1. When talking about codes of ethics, you were encouraged to do a Google search. One of the sites that may have turned up is the Center for the Study of Ethics in Professions at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Check out the site’s collection of Codes of Ethics. Select one in an area that matches your small business interests (e.g., business, management, real estate, service, etc.) and look at one of the codes for that area. What do you need to do to prepare yourself to understand and follow that code when you enter your business?



2. You can complete and discuss the self-assessment below.

Is Your Behavior Ethical?

Part I.

For this exercise, you will be using the same set of statements twice.The first time you answer them, focus on your own behavior and the frequency with which you use it for each question. On the line before the question number, place number 1–4 that represents how often you did, do, or would do the behavior if you had the chance. These numbers will allow you to determine your level of ethics. You can be honest without fear of having to tell others in class of your score. Sharing ethics scores is not part of the exercise. The scale is:

Frequently   1   2   3   4   Never

The second time you use the same statements, focus on other people in an organization that you work for or have worked for. Place an O on the line after the number if you observed someone exhibiting this behavior. Also place an R on the line if you reported this behavior either within the organization or externally to some other person or organization. As you read the statements, state how often you did the behavior in the past, if you do the behavior now, or if you would do the behavior if you had the chance.

1–4		O/R	Statement
			College
	1.		Cheating on homework assignments.
	2.		Cheating on exams.
	3.		Turning in papers as your own work that were completed by someone else.
	4.		Helping someone do any of the above.
			Job
	5.		Lying to others to get what you want or stay out of trouble.
	6.		Coming to work late and getting paid for it.
	7.		Leaving work early and getting paid for it.
	8.		Taking long breaks or lunches and getting paid for it.
	9.		Calling in sick to get a day off, when you are not sick.
	10.		Socializing rather than doing the work that should be done.
	11.		Doing personal work on company time.
	12.		Using the organization’s phone to make personal calls.
	13.		Using the organization’s computer and Internet access for personal use.
	14.		Using the company copier for personal use.
	15.		Using the company car for personal use.
	16.		Mailing personal things through the company mail.
	17.		Taking home company supplies and keeping them, or taking home company tools or equipment without permission for personal use and then returning them.
	18.		Giving company supplies or merchandise to friends or allowing them to take them without saying anything.
	19.		Putting in for reimbursement for meals and travel or other expenses that weren’t actually eaten or taken.
	20.		Taking a spouse or friends out to eat and charging it to the company’s expense account.
	21.		Taking a spouse or friend on business trips and charging the expense to the company.
	22.		Accepting gifts from customers or suppliers in exchange for giving them business.
	23.		Being pressured, or pressuring others, to sign documents containing false information.
	24.		Being pressured, or pressuring others, to sign documents you haven’t read, knowing they may contain information or decisions that might be considered not in your or their best interest.
	25.		If you were to give this assessment to a person you work with whom you don’t get along with very well, would she or he agree with your answers? Use a scale of 1–4 on the line before number 25 and skip the line after the number for O or R.

Note to students:
This self-assessment is not meant to be a precise measure of your ethical behavior. It is designed to get you thinking about ethics and your behavior and that of others from an ethical perspective. It is also designed to help you see situations in which you might have to think twice about your decision, because there is an ethical part to it. There is no right or wrong score. Another ethical issue of this exercise is your honesty when rating how often you might do these things—how honest were you?

Scoring:

• To determine your score, add the numbers 1–4.
• Your total will be between 25 and 100.
• Place the number here ___________ and on the continuum below that represents your score.
• The lower your score, the more you need to be thinking about the types of behavior you are doing in your organization.

Needs some thought   25—30——40——50——60——70——80——90——100   A role model

Discussion Questions:

1. For the college items 1–4, who is harmed and who benefits from these behaviors?



2. For job items 5–24, select the three (circle their numbers) that you consider the most severe unethical behavior. Who is harmed and who benefits from these behaviors? Would it matter if they were in a small business or a big company? Why?



3. If you observed unethical behavior but didn’t report it, why not? If you did report it, why? What was the result? Was it worth it to you to report the behavior?



4. As a small business manager, you know unethical behavior can threaten the company’s existence. If you know some of the employees are stealing from the company, would you tell the owner? Why or why not?



5. If you were a small business owner and you caught your employee, who is also your friend, doing any of the three behaviors you circled in Question 2 (most severe), what would you do?

Application:

1. What did I learn from this exercise?



2. How might I use this self-understanding in the future if I own my own or manage a small business?



3. As a small business owner, what can I do to prevent unethical behavior?