22.11.2021

Business ethics and the levels of its application. Etiquette and rules of conduct for a business person. Implementation of the principles of business ethics in etiquette. The most common mistakes made by domestic businessmen


The concept and principles of business ethics

Business ethics is a set of informal (not legally established) rules that firms adhere to in their activities. It may include honesty in dealing with employees, customers, suppliers and competitors, and also cover issues that relate to the impact of the organization's activities on the environment, human health and wildlife.

The ethics of human relationships is divided into universal and professional and is based on morality and morality.

Business ethics is a set of ethical principles and norms that should guide the activities of organizations and their members.

Any professional relationship must comply with professional and ethical standards, not contradict them.

Professor E.A. Utkin highlights the basic requirements of business ethics:

  • 1. Politeness and correctness.
  • 2. Modesty.
  • 3. Tact and delicacy.
  • 4. Punctuality and commitment.

Botavina R.N. determines the importance of moral values ​​as ethical ideas, as well as norms and standards introduced from the outside: the organization's internal regulations, the company's code of ethics, oral instructions from management, the professional code of ethics.

Miroshnichenko A.A. business ethics is divided into respect for the person and respect for traditions and foundations.

Etiquette and rules of conduct for a business person. Implementation of the principles of business ethics in etiquette

Etiquette (from the French etiquette) denotes the established order of behavior somewhere.

It is very important to observe business etiquette and behave culturally, this is especially important when you work with foreign firms and companies. As practice shows, many so-called "new Russians" have a very poor choice of clothes and expensive jewelry, and their behavior leaves much to be desired. Not infrequently, after the very first business meeting, foreign colleagues stop any connection with such people. And in order to avoid such situations, you need to know the rules of good taste.

Even in the old days, Peter the Great punished anyone who did not behave according to the rules of etiquette. Perhaps sometimes it would be good to punish Russian businessmen who defame the name of their company and fatherland in the face of foreign colleagues.

It turns out that knowledge of business etiquette and cultural behavior is the basis of entrepreneurial success.

In the course of history, generally accepted and generally recognizable rules of etiquette developed, which began to attribute norms of behavior at a party, at work, on the street, business meetings and diplomatic receptions.

The rules of etiquette have two sides: moral and ethical and aesthetic. The first - expresses moral standards, care, respect, protection. And the second - the beauty and elegance of forms of behavior.

Also, in addition to the rules of cultural behavior, there is also professional etiquette. There are relationships in life that make it possible to achieve the highest efficiency in the performance of professional functions. As an example, a new employee of the company will be required to fully comply with the already established and well-established rules of business communication, because they will facilitate the performance of his professional functions and help achieve his goals. Certain traditions develop in the work team, which gain strength over time and already constitute the etiquette of this group.

Business etiquette is defined as a set of rules of conduct in business, which represents the outside of business communication.

It is impossible to imagine a culture of behavior in business communication without observing the rules of speech etiquette, that is, the style of speech adopted in communication with business people. There are historically developed types of verbal communication. Previously, they were used by Russian merchants, entrepreneurs, and today they are used in a cultural society. These are the words: “ladies”, “gentlemen”, “sirs” and “madames”, “dear colleagues”.

In a business conversation, you need to be able to answer any question posed. Even something as simple as “how are you?”. After all, it would be impolite not to answer the question, to answer indistinctly “normal” and to leave is also not polite and even rude, but you should not indulge in long discussions about how you are doing, so you can be considered a bore. In such situations, business etiquette requires you to answer “Thank you, it’s fine” or “Thank you, everything is fine,” and then ask the interlocutor how things are going with him. Such responses are neutral and quite soothing.

There is an interesting psychological technique in verbal communication, the “stroking formula”. These are such verbal turns, such as, for example, "good luck to you" or "I wish you success."

The etiquette and tact of a business person should be manifested at every step, for example, during a fleeting conversation with a subordinate, a colleague. It happens that they sometimes turn to "you", which is a gross disregard for a subordinate.

Etiquette requires that speech norms be strictly observed, both in interpersonal communication and during a business conversation. When you are talking to people (or one person), the conversation should go so that no one bothers you. Anything but an emergency can wait.

