The objective of this paper is to help utility managers develop an appropriate context for facing
issues with ethical implications, and to provide guidance in the development of a workable set of
ethics policies.
Adopting an ethics policy can achieve two primary objectives: identifying the moral
requirements for successful operation as seen by the organization; and, helping demonstrate
the importance attached to ethics by the organization. In other words, an ethics policy attempts to
articulate core values, as well as reminding employees of the underlying responsibilities (e.g.
honesty, respectful behavior) that are sometimes forgotten in the light of daily work pressures.
Ethical conflicts occur in the work place as a result of competing values, competing obligations,
and competing interests. There are choices between good and evil, but the more challenging
choices are those between two goods, perhaps truth vs. loyalty, organization vs. employee, short-term vs. long-term, or justice vs. mercy. This paper provides a
foundation for the development of an ethics policy, and offers some guidance for successful
implementation.
The paper is organized as follows:
philosophical background;
right vs. wrong decisions;
right vs. right decisions;
example policy provisions; and,
successful implementation.
Includes 11 references.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 210 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 10 |
