The vital importance of the performance in any organisation takes precedence, that there is little time or tendency to focus or even divert attention to the moral content of organisational decision-making. In an effective organisation the culture should be one where unethical behaviour is not tolerated and definitely not encouraged. Even though ethical problems in organisations continue to greatly concern society, organisations and individuals, the potential impact that organisational culture can have on ethical behaviour has not really been examined.
It has often been alluded to that the only constant in life is change, and nowhere is this more true than in an organisation. Persons are very resistant to change. However, sometimes the dilemmas that come with the changes may be what caused this resistance.
The word "ethics" has been frequently enunciated in recent times. Do we understand the meaning of the word; must we derive its meaning from context or situations used? Ethics is a philosophical term derived from the Greek word "ethos" meaning character or custom. The definition of this word, as suggested by the Oxford dictionary is “the moral principles that govern a person’s behaviour or how an activity is conducted”. Formally defined, ethical behaviour is that which is morally accepted as "good" and "right" as opposed to "bad" or "wrong" in a given setting or circumstance. How does one differentiate or how does one determine what standards constitute ethical behaviour? Is it correct to say that sometimes unethical behaviour is forced on organisations by the environment in which they exist?
The effective management of ethical issues requires that organisations ensure that their managers and employees know how to deal with ethical issues in their everyday work lives. Therefore, members of an organisation must first understand some of the fundamental reasons for the incidents of unethical practices. The potential for individuals and organisations to...