Business etiquette requires mandatory compliance with the rules of conduct of the country - a business partner. Communication of people is connected with the way and style of life, and also relies on national customs and traditions. This is the result of the centuries-old experience of previous generations of this or that people. Whatever these traditions and rules are, they must be followed if, of course, you want to succeed.

There are several examples of the characteristics of businessmen in different countries. Americans emphasize their disposition of a person with a friendly pat on the shoulder and will gladly accept the same gesture from you, doing so to some Japanese, Chinese or Vietnamese, then the deal will most likely fail. And with the Italians, you should not show dislike for their loud and too lively speech.

And when communicating with the Japanese, one should not be surprised by their very polite turns of speech. This style of conversation does not interfere, but helps the Japanese to conduct their business. You will hardly find another business partner who has calculated in advance all the possible and impossible options for the upcoming transaction and has set a bunch of financial and legal traps for you.

It is especially important to follow certain rules regarding your appearance. A suit from the latest collection is far from obligatory. The main thing is that it should be in good condition, not hanging on you, and the trousers should not resemble an old accordion. The costume must be appropriate for the place and time. For example, if the negotiations are during the day, then of course a light suit will do. It is worth noting that your shirt, tie and boots define your elegance.

When you go to negotiations abroad, it will be enough to have two suits, a decent jacket and a sweater for evening walks.

Be sure to remember that in a business relationship there are no trifles. Etiquette plays a very important role in business. Appearance and behavior are the hallmark of a business person. Remember, the idea of ​​the guest begins to be collected long before the personal meeting. The sources of information are the behavior of a person on the road, in a hotel, and then already at a personal meeting.

When you follow the rules of behavior with strangers, this shows your respectability, good breeding, self-confidence and self-confidence.

  • 1. Thus, we see that business communications are based on the principles of business ethics. And business ethics acts as a regulator that helps to conduct business communication with the least loss for the parties.
  • 2. In all types of business communications, ethical principles are distinguished, there are those that are common to all, and there are those that are characteristic of a particular type of business communication.
  • 3. The process of identifying the key principles of business ethics is not easy, since different scientists have their own approach to defining ethics and its principles. To study the ethics of certain types of business communications, it is necessary to highlight exactly those principles that have the greatest impact.
  • 4. The main ethical principles for all types of business communications that are highlighted in this work are: courtesy, correctness, tact, delicacy, modesty, restraint, punctuality, commitment, openness, humanity, honesty, the supremacy of such values ​​as: human rights and freedom, morality, treatment on the principle of "equal with equal", the ability to listen.

Each person in the course of his professional activities always has to communicate with his colleagues, bosses, subordinates, clients, contractors and other people. In addition, we often have to deal with business meetings, negotiations or conferences. Moreover, our professional career will largely depend on how correctly we build communication.

Therefore, it's time to understand what business ethics is. After all, even employees in leadership positions must communicate correctly with subordinates in order to earn their respect and gain authority. It is also important to behave correctly with superiors in order to achieve success in professional activities and confidently step up the career ladder.

The main types of business communication

In order to understand what business ethics is, it is necessary to analyze the main types of business communication. There are three of them:

  • "From top to bottom" (boss and subordinate).
  • "From the bottom up" (Slave and boss).
  • "Horizontal" (colleague with colleague).

But remember an important rule. Whatever position you hold, business ethics, first of all, implies respect for any employee. If you are a boss, then respect your subordinates, if you are a subordinate, treat your boss and colleagues with respect. This rule should also apply to employees of other firms with which you cooperate.

Do not forget that the business ethics of communication must be present in communication by telephone. Answer calls in a friendly manner. Be sure to introduce yourself, answer all the questions that interest your interlocutor, correctly and competently. Then the affairs of your company, and with them your career, will go up.

Communication between superiors and subordinates

What business ethics and business etiquette are necessary in this case? The chief or director is the person who directs the activities of the company. There are several forms of leadership: order, request, question. Regardless of which form you use, the main thing in leadership is a fair and loyal attitude towards all your subordinates. For good work - a reward, for a miss - an adequate punishment. Just don't overdo it! Do not get yourself favorites if you do not want to witness various intrigues and sidelong glances.

