12 Ethical Principles for Business Executives (2023)

Ethical values, translated into active language establishing standards or rules describing the kind of behavior an ethical person should and should not engage in, are ethical principles. The following list

of principles incorporate the characteristics and values that most people associate with ethical behavior.

1. HONESTY. Ethical executives are honest and truthful in all their dealings and they do not deliberately mislead or deceive others by misrepresentations, overstatements, partial truths, selective omissions, or any other means.

(Video) Creating ethical cultures in business: Brooke Deterline at TEDxPresidio

2. INTEGRITY. Ethical executives demonstrate personal integrity and the courage of their convictions by doing what they think is right even when there is great pressure to do otherwise; they are principled, honorable and upright; they will fight for their beliefs. They will not sacrifice principle for expediency, be hypocritical, or unscrupulous.

3. PROMISE-KEEPING & TRUSTWORTHINESS. Ethical executives are worthy of trust. They are candid and forthcoming in supplying relevant information and correcting misapprehensions of fact, and they make every reasonable effort to fulfill the letter and spirit of their promises and commitments. They do not interpret agreements in an unreasonably technical or legalistic manner in order to rationalize non-compliance or create justifications for escaping their commitments.

4. LOYALTY. Ethical executives are worthy of trust, demonstrate fidelity and loyalty to persons and institutions by friendship in adversity, support and devotion to duty; they do not use or disclose information learned in confidence for personal advantage. They safeguard the ability to make independent professional judgments by scrupulously avoiding undue influences and conflicts of interest. They are loyal to their companies and colleagues and if they decide to accept other employment, they provide reasonable notice, respect the proprietary information of their former employer, and refuse to engage in any activities that take undue advantage of their previous positions.

(Video) Ethical principles in business

5. FAIRNESS. Ethical executives and fair and just in all dealings; they do not exercise power arbitrarily, and do not use overreaching nor indecent means to gain or maintain any advantage nor take undue advantage of another’s mistakes or difficulties. Fair persons manifest a commitment to justice, the equal treatment of individuals, tolerance for and acceptance of diversity, the they are open-minded; they are willing to admit they are wrong and, where appropriate, change their positions and beliefs.

6. CONCERN FOR OTHERS. Ethical executives are caring, compassionate, benevolent and kind; they like the Golden Rule, help those in need, and seek to accomplish their business objectives in a manner that causes the least harm and the greatest positive good.

7. RESPECT FOR OTHERS. Ethical executives demonstrate respect for the human dignity, autonomy, privacy, rights, and interests of all those who have a stake in their decisions; they are courteous and treat all people with equal respect and dignity regardless of sex, race or national origin.

(Video) Code of ethics, business executives - with slides

8. LAW ABIDING. Ethical executives abide by laws, rules and regulations relating to their business activities.

9. COMMITMENT TO EXCELLENCE. Ethical executives pursue excellence in performing their duties, are well informed and prepared, and constantly endeavor to increase their proficiency in all areas of responsibility.

10. LEADERSHIP. Ethical executives are conscious of the responsibilities and opportunities of their position of leadership and seek to be positive ethical role models by their own conduct and by helping to create an environment in which principled reasoning and ethical decision making are highly prized.

(Video) #3 General principles of business ethics | Introduction to business ethics| Social and bus. ethics

11. REPUTATION AND MORALE. Ethical executives seek to protect and build the company’s good reputation and the morale of its employees by engaging in no conduct that might undermine respect and by taking whatever actions are necessary to correct or prevent inappropriate conduct of others.

12. ACCOUNTABILITY. Ethical executives acknowledge and accept personal accountability for the ethical quality of their decisions and omissions to themselves, their colleagues, their companies, and their communities.

You might likehttps://www.facebook.com/JIBusinessEthics/?ref=hl and a broader blog on ethical issues at www.whatwillmatter.com

(Video) The Ethics of Executive Compensation | Full Length

FAQs

What are the 12 principles of business ethics? ›

Generally, there are about 12 ethical principles: honesty, fairness, leadership, integrity, compassion, respect, responsibility, loyalty, law-abiding, transparency, and environmental concerns.

