BE-J5

PHI 6301, Business Ethics 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit V Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

4. Evaluate current ethical issues in business. 4.1 Explain the importance of whistleblowing in the workplace and why it needs protection. 4.2 Discuss two forms of discrimination in the workplace.

Course/Unit

Learning Outcomes Learning Activity

4.1 Unit Lesson Chapter 7 Unit V Article Review

4.2 Unit Lesson Chapter 11 Unit V Article Review

Required Unit Resources Chapter 7: Employee Responsibilities Chapter 11: Workplace Diversity and Discrimination Unit Lesson Throughout Unit V, different moral and employee rights in the workplace will be discussed. Moral or employee rights are claims people make against others so that they are treated in certain ways or receive specific goods (DesJardins, 2020). Rights are important in relationships between the employee, employer, and other stakeholders, and each of these parties holds an interest in the success of the organization. This unit highlights the significance of workers’ rights, as well as the trust and loyalty that comes from the protection of such rights. Business owners often rely on their managerial staff more than other employees to lead business operations and to maximize profits. Though DesJardins (2020) elaborates upon this topic to some extent, one aspect of the employee-employer relationship that ought to be discussed and amplified more is trust and loyalty in the workplace setting. Several additional topics will also be discussed in relation to the broader topic of the employee-employer relationship. As mentioned above, one such topic is loyalty and trust between employees, managers, and the stakeholders of the company. A question that ought to be raised is whether mutual loyalty and trust intersect with each other and the relation these aspects have on the employee-employer relationship. Aityan and Gupta (2012), authors of the article “Challenges of Employee Loyalty in Corporate America,” support the claim that loyalty is dependent on both the employee and employer because it is a symbiotic relationship in which the company generates loyalty to the employee and the latter, in return, generates loyalty to the company. If a company is respectful of its employees and acknowledges their contributions and endeavors in the form of pay increases or other types of goods, there is a strong likelihood this acknowledgement generates employee loyalty in return.

UNIT V STUDY GUIDE Workers’ Rights, Employer-Employee Responsibilities, and Workplace Privacy (Cont.)

PHI 6301, Business Ethics 2

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

Employee-employer loyalty is important in business. If employers do not offer tangible benefits or fail to foster employee relationships in other ways, employees can interpret it as a sign of disrespect. Aityan and Gupta (2012) summarized their findings from a survey regarding trust, loyalty, and honesty with the following three points:

1. There is a high level of anxiety in the corporate United States with respect to loyalty. 2. It appears that employees show more loyalty to their company than companies show to their

employees. 3. The corporate United States faces several challenges including the all-important issue of (managerial

and nonmanagerial) employee loyalty for the company. To develop and foster a positive relationship, companies need to recognize that respect, honesty, and loyalty are integral aspects for the well-being and flourishing of the corporate United States (Aityan and Gupta, 2012). Consider also the place of diversity, inclusion, and equality in the workplace. One question that ought to be raised concerning these topics is what diversity means and why it is so important for the workplace setting. Today, diversity has become a sort of buzzword in the business arena, though it is also important not to miss out on the value and depth that a truly inclusive, equitable, and diverse workforce brings to companies. According to research done by Allaya Cooks-Campbell (2021), diverse organizations are more competitive, productive, and generally happier than those companies that are not. One definition of diversity is a range of perspectives represented by members of a team who work for a goal. Even though the term diversity is related to issues of race and social justice, it is a much broader concept. Diversity represents a broad spectrum of lived experiences, including sexual orientation, gender, upbringing, religion, socioeconomic background, education, ethnicity, and neurodiversity (Cooks-Campbell, 2021). On the other hand, the term inclusion means people should not be denied access to opportunities, resources, education, or any other benefits because of unique individual characteristics. Fundamentally, both diversity and inclusion help to rewrite a history of wrongs that stem from implicit bias in society (Cooks- Campbell, 2021). Diversity and inclusion are important in the workplace because they benefit a company on many different levels. Beyond the moral imperative of developing and fostering a sense of fairness and equity in the workplace, there is also a strong business sensibility that investing in diversity is not only good for the workplace but the business as well. According to Cooks-Campbell (2021), groups that are diverse in race, ethnicity, gender, and age make better decisions, perform better, and generally earn more revenue for the company. In another study, inclusive companies are more than twice as likely to have innovative leaders. Additionally, a company that hires a large share of women in senior positions has a much more significant financial performance. What may be gleaned from the above and according to the data presented by Cooks-Campbell (2021) is that diversity is good for business if a company knows how to prioritize diversity in its leadership and workforce. Since leaders and managers make use of diverse perspectives, they advance new ideas and create improved solutions for the company. Moreover, companies that value inclusion inspire better employees and better leaders in the organization. During the unit, you will learn about the following important aspects regarding the employee-employer relationship, including:

• the gatekeeper function in business and its relation to ethics, • whistleblowing, • insider trading, • sexual harassment, • equal opportunity, • discrimination in its many forms,

PHI 6301, Business Ethics 3

UNIT x STUDY GUIDE Title

• affirmative action, and • preferential treatment in the hiring process.

References Aityan, S. K., & Gupta, T. K. P. (2012). Challenges of employee loyalty in corporate America. Business and

Economics Journal. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A335189020/ITBC?u=oran95108&sid=bookmark- ITBC&xid=d6b6036e

Cooks-Campbell, A. (2021, June 1). What diversity really means, and why it’s crucial in the workplace.

BetterUp. https://www.betterup.com/blog/what-diversity-really-means-and-why-its-crucial-in-the- workplace

DesJardins, J. (2020). An introduction to business ethics (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

https://online.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781260687354 Suggested Unit Resources In order to access the following resources, click the links below. The article below gives a discussion of whistleblowing in the United Kingdom and concludes there should not be a contractual duty to report concerns but rather create an open culture and foster support regarding reporting. Lewis, D. (2011, January). Whistleblowing in a changing legal climate: Is it time to revisit our approach to trust

and loyalty at the workplace? Business Ethics: A European Review, 20(1), 71–87. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?dire ct=true&db=bsu&AN=57747932&site=ehost-live&scope=site

The article that follows examines the topic of political discrimination and concludes that it will increase in the future, and as a result, additional research is needed. Thompson, L. R. (2021, October). Seeing red and blue: Political discrimination at work. Journal of

Management Inquiry, 30(4), 454–460. https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?dire ct=true&db=bsu&AN=152227610&site=ehost-live&scope=site