Reflection

Reflection of the Article and Class Material

Reflection of the Article and Class Material

Introduction

Ethics is the balancing of two right things. Business ethics is considered as a thorough process of weighting two right approaches. Moreover, it is defined as a process of transforming values into decisions and actions. The assignment provides a detailed reflection of the article “Effective Corporate Codes of Ethics: Perceptions of Code Users” by Mark S. Schwartz in the Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 55, No. 24 Dec 2004. This article also reflects the perception of employees, managerial staff and ethics officers towards the code of ethics of their organization. I shall be analysing my learning experience, of corporate codes of ethics, through this reflection. Further, I shall be elaborating on the linkage of this article with my class materials and will be evaluating this article and the argument of business ethics theories through constructive criticism.

Discussion

I shall be reflecting upon my class learning in association with the article by Mark S. Schwartz, that is, Effective Corporate Codes of Ethics: Perceptions of Code Users. Mark S. Schwartz, the author of this article, holds PhD from York University. Presently, Dr. Schwartz is an Associate Professor of Law, Governance and Ethics at York University's School of Administrative Studies. According to a research published in the Journal of Business Ethics, in August 2010, he was ranked at number 1, as a business ethics researcher, in Canada. There is a huge list of awards won by Dr. Schwartz as a business ethics researcher.

My learning experience from this article, regarding the corporate codes of ethics and the employees' perceptions of codes of ethics, was very informative. The article deeply examines the different perceptions of employees regarding the codes of ethics of their organization. This article does not only reflected the definition of corporate codes of ethics, but, explained the in-depth role of written code of conduct and the effect of its development, implementation and administration process on the behaviours of the employees. I have learnt through this article that developing a written code of ethics has become a fundamental requirement for the U.S public companies. Dr. Schwartz extracted the definition of code of ethics by combining numerous definitions provided by various business ethics' researchers. His definition of code of ethics consists of three important components, which states code of ethics as, a formal and distinctive written document containing moral standards to guide the behaviour of employees and corporation. The first component refers to the moral standards of an organization such as the vision, mission, values, ethical principles and beliefs to act as a guideline for the acceptability of an employee or corporate behaviour. The second component refers to the application of moral standards on the employees, as well as, the organizational behaviour. Lastly, the third component describes the code of ethics as a written and formal document.

The factors considered important in determining the effectiveness of the code, to influence employee and organizational behaviours, were: the proper justification of the subject matter, examples ...