Corruption in Corporate America
MGT 344 Organizational Behavior and Ethical Responsibility
September 8, 2008
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Introduction
When we take a look at corruption in the workplace, we would like to believe that there is a single sinister-little-man behind the green curtain of the organization, but as we look further behind the curtain, we find that it is the organization itself that can become corrupt. Although we do find occasionally that in a corrupt organization we can stumble across one or two people who are behind most of the unethical behavior. In this paper, we will be discussing some key topics in the ethical arena such as issue clarification; stakeholder analysis, addressing objections, values identification, issue resolution, and resolution implementation. As you read this paper you'll find facts and figures on what troubles corruption can cause and the many facets that surround it but also keep in mind that ethics is an issue that runs deeper than something you can read on paper or in pixels; to find true ethics we need to look within.
English: Enron Complex in Houston Texas
Corporation Street, Birmingham - Midland Metro wor...
Corporation Street, Birmingham - Exhibition BusDefining Corruption
One of the biggest problems in corporate ethics is determining the definition of corruption. There are two dominant perspectives from which corruption can be defined. The first definition is from a legalistic perspective. This set of beliefs concentrates on the legal framework that determines whether an action is considered unethical or corrupt. The objective of this definition is to deter acts of corruption by imposing sanctions and fines. The second dominate definition takes into consideration the public inters. Corruption is behavior that harms the public interest or betrays the public trust that corporations have a moral duty to uphold. When an individual considers corruption, it is important to understand that corruption does not just apply to a single character. The corrupt individual alone cannot...