Business Ethics: How to Create an Ethical Organization from Udemy

What's inside

Learning objectives

Describe best practices for screening job candidates for ethics.
Utilize best practices for managing ethics codes.
Use a systematic ethics decision-making framework to arrive at moral conclusions.
Conduct ethics and diversity training workshops.
Create an ethical reporting system.

Integrate best practices for ethical leadership into the organization.
Integrate ethics into work goals and performance appraisals.
Engage and empower employees.
Develop an environmental management system plan.
Align community outreach with the organization’s mission and assets.

Describe best practices for screening job candidates for ethics.
Utilize best practices for managing ethics codes.
Use a systematic ethics decision-making framework to arrive at moral conclusions.
Conduct ethics and diversity training workshops.
Create an ethical reporting system.
Integrate best practices for ethical leadership into the organization.
Integrate ethics into work goals and performance appraisals.
Engage and empower employees.
Develop an environmental management system plan.
Align community outreach with the organization’s mission and assets.

Syllabus

Course Introduction

This lecture introduces you to the course content. The attached documents will give you additional overview information about this course, including course introduction lecture notes, recommendations for how to use this course most efficiently to meet your learning and implementation goals, and a visual syllabus of the optimal ethics systems model.

This best practices checklist is a risk management and quality benchmarking tool that will help you perform a check-up on the ethical health of your organization. The checklist overviews best practices in all sections addressed in this course. Many people find this document useful for developing corporate training plans and for engaging in collaborative assessment of the health of their organizations.

At the end of the course you will be invited to use this document to complete a comprehensive assessment of your organization's strengths and areas for improvement. This will become a valuable planning document for your continuous improvement efforts.

Lecture Notes

Sometimes after dismissing an employee for an ethical breach, a manager might wonder: How did this person get through the hiring process? There are millions of people with good intentions, but this person was not one of them. The best safeguard against unethical activities at work is hiring people of high integrity.

This lecture provides 7 best practices for hiring ethical job candidates, including a six-step process for determining the ethics of job candidates. First, notify job candidates about the ethics job screen and then diligently gather information in a way that does not violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Potential sources of ethics information about job candidates include resumes, reference checks, background checks, personality tests, interview questions and drug tests.

The first downloadable file you see below provides a list of best practices related to this topic as discussed in the video lecture. You may wish to print this file to use as a lecture guide for note taking as you watch and listen to the video.

The second file attached below provides you with an ethical candidate job screening tool.

Below you will also find an ethical dilemma related to this section. You may use the ethical dilemma for your own practice applying the course material to realistic situations or as part of an ethics training program.

This quiz will help you determine whether you have retained the best practices taught in this section, or whether you should review the material again. Please complete the quiz before reviewing the Answer Key below.

Ethical dilemmas arise because situations are ambiguous. What bothers one person's conscience may not bother another person's conscience. A rule that one high-integrity person considers essential another high-integrity person might consider too rigid. Two people of high integrity may disagree on the appropriate discipline for a co-worker's misbehavior, such as an excellent bank teller who intentionally violated a bank's policy, or how to balance being truthful with following a directive that may mislead some customers.

An organization's code of ethics and code of conduct minimize ethical ambiguities by communicating clear ethical guidelines for employees to apply when making ethical decisions. These codes serve as the organization's conscience. This lecture provides seven best practices for developing codes of ethics and codes of conduct, including having codes, communicating and supporting codes, and using the code of ethics as an assessment tool for improving ethical performance.

The first downloadable document below provides a list of best practices related to this topic as discussed in the video lecture. You may wish to print it as lecture guide for note taking as you watch the video.

The second resource attached below will give you step-by-step instructions for how to create a code of ethics and assess that in your organization.

This quiz will help you determine whether you have retained the best practices taught in this section, or whether you should review the material again. Please take the quiz before you refer to the Answer Key below.

A variety of factors influence whether a person decides to behave ethically or unethically. Ethical intentions are usually formed quickly, initially defended, and then may be revised through a rational ethical decision-making process.

This lecture provides 3 best practices for ethical decision-making, including a systematic seven-question rational decision-making framework that is straightforward to use when making difficult decisions. The framework, which is grounded in moral philosophy, enables employees to independently derive a moral answer to an ethical dilemma.

The first downloadable file you see below provides a list of best practices related to this topic as discussed in the video lecture. You may wish to print this file to use as a lecture guide for note taking as you watch the video.

