4:12 < Back 01 unetllldl. EA 16.pdf Q Ilow individuals determine what constitutes ethical behavior can be influence d by their cultural or environnwntal baciground, religious views, professional train. ing, and their own moral code. It is certainly truc that thc definition of ethical beh.tnior may vat" based upon an individual's own perception of what is ethical. While it 'nay sonuthncs bc dillignlt to determine prcc iscly what constitutes ethical beha\ior, thc five guidelines in Figure 1.3 can prove to be very useful when you are evaluating thc ethical itnplications of a specific decision or course of action. An exatnplc of thc way an individual would actually apply thc five ethical guide. lines is (Ictnonstratcd in the following hypothetical situation. Assutnc that you arc thc controller of a large hotel. Along with the direr. tot', executive chef, director of sales and marketing, and other managers in the hotel, thc general tnanagcr has assigned you to assist in the planning for your hotel's New Year's Eve gala. event will require a large amount of wine and chmnpagnc. As part of your responsibilities, you conduct a competitive bidding process with the winc purveyors in your arca, and, based upon quality and price, agree with the director's recommendation that you place a very large order (in excess of $20,000) with a single purveyor. One week later, you receive a case of very expensive champagne, delivered to your home with a nice note from the purveyor's representative stating how much he appreciated the order and that he is really looking forward to doing business with you in the years ahead. What do you do with the champagne? 1.3 Ethical Guidelines 1. Is it legal? Any course of action that violates written law or company policies and procedures is wrong. 2. Does it hurt anyone? Are benefits accruing to the manager that rightfully belong to the owner of the business? Discounts, rebates, and free products are the property of the business, not the manager. 3. Am I being honest? Is the activity one that you can comfortably say reflects well on your integrity as a professional, or will the activity actually (litninish your reputation? 4. Would I care if it happened to me? If you owned the business, would you be in favor of your manager behaving in the manner you are considering? If you owned multiple units, would it be good for the business if all of your managers followed the considered course of action? 5. Would I publicize my action? If you have trouble remembering the other questions, til to remember this one. A quick way to review the ethical merit ofa situation is to consider whom you would tell about it. If you are comfortable telling your boss about the considered course of action' it is likely ethical. If you would prefer that your actions go undetected, you are probably on shaky ethical ground. If you wouldn't want your action to be read aloud in a court of law (even if your action is legal), you probably shouldn't do iL 00 Dashboard Calendar Notifications Inbox