Essay

Introduction

Write one paragraph for the introduction that has at least 8 sentences. The introduction must introduce the (4) topics covered in the paper, which are:

(1) Business ethics

(2) Ethical decision making & Ethical Leadership,

(3) Virtual human resource development

(4) Mobile learning.

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1st Section

Read information below and write your reflection of what you read. Write half page that has at least 7 sentences on “Business Ethics” but do NOT copy anything word for word because it is plagiarism. Just write a summary of your reflection using your own words.

Business Ethics

Ethics: is a part of decision making at all levels of work and management

• Just as important as functional areas of business

• Deals with questions of whether practices are acceptable

• No universally accepted approach for resolving issues

Business Ethics Defined: Comprises principles, values, and standards that guide behavior in the world of business

• Ethical decisions occur when accepted rules no longer serve and decision makers must weigh values and reach a judgment

  • Values and judgments are critical in ethical decisions

Principles: Specific boundaries for behavior that are universal and absolute

• • Freedom of speech, civil liberties

Values: Used to develop socially enforced norms

• • Integrity, accountability, trust

Organizational Ethical Culture - Ethical culture: The component of corporate culture that captures the values and norms that an organization defines as appropriate

• Creates shared values

Goal is to:

• • Minimize need for enforced compliance

  • Maximize utilization of principles/ethical reasoning

• Companies can demonstrate their commitment to social responsibility through adopting international standards

  • Global Sullivan Principles

  • Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES)

  • United Nations Global Compact

Ethics Contributes to Employee Commitment

Commitment comes from employees who are invested in the organization

• Employees willing to make personal sacrifices for the organization

  • The more company dedication to ethics, the greater the employee dedication

  • Concerns include a safe work environment, competitive salaries and benefits packages, and fulfillment of contractual obligations

Ethics Contributes to Investor Loyalty

Companies perceived by their employees as being honest are more profitable

• Ethical climates in organizations provide a platform for

  • Efficiency

  • Productivity

  • Profitability

Ethics Contributes to Customer Satisfaction

Consumers respond positively to socially concerned businesses

• • Being good can be profitable

• Customer satisfaction dictates business success

• A strong organizational ethical climate places customers’ interests first

• Research shows a strong relationship between ethical behavior and customer satisfaction

Ethics Contributes to Profits

• Corporate concern for ethical planning is being integrated with strategic planning

  • Maximizes profitability

• Corporate citizenship is positively associated with

  • • Return on investment and assets

    • Sales growth

• Studies have found a positive relationship between corporate citizenship and performance

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2nd Section

Read information below and write your reflection of what you read. Write one page on “Ethical Decision Making and Ethical Leadership”, but do NOT copy anything word for word because it is plagiarism. Just write a summary of your reflection using your own words.

The Ethical Decision Making Process

In business, people make decisions differently than at home

• • Organizational pressures have a strong influence

• The ethical decision making process includes

  • Ethical issue intensity

  • Individual factors

  • Organizational factors

• The framework for ethical decision making does not describe how to make ethical decisions

  • Outlines the factors and processes related to ethical decision making

Ethical Issue Intensity

The perceived relevance or importance of an ethical issue to the individual, work group, and/or organization

• Reflects the ethical sensitivity of the individual and/or work group

• Triggers the ethical decision making process

• Individuals are subject to six spheres of influence

Workplace Legal system

Family Community

Religion Profession

Moral intensity: Relates to a person’s perception of social pressure and the harm his/her decision will have on others

Individual Factors

People base their ethical decisions on their own values and principles of right or wrong

• • Values are learned through socialization

  • Good personal values decrease unethical behavior and increase positive work behavior

  • Values are subjective; vary across cultures

• An organization may intend to do right, but organizational or social forces can alter this intent

• Research shows that various factors influence ethical behavior

  • Gender–women are more ethical than males

  • Education, work experience, nationality and age affect ethical decision making

Locus of Control

Relates to individual differences in relation to a general belief about how one is affected by internal versus external events or reinforcements

• Managers with

  • External locus of control go with the flow because that’s all they can do

  • Internal locus of control believe they can control events; are masters of their destinies and trust in their capacity to influence their environment