Communication between subordinate and superior

The business ethics of an employee or worker in relation to his boss also has its own nuances. Main principle here lies in the so-called reasonable submission. Do not try to manage your boss, and refrain from constant disputes with management. Of course, you can express your opinion and your point of view, but in a very correct form. Business ethics and business etiquette must be observed by absolutely all subordinates. Then you will earn the respect of your manager and, perhaps, a good promotion will await you in the near future. And remember: never lie! Lying is the highest form of disrespect and negligence.

Communication between colleagues

Ethics and etiquette of business communication must be observed by employees in communication with each other. The main principle of such interaction is respect. Remember that everyone is minding their own business, and any work is worthy of respect. Do not argue, it is better to express your opinion in the correct form. This will only benefit you: save your nerves and earn the respect of your colleagues.

During meetings, conferences, and presentations, do not interrupt speakers. Let them express their point of view, and then express yours.

The right goal is the way to success

In order for this or that activity to be successful, it is necessary to set a goal that must be achieved at the finish line. It is very good if the team has a model of business communication, then each employee will understand what he is going to. Thus, many disputes and quarrels can be avoided, and the work of the team will become productive and well-coordinated. The result will exceed all your expectations. Everyone wants to know what he will get at the finish line, and the goal is the most direct way to success!

Principles of business communication ethics

Business ethics, the principles of which were very competently formulated by the American sociologist L. Hosmer, are the basis of any interaction in a team. Let's take a look at what points it implies:

If a person knows how to behave at work, at negotiations, business meetings, conferences and presentations, he will definitely succeed. But do not forget that you are a person. Your main weapon in your professional activity is your individuality. It is no secret that there are a lot of employees in companies, but there are always not enough self-sufficient individuals. So why not fill this niche?

Ethics and etiquette of business communication have their own special principles that any self-respecting person should know:

  • Honesty and decency.
  • Responsibility and collegiality.
  • Reliability.
  • Professionalism and competence.
  • Justice.
  • Respect for yourself and colleagues.
  • Conflict-free.
  • Personal opinion.

Finally

A person spends most of his life at work, so it is extremely important to create a healthy atmosphere there. Employees should be aware of what business ethics of communication will be appropriate within the workforce. After all, only these simple principles and rules are designed to regulate relations between people. Ethical standards have a significant impact on the efficiency of the entire labor process.

Each person can cultivate these qualities in himself and apply them in life situations. The main thing is perseverance and diligence. Do not be afraid of work, perform tasks with pleasure and respect the norms of business etiquette. There is a basic rule that business ethics implies: the topics of conversations should be neutral, and in no case should you lie. Be honest with others, and most importantly, with yourself.

Employees, regardless of their position, should not be afraid to take the initiative, express their opinion and their point of view. These are the kind of people every manager needs. Be strong and self-confident, show your full potential, do quality work and amaze everyone with your activity and perseverance. After all, only such people achieve success and can boldly declare themselves to the whole world. Remember that you need to go to the goal on your own. Therefore, do not use other people in your interests, do not assert yourself at their expense, do not humiliate them, but respect others and yourself.

As has been noted more than once, trade is the basis of almost any business. Goods and services must be sold, otherwise the whole point of their creation is lost. But the customer only buys a product when the manager is able to convince him that he is facing a truly worthy person offering a worthwhile deal. It is in this case that the client is imbued with trust in the seller.

Today, in the field of sales, great attention is paid to the personality of the manager, the personality of the client and their relationship. Knowledge of psychology contributes to constructive communication. Any professional seller should understand their features, ways to resolve conflict situations, and much more.

In this lesson, which concludes this course, we will talk about business communication and professional etiquette. Below, we'll cover the psychology of communication, perceptual effects, bargaining and asking the right questions, sales conflicts, and the art of saying no. All this knowledge will be useful to you in your work, because. help to better understand the intricacies of sales and the nuances of communication between the seller and the buyer. And we will start with a short story about what determines the image of a manager.

What affects the image of a manager

A person can have a real impact on the people around him, and this depends not only on how strong or smart he is, but also on how attractive he is and what impression he makes. And here it is worth talking, mainly, about the image.

The concept of "image" means image, and in achieving success, creating a positive image is of great importance. This includes a thoughtful appearance, and skills, and knowledge, and the "internal content" of the individual.

Appearance is extremely important for a manager, because this is the first thing a client encounters when meeting with him, and the folk wisdom “meet by clothes” is just right here. The appearance of a person is similar to the packaging of goods, and therefore it is imperative to take care of your appearance. In fact, it can be called a hidden compliment to other people. It has been scientifically proven that when people see that others are trying for them and trying to impress, it is perceived as a compliment. As a result, positive emotions are transferred to the person who caused them, making him more attractive.

A successful sales manager should be dressed in clean and pressed clothes and shoes polished, cut, shaved, etc. It is equally important to follow fashion and, if possible, try to match it, but excessive extravagance is not welcome.

Here is what can play against the manager in his appearance:

  • Old-fashioned clothes (conservative image)
  • Flashy colors in clothes (may be distracting and annoying)
  • Tasteless jewelry, massive bracelets and buckles (this also includes an abundance of jewelry)
  • Unfortunate combination of stripes and cells in clothes (the image of a clown)
  • Combination of black tie and black jacket (funeral look)
  • Glasses with smoky lenses (hide eyes, interfere with communication)

But an impression on a person can be made both by appearance and speech. The use of terminology incomprehensible to the interlocutor in business conversations is most often perceived by him as a way for the seller to “be clever”, to show his psychological advantage. Such manifestations of superiority usually cause rejection, resistance and a feeling of internal protest. And respect is more often caused by people who are able to tell in simple terms even about the most complex things.

From all this, we can conclude that business etiquette involves two main things at the initial stage: a presentable, neat and well-groomed appearance and understandable and intelligible speech, not replete with specific concepts and other manifestations of deep knowledge in some area.

In addition to this, not the last place in the formation of the manager's image is occupied by special psychological effects. You can get acquainted with the most common ones by, and we will only talk about the most relevant for the sales sector.

Psychological effects

Ignorance of the psychological effects of perception presented below can cause many mistakes and failures, but knowledge, on the contrary, allows you to achieve success and avoid a lot of professional mistakes.

So, take note of the following psychological effects:

  • projection effect. People tend to attribute advantages to pleasant interlocutors, and disadvantages to unpleasant interlocutors. If you are pleasant in communication, then in everything else you will be presented as positive. The same thing happens with disadvantages, only in reverse.
  • halo effect. People who have achieved significant success in one area will be considered very capable in other areas. But it has been scientifically proven that this opinion is often wrong. It's all the fault of individual impressions created by short-term results - they form the so-called halo. This halo may work in the short term, but it does not work for everyone and not always in the same way.
  • order effect. This effect comes in two types. According to the first, when conflicting information comes in that is difficult to verify, people are more likely to trust the one they learned first. And according to the second, when consistent information arrives, people will trust the one that came last, and it will be perceived as clarifying.
  • Loser effect. A person who fails in one area, people tend to consider capable of less in other areas. Here comes into force the depressing effect of defeat, projected on all the qualities of a person.

These and other effects have shown themselves in business more than once. We recommend that you be very careful about what you tell about yourself to others. It is not in vain that business people willingly share their successes with others and keep silent about failures. You should always keep this in mind both in dealing with customers and in dealing with senior management.

Along with the fact that you have already learned about the factors that affect the image of a manager, and the psychological effects that affect his perception by clients, it is very useful to gain at least a basic knowledge of non-verbal means of communication, and in particular about. Facial expressions, intonations, postures and gestures are an integral part of any communication, including business. The non-verbal components of communication are very important in the first minutes of meeting new people, and if you learn, firstly, to catch these signals, and secondly, to consciously submit them yourself, your results in both professional and personal spheres will increase significantly.

In general, do not be lazy and take some time to study our material on the topic of non-verbal means of communication (it is located), and we will continue the lesson by talking about working with conflicts in sales.

Resolution of professional conflicts

An ordinary sales manager, a head of the sales department, and in general any person who strives for constructive communication with other people should be able to work with conflicts. You can learn all the details and details about conflict resolution from ours, so we will not go into all the details, but point out the main points of this topic that need to be considered.

Conflict is the interaction of two or more people who have incompatible goals or ways to achieve them. Conflicts between managers and clients can arise for several reasons:

  • personal reasons. These include, mainly, the attribution by the manager to the client of a position directed against his own personality.
  • production reasons. This refers to such things as long customer service time, a small range of services, inconvenient working hours of outlets, lack of spare parts, components and other materials, etc.

Note that conflicts are unilateral (on the part of one person) and bilateral (on both sides), as well as true (occur when the interests of the parties are mutually infringed) and false (occur due to misunderstandings and mutual mistakes).

The development of conflicts can occur in two scenarios:

  • Relatively slow pace. The parties to the conflict, as it were, make alternate moves - one in response to the other.
  • Fast paced. The parties to the conflict act straightforwardly and swiftly. The confrontation is rapidly gaining momentum. People often forget about the root cause and become uncontrollable; may turn to mutual insults.

Conflicts can have several options for ending:

  • The conflict ends completely (one side wins).
  • The conflict is resolved partially (the parties reach a compromise).
  • The conflict returns to its original state (for some reason, the parties take a “pause”, but at the first opportunity the conflict resumes).

Business etiquette implies the mandatory settlement of all emerging conflicts, and it is best to stop them at an early stage. To do this, it is necessary to eliminate psychological barriers with clients in order to achieve mutual understanding. When resolving a conflict situation, the manager must be flexible in behavior and take into account the current psychological state of the buyer.

Almost always a person during a conflict is emotionally aroused, which is why he perceives the situation one-sidedly. Even people who are restrained in behavior in this state can allow themselves unworthy acts, aggressive attacks, etc. People stop noticing something positive, for example, in the service, because. confident in their rightness and unfair treatment of them.

In a conversation with an emotionally excited client, the manager must exercise restraint and tact, otherwise the situation may worsen. Competent behavior is expressed in the absence of arrogance and retaliatory attacks. Tell the client that he does not understand something or does not know that he is wrong, etc. completely unacceptable. It is best to use words and phrases that do not degrade other people's dignity, do not demonstrate their own superiority.

The choice of a way to resolve the conflict is due to the professionalism of the manager and his demands on himself. The seller is obliged to stop the growth of the destructive situation, to pay it off at the initial stage. It is not allowed to enter into an altercation with the client. If the manager does not have enough weighty arguments, this should be compensated and tone. Words should always be soft, and facts and arguments should be firm and as exhaustive as possible.

To resolve the conflict, the sales manager or the head of the sales department can apply special methods. Let's consider a few of them.

Operational suppression of the conflict

The client has every right to express dissatisfaction, but only until such time as his behavior does not contradict social norms and rules of public order, until he begins to violate the stable work of the staff. If it comes to this, you should stop the conflict quickly, but to apply this method, employees must be extremely organized and have restraint.

In practice, most attempts to call the client to order with his voice or shout over him only further inflame the situation and increase tension. You need to act calmly, but decisively and firmly. The manager must be able to justify his actions precisely by means of established instructions and prescriptions, but not by his own considerations.

If even a fully reasoned impact does not calm the indignant client, you should try to attract eyewitnesses to your side or contact law enforcement officers.

Applying a kill phrase

Every sales manager who contacts customers should have at least one neutralizing phrase in their arsenal of tricks. Such a phrase should speak of the absence of reasons for conflict at all. It allows you to prevent a flaring up conflict, in which it will be difficult to come up with something and find the right words. Conflict situations constrain the thinking of a person and bring him out of a state of rest. The neutralizing phrase will simply prevent this from happening. Examples of such phrases: “There is absolutely no problem here”, “Look, all this is easily solved”, “Let's figure it out”, etc.

Letting go of the situation

By letting go of the situation, the manager promotes the free development of the conflict. The client speaks out completely, and the seller calmly listens to any comments, even the most unfair ones.

The buyer should not be interrupted, no matter what: the essence of the claims is clear, there is little time, a bad mood, etc. The most effective is to listen to the client for several minutes without saying anything.

The client, having noticed such an attentive, unflappable and interested attitude towards his person, is likely to smoothly return to normal. Then it's time to get in touch and build relationships. If, on the contrary, by all means to prove your position to the brawler, you will only cause the buyer to increase the negative, which will aggravate the situation.

Conversing with a raging client, using this method, may well be like driving on a one-way street. A sales manager or head of sales is just a listener, asking clarifying questions from time to time. By the way, such questions are needed to switch the client's attention to particulars and reduce his emotional stress.

It should also be remembered that no outsider should interfere in the process of such interaction, because. it is dangerous with further complications.

Self-control and calmness

Now, summing up the lesson, we can conclude that the manager and head of the sales department is not only obliged to be able to identify the essence of problems, quickly solve them and separate the main and the secondary, but must understand the intricacies of business etiquette, skillfully use psychological knowledge and skills and form a positive self-image. Together, this opens up the broadest professional horizons and allows you to achieve unprecedented success in your chosen field.

To conclude the course, we invite you to digress a little and get acquainted with short descriptions of very interesting and useful books on sales, as well as watch entertaining and educational videos about sales. Surely you will find something for yourself that you will not fail to use in practice.

Test your knowledge

If you want to test your knowledge on the topic of this lesson, you can take a short test consisting of several questions. Only 1 option can be correct for each question. After you select one of the options, the system automatically moves on to the next question. The points you receive are affected by the correctness of your answers and the time spent on passing. Please note that the questions are different each time, and the options are shuffled.

Business circles have their own specifics of communication, which helps the parties to communicate successfully, work productively and achieve their goals. In this article, we will talk about what business ethics is and how to use it in practice.

Peculiarities

It is worth noting that business ethics is not a set of legal rules established at the legislative level. Usually it is guided in entrepreneurial work behind the scenes.

Consider its features:

  • First - honesty. This metric should apply to all colleagues, clients, and even competing firms. It is the moral and moral qualities that are the main activity of the company. In order for a business to be profitable, it is necessary to conduct negotiations correctly, competently manage and resolve conflicts.
  • National and cultural traditions worth exploring in advance. This way you can show respect and win the sympathy of foreign colleagues with whom you are building a business.
  • Correct Behavior will help to create a positive image of the company and the leader. Team management will also be successful. Thanks to a favorable reputation, the level of confidence of buyers and investors will increase.


What it is?

Business ethics are codes of conduct, rules and principles that help regulate behavior at work. These are the foundations by which goals are achieved. When the parties recognize and apply these rules, it is easier for business partners to find ways to cooperate and conduct successful joint activities.

The definition of the rules of business ethics also characterizes the relationship between different sides in the business field. Knowing the main norms and rules, you can correctly stay in critical situations and conditions of communication, predict the behavior of your colleagues. Interestingly, the term "business ethics" itself is close in meaning to the word "order". Of course, it's about doing business. Different areas of research on this topic agree that business ethics is based on work as a moral value that helps to emphasize human dignity.

Thus, the essence of the term lies in the fact that entrepreneurs rely on certain elements - norms of behavior in order to achieve their goals, to realize important tasks.



Main differences from etiquette

Etiquette is the rules of human behavior in a particular social environment. Business etiquette also includes various conditions for greeting, correspondence, and negotiations. Observing it, you can level out possible mistakes, form the image of a reliable person. Every entrepreneur must understand that etiquette and its observance will allow him to open new horizons.

As for business ethics, its purpose and structure are similar. Wherein business ethics involves a set of certain rules that are customary to adhere to in business circles. This also includes categories such as the style of doing work, relationships with partners, the appearance of the employee, the basics of document management.

These standards will be an excellent basis for actively and efficiently running your business.