The second resource below is the Systematic Rational Decision Making Framework, which is a practical tool for making ethical decisions in complex, ethically challenging ethical situations.

Individuals are more likely to discuss work-related ethical issues with family and friends than co-workers or executives. A managerial challenge is to design workshops where employees can discuss ethical issues at work. Ethics training can initiate dialogue around contentious ethical issues. A well-facilitated ethics training workshop has greater impact on employee behaviors than the presence of an ethics code or memos from the boss. Researchers report that people employed in organizations with formal ethics training have more positive perceptions about their organization's ethics and greater job satisfaction.

This lecture provides 7 best practices for ethics training, including offering them annually, how to facilitate them, and assessing them.

The first downloadable file you see below provides a list of best practices related to this topic as discussed in the video lecture. You may wish to print this file to use as a lecture guide for note taking as you watch the video.

The second attachment below provides you with practical tools for developing ethics training workshops.

No organization is an island. Organizations are embedded in the communities in which they operate. The well-being of the host community profoundly impacts an organization, and vice versa. Ethical organizations aspire to be model community citizens.

This lecture provides 10 best practices for community outreach. Managers can engage multiple community stakeholders on a wide variety of issues. Organizations can donate money, products, services, and employee volunteer time. They can partner with specific non-profit organizations. The community impacts of such efforts should be assessed for quality improvement.

The first downloadable file you see below provides a list of best practices related to this topic as discussed in the video lecture. You may wish to print this file to use as a lecture guide for note taking as you watch and listen to the video.

The second resource attached below will show you how to develop a Community Involvement Management Process.

Within the mind of each person is a unique set of assumptions about right and wrong behaviors. Also within the mind of each person is a unique set of assumptions about other employees, customers and suppliers. These assumptions are based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion or disability.

This lecture provides 7 best practices for respecting diversity, including assigning a specific person to be accountable, reflecting the community's diversity profile, diversity training workshops, and making diversity goals part of a manager's performance evaluation.

The first downloadable file you see below provides a list of best practices for this topic as discussed in the video lecture. You may wish to print this file to use as a lecture guide for note taking as you watch and listen to the video.

The second resource attached below provides you with step-by-step guidelines for developing a diversity initiative for your organization.

High performance organizations depend on employees speaking honestly with their colleagues, managers and company owners when ethical problems arise.

This lecture provides 9 best practices for ethics reporting systems. Excellent managers are the type of person colleagues and subordinates can trust and confide in when personally sensitive information must be shared. But some employees remain uncomfortable sharing ethical issues with their direct supervisors. Three alternative internal communications mechanisms are an Ethics and Compliance Officer, an ombudsman, and an assist line. A failure in these internal communications systems can result in external whistle blowing, which is damaging for both the organization and the whistle blower.

The first downloadable file you see below provides a list of best practices for this topic as discussed in the video lecture. You may wish to print this file to use as a lecture guide for note taking as you watch the video.

The second resource attached below is a guide to creating an internal reporting system for your organization.

Three aspects of daily organizational life significantly impact an employee's ethical performance: (1) the behaviors of organizational executives, managers and direct supervisors, (2) work goals, and (3) employee performance appraisals.

This lecture provides 13 best practices for ethical leadership, work goals and performance appraisal. Ethical leaders develop great places to work and reinforce ethical behavior among employees through work goals and performance appraisals that encourage and reward ethical behaviors.

The first downloadable file you see below provides a list of best practices related to the topic as discussed in the video lecture. You may wish to print this file to use as a lecture guide for note taking as you watch and listen to the video.

The second resource attached below will help you to implement best practices for developing performance appraisals that align with your organization's code of ethics and the ethical behavior you wish to promote among your employees.

Many employees pay greatest attention to those things that are being assessed. Managers and other employees will pay more attention to ethical performance if it is being annually assessed.

This lecture provides 7 best practices for organizational assessment, including systematically examining ethical performance and benchmarking the organization with both the industry's best ethical practices and the Optimal Ethics Systems Model.

The first downloadable file you see below provides a list of best practices related to the topic as discussed in the video lecture. You may wish to print and use this file as a lecture guide for note taking as you watch and listen to the video.

The second resource attached below is the complete 90 Best Practices Organizational Assessment Checklist, which you can use to benchmark your organization's goal setting and successful implementation of all best practices over time.

