions.
Paper will be mainly objective type.
Time: 1 hr
Marks: 40