ETHICS

Critical Essay on Ethics



Critical Essay on Ethics

Introduction

It is important to understand the concept of ethics before we discuss the dilemma in organizations that cause ethical issues. The term ethics as defined by the American Heritage Dictionary is the study of the general nature of morals and of the specific moral choices to be made by the individual in his relationship with others. Although Kehoe (2003) contend that the concept and definition of ethics are often vague because of the term's many nuances most definitions revolve around the determination of right and wrong, good and bad, just and unjust behaviour of humans.

This determination of right and wrong is spread between many different decision situations and includes not only determination of personal behaviour but also standards of behaviour and judgement of the behaviour of others (Trevino 2006).

Discussion

Fundamentals of Organizational Communication

Communication is a key factor in the functioning of social organizations and plays a vital role in maintaining the business. Communication has a number of functions within organizations. The term function refers to what an organization achieved through communication. Several authors have conducted various types of communication functions in organizations; these types tend to be useful depending on the institutional context in which they apply. Usually it examines three functions: production, innovation and maintenance (Jones 2006).

In the production function, communication involves all activities and information that relate directly to the core work of the organization. Hegarty et al. (2008) considered production messages that inform those employees how to do their jobs, and include activities such as training, mentoring, goal setting, problem solving, and brainstorming.

An innovation is an idea or objects perceived as new within the organization. The innovative features are of two forms: organizational innovations and innovations in the organization. Organizational innovations occur as a result of an organizational decision in the organization in general these changes are not for people who work there, including the creation of a new product. In such innovations, it is generally not required to change the behavior of people. On the other hand, innovations in the organizational require changes in the behavior of people, including the entire organization because it requires a change in attitudes of individuals: executives, managers and employees (Hegarty et al. 2008).

The maintenance function is related to social spaces of people and involves contact with the physical and human environment through timely, comprehensive manner, which leads to better interpersonal relationships and identification with the organization. Maintaining communication seeks to compensate and motivate staff to commit to the objectives and institutional goals, recognizes the valuable and qualified individual, and emphasizes teamwork and individual creativity (Jones 2006).

Outline of Potential Ethical Dilemmas in Organizational Communication

Dilemma of Uncertainty

The dilemma of uncertainty is the most general ethical dilemma. It refers to a problematic situation in which it is difficult to determine what to do because there are reasons equally valid, as each reason supports at least two of the best options to resolve the identified problem.

Dilemma of Harmful Actions

The dilemma of harmful actions is a significant ...