Ethics is defined as “moral principles that govern a person’s or group’s behavior.” These moral principles within a company are known as company or corporate policies, code of ethics, or code of conduct. These are internal policies that govern the ethical conduct of employees and management. These policies can be simple in a broad and general sense or could be more detailed in which they have specific behavioral requirements. These policies govern the employees as well as management and are given consequences should they be violated. Companies create these principles in order to show employees as well as outsiders that the company follows an ethical standard and will not tolerate unethical behavior. As will be discussed in the paper, some companies might use this as a mask to make it seem they are going the right way but are really practicing unethical behavior. Without these guidelines, any unethical behavior would be passed down to the employees and will become an acceptable practice which could lead to trouble for the company and its employees.
Many people have ethics instilled in them throughout life and enter a company a certain way. An unethical person will enter a company and continue to do unethical things. The policy makers within a company which include the board of directors, management, and employees as well should understand this and create policies which will prevent unethical behaviors. For example, a person who previously stole money from their job was fired for getting caught. If they go to a different company who doesn’t perform a proper background check, this unethical person will be hired and will continue to steal and do bad things until he/she is arrested or just cannot find work anymore. A company must have strong policies to ensure they don’t attract unethical people who can bring problems and negativity to a company.