A high performing ethical organization is a community of people where each employee has a sense of belongingness and ownership, and feels respected and accountable. Employees in high performance organizations are engaged with their work tasks and committed to achieving work unit goals. They are provided with information necessary to perform their job well, empowered to control their immediate surroundings, and have the authority to do what needs to get done. Organizations with engaged and empowered employees emphasize two-way communication and participative management processes.

This lecture provides 12 best practices for engaging and empowering employees, including employee satisfaction surveys, providing input for decisions, training in group dynamics, and sharing the financial benefits generated by their efforts.

The first downloadable file you see below provides a list of best practices related to this topic as discussed in the video lecture. You may wish to print and use this file as a lecture guide for note taking as you watch and listen to the video.

The second resource attached below is a how-to guide for managing workplace attitudes and behaviors.

Treating the Earth with respect is one of the greatest ethical management challenges. A growing number of mangers now realize that appropriately managing the relationship between organizational operations and the environment can enhance profits and long-term success, as well as quality of life for current and future generations.

This lecture provides 8 best practices for environmental management, including screening suppliers, adopting an Environmental Management System and the Natural Step framework, conducting environmental risk assessments, designing eco-friendly products, operating in green buildings, and monitoring environmental performance indicators.

The first downloadable file you see below provides a list of best practices related to the topic as discussed in the video lecture. You may wish to print this file to use as a lecture guide for note taking as you watch and listen to the video.

The second resource attached below will guide you in the development of an Environmental Management System Plan for your organization.

Life is limited and human beings spend most of their adult lives working. The purpose of organizations should be to support the purpose of life, not the contrary to it. In the first half of this lecture, I share my personal story of being a two-time cancer survivor (Hodgkin's Lymphoma of unknown cause), with the first experience of having been initially classified as terminal. As a result of this near-death experience, I more deeply understood that the purpose of life was to grow my heart by serving others, which includes developing ethical organizations.

The second half of the lecture provides a summary of Aristotle's perspective on the purpose of life being happiness. But what is happiness? Aristotle argued that happiness is a function of four factors: (1) health, (2) wealth, (3) intellectual virtue, and (4) moral virtue. The happiest people are those who are healthy, wealthy, wise and moral. The most important of these four factors, according to Aristotle, is moral virtue. Aristotle defined moral virtue as love of spouse, family, friends and community.

The same analysis holds for organizations. Are employees in good health, appropriately paid, learning new things and doing good deeds? If not, do something about it. You should begin by benchmarking your organization to the Optimal Ethics Systems Model. Then communally generate and implement some action plans.

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Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Provides assessment tools to analyze the ethical performance of an organization, which can help leaders identify areas for improvement and track progress over time

Explores best practices for environmental management, which is increasingly important for organizations seeking to reduce their environmental impact and enhance their sustainability efforts

Examines the importance of community outreach, which can help organizations build stronger relationships with their local communities and enhance their reputation

Includes a section on the meaning of life, which may be useful for managers seeking to create a more purpose-driven and values-based organization

Requires learners to assess their organization's strengths and weaknesses, which may require access to internal data and the cooperation of colleagues and subordinates

Teaches methods for screening job candidates, which may require learners to consult with HR professionals and legal counsel to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations

Reviews summary

Practical guide to business ethics

According to learners, this course provides a largely positive exploration of business ethics, focusing on actionable best practices for creating ethical organizations. Students appreciate the comprehensive coverage of topics like hiring, codes, training, leadership, environmental management, and diversity. Many found the included practical tools and frameworks, such as the assessment checklist and decision-making guide, to be highly useful for immediate application in their professional roles. While the course is geared towards managers and leaders, some reviewers found the final module on the meaning of life to be a unique, albeit philosophical, addition to the practical focus.

Includes a module on the meaning of life.

"The last module on the meaning of life was unexpected but provided unique context."

"Found the final lecture thought-provoking, though less directly 'business' than others."

"A philosophical touchpoint at the end; some might find it aligns with overall purpose."

"An interesting shift in focus for the final section, adding a personal dimension."

Covers wide range of ethical topics.

"Appreciated the modules covering everything from hiring to environmental ethics."

"It's not just theory; it touches on diverse areas like training, reporting, and leadership."

"A thorough look at ethics across the entire organization's operations."

"I liked how it covered diversity and community outreach alongside core ethics."

Provides actionable frameworks and resources.

"The 90 best practices checklist is incredibly useful; I can use it right away."

"I found the ethical decision-making framework easy to apply to real-world problems."

"The downloadable guides for developing codes and systems were very practical."

"Gave me concrete tools to assess and improve our organization's ethics."

