Rockingham News Local Business: Honesty and respect are musts in business

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Honesty and respect are musts in business

By Colleen Lent
rockinghamnews@seacoastonline.com

Heather Bell, a student at Southern New Hampshire University, sat in the second row of her public relations class, mulling over a question: How do you define ethics?

"Personal and business ethics are different," she said. She explained that exercising honesty, respecting others, and taking responsibility for mistakes will act as fertilizer for hardy interpersonal relationships.

Some fellow classmates nodded in agreement, as these three principles were written on the chalkboard. Bell paused before completing the other column, which was reserved for employee and employer tenets. Honesty, respect, and responsibility were added, making her personal and profession sides symmetrical.

The development of sound business standards shouldn�t be limited to classroom philosophical discussions of Aristotle�s golden mean or Immanuel Kant�s categorical imperative.

Tyco International and Adelphia Communications, local inductees in the corporate public relations hall of shame, remind local businesses of the importance of drafting and following a code of conduct. As fraudulent executives from both companies sauntered into court with a lasso of microphones and cameras, a host of innocent publics - non-involved employees, relatives and fellow industry members - were left behind to scrub the stains left on their sullied reputations. Subsequently, various publics nodded their heads in disdain and government regulators tightened restrictions.

Author and public relations expert Fraser Seitel urges organizations to engage in self-regulation, helping to restore faith in the business world. Seitel says acting in best interest of others is the "right thing to do." Following this simple philosophy gains the respect of internal and external stakeholders. In turn, rekindled respect decreases employee defections, improves investor relationships and boosts profits.

Conducting an internal communications audit is the first step in developing a code of conduct. Business owners need to look at every facet of their social responsibility practices, including manufacturing safe and quality products, engaging in sound environmental activities, promoting diversity, providing safety training and encouraging community philanthropy.

Currently, comedian David Chappell and social activists The Yes Men use corporate transgressions as fodder for skits and pranks to raise social consciousness. Meanwhile, the Rhode Island Station Nightclub deaths serve as a real-life reminder of the consequences of dismissing ethics as a mere a conversation centerpiece.

Colleen Lent is a college instructor of business communications and public relations courses and holds a graduate degree in professional communications. She can be reached at clent@netway.com

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