The Personal Ethics Action Plan - Admission/Application Essay Example

& No Semester: II. Personal and Professional Mission ment and Life Balance Goals My personal mission ment: It is my personal mission to: Be able to come with new solutions, follow instructions given to me, and also to develop skills to lead, control and help other to success in their missions My professional mission statement: I aim to attain my doctorate degree in education technology, and in line with this I aim to develop skills to lead and guide others, and to help other solve their problems. My life balance goals are the following: I will help poor people. I will inspire people to reach their goals. I will help people help themselves. I will remember those who have helped me and thanking them a lot for what they do for me and help people who need help. I will do my work on time. I will finish my bachelor and my master degree first. I will inspire my team to reach their goals. I will be flexible to my workers and colleagues III. Personal definitions of ethics, leadership, service, and character Ethics Ethics refers to the right behavior that we should observe when we deal with others. “Ethics has to do with behavior –specially, an individual’s moral behaviour with respect to society” (Sauser, Jr 2005, p. 7). More than this, ethics is an entire way of life that continuously strives at always abiding by what is right. Leadership Leadership is the ability to manage tasks and distribute the work among the workers, and to be able to solve problems and make the right decisions under difficult situations. Leadership could also be viewed as an attribute possessed by some more than others, that enables a person to inspire people to do good, even great, things. Service Service means accomplishing some tasks to others for money, but it can also mean helping others for nothing in return, just because they are humans. Service is a natural human tendency or predisposition to offer their labour and talents to satisfy the needs of others. Character Moral qualities are reflections of the person’s nature, such as courage, honesty and generosity, nobility. Psychologist Lawrence Pervin defines moral character as "a disposition to behave expressing itself in consistent patterns of functioning across a range of situations" (Pervin 1994, p. 108). Character is a personal quality defined by integrity, principled conviction, and ethical conduct. IV. Most pressing ethical issues facing organizations and their leaders. 1. So-called discrimination in favour of workers with families The article Are You Too Family Friendly (Wells, 2007) points out that there are instances of discrimination that we are not aware are discriminatory. It relates a story of a married person allowed to leave work early on Halloween so that he could join his children trick-or-treating, whereas his single colleagues had to remain in the office. Upon complaints of discrimination by single employees without families, the CEO, Thomas Harpointer, wisely revises company policy to allow all employees, married or unmarried, to equitably avail of the same considerations. Realistically, it is not possible for all people to be treated in completely the same way. Despite the seeming injustice of “discrimination”, there is a natural need to distinguish among differences in our employees (and anybody we deal with) because people are different. Just our common sense understanding of the differences among men and women, for instance, would tell us that some women would feel more physically indisposed during certain times of the month and may occasionally feel too sick to go to work, as compared to men who do not experience this. Thus it is possible that distinguishing between different groups is not malicious, but practical and necessary. What is important is that the reason behind the distinction should be fair and just. The criteria for fairness could be tricky, such as the simple case of a father wishing to join his children. Should employees with children and families be allowed such consideration? I say yes, because now more than ever, close bonding in families and its bearing on the future welfare of society has been conclusively established (UN, 2004). If work is not compromised, should parents be denied reasonable requests to be excused from work to tend to their children? I believe not. For me, parents are straddled with a substantially heavier social responsibility than single people, if this be the only difference, and society must support them in the proper rearing of their children which necessarily takes of their personal time. Society ignores this responsibility at its own risk. Raising children is a big sacrifice, and more people prefer not to have children at all. In Japan and South Korea the birth rates have gone so low that their governments, fearing “apocalyptic demographic trends”, have mandated that their workers go home early to procreate. South Korea’s Ministry of Health offers generous gift vouchers for officials having more than one child, and organizes social gatherings (i.e., singles parties) “in the hope of fostering love amongst its bureaucrats” (Investorialist, 2010). In some Korean companies, it became company policy to take a half day off on Wednesdays, for the specific purpose of encouraging procreation. People with families should be given consideration in their role as caretakers of the future generation, and while this precludes singles who have no children, it does not mean that they should not be afforded similar consideration for other family members (e.g., parents and siblings) for whom they are responsible. A more human society may be just as progressive as, or even more so than, societies with a workaholic culture. These are my thoughts on the matter. 2. Privacy issues and identity theft There is a popular televisions show entitled “Big Brother” that is anchored on an all-seeing “big brother” who knows everything about how a group of people go about their lives in a confined location. While it has been milked for its entertainment value, the origins of the idea emanate from a (then) futuristic novel, 1984, written by George Orwell and published in 1949, of a totalitarian all-knowing, all-seeing entity that intrudes upon the lives of people at work, school, and in their very dwellings – a malevolent vision converted to a trivial TV show. The problem is that we seem to be approaching this same condition because of the modern means of communication we use today. Our online lifestyle, and particularly when we frequent social networks like Facebook and Twitter, has sent details of our lives floating around in electronic space for anybody with a bit of technical knowledge to dig into. Even if we do not patronize such social networks, our use of credit and debit cards and automatic teller machines, and transactions through the internet create invisible trails for computer savvy criminals to trace straight to our bank accounts, and from there our most personal information – birthday, address, family members, employment – for total strangers to use as they please to wreak havoc on our lives (Consumers Union of US, 2006). They become the unseen “Big Brother” of 1984, only more sinister because they may be anybody among billion of people anywhere in the world. It is impossible for organizations to avoid not going online because then one would be isolated from what has now become the real world. Leaders of organizations must therefore be vigilant in deterring identity theft and protecting its customers. The threat to our privacy has become one of the most critical issues in our modern lives, because despite all precautions, there will always be novel ways that people we do not know could wield the power to destroy our peace of mind. Businesses that make their living online (for instance, Google and its subscribers) should spearhead a major effort among themselves for a concerted solution to the problem of identity theft and privacy incursions through electronic means. Police forces are not as well equipped nor as knowledgeable and focused as businesses which deal online. Those entities who enjoy the fruits of this technology are responsible to lead in its protection. The alternative is for disgruntled and disenchanted customers to avoid doing business with these firms and jeopardize their very existence. V. Case Study: The Loan Officer and the Debtor Step #1: Problem Shelby is a recent university graduate on her first job, as a loan officer at a bank working with a senior loan officer named Ben. Shelby and Ben are about to take a long trip to visit a loan applicant and assess the property he is putting up for collateral. Ben informed Shelby that he is accepting the applicant’s offer to pay for the trip, a decision Shelby is not comfortable with as she believes the bank should pay. Also, Ben asked Shelby to contact their customers by phone to solicit prizes for the bank’s fundraiser picnic, another act Shelby considered unethical as she felt it pressured clients to donating. Despite her misgiving, Shelby was anxious not to lose her job. Shelby’s dilemma is: How could Shelby fulfil her duties as given to her – namely, to go on the trip with Ben, and to solicit prizes from the clients – without violating her ethical convictions? Step #2: Input The salient facts from the case study are the following: 1. Shelby is a newly hired junior loan officer at a bank, Ben is a senior loan officer who has been with the bank for 10 years. 2. It is not stated that Shelby’s direct supervisor is Ben, although it is implied that his senior status entitles him to assign her tasks to do. 3. Doug Whitton, the loan applicant, offered to pay for the trip, but it is not stated that this is contrary to any policy of the company. It is, however, implied that this may be done to obligate the loan officers to approve the loan application. 4. Concerning the prize solicitation, Ben directed Shelby to contact the clients by phone. Step #3: Solutions Solution 1: Shelby should not go on the trip, nor should she solicit the prizes from the clients Strength Shelby will be abiding by her ethical convictions, and be happy in the thought that she had done what was right. Weaknesses Shelby’s endangering herself by putting her continued employment in jeopardy. Shelby may be seen as too idealistic and impractical, and might create enemies among her co-workers Opportunity The bank has placed a new emphasis on the importance of ethics. By making ethical decisions, she may be seen as abiding by the bank’s new policies. Threats Shelby has a $20,000 school loan to pay, and it took her four months to find this job, so if she rocks the boat too much, is seen as someone who is not a team player, or in any way becomes unpopular with her colleagues, the negative feedback may cause her separation from the company, and a good job. Shelby may run the risk of being charged with insubordination if Ben is her official superior, or if company policies makes it her duty to follow Ben’s directions. Solution 2: Shelby should just go on the trip with Ben and call the clients as he ordered, Strengths Shelby will be seen as a practical person, a game team player, and a dutiful subordinate. Shelby will feel secure that she will keep her job because she accomplished her tasks. Weakness Shelby’s conscience may be bothered, and this will cause her to suffer anxieties and personal disquiet for believing she did something that was