What is the effect of practicing the 12 core principles of business ethics among employees? ›

Employees make better decisions in less time when business ethics are a guiding principle. This increases productivity and overall employee morale. When employees work in a way that is based on honesty and integrity, the whole organization benefits.

What are the 7 principles of ethics in business discuss each? ›

There are seven principles of business ethics including accountability, care and respect, honesty, healthy competition, loyalty, transparency, and respect for the rule of law.

What are the five 5 main principles of ethics? ›

Moral Principles

The five principles, autonomy, justice, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and fidelity are each absolute truths in and of themselves. By exploring the dilemma in regards to these principles one may come to a better understanding of the conflicting issues.

What is the ideal of ethics class 12? ›

Ans:- Ethics tries to ascertain the moral ideal, but does not lay down rules or means for the attainment of it. It does not teach us how to live a moral life. As Mackenzie states, Ethics gives us a knowledge of the guiding principles of life, but does not tell us how to apply them.

What are the 10 key principles to make a business success? ›

10 fundamental business principles
  • Know the industry and your competitors. ...
  • Build a qualified team. ...
  • Create a high-quality product. ...
  • Define your goals. ...
  • Promote your products or services. ...
  • Understand organizational structure. ...
  • Know the principles of finance and accounting. ...
  • Understand operational systems and processes.
Jul 27, 2021

Why it is always important to follow the principles of ethics in a business? ›

Business ethics enhances the law by outlining acceptable behaviors beyond government control. Corporations establish business ethics to promote integrity among their employees and gain trust from key stakeholders, such as investors and consumers. While corporate ethics programs have become common, the quality varies.

Why are ethical principles important in the workplace? ›

By establishing clear guidelines for behavior, ethics help create an atmosphere of trust and respect. This, in turn, leads to greater job satisfaction and productivity. Additionally, ethical practices help protect both employees and employers from potential legal problems.”

How does ethical principles affect the workplace? ›

Employees who are ethically positive, honest, hardworking, and driven by principles of fairness and decency in the workplace, increases the overall morale and enhances the performance of an organization. A company that has established behavioral policies can improve its reputation and help ensure its long-term success.

What are the 8 professional ethics? ›

Typically these include honesty, trustworthiness, transparency, accountability, confidentiality, objectivity, respect, obedience to the law, and loyalty.

What are the 8 ethical standards? ›

This analysis focuses on whether and how the statements in these eight codes specify core moral norms (Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-Maleficence, and Justice), core behavioral norms (Veracity, Privacy, Confidentiality, and Fidelity), and other norms that are empirically derived from the code statements.

What are the 9 ethical principles? ›

The nine core principles are including: 1) Do no harm 2) Respecting autonomy 3) Benefiting others 4) Being Just 5) Being Truthful 6) According Dignity 7) Treating others with caring and compassion 8) Pursuit of excellence 9) Accepting responsibility. Behaviour analysts should follow those basic principles.

What are the 10 principles of Ethical Communication? ›

Ten Basics of Ethical Communication

Listen when others speak. Speak non-judgmentally. Speak from your own experience and perspective, expressing your own thoughts, needs, and feelings. Seek to understand others (rather than to be “right” or “more ethical than thou”).

What is the 7 code of ethics? ›

Section 7. Every teacher shall maintain harmonious and pleasant personal and official relations with other professionals, with government officials, and with the people, individually or collectively.

What are the 4 main ethical principles in leadership? ›

The principles of ethical leadership include honesty, justice, respect, community and integrity.

What is the most important ethical rule? ›

1. HONESTY. Ethical executives are honest and truthful in all their dealings and they do not deliberately mislead or deceive others by misrepresentations, overstatements, partial truths, selective omissions, or any other means. 2.

