An Important Component Of Intro To Business Is Ethics And Values
Students cover a multitude a subjects in the Intro to Business course. This is significant because there are several key elements associated with operating a business. The introductory course could never include every essential element. So, the instructor has to pick and choose the components he or she feels is vital for the success of a business. Businesses expect to be founded on honesty and integrity; consequently, many professors elect to include the Ethics and Values component in their teaching schedule.
In studying ethics and values, students gain a solid understanding that companies are expected to operate under a set of reasonably consistent values and ethics. If your Intro to Business offers ethics and values as one of the subject topics, you might review recommended guidelines for setting your company's standard.
The number one item business owners should be aware of is that ethics and values should be reflective of the owner, so that the employees have a model to follow. Employees find it difficult to follow expected ethics and values when the owner of the company fails to. Walk the talk, and employees will typically follow in the owner's footsteps.
Double standards are representative of poor ethics and values. Double standards refer to adhering to one set of standards for you and "favorite" employees, and enforcing another set of standards for everyone else. Double standards can result in unfair and biased evaluations and assessments, which is devaluing to all employees. Your ethics and values philosophy should reflect fairness and equity to all.
Your professor may have the class take part in an ethics and values self-examination test. This test reveals how well you live up to your ethics and values. Students are required to examine the words and phrases of their communications (e.g. meetings, speeches, casual conversation) in relation to personal values and ethics statements. Keep a log of them, then review each one and note five examples that show you have and continue to act in alignment with that particular value or ethic.
Ethics and values should be clearly defined. Intro to Business classes that include the ethics and values piece might involve an assignment that requires students to document their values system. Professors find this an insightful assignment because it encourages students to think about past actions and the way they treat people for the purpose of making a definitive declaration about their values.
Behavior carries more weight than words. If your course work includes the clarifying your values exercise, this could be helpful in changing values and ethics that don't line up with self-expectations. Answer questions like what values do you want? What do you want your ethics to be? After the self-evaluation, list the character traits you need to enforce your values and ethics. This exercise can help you create your company ethics and values philosophy.
The values and ethics module of your business school programs can be taught a variety of ways. It is up to the individual professor as to what topics an ethics and values module would cover and how it would be taught. However, this article gives you some possibility as to what direction it could go and what you might learn as part of your college degree. Keep in mind that you should always check with the financial aid office at your school for your eligibility of being chosen for college scholarships.
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