Ethics: A Personal Perspective

How we perceive ethical issues and how we expect others to act is in many respects a reflection of our personal views. Considering the importance of our internal views of ethics, think about the following scenario:

You have been recently hired in the human resources department at the company you have always dreamed of working for. At the end of your first day, your manager, I. M. DeBoss, on her way out of the office says to you: So Mr./Ms. Jones, what things come to mind when you think of the word ethics? Before you can answer, she asks you if you believe ethics are important for a company, and if so, why do you feel that way? Not letting up, because she is DeBoss, she then tells you that she once had a conversation with someone who mentioned that ethics might be a reflection of the culture of a business, but she has no idea what this means. She asks if you could help her understand the connection between ethics and a company's culture.

Just as you are about to respond to her, she says I am sorry Mr./Ms. Jones, I really have to run, but I want to continue our conversation tomorrow. You are relieved because you will have a night to ponder her questions and wow her with your responses tomorrow. How would you respond to your manager? Be certain to include in your response for Ms. DeBoss a definition of business ethics.