What is the most important ethical principle? ›

Using the AHP to measure the relative importance of the different medical ethical principles for individuals, the most important principle is, without ambiguity, “Non maleficence”.

Which ethical standards are most important? ›

But respect for dignity, integrity, and accountability are some of the most important principles when it comes to doing business. In practice, companies typically start implementing these principles through an internal code of conduct, as well as through various guidelines and policies.

What are the 12 principles of leadership? ›

here are 12 principles crucial to helping your team get to a common goal:
  • Leads by example. Good managers, leaders and supervisors lead by example. ...
  • Takes responsibility. ...
  • Listens actively. ...
  • Innovates. ...
  • Communicates. ...
  • Embraces change. ...
  • Makes everyone feel important. ...
  • Promotes a diverse work environment.
Aug 25, 2022

What are the 11 principles of business? ›

Principles for businesses
  • Integrity. A firm must conduct its business with integrity.
  • Skill, care and diligence. A firm must conduct its business with due skill, care and diligence.
  • Management and control. ...
  • Financial prudence. ...
  • Market conduct. ...
  • Customers' interests. ...
  • Communications with clients. ...
  • Conflicts of interest.
Apr 21, 2016

What are the 13 tips for successful business? ›

13 Ways to Improve the Success of Your Small Business
  • Create brand personality. ...
  • Develop a strategic business plan, organizational structure, and operational support systems. ...
  • Avoid common mistakes. ...
  • Become connected to the community. ...
  • Put your employees first. ...
  • Don't just acquire customers, retain them. ...
  • Get organized.
Dec 2, 2019

What is business ethics for executive? ›

Business Ethics for Executives

Promise-Keeping & Trustworthiness. Loyalty. Fairness. Concern for Others.

How do ethical principles apply to businesses? ›

Ethical principles in business are the moral standards set by a company as a whole and individual employees within an organization. These principles take into account values, standards, regulations and common industry rules that dictate how people behave in the workplace and how a business operates in the community.

What is business ethics explain in detail? ›

Business Ethics studies how to deal with corporate governance, whistleblowing, corporate culture, and corporate social responsibility. It emphasizes standard principles prescribed by governing bodies. Non-compliance with business ethics leads to unnecessary legal actions.

How do you maintain high ethical standards in the workplace? ›

Promoting Workplace Ethics
  1. Be a Role Model and Be Visible. Employees look at top managers to understand what behavior is acceptable. ...
  2. Communicate Ethical Expectations. ...
  3. Offer Ethics Training. ...
  4. Visibly Reward Ethical Acts and Punish Unethical Ones. ...
  5. Provide Protective Mechanisms.
Apr 4, 2017

What are the benefits of ethical leadership? ›

In the long-term, ethical leadership can prevent company scandals, ethical dilemmas, and ethical issues. It can also help organizations gain more partnerships and customers, which can lead to more money at the end of the day. Loyal employees are also a crucial element of long-term success for a business.

What is the most common ethical problem for employees in the workplace? ›

Harassment and discrimination are arguably the largest ethical issues that impact business owners today. Should harassment or discrimination take place in the workplace, the result could be catastrophic for your organization both financially and reputationally.

What are some examples of ethical leadership? ›

Holding respect for others and equally around the team and company is another example of ethical leadership. Egalitarian treatment of their peers is key, there is no favoritism being played out and no ill treatment of any member of staff through any form of discrimination.

What are the 7 elements of a strong work ethics? ›

7 Key Elements of a Strong Work Ethic
  • Professionalism. Being professional involves everything from how you dress and present yourself in the business world to the way you treat others. ...
  • Accountability. ...
  • Respectfulness. ...
  • Dedication. ...
  • Determination. ...
  • Humility. ...
  • Dependability.

What are the 6 ethical standards? ›

The principles are beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, justice; truth-telling and promise-keeping.

