Organization Ethics: AT&T, Essay Example

All people are consumers to some extent in the modern day, and in such a world customer service is of paramount importance. The intersection of customer service and ethics calls for customer service organizations to remain cognizant of employee behavior so that they avoid duping unassuming purchasers. Organizations retain the responsibility in doing the right thing and serving consumers. Managers unequivocally set the tone for the ethical conduct and behavior in organizations, and thus they are charged with the responsibility of instilling high levels of employee service through various programs and services that demonstrate the value of such an organizational culture. They discern on an idiosyncratic basis daily what actions are needed in order or an organization to function properly and in an ethical way (Ghosh, 2008). The most successful organizations are those perceived to be great atmospheres to work in because of the strong sense of ethics and value therein. Ethical behavior pervades daily life of successful customer service organizations. One example of a customer service organization is AT&T, which is an organization that sells customers phone and tablet services as well as home security systems, among other items. By examining AT&T’s code of ethics, it is unequivocal that customer service organizations take ethics and ethical conduct of any and all employee seriously. Unethical behavior would not only tarnish the image and reputation of customer service organizations but also would undermine the very purpose of customer service: to please and serve the best interests of all consumers.

External social pressures have emerged as major catalysts in business ethics, which is why organizations must take into consideration social expectations from a community perspective. If companies fail to adhere to certain social standards, the information age has placed increased pressure for customer service organizations to ensure that they meet expectations because of how quickly information can diffuse and be disseminated. Business ethics indeed have adapted to twenty-first century contingencies by propelling organizations to be proactive in executing honest business practices and good citizenship. The community at-large possesses social expectations that customer service organizations treat consumers honestly, provide fair working conditions for all employees, engage in business activities that are environmentally friendly, and are actively involved in the community.  AT&T must remain cognizant of false advertisement of services in order to maintain the integrity of the phone company as a top phone service organization. According to the AT&T Code of Ethics (2015), it is of paramount importance to “encourage honest and ethical conduct, including fair dealing and the ethical handling of conflicts of interest” in addition to comprehensive and fair disclosure in all consumer dealings. One facet in the honest and ethical conduct segment is that all employees comply with high standards of business ethics by adhering to all rules and regulations while maintaining the privacy of consumers (AT&T, 2015). As such, companies have grafted social responsibility into their mission statements as a way to distinguish themselves from competing organizations that sell similar products. The Digital Age has enabled the community to exert pressure on businesses on a variety of ways, especially hitting them financially through the organization and execution of boycotts if questionable practices, dishonesty, and unethical behavior is discovered.

AT&T employees thus retain the prerogative to make personal decisions when dealing with customers, including maintaining customer confidentiality as well as not profiting from any undisclosed information they come across. From an individualistic approach to the moral responsibility of AT&T as an organization, each employee retains responsibility for his or her behavior and comportment. Efforts to change certain behaviors must focus on the individual employee. Ethical obligations extend to all stakeholders involved, and issues ranging from accounting problems, product manufacturing, promotion practices, and the hiring and firing of employees, among m any other, must be addressed through specific ethical business practices.

It must be remembered that there is a distinct difference between legal practices and ethical business practices, which must be taken into consideration in order to comprehend how ethical principals can address organizational issues. Transparency and honest in accounting constitute two examples of legal practices and policies while ethical practices designate various efforts made by the organization to meet the expectations of stakeholders through activities. Choice thus becomes critical in how an organization conducts itself within legal and ethical spheres. Legal business practices are engaged in because all companies retain an intrinsic legal stipulation to act or behavior in a particular manner. As such, companies, especially those within the field of customer service, often contract lawyers to assist in compliance with all industry or business-related laws and legal parameters. Ethical practices, on the other hand, on a technical level, provide businesses with more choice because not all laws promote, for example, environmental sustainability. Nonetheless, many organizations engage in environmentally-friendly practices such as recycling certain materials in order to meet customer and community expectations. The law thus fails to fully address all ethical problems and quandaries that organizations are confronted with. According to the AT&T Code of Ethics (2015), the company has a history of success because it has hitherto engaged in “honest business competition,” eschewing any efforts to gain an advantage over competing companies through unethical and/or illegal business practices. Furthermore, all company assets must be used efficiently and for legitimate business purposes.

References

AT&T. (2015). AT&T Inc. code of ethics. AT&T. Retrieved August 17, 2015 from http://www.att.com/gen/investor-relations?pid=5595

Ghosh, D. (2008). Corporate values, workplace decisions, and ethical standards of employees. Journal of Managerial Issues, 27(1), 68-87.

Lewis, C. (1991). The ethics challenge in public service: A problem-solving guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

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