Overview

The purpose of this module is to examine the ethical issues in organizational communication.

During this module, you will gain a broad understanding regarding:

Describing how ethical issues in organizational communication impact the community and society, organizational members, and the organization itself.

Listing ethical codes for business communications.

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

Describe and discuss how organizations should communicate ethically with stakeholders and the community.

Identify and discuss how people within organizations should communicate ethically with each other.

Describe how recent advances in technology have impacted the world of communications and the ethical implications of these changes.

Identify ethical problems faced by individuals or communities and identify effective solutions.

During this module, you are expected to:

Read from William W. Neher and Paul Sandin, Communicating Ethically o Chapter 12: Ethics in Organizational Communication

Read the following codes of ethics:o The IABC Code of Ethics . International Association of Business Communicators

(IABC) website . Retrieved from http://www.iabc.com/about/code.htm o The IMC Code of Ethics . Institute of Management Consultants (IMC) website.

Retrieved from http://www.imcusa.org/?page=ETHICSCODE Read/View Module Notes: Ethics in Organizational Communication Read Module Notes: Terms in Organizational Ethics

Participate in Discussions: o M7D1: Ethical Communication within Organizationso M7D2: Ethical Communication from Organizations to the Public and

Stakeholders Submit M7A1: IABC Code of Ethics Essay.

In Neher and Sandin's Communicating Ethically, Chapter 12 discusses ethics in organizational communication. In this module, we will learn that there are three perspectives from which ethical issues in organizational communication can be analyzed:

The impact of organizations on the community or society The impact of organizations on its members The impact of members on the organization itself

Using these perspectives, the authors state that organizations have a responsibility to their stakeholders and the community. Stakeholders might include customers, stockholders, employees, creditors, suppliers, unions, governments, and the community at large. Organizations have a responsibility to communicate ethically with all these internal and external groups.

Organizations have a responsibility to communicate any risks concerning public or employee health and safety. Manufacturing or product safety issues can endanger the public. Moreover, a plant emergency could create a community crisis.

Organizations are also responsible for communicating ethically with stakeholders about business and financial affairs. Some companies now require that documented research into ethical ramifications of business decisions be a regular part of practicing due diligence.

People within organizations also have a responsibility to communicate ethically with each other. Management communicates the business status of the company and prospects for the future, and supervisors and subordinates communicate employee performance and provide feedback.

Other areas where ethical communication issues may arise include:

Safe and healthy work environment Privacy and surveillance Rights of whistle blowers Corporate democracy and quality of life Diversity in the organization.

Robert Cooper and Ayman Sawaf wrote a book called Executive EQ: Emotional Intelligence in Leadership in Organizations. While IQ (intelligence quotient) is a standard measure of rational intelligence, the authors suggest that emotional intelligence or EQ is necessary for successful organizational leadership. It is important for leaders to be emotionally attuned to others, to care about the company, its members, and the community, and this ability enhances leadership effectiveness.

DISCUSSION: Ethical Communication within Organizations

Analyze the organizations that you may have engaged with and respond to the following:

What type of ethical communication issues have you encountered within these organizations?

Describe one ethical communication issue and how it was successfully or unsuccessfully

resolved.

Your initial post should be at least 250 words and must substantively integrate the assigned readings from the module with proper APA style formatting.

Your initial post is due by Tuesday at 11:59 PM EST.

DISCUSSION: Ethical Communication from Organizations to the Public and Stakeholders

Your textbook gives you several examples of how organizations have been accused of withholding information or misleading the public at large when it comes to cases of product safety, environmental safety, or financial or economic security.

Select a recent case of how one organization communicated with the public about an important issue and respond to the following:

Was the communication handled in an ethical manner? Why or why not?

Your initial post should be at least 250 words and must substantively integrate the assigned readings from the module with proper APA style formatting.

Your initial post is due by Wednesday at 11:59 PM EST.

IABC Code of Ethics Essay

The purpose of this activity is to apply learning from Module 7 to ethical issues in organizational communication.

Review the following codes of ethics:o The IABC Code of Ethics . International Association of Business Communicators

(IABC) website. Retrieved fromhttp://www.iabc.com/about/code.htm

o The IMC Code of Ethics . Institute of Management Consultants (IMC) website. Retrieved fromhttp://www.imcusa.org/?page=ETHICSCODE

Discuss how the codes apply to information presented in the Module 7 reading assignment. For example, what particular aspect of the codes addresses ethical responsibilities to stakeholders such as employees, clients, or the public?

Your research should be documented by citing at least five credible sources, such as a newspaper, a biographic article, book, or website.

Communication and Mass Media Complete, listed alphabetically, fifth down the list

Be sure to check your essay for grammar and spelling errors before you submit it. Smarthinking—www.smarthinking.com—is available to assist you with your writing.

Your essay should be 350–500 words in length, single spaced, and in APA format.

Before you submit this assignment to the dropbox below, be sure to upload a copy to the "Final" dropbox for this assignment on Turnitin.com.

Evaluation Criteria

 Keep the following points in mind:

The essay is well-organized and logically structured. The hypothesis is clearly stated and arguments are presented logically to support the

hypothesis. Key concepts from this module are integrated in the essay. assigned readings from the module with proper APA style formatting.

Your initial post is due by October 7, 2016 at 11:59 PM EST.