Business Ethics and Social Responsibility

Identifying Ethical Issues

Make no mistake about it: When you enter the business world, you'll find yourself in situations in which you'll have to choose the appropriate behavior. How, for example, would you answer questions like the following?

• Is it OK to accept a pair of sports tickets from a supplier?
• Can I buy office supplies from my brother-in-law?
• Is it appropriate to donate company funds to my local community center?
• If I find out that a friend is about to be fired, can I warn her?
• Will I have to lie about the quality of the goods I'm selling?
• Can I take personal e-mails and phone calls at work?
• What do I do if I discover that a coworker is committing fraud?

Obviously, the types of situations are numerous and varied. Fortunately, we can break them down into a few basic categories: bribes, conflicts of interest, conflicts of loyalty, issues of honesty and integrity, and whistle-blowing. Let's look a little more closely at each of these categories.