What are the six core ethical values? ›

These values were identified by a nonpartisan, nonsectarian (secular) group of youth development experts in 1992 as “core ethical values that transcend cultural, religious and socioeconomic differences”. The Six Pillars of Character are: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship.

What are all the ethical principles? ›

The Fundamental Principles of Ethics. Beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice constitute the 4 principles of ethics. The first 2 can be traced back to the time of Hippocrates “to help and do no harm,” while the latter 2 evolved later.

What are the 3 C's of business ethics? ›

The three Cs are “compliance,” “consequences” and “contributions.” Applied Business ethics is an applied morality, like legal, engineering and medical ethics.

What are the 8 ethical principles? ›

This analysis focuses on whether and how the statements in these eight codes specify core moral norms (Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-Maleficence, and Justice), core behavioral norms (Veracity, Privacy, Confidentiality, and Fidelity), and other norms that are empirically derived from the code statements.

What are the 3 R's of business ethics? ›

The 3Rs: replacement, reduction and refinement.

What are the 4 main ethical principles? ›

The Fundamental Principles of Ethics. Beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, and justice constitute the 4 principles of ethics. The first 2 can be traced back to the time of Hippocrates “to help and do no harm,” while the latter 2 evolved later.

What is business ethics in simple words? ›

Business ethics is a practice that determines what is right, wrong, and appropriate in the workplace. Business ethics is often guided by laws, and these principles keep companies and individuals from engaging in illegal activity such as insider trading, discrimination and bribery.

What are examples of business ethics in the workplace? ›

Examples of ethical behaviors in the workplace includes; obeying the company's rules, effective communication, taking responsibility, accountability, professionalism, trust and mutual respect for your colleagues at work. These examples of ethical behaviors ensures maximum productivity output at work.

What are the 9 principles of ethics? ›

The principles that we will cover are utilitarianism, universalism, rights/legal, justice, virtue, common good, and ethical relativism approaches. As you read these, ask yourself which principles characterize and underlie your own values, beliefs, behaviors, and actions.

What are the core ethical principles? ›

The core ethical principles of beneficence (do good), nonmaleficence (do not harm), autonomy (control by the individual), and justice (fairness) stated by Beauchamp and Childress7 are important to a code of ethics.

What is the best ethical principle? ›

There are also significant differences between autonomy and truth-telling, justice and truth-telling and confidentiality and truth-telling. Therefore, non-maleficence is the most important principle and truth-telling the least important principle.

What are ethical principles examples? ›

7. RESPECT FOR OTHERS. Treat everyone with respect. Ethical executives demonstrate respect for the human dignity, autonomy, privacy, rights, and interests of all those who have a stake in their decisions; they are courteous and treat all people with equal respect and dignity regardless of sex, race or national origin.

What are the 7 principles of ethics PDF? ›

The principles are beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, justice; truth-telling and promise-keeping.

Videos

1. 12 Ethical Principles for Successful Businessman || motivational video
(manu7 production)
2. Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions
(European Institute of Management and Finance (EIMF))
3. Soft Skills - Business Ethics
(Tutorials Point)
4. Business ethics, importance, principles
(Dr Smita- classes on Psychology ,management, Rehab)
5. Why good leaders make you feel safe | Simon Sinek
(TED)
6. Top 12 Entrepreneurship Ethics & Principles to be Followed To Be Most Successful Entrepreneurs
(GAURAV UDYOJAKACHA)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Margart Wisoky

Last Updated: 03/29/2023

Views: 6502

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (58 voted)

Reviews: 81% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Margart Wisoky

Birthday: 1993-05-13

Address: 2113 Abernathy Knoll, New Tamerafurt, CT 66893-2169

Phone: +25815234346805

Job: Central Developer

Hobby: Machining, Pottery, Rafting, Cosplaying, Jogging, Taekwondo, Scouting

Introduction: My name is Margart Wisoky, I am a gorgeous, shiny, successful, beautiful, adventurous, excited, pleasant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.