Business Ethics

Introduction

In recent years, ethical guidelines have blurred as our business environment has become more reliant on digital technology.  The advent of the Internet, advanced applications, and quicker lines of communication has altered global business processes.  With the arrival of advanced collaborative development tools, we are now in a position to share information and data with people thousands of miles away (Todd, 2004).

Research Questions

The purpose of this study was to determine if the SOX Act has had an effect on upper management and employee awareness of corporate ethics compliance components (Mensch, 2007). This study specifically examined these three corporate ethics compliance components:

1. Written ethics standards
2. Ethics training
3. Mechanisms for reporting unethical behavior

Significance of the Study

The government has mandated new ethical compliance standards for companies, but has this legislation significantly impacted upper management and employee awareness of corporate ethics compliance issues within their organizations? Are these new standards being adopted equally among employees, middle management, and especially upper management, where the most serious unethical behavior can occur?