Ethical Worksheet

Value

Personal Source

Justify the Value’s Position in the List. Include any challenges to employing these values consistently when making personal and organizational decisions.

Honesty My personal source for honesty came from my parents. My father always said that a man with who can not be honest to himself or others is a man with little value. Your word is all you have and if you lose that you have lost your honor. I feel that honesty allows yourself and others to grow. Some people say that you can be too honest and hurt someone’s feelings. I feel there are more benefits if the truth is presented with positive intent. I strongly believe that the power of the truth should always be used for good.

Integrity My personal source for integrity was demonstrated through my grandfather. He was a man of great integrity and was well respected by those in his community. Someone with integrity possesses and demonstrates many values just by showing and possessing integrity. Some say that character and integrity cannot be taught. According to Edwin Hartman from Rutgers University, Business Ethics courses help students build character by teaching character traits. One cannot just focus on principles. To me integrity is character. Ones name is all they have and own. I believe that ones integrity is challenged in decision making when the right thing to do is costly or not as effective. David Smith wrote Dare to be yourself in the face of adversity. In his journal article he says that integrity is not an objective or a destination, but it should be a given path to be followed.

Accountability Accountability is a trait and value that was highly exemplified by my former boss. He taught me to always take possession of a customer’s issue. There was no such thing as;”it’s not my job.” Being accountable for ones actions can be difficult at times. We live in a society where people always want to pass the “buck”. We see it in the papers with our government and politicians. The company that I work for really encourages accountability. Every time the phones ring, we are to help however we can to service our Franchisee’s. If we don’t know the answers, we find someone who can provide them. Accountability can be challenging when the whole organization is not on the same page. It is also challenging when the leaders of the organization do not show the same value.

Trust Trust is one value that I have found hard to find in anyone. I learned at an early age that even those you should trust the most seem to let you down. I would have to say that the only source of complete trust has come from God. He has demonstrated to be consistent and a keeper of promises. Trust is an important value as well. It