Mgt 331 - Trends in Organizational Behavior

Trends in Organizational Behavior

University of Phoenix

MGT - 331

Paul Neal

11-16-05

Behavior Trends

        As with everything in the United States trends move the masses, and as concepts and styles of doing business change so do the companies that employ those changes. Ethics has become a hot topic recently with the corruption found in Enron and with many other organizations to include our own government. The relaxed stance on ethics in the past has become an issue for the workers of today. Before many turned a blind eye or made the excuse that is how business is done when ethical situations surfaced. No more can ethics be taken lightly and the trend has started to change the way we do business. Technology is another trend that has shaped the way we do business today. The fast pace change we have see shows no sign of slowing down in the future. Because we have gone so far in such a short period of time it is expected to see stress related to these technology changes. Observing the impact of these stresses will help us determine the best way to deal with what we discover.

        Ethics is a very hot topic today and it influences the decision we make on a consistent basis. Because of what we have seen in the past and the effects it has had on today’s business we are making changes to better equipped our companies on how to deal with and identify ethical situations. When making a decision one must consider the source of their actions and how it effects thing around them. Simply accepting things the way they are is no longer acceptable, we must now evaluate the situation and ensure all ethical aspects are considered before acting. This has influenced the way make decisions and it for the better. The acceptance of gifts from other companies or vendors is a situation that occurs on a regular basis. Though it is widely accepted as the way we do business it borders the line of an ethical situation. From picking up the check at dinner or at a club to receiving free product for allowing a vendor into a company can all be considered unethical but it is widely practiced. This gray area is where the decision needs to be weighed heavily. If the gifts persuade you to make a decision one way or another then it is defiantly unethical the decision should be made on the strength of the product or service being offered. In many cases this does not happen and the company with the most money and the better gifts wins the contract. So may organizations are implementing training to better educate the employees on what is acceptable and what is not acceptable it the ethical arena. These decisions can affect the company greatly if the wrong decision is made. Enron is an example of what happens when greed over takes ethics and individuals make the wrong decisions. The repercussions to this situation have affected the entire company not just those who were involved. Though this is the extreme case it shows what not to do.