Unclear relationship between locus of control and ethical decision making

Organizational Factors

Organizational culture has a stronger influence on employees than individual values

• Corporate culture: A set of values, norms, and artifacts that members of an organization share

  • Ethical culture: Reflects whether the firm has an ethical conscience; is a function of many factors

• Significant others: Those who have influence in a work group

• Obedience to authority: Helps to explain why many employees unquestioningly follow superior’s orders

Opportunity

The conditions in an organization that limit/permit ethical/unethical behavior

• Immediate job context: Where employees work, with whom they work, and the nature of the work

• Opportunities for misconduct can be reduced by establishing formal codes, policies, and rules

  • Aggressive enforcement is required

Knowledge can sometimes lead to unethical behavior

• • A person who has an information base, expertise, or information about competition has an opportunity to exploit knowledge

Ethical Leadership in Corporate Culture

• Leadership: The ability or authority to guide and direct others toward achievement of a goal

  • Leaders provide a blueprint for an organization’s corporate culture and ethics

• Leadership styles influence organizational behavior

  • Including employee’s acceptance of/adherence to organizational norms and values

  • A challenge for leaders is gaining trust and commitment

Leadership Styles

• Coercive leader: Demands instant obedience and focuses on achievement, initiative, and self-control

• Authoritative leader: Inspires employees to follow a vision, facilitates change, and creates a strongly positive performance climate

• Affiliative leader: Values people, their emotions and needs, and relies on friendship and trust to promote flexibility, innovation, and risk taking

Leadership Styles (continued)

• Democratic leader: Relies on participation and teamwork to reach collaborative decisions

• Pacesetting leader: Can create a negative climate because of the high standards that he/she sets

• Coaching leader: Builds a positive climate by developing skills to foster long-term success, delegating responsibility, and issuing challenging assignments

Leadership Styles (continued)

• Transactional Leaders: Create employee satisfaction through bartering for desired behaviors/performance

  • Best-suited for rapidly changing situations, including those requiring responses to ethical problems or issues

• Transformational leaders: Raise employees’ commitment and foster trust and motivation

  • Is best for organizations with high ethical commitment and strong stakeholder support

Habits of Strong Ethical Leaders

Developed by Archie Carroll; based on Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

• Ethical leadership is based on holistic thinking that embraces the complex issues that companies face

Understanding Ethical Decision Making and the Role of Leadership

Ethical issue intensity, individual factors, and opportunity result in business ethics evaluations and decisions

• An organizational ethical culture is shaped by effective leadership

  • Top level support is required for ethical behavior

• An ethical corporate culture needs shared values and proper oversight

The more you know about ethical decision making, the more likely you will be to make good decisions

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3rd Section

Read information below and write your reflection. Write one page of your reflection on “Exploring the Emergence of Virtual Human Resource Development & Mobile Learning.” When writing; do NOT copy anything word for word because it is plagiarism. Just write a summary of your reflection using your own words.

Exploring the Emergence of Virtual Human Resource Development (VHRD)

Consider the impact of contemporary technology on your personal and professional life by reflecting on these questions: How often do you communicate with colleagues through information and communication technologies (ICT) such as email, texting, chat, video, and audio conference calls? Do you engage in meetings or “meetups” that occur through social networking platforms such as FacebookTM, LinkedInTM, or possibly through a meeting of avatars in a 3D virtual world such as SecondLifeTM? Do you search online or through your organization’s intranet for your calendar appointments? Do you use Google® to search for terms, to seek expert advice, or access MapQuestTM or YahooTM to obtain directions, documents, or travel itineraries? What ways have you engaged to connect with colleagues that are in a different location, country, or time zone from you? Are you blogging, wikiing, twittering, or following web discussion forums? How much are modern technologies permeating your personal and professional life?

Technology is embedded in our everyday lives. Advanced technologies have enabled the field of human resource development (HRD) to engage in virtual activities that were unimaginable 15 years ago, moving the field into a new realm. Global inter- connectivity impacts individuals, groups, and organizations to a degree unprecedented in the history of civilization (Bingham & Conner, 2010). Emailing, faxing, telephony, and virtual chatting have now surpassed traditional postal mailings for written com- munication; and technology-enabled environments are replacing many face-to-face interactions in educational and organizational settings (Yelon, 2006). The question the field must ask is whether we are in the midst of a paradigm shift that will fundamentally alter the way we develop people and organizations in the future.

