1. Do you think ethics training is likely to have a significant impact on managerial and corporate misconduct? Explain.
2. Do you think companies with reputations for high ethical quality would have an edge in recruiting employees? Explain.
Jay Stephens, general counsel, and Patti Ellis, vice president for business ethics and compliance, at defense contractor Raytheon, outlined some strategies for building an ethical commitment throughout a complex organization:
• Aim High. The Board of Directors and top leaders must set the ethics tone and push it down through the company.
• Keep Learning. Raytheon’s 70,000 employees are regularly educated about ethics.
• Discuss. Talking about ethics builds trust in the organization.
• Keep It Real. Each year employees receive four ethics videos featuring dilemmas that may be encountered on the job.
• Step Back. Don’t be driven to wrongdoing by deadlines. If not sure what to do, employees are encouraged to pause and think.