Focuses on implementable steps.

"The course is all about 'how-to', giving clear steps for implementation."

"It provides specific, actionable best practices I can apply in my job."

"Learned practical strategies to integrate ethics into performance appraisals."

"This is ideal for managers looking for concrete ways to build an ethical culture."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Business Ethics: How to Create an Ethical Organization with these activities:

Review Ethical Frameworks

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Strengthen your understanding of ethical frameworks to better grasp the course's decision-making models.

Browse courses on Ethical Frameworks

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Identify key ethical frameworks like utilitarianism and deontology.
Summarize the core principles of each framework.
Apply each framework to a sample business dilemma.

Review 'The Power of Ethical Management'

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Gain practical insights into ethical management principles and their application in real-world scenarios.

View The Power Of Ethical Management on Amazon

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Read the book, focusing on the ethical decision-making model.
Identify examples of ethical dilemmas discussed in the book.
Reflect on how the book's principles apply to your own workplace.

Develop a Code of Ethics

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Apply the course's best practices for codes of ethics by creating one for a hypothetical organization.

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Choose a type of organization (e.g., tech startup, non-profit).
Research industry-specific ethical challenges.
Draft a code of ethics addressing those challenges.
Get feedback from peers on the code's clarity and completeness.

Four other activities

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Create an Ethics Training Module

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Solidify your understanding of ethics training by designing a module based on course principles.

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Select a specific ethical topic (e.g., conflict of interest).
Develop learning objectives for the module.
Create engaging content (e.g., case studies, quizzes).
Design an assessment to measure learning outcomes.

Review 'Giving Voice to Values'

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Learn strategies for effectively communicating ethical concerns and advocating for ethical decisions.

View Giving Voice to Values: How to Speak Your Mind... on Amazon

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Read the book, focusing on the GVV framework.
Identify common rationalizations for unethical behavior.
Practice crafting responses to those rationalizations.

Volunteer with an Ethical Organization

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Gain practical experience in ethical decision-making by volunteering with an organization known for its ethical practices.

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Research organizations with strong ethical reputations.
Contact the organization and inquire about volunteer opportunities.
Reflect on the ethical considerations you encounter during your volunteer work.

Develop an Ethics Audit Checklist

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Create a practical tool for assessing an organization's ethical performance based on course principles.

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Review the course materials on organizational assessment.
Identify key areas to assess (e.g., code of ethics, reporting systems).
Develop specific questions to evaluate each area.
Pilot test the checklist on a sample organization or case study.

Career center

Learners who complete Business Ethics: How to Create an Ethical Organization will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Ethics Officer

An Ethics Officer is responsible for promoting ethical conduct within an organization. This role involves developing, implementing, and overseeing ethics and compliance programs. This course is directly relevant as it covers best practices for creating codes of ethics, implementing ethics training, and establishing ethics reporting systems, all crucial elements for an effective ethics program. The course's emphasis on best practices for hiring ethical candidates and ethical decision-making frameworks also directly informs the work of an Ethics Officer, helping to build a culture of integrity.

See salaries and explore the career path for Ethics Officer

Compliance Manager

A Compliance Manager ensures that a company adheres to all relevant laws, regulations, and internal policies. This role requires a strong understanding of ethical practices to build an organization that is not only compliant, but also ethical at its core, thereby preventing potential legal issues. This course provides a thorough introduction to best practices for managing codes of ethics, promoting ethical decision making and creating reporting systems, which are crucial for compliance. Moreover, this course dives into ethics training, which is a necessary component of a well designed compliance program.

See salaries and explore the career path for Compliance Manager

Human Resources Manager

A Human Resources Manager oversees employee relations, recruitment, and workplace policies. An ethics course of this nature allows a human resources professional to integrate ethics into all aspects of human resources management, such as hiring, training, and performance management. This course's focus on screening job candidates for ethics and aligning performance appraisals with ethical behavior is directly applicable to this role. Moreover, the course covers employee diversity, engagement, and empowerment, all critical components of modern human resource management.

See salaries and explore the career path for Human Resources Manager

Corporate Trainer

Corporate Trainers design and deliver training programs to employees. This course provides extensive material on how to conduct ethics training workshops, which is a key function of a Corporate Trainer. This course provides hands-on training tools, best practices, and ethical dilemmas for group discussion. The course also covers the design of ethics codes, ethical decision-making, and the importance of diversity, all essential topics for corporate training programs. An individual in this career path will find this course's focus on learning through the use of ethical dilemmas highly beneficial.

