112.A code of business ethics is a document that provides behavioral guidelines that cover daily activities anddecisions within an organization. Merely having a code of ethics, however, is not sufficient to ensureethical business behavior. A code of ethics can be viewed as a public relations gimmick. To ensure that acode is read, understood, believed, and remembered periodic ethics workshops are needed to sensitizepeople to workplace circumstances in which ethics issues may arise. If employees see examples ofpunishment for violating the code as well as rewards for upholding the code, this reinforces theimportance of a firm's code of ethics.113.Some firms warn managers and employees that failing to report an ethical violation by others could bringdischarge. The SEC recently strengthened its whistle-blowing policies, virtually mandating that anyoneseeing unethical activity report such behavior. Whistle-blowing refers to policies that require employeesto report any unethical violations they discover or see in the firm.114.Primary responsibility for ensuring ethical behavior rests with a firm's strategists. However, an integralpart of the responsibility of all managers is to provide ethics leadership by constant example anddemonstration. Managers hold positions that enable them to influence and educate many people. Thismakes managers responsible for developing and implementing ethical decision making.115.To create an ethics culture, many organizations have developed a code-of-conduct manual outliningethical expectations and giving examples of situations that commonly arise in their business. Citicorpeven developed a business ethics board game, played by thousands of employees worldwide, that givesplayers the opportunity to react to hypothetical ethical situations. Ethics workshops and training are alsokey. Ethics training programs should include messages from the CEO or business owners emphasizingethical business practices, the development and discussion of codes of ethics, and procedures for
