COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS

COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS Instructor: Fatima Naseem Lecture # 07 fatima.naseem@uettaxila.edu.pk http://web.uettaxila.edu.pk/CMS/AUT2010/cpComSbs/index.asp

Chapter # 04 Business Communication and the Ethical Context

Overview • Background to Ethical Context • Ethical Situations • Ethics as a Communication Issue • Influences on Personal Ethics • People, Culture, Philosophy, Law, Religion • Communications and Ethical issues • Legal Issues • Key areas • Ethics and Organizational Responsibility

Background • Facts are important to make ethical decisions • In different situations you decide the right and the wrong. • Decision making is difficult when facts are missing. • Ethical principles centered around fairness, services, quality, honesty, integrity, dignity help in making decisions

Ethical Situations • During an on campus interview a recruiter asks you why he should hire you over your friend? You have negative information about him, would you share it? • You witness another student Cheating during an important exam. Do you confront him? Do you tell other students or examiner? • A firm invites you for a second interview at its distant office. They will pay you the travelling fair. You are generally not interested but decide to go because you want to meet a friend staying there. Do you accept to go?

A hotel food and beverage manager purchased 20 cases of soft drinks. Without managers knowledge the delivering person delivered 1 case at managers place. When manager came to know he decided to keep it as it was other than hotel supply. • A restaurant manager contracts a spying company to render its service to spy his waiters if they deliver order correctly and do they take right orders without discriminating.

Ethics as Communication Issue • We are not human beings having spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having human experience. • Car fraud example; • Communicate correctly

Influence on Personal Ethics • People • Culture • Philosophy • Law • Religion Religion People Individual Ethics Law Culture Philosophy Personal Ethics

People • Family • Teachers • Close friends • Relatives • Peers

Culture • City/ town • Country to Country • National/ international heroes • Norms/ Myths • China return a penny; its government property • America  good luck

Philosophy • Descriptive Ethics facts about moral judgments of people • Normative Ethicsdiscovering, formulating and defining fundamental moral principles • Theologism  what would God have me do in this case • Deontology  always tell the truth • Teleology  maximize good consequences • Utilitarianism  type of teleology (Max good for max people)

Law • Not always right • E.g. taxes for war

Religion • Always a major foundation for ethical behavior • Many of the mainstream religions provide the ethics about ones duties towards God, other human beings and all other living things on earth.

Communication & Ethical Issues • Organizational Challenges include developing a productive company culture with employees having diverse background, values and beliefs • Legal Issues • Key Areas for Ethical Communications • Ethics and Organizational responsibility

Legal Issues • Defamation  statements that damage persons name and reputation, involve false statements • Libel  written defamation • Slander  oral defamation • Legal as well as ethical issue • Privacy • Discrimination & harassment • Plagiarism • Copy Righting (CR)  legal protection of ones creative efforts

Key Areas for Ethical Communications • Ethical treatment takes time, thought and preparation • Written and Spoken messages • Cross Cultural Messages • Advertising Messages

Written and Spoken messages • Message purpose (are there any hidden agendas, will it be in favor of receiver) • Research methods (are the resources recent, reliable and unbiased) • Selection of materials (is anything imp omitted) • Development of ideas (use of reasoning & logic, propaganda techniques) • Use of language (overloaded, abstract) • Ethical context • Self analysis (how would I feel)

Cross Cultural Messages • Don’t take advantage of misunderstandings of different cultures • Cultural Context • Misunderstandings • Language • Accountability

Advertising Messages • Gaining customers through false advertising is both unlawful and unethical • Don’t confuse consumers • E.g. • “White Christmas” • “fat free”, “low-fat”, “healthy” • “100 % natural fruit juice” • Avoid showing negativity to a specific group

Advertising Messages • Language (no exaggerations) • Graphics/Print (small print) • Omissions (any imp statement omitted/ would it have been affected if included ) • Truth • Accountability (would I be satisfied)

Ethics and Organizational Responsibility • One org different attitudes of employees • “Organizations are stronger than individuals” • Formal Vs Informal Ways of Communicating Ethics: • Companies must determine whether the ethical values should be suggested from top down or bottom up. • Formal ways • Informal ways

Formal Ways • One of the companies considered as the leader in ethically responsible companies has ensured that the highest paid salary is no more than seven times the lowest paid salary. • For top down approach the ethical standards are expressed in three ways: • Public messages • Employee manuals and policy statements • Mission statements and ethical codes

Public messages: • Speeches by CEOs, press releases and annual reports • Employee manuals and policy statements • Employee policy books and manuals containing rules and regulations of organization. • Considered as a contract b/w employee and employer. • Mission statements and ethical codes: • Mission Statements Fundamental strategic issues • Ethical codes  documents stating ethics and values

Informal Ways • Imported through individuals • Organizations own value system • Behavior of managers

Any Questions ?

Paper Pattern • Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 14 • Audience Analysis • Lecture 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 • Go through all chapters form book specially for diagrams, models and specific definitions. • Paper will be mainly objective type. • Time: 1 hr • Marks: 40

COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS