Reader Response #2 

Webster defines ethics as the study of standards of conduct and moral judgment. Morals and values are things that I have been taught since childhood. From the time I was old enough to have memories my parents placed a high value on teaching me right from wrong. I was taught these values not only in my home, but they were reinforced by the religious teachings I was taught in my local church. My parents’ values which they passed down to me are based on Biblical principles which they learned from their parents.

My moral foundation is and will continue to be the basis for my ethical principles as I complete my college education and move into the work force. As we have recently discussed in class, ethical verbal and written communication will be important as I begin searching for my first job. My moral foundation has given me a clear understanding of what is right and wrong. My personal code of ethics will not allow for any “gray areas” as I prepare resumes and cover letters. It seems the lines of ethical and unethical behavior have been blurred when it comes to embellishing ones education, qualifications and even prior work experience. All too often we read or hear of professors, executives or government officials who have been fired for lying on a resume or job application. Because of the competitive nature of business, people are tempted to embellish or outright lie to make their resumes more impressive.   How many times have we heard our elementary school teachers say “keep your eyes on your own paper.” The temptation to cheat begins early for school children. It may seem innocent enough in elementary school, but once an unethical pattern of behavior starts, it’s like a snowball going downhill. The more one cheats the easier it gets until it becomes the standard for one’s behavior.  As a college student, it is easy to be sucked in to unethical behavior and practices. There are entire web businesses devoted to unethical behavior. They make their profits off of students with no moral compass when it comes to their education. I have observed many students who have been tempted to use websites to purchase essays or research papers. Many of these web-based businesses “guarantee” the cheater will not be found guilty of plagiarism. This type of behavior is sure to translate itself when the person becomes an employee. Someone who practices unethical behavior consistently will rationalize this behavior as acceptable. These types of people make terrible employees and we have seen examples where they have actually destroyed companies, i.e. Enron. It seems pretty simple to me. A person with a high moral standard will not be enticed to lie or cheat by embellishment or lying when communicating either in writing or verbally. The lines of ethical and unethical behavior are clearly marked in my mind. It will serve all of us well to remember the teaching of our youth that honesty is the best policy.