The relatively new theoretical field of Business Ethics has been translated into ‘Ethics in Business’. The great number of scandals in business has emphasized the necessity for ethical standards in business dealings and in relationships with superiors/colleagues/staff members. Business Ethics focuses on examining and defining corporate behaviour and policies and promoting appropriate behaviour and policies within the context of an organisation, a corporation or a commercial enterprise. It does this both at an individual and an organisational level. Many companies and organisations have already or need to develop a Code of Ethics. The application of the Code of Ethics needs to be monitored, especially by international companies faced with compliance issues. Furthermore, Corporate Social Responsibility is a key area for the application of Ethical Principles, in particular with the on-going discussion of whether companies and organisations have a Corporate Moral Responsibility as well.
We offer 1/2-day workshops in Business Ethics as well as ‘Lecture + Q&A sessions’ lasting 90-120 minutes. We also organise special sessions for CEO’s and Members of the Board.
Topics for training include, among others
- Definition and Scope of Business Ethics
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Corporate Governance
- Codes of Ethics
- Ethics across cultures
- Ethical Corporate Governance Issues
- Politics, Bribery, Fraud, Abuse and Corruption Issues
- Discrimination Issues
- Ethical behaviour in team work
- Personal decision-making in Ethics
- Ethics and Reputation
It is essential for top executives to be closely involved in formulating Codes of Ethics and monitoring the application of Ethics Policies. The Ethics of a company or organisation are subject to a trickle-down effect with top executives taking full responsibility in the event of a major violation/crisis. However, it is also advisable that all staff members in a company or organisation be aware of the Code of Ethics. To this effect, Ethics Training should be made available to all levels of staff.
We recently conducted such training for the entire staff of a major UN agency: Senior and Top Management as well as HR executives followed a 2-day training; Middle Management attended a 1-day training; and General Staff attended a lecture session.