CURRENT INDUSTRY FINDINGS
CURRENT INDUSTRY FINDINGS
The non-vocational compliance ethical courses are not meeting the current demands for these businesses for sound ethical decision making. And neither are the more tailored structured non-vocational courses, offered by the private sector to businesses.
The main reason is that these courses are designed for meeting workplace harmonization with less employee conflicts, in order to improve the workplace culture, aligning with the company's values. These course programs are not designed for developing the skills for making complex ethical decisions or choices.
There are too many conflicts that businesses are confronted day in and day out, such as: Loyalty. For instance, Do you show loyalty to the manager, employee, co-worker above the loyalty to the organization, to the community, to oneself, or to the obligations of the law, or to ethical standards. And if you do show loyalty to the high ethical standards, to what standards do you adhere to? - To the value based ethics standards that are currently being taught at non-vocational courses either by private organizations or by secular educational institutions.
The current ethical education by non-vocational courses and vocational courses is not meeting the current challenges for organizations that are facing great and complex business issues.
Le'ts say that the value based ethics system could work for solving complex ethical issues, then which values do you prioritize for making those right and consistent ethical best choices?. What if these values clash with the ethical issues at hand? Which value do you choose over another? Does the chosen value favour one party over another? Are the values in harmony with internal and external stakeholders, or with the public at large? Or Do they have different values? And even if these values are the same, do these mean the same thing to different people?
There is a deficiency with company's current system. It's creating a skills gap needed for ethical decision making, and there is a deficit in the system when it comes to ethics in proper decision making.
Most ethical issues raised in a company are not by internal staff but by external people. They are either raised by consumers, clients, the public in general, activist groups or government regulators.
Many businesses have been caught out by these groups. However, having an internal system in place that can cope with any ethical issues arising in the course of business would be a real added advantage and value to any organization.