See salaries and explore the career path for Corporate Trainer

Organizational Development Consultant

An Organizational Development Consultant works to improve the effectiveness of organizations through various interventions. This course aligns with the core aims of this role, as it teaches how to create ethical organizations and manage them for high integrity. The course's coverage of topics such as ethical leadership, employee engagement, and community outreach directly support the goals of an organizational development consultant. Further, the course provides assessment tools to improve the organization's ethical performance, which is an important part of this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for Organizational Development Consultant

Sustainability Manager

A Sustainability Manager develops and implements strategies to reduce an organization's environmental impact and promote corporate social responsibility. While this course is focused on ethics, environmental management is explicitly covered, which aligns with the duties of a Sustainability Manager. The course also teaches environmental management system plans. This course also considers ways organizations can align community outreach with their mission and assets, which is also germane to the Sustainability Manager position.

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Risk Manager

A Risk Manager identifies and mitigates potential risks to an organization. This course is helpful to a Risk Manager because it provides tools to assess and address reputational and ethical risks. Training and best practices for ethical decision-making can directly help a risk manager. The course's focus on creating ethical reporting systems and assessing ethical performance can also be used to build a strong risk management program. A risk manager will be able to prevent risks by creating a robust culture of ethics.

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Diversity and Inclusion Officer

A Diversity and Inclusion Officer develops and implements strategies to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace. This course helps this role by teaching best practices for respecting employee diversity, including training workshops and setting diversity goals and integrating them into performance management systems. Further, the course provides tools to create an ethical culture in which all employees feel respected, heard, and empowered, which is indispensable to a Diversity and Inclusion Officer. An individual in this career path will be well equipped to promote diversity and inclusion.

See salaries and explore the career path for Diversity and Inclusion Officer

Community Relations Manager

A Community Relations Manager builds and maintains positive relationships between an organization and its community. This course is helpful to a Community Relations Manager as it covers best practices for ethical community outreach and aligning outreach with an organization’s mission. This role involves engaging community stakeholders, which is covered by the course. This course provides a framework for organizations to become a model citizen, which is a key part of this career.

See salaries and explore the career path for Community Relations Manager

Management Consultant

Management Consultants advise organizations on how to improve their performance and strategy. A course of this nature may be useful to a consultant by providing a framework for building ethical organizations. It covers best practices for hiring ethical employees, implementing codes of ethics, training employees, and holding leadership accountable. The course presents a comprehensive guide to ethical management, which is increasingly important for organizations to be successful and sustainable.

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Project Manager

A Project Manager oversees projects from initiation to completion, ensuring they are delivered on time and within budget. While this course may not be directly related to a project manager's daily responsibilities, it can help them understand the importance of ethical practices in the workplace. The course provides frameworks for ethical decision making and emphasizes the importance of respectful and inclusive work environments, which also improves team performance. This course may help project managers foster a more ethical workplace.

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Operations Manager

An Operations Manager oversees the day-to-day operations of an organization. This course may be useful to an Operations Manager by promoting ethical operations and processes. The course's coverage of ethical leadership and employee empowerment aligns with the need for managers to create a positive and ethical work environment. The course also covers environmental management, which can assist in efficient and sustainable operations. An operations manager will gain useful insights into ethical best practices.

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Public Relations Specialist

A Public Relations Specialist manages communication between an organization and the public, which requires a strong grasp of ethical considerations. This course may be useful to a Public Relations Specialist, by developing their understanding of ethical practices within an organization. This course emphasizes community relations and the importance of ethical transparency, which can be used to build a positive public perception. This course could improve a public relation specialist's ability to represent an organization ethically.

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Business Analyst

A Business Analyst analyzes an organization's processes and data to identify areas for improvement. While this course may not directly relate to the core functions of a Business Analyst, the course's framework for ethical decision-making can help an analyst approach their work with integrity. The course also touches upon organizational assessment, which Business Analysts may find useful. Taking this course may give a business analyst an ethical focus.

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Marketing Manager

A Marketing Manager develops and implements marketing strategies for an organization. This course may be useful to a Marketing Manager by emphasizing ethical considerations in marketing and advertising. The course covers best practices for community outreach and corporate social responsibility, which has some bearing on marketing. An ethical marketing manager is a more effective marketing manager, and this course may improve their performance.

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Business Ethics

How to Create an Ethical Organization

What's inside

Learning objectives

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Practical guide to business ethics

Activities

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