Introduction
Being an ethical organisation and an ethical leader or employee is no longer optional. Customers, employees, suppliers and partners want to do business with ethical organisations and there is ample research to show that ethical companies substantially outperform their peers. In other words, a commitment to ethical behaviour is not just “the right thing to do”, but essential for successful organisations. According to a study by The Ethisphere Institute in the U.S., the market capitalisation of ethical companies is as much as 10.5% higher (as quoted in Ethical Companies Perform Better by Steve Bettwy published in Linked-In on 21 February 2019). According to a recent study published by the MSCI, companies that scored lowest on business ethics are about four times more likely than top-scoring ethical companies to experience a severe stock-price loss (see Linked-in article published on 2 July 2020 by Philip Winterburn entitled Do ethical companies perform better?). There is also growing consensus that ethical companies attract and retain better talent and experience higher levels of employee motivation. According to Linked-in’s 2018 Workplace Culture Trends, 71% of employees said they would take a pay cut to work for a company whose values they support and 39% would quit if asked to do something unethical by their boss.
This course will equip learners with the knowledge, skills and techniques and tools to be able to demonstrate and exemplify business ethics in the workplace. We start with understanding why business ethics is important and then look at some specific examples and case studies. This course is essential learning for both individual contributors and managers who aspire to achieve long-term personal success and to create sustainable long-term value for their organisations. Ethical organisations can establish a mission, vision and values aligned to strong ethical culture, but they rely on employees to deliver on ethical conduct in their day-to-day activities.
Who Should Enrol
New line managers, supervisors, team leaders, candidates for management development and individual contributors.
Course Content
There are 6 modules included in this course:
- Module 1: Why ethics matters.
- Module 2: Own values and belief systems and how they influence our behaviour.
- Module 3: How an individual’s ethics impact on the people around him/her.
- Module 4: How an individual can behave ethically in a business environment.
- Module 5: Techniques or tools for dealing with situations where own ethics and values conflict with work.
- Module 6: How to promote a strong ethical culture in the workplace.
Learning Outcomes
Once you have completed all the learning activities for this course, you should be able to:
- Explain the importance of ethical behaviour in business for individuals and organisations with examples.
- Recognise individual values and belief systems and how they influence our behaviours.
- Describe how an individual’s ethics and behaviours impact on behaviour and interpersonal relationships with examples.
- Recognise the concept of ethical business practice with examples.
- Demonstrate methods for dealing with unethical behaviour.
- Explain the importance of building a strong ethical culture in the workplace.
Assessment
Participants are required to work through the multimedia content, complete the associated activities and assessment questions after each module. On passing all the assessments participants will earn a completion certificate awarded by Foundation for Professional Development (FPD), a registered Private Institute of Higher Education.
Course Fee
R1 590 (Inclusive of all VAT and taxes where applicable).
Entry Requirements
Grade 12 graduates who have completed their secondary education and need to understand ethical behaviours and expectations in the workplace.
Course Duration
The content takes 10 hours to complete in total, participants are provided with access to complete the course in a maximum of three months.
Certification
FPD will award successful participants with a completion certificate on passing the assessments.
Course Design
The Business Ethics short course is a part-time distance (e-learning) self-study course with interactive and reflective content, including videos and activities that builds the skills needed to make good ethical decision and contribute to your organisation being one that has good ethical practice, with guidance from an expert in the field.
