Since we know that everyone’s upbringing is different and may have had different models, religion,
attitudes, and experiences, companies create policies and standards to ensure employees and managers
understand the expected ethics. These sources of ethics can be based on the levels of ethics, which we
discussed earlier. Understanding our own ethics and company ethics can apply to our emotional
intelligence skills in the form of self-management and managing our relationships with others. Being
ethical allows us to have a better relationship with our supervisors and organizations.
For example, companies create values statements, which explain their values and are tied to company
ethics. A values statement is the organization’s guiding principles, those things that the company finds
important. The following are examples:
Coca-Cola [9]
• Leadership: The courage to shape a better future
• Collaboration: Leverage collective genius
• Integrity: Be real
• Accountability: If it is to be, it’s up to me
• Passion: Committed in heart and mind
• Diversity: As inclusive as our brands
• Quality: What we do, we do well
Whole Foods [10]
• Selling the highest quality natural and organic products available
• Satisfying and delighting our customers
• Supporting team member happiness and excellence
• Creating wealth through profits and growth
• Caring about our communities and our environment
• Creating ongoing win-win partnerships with our suppliers
• Promoting the health of our stakeholders through healthy eating education
Banner Bank’s Values: [11] “Do The Right Thing”
• Honesty and integrity
• Mutual respect
• Quality
• Trust
• Teamwork
Examples of Ethical Situations Have you found yourself having to make any of these ethical choices within the last few weeks?
• Cheating on exams
• Downloading music and movies from share sites
• Plagiarizing
• Breaking trust