wrong. Opportunity Shelby will hit a favourable chord with Ben and the other senior personnel. This is specially opportune if Ben is her direct supervisor whose job it is to evaluate her performance, thereby allowing her to keep her job. Threat Should the bank find out of the paid trip and the solicitation and rule that such are against company policy on ethics, Shelby may be charged with unethical conduct for being a willing participant to unethical practices. Solution 3: Shelby should go on the trip as ordered, and upon her return pose a question on the matter for the bank’s ethics officer to rule on. Should the trip paid by the customer be ruled unethical, this would give her cause to send a request that Dough Whitton be reimbursed by the bank for his expenses. As to the gift solicitation, Shelby should likewise consult it with the ethics officer, or to send letters or emails instead of calling the clients’ by phone. Strength Shelby would take comfort in the fact that she has done her job in an ethical way. Weakness Shelby’s question to the ethical officer is action taken after the fact, so it may be seen as too little too late, but given the circumstances, this is not likely. Opportunities Shelby would dispel any misconceptions about her that Ben and her colleagues may resent, such as whistleblowing or insubordination, as she joins in the activity and shows herself to be a team player. Some customers, particularly the businesses, may actually be willing to donate for a charitable cause if they knew about it. Some clientele have a budget for this. Threat Shelby’s participation may be considered negatively by management if policies already exist against solicitation and accepting clients’ pecuniary offers. The presumption is that all employees should know and abide by policies, although her relatively recent employment would be a mitigating factor in her favor. Step #4: Choice If I were Shelby, I would choose the third solution, that is, to go on the trip for the moment and then verify compliance with company policy and restitution to the customer; and to verify from the firm’s ethics officer the propriety of soliciting from the customers. Step #5: Operation Operational Goal: To essentially accomplish the job without violating ethical principles. Specific Action Steps: 1. Shelby should go on the trip with Ben whether Doug or the company pays for it. During the trip Shelby should note down all expenses Doug had made on their behalf. 2. Shelby should, upon her return, write a letter of inquiry concerning company policy and submit it to the company’s ethics officer, if there was one, and if none to submit it to the HRD for a chance to clarify company policy and to be advised if infraction was committed. The letter should contain the breakdown and total of Doug’s expenses. 3. Shelby should inquire from HRD about the policy on solicitation; if no policy existed of the company explicitly allows it, Shelby could send out a well writtten email or letter instead, which is a less intrusive way of doing it, as a letter may simply be ignored. Those clients, especially companies, who wish to donate should always be acknowledged, their names displayed prominently on the thing donated, and a proper accounting given to any and all sponsors after the affair. VI. Summary Leadership, character, service and ethics – these are buzzwords that are often used wherever people gather together to work, study or play together, to combine efforts to achieve a common goal. I thought that I knew everything about them, especially ethics and leadership, because they are so commonly used their meanings are taken for granted. These are what I had in mind when I joined this course. After undertaking it, however, I come away with a vastly different understanding from the superficial way I used to think of them. The writing assignments were hard, I admit, though not in an academic way. I thought we would just be memorizing things in the textbook and reciting them as they were written. What I did not count on was that it each task or exercise was a journey into self, so I had to ask questions that were hard not because they were technically difficult, but because they were questions about myself. Everybody knows that the person who knows less about you is you. This course made me challenge my concept of self, how I relate to other people on a personal basis, and how I relate to people within the structure of organizations. I am glad I took this course, and the things I have learned here I will value and come back to every now and then in the course of my personal and professional life. My gratitude, therefore, to the school and our mentor. Wordcount = 2,735 References Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. (2006) “Article 9: Your Privacy for Sale”, Consumer Reports, October 2006, pp. 41-45 Investorialist (2010) “Japan and South Korea workers told to go home and multiply”, Lost in Translation, 26 January 2010. Retrieved 12 June 2010 from http://www.investoralist.com/japan-and-south-korea-workers-told-to-go-home-and-multiply/ Pervin, L. (1994) "A Critical Analysis of Current Trait Theory", Psychological Inquiry 5, pp. 103-113. Sauser, W. I. Jr. (2005) “Ethics in Business: Answering the Call”, Journal of Business Ethics, 58(4), 345-357. United Nations (UN) (2004), Governments Reaffirm Critical Importance of Family to Society, as Third Committee Concludes Discussion of Social Development, Fifty-ninth General Assembly, Press Release GA/SHC/3779, 10 June 2004. Retrieved 12 June 2010 from http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/gashc3779.doc.htm Wells, S. J. (2007) “Article 10: Are You Too Family Friendly”, HR Magazine, Society for Human Resources Management. Read More