Term Paper on "Company X Code of Ethics"

Term Paper 8 pages (2430 words) Sources: 5

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Company X Code of Ethics

Company X: Comprehensive Code of Ethics in the Workplace

Company X is a privately owned small business that seeks to provide one-stop shopping for customers by providing both groceries and pharmaceuticals in one convenient location. In order to operate to the best of its ability in an ethical manner, Company X has established a code of ethics that seeks to cover employees from the ground-up in order to provide a set of ethical guidelines that must be utilized in each of its day-to-day dealings with customers, suppliers, the community, and between employees. In order to achieve the highest level of utilization of this code of ethics, Company X has set forth a guide to training, educating, and guiding employees in terms of abiding by this code in hopes of fostering lasting relationships between employees and the entities with whom it operates.

Company X: Comprehensive Code of Ethics in the Workplace

Introduction and Background

Company X is a privately owned small business that aims to provide one-stop shopping for the customer by providing both groceries and pharmaceuticals in one convenient location. Company X seeks to set itself apart from larger chains that have become commonplace in its competitive market by maintaining a small yet dedicated group of employees who remain faithful to providing a level of excellence in service set forth in the company's code of ethics.

At Company X, the well-being of the customer is the lynchpin to the success of its code of ethics in day-to-day operations. To help the company maintain a commitment to achieving the highest standards of conduct possible, all the while asserting that the core set of values which determine how employees at Company X handle its operations are spelled out in the company code of ethics, Company X challenges itself to put the needs and well-being of the people it serves first.

Guiding Principles

As previously touched upon, the core purpose of Company X's code of ethics is designed to ensure customer appreciation and individual customer value over company motives and operations. This goal is the main focus of the company within both the market and pharmacy portions of the establishment. Therefore, the code of ethics of Company X has been largely written under the guiding principles of customer service and health and safety regulations compliance, each under the overarching goal of maintaining ethical standards and practices within the workplace.

Ethical standards are held at the forefront of each portion of the code that is written and enforced within the company. Company X largely follows the guidelines set forth in the Journal of Business Ethics (2011) which notes that the importance of a company code of ethics is threefold: first, a code of ethics enhances corporate reputation and brand image. Second, the code conveys the message that the corporation is committed to ethical behavior. And third, a corporate code of ethics works to rally employees around a corporate culture -- the values of which are expressed in the code, ensuring a sense of community amongst employees (Singh, 2011, p. 389).

Overall, the guiding principles of Company X's code of ethics allow for a focus on service, regulation and ethical behavior, establishing a community of employees that is aware of the mission at hand while at work to provide the services offered within the company.

Purpose of the Code

At Company X, the code of ethics established has been set forth to reinforce the moral principles and commitments of the company. These principles allow Company X employees to work in a manner that has been deemed both acceptable and behaviorally responsible by the company itself. The purpose of the code is to allow for employees to behave in this manner universally, which lets others discern what the organization itself stands for along with what should be expected when an outside patron decides to bring his or her business to Company X.

Further, the purpose of the code is to establish guidelines that are easily accessible and understandable within the workplace. The Journal of Business Ethics (2011) notes, that an effective code of ethics should stir several key questions in the minds of employees who view this code. These questions are: "Is information about the code provided or available to me when I need it? Is the code clear and easy for me to understand? And do I learn from it?" (Kaptein, 2011, p. 240). These key questions pinpoint the purpose of any successful code of ethics, including that of Company X, which is direction to employees in a manner that is accessibly, understandable, and useful.

Core Values and Definitions

The CPA Journal (2007) notes that "a specific code's effectiveness depends on the likelihood that a position in it will influence a decision and whether it effectively communicates the intended ethical position" (Gaumnitz and Lere, 2007, p. 106). This communication is dependent on its ability to represent the values upon which a code of ethics is based. Company X is committed to serving several core values that effect employees and customers directly within the store as well as the community around them. The key values Company X seeks to serve are as follows: integrity, individuality, quality, innovation, balance, and community investment. While this list may seem fairly extensive, the basis of each core value is short and simple.

Company X is committed to serving its patrons with integrity, being honest and ethical in all of its dealings with customers, employees, suppliers, and the community around it. Company X is committed to valuing individuality. The customer shall never be viewed as one of the masses but as an individual with specific needs that are to be served by Company X. Individuality is further to be valued amongst the Company X team, as each member of the staff brings something different to the whole. Company X is committed to quality, and ensures that customers will be provided with quality food products and pharmaceuticals, stocked and distributed in a manner compliant with all safety and health regulations placed upon the company. Company X is committed to valuing innovation, pushing employees to express their creativity through introducing and implementing new ideas put forth from staff in order to improve company efficiency in terms of fulfilling customer needs. Company X is committed to balance, creating both a working and shopping environment that is both stable and serene, that understands that customers, staff, and outside suppliers all have busy, active lives of which Company X is only a part of.

Finally, Company X is committed to the value of community investment as owners and staff understand that Company X would not exist without the community it serves. Company X understands that "attention to social responsibility within the community and acting philanthropically within the greater community" are all key to the success and stability of the company itself (Godkin and Valentine, 2009, p. 2).

Training and Education

Company X understands that a code of ethics within a company is nothing if it is not fully understood and enforced within the workplace. Therefore, Company X mandates education as to the code for all employees. The Journal of Business Ethics notes that "classroom-style training with a competent, articulate, and knowledgeable trainer is the most effective method of instruction for the distribution of ethical codes and regulations" (Emerson, McKinney, Neubert, 2010, p. 506). However, this method is just the beginning. In addition to the initial explanation of the code provided to employees by an instructor, implementation of the code must be demonstrated through exercises which allow the code to be utilized in staged team-building situations.

Through the utilization of team-building exercises in order for employees to fully grasp the concepts of the code of ethics as well as how to utilize these concepts in day-to-day work within the company, employees will not only achieve a higher grasp on company motives as well as achieve solidarity amongst each other. In learning the code together, training with the code together, and learning to utilize the code in day-to-day company interactions, a true sense of community is instilled within employees. In learning together, employees are more qualified to work together, which allow for a community of united, knowledgeable individuals who are more likely to report incidents of unethical conduct within the company.

Employee Coverage

The Company X Code of Ethics is a universal code for all employees who work within the company, from owners and managers to part-time staff members. As the code does not discriminate use in any situation, it does not discriminate in terms of which employees are mandated to follow it. Full employee knowledge and use of the company code of ethics allows for greater ethical awareness as an entire entity, as well as consistency in application and the avoidance of ethical disasters that could lead to lawsuits or other altercations.

While some believe that a code of ethics need not be universally-mandated within a company in favor of employees exercising their own better judgment in an ethical situation, universal compliance… READ MORE

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