The vast array of virtual technologies available to the modern worker is amazing and sometimes dizzying when one looks at the totality of tools and options for virtual com- munication and connection. This array compels the field of HRD to expand the boundaries of research and practice to develop greater understanding of technology-mediated work, learning, and development that are strategic and innovative. It also drives HRD to create a compelling vision for VHRD, which is emerging as a new construct.

This issue of Advances offers an inaugural discussion of the construct of VHRD. The purpose of this article is threefold: to introduce VHRD as an emerging construct, to identify the enabling technologies that have built a platform for VHRD, and to pro- vide an overview of articles in this issue. To begin this journey, we will first take a look at recent conceptualizations of VHRD that are formalizing the construct.

Mobile Learning

It’s no surprise to any of us that mobile continues to grow and dominate as the preferred way to access and consume content. Over the last few years, our team has also seen a steady shift towards mobile learning, or mLearning, in our client work with major brands.

Despite its seemingly obvious definition, mLearning is not simply e­learning on a mobile device. It involves self­paced, on­ demand learning across multiple contexts, in short, bite­sized micro lessons. Our team has been utilizing mLearning as a core solution for many of our Fortune 1000 clients who require more flexible training for a variety of reasons and business variables. We are finding that many of the businesses we work with see improved adoption, knowledge retention, and better engagement with training materials as a result.

There are a number of catalysts leading the shift towards mobile learning, but five in particular continue to dominate the business landscape, pointing to mLearning as a major player in the future of employee education and development.

Have you ever wanted to work abroad? According to a recent survey by PwC, international assignment levels have increased 25 percent over the last decade, and could see another 50 percent growth by 2020. As we all know, simply sending an employee to an unfamiliar location with no prior preparation is a recipe for disaster. International assignments bear great costs on a business, and when lack of preparation causes stress to the employee, it often leads to poor productivity and early return.

Training the employee to deal with the vast amount of changes they may experience is crucial to the success of the assignment. They won’t have time pre­departure and during work hours to truly focus on their training, so it only makes sense to create a mobile learning program they can engage with while on the go.

Picture this. Justin is a sales manager in the technology industry in New York City and takes the subway to work every day. To kill time, he plays Candy Crush on the commute. But what if Justin was given a scenario­based sales training designed as a game for his mobile phone? Instead of wasting his commute time, he’s now building his skills, and he will end up doubling his sales projections the following month.

Believe it or not, millennials value training over many other work perks. In their 2015 Internet Trends Report, KPCB found 22 percent of millennials chose to receive training over flexible hours, cash bonuses and even a company car. Many teams we work with, including sales teams, are mobile, and using tablets and other devices for learning is becoming very popular. If employees are demanding training, it should be accessible when and where they need to access it.

If you were to search for job openings right now in your field, you would find a ton of highly specific job roles with many skill requirements. With global competition rising, having great talent on your team has never been more important for business survival. And though you aren’t going to employ unqualified people, you might not even realize your staff becoming “under­ qualified” due to constantly changing technology. By implementing an mLearning training program, you can easily distribute ongoing training to keep up with the latest industry trends and new skill sets to stay ahead of the competition.

Fortune 1000 companies around the globe are revamping around the growing numbers in the mobile workforce. According to Global Workplace Analytics, employees are not at their desk roughly 50 to 60 percent of the scheduled workday. Flex­time and remote work also continue to rise as newer generations demand greater work­life balance.

On­the­go employees like pharmaceutical sales reps aren’t receiving value from the prehistoric paper­based training they are currently forced to learn by cramming the information into a one­day instructor­led event. The employee doesn’t learn anything, and the company doesn’t receive the benefits of the employee knowing, understanding, and implementing the information — which is why it’s important to create learning experiences that complement the individual and make learning accessible wherever they are and whenever they have time to fully engage with the material.