Professional Ethics and Values

Professional Ethics and Values

Gen 200

21 July 2010

Professional Ethics and Values

Some companies and corporations in the United States struggle to hold onto their ethics and values despite revenue losses. With the U.S. economy languishing in a dismal recession with no sign of relief, some companies have lowered their professional ethics and values in order to make the almighty dollar. Recently, after the Chrysler Corporation filed bankruptcy they reduced more than 1,000 retiree pension checks by 15 to 22 percent (Detroit Free Press, 2010). Although some companies like Chrysler are reducing pay and benefits during these hard economic times our nation is facing some companies are steadfastly maintaining their professional values and ethics while achieving monetary gains. Our paper will highlight three different companies, all with a different set of professional values and ethics. We will also rate these values and ethics according to our own categories; high, medium, and low. In order to clearly understand what professional ethics and values are, we will define them first.

Professional values and ethics, as defined by articlesbase.com are a set of moral principles and standards of conduct, supporting the moral prestige of professional groups in society. (CITE). Now that we fully understand what professional ethics and morals are, let us begin by introducing a company called ??????.

Google- a well-known internet search engine- holds itself to a high standard according to its code of conduct. With mandatory requirements for employees and board members such as serve our users, respect each other, and obey the law no wonder everyone wants to work for the company. Google has established a reputation for treating their employees with respect and provides a fun, comtemporary work enviornment. Employees, board members and Google affiliates are taught integrity is essential in maintaining a reputable name. As a company they understand reputation is important. Individuals use their search engine with trust. When a consumer utilizes Google they expect a secure- governed website with search results that are credible and unbiased.

"It's built around the recognition that everything we do in connection with our work at Google will be, and should be, measured against the highest possible standards of ethical business conduct". (Google, 2009) With the motto "Don't be evil" you can see this is very important to the company. Even when the US government and Republic of China challenged this motto by attacking Goggles' efforts to reduce porn site access and Chinas restriction on finding human resources. Google did not falter from its motto. The company remained neutral according to Ethics Scoreboard. This allowed Google to maintain integrity amongst its consumers and ensured trust from its business partners.

"Internally, there are people who are concerned about ethics. In Google, there are a lot of people who find ethics important". (Orlowski, 2007) With this Google stands out as an ethical and professional company. If all companies understood work ethic is not only internal but external they would also have dedicated employees and associates.

Starbucks is another company that is well-known for its balanced ethics. According to Fortune's 100 best companies to work for, Starbucks falls at #93. This company is well known for its great customer service and fresh products. Associates are paid a little above minimum wage and have access to health benefits. Starbucks is actively involved in programs from community service to its Ethos Water Fund. However, Starbucks does have some unethical behaviors happening in its company every day.

According to Starbucks' business ethics and compliance program for 2009 fiscal year, the majority of the reports received involve employee relations issues. These issues represent 84 percent of its reports and involve: "pay, benefits, disciplinary action, and other topics that impact day-to-day work" (Starbucks, 2010). Another 14 percent of their reports involve safety and security issues, such as: "partner customer and safety, facility conditions, and allegations of