The main principles include commitment, responsibility, honesty. Of course, the conduct of any business will be based on constant contacts, negotiations, and the implementation of important transactions. Therefore, entrepreneurs should be able to build relationships, show themselves correctly in any circumstances, improve good manners when communicating.


Kinds

The types of business communication include several impressive groups:

  • The first one should include oral methods. They are divided into monologic and dialogic. The first ones include a greeting, a sales speech, informational speeches, a report. Dialogic include business conversation, conversation, negotiations, interviews, discussions, meetings, press conferences. Such methods of business communication allow you to establish a verbal relationship with a person.



  • Another group- written. The characteristic of such remote interaction also helps to establish contacts, but without direct "live" communication. Here you can mark official documents: business letter, instruction, statement. All of them will be different in content. For example, a document can be material (includes the exchange of objects, results of activities), cognitive (when knowledge is exchanged), motivational (here interests are exchanged), activity (skills act as a means of exchange).

To conduct correspondence, it is necessary to strictly observe the basics of business communication.


Code

Code (from Latin codex) is a set of rules. This is a single systematized normative act that regulates a certain area of ​​social relations. It is the code of business ethics that ensures the effective assistance of the company's employees, their responsibility and other important issues. It is developed on the basis of public standards of business ethics, as well as Russian and foreign documents that define the best corporate governance practices. This is the Code of Corporate Conduct.

It is thanks to him that the main values ​​\u200b\u200bof each company are determined:

  • Effective work. The company is always responsible to its co-workers and other participants in the work process. Every company wants to increase its profits, to be efficient. This will be the main value.
  • Another value is employees. Those tasks will be successfully achieved, the solution of which is aimed at coordinated work. Therefore, it is in the interests of the company to reveal the talents of its employees and their abilities.
  • Responsible attitude. Each firm must be aware of its social responsibility. This means that the company is conscientious and honest in the processes of the market economy.


  • Partnership. For the successful functioning of the company, it is necessary to win and strengthen business partnerships. Only then can significant results be achieved when there is long-term mutually beneficial cooperation. At the same time, both parties must respect each other. The company must create motivation for its employees in order to achieve the set plans and the desired goals.
  • indicators of morality. It is important not only to comply with all laws, but also to lead your company to profit using simple "human" foundations. These include honesty, justice, decency.

We see that with the help of the code, it is possible to effectively compose the corporate values ​​of each company.


Functions

Business ethics will function on the basis of a specific profession, its focus. The main function is to contribute to the effective implementation of tasks. Business ethics is a kind of intermediary. It incorporates the interests of society and professional groups of the population, as well as separately for each individual.

Summing up, we can say that business ethics connects the moral and ethical components in the field of work.


Rules

It is necessary to observe the main rules for conducting successful activities. This applies to acquaintances, greetings, meetings, meetings. Any interaction with working partners, colleagues or investors should always be rational.

Keep a low profile. Emotions that are not controlled will have an adverse effect on making correct and informed decisions.

It is also important to show understanding to business partners. A careful attitude will help to develop mutually acceptable solutions.

An important rule is the provision of reliable information. False data will influence the situation not in your favor. You should also not teach your partners. It is better to try to negotiate with the other side and understand their actions and desires.



Principles

There are the following moral principles of business ethics I am:

  • All actions need to be done on time. Punctuality- an important feature of the success of enterprising people. Any delay will have a bad effect on the work. They will also talk about the fact that this person is unreliable. In order to keep up with everything, experts advise adding 25% to the period that you think is needed to carry out important work.
  • Confidentiality. It is worth remembering that all the secrets of the institution should be kept as well as personal secrets. Do not retell any information you hear from a colleague, supervisor, or subordinate.
  • Friendly environment, friendly workers. Always be polite at work. In this case, you do not need to make friends with everyone, but you should always show goodwill. This will help you in your work and career growth.


  • Attentive attitude. Respect for the opinions of others is the foundation. Try to understand why something happened. You should also listen to criticism, an important advice from workers. At the same time, you should not lose confidence in yourself.
  • Appearance. Clothing is also important. You should skillfully enter the environment, adopt a similar style. You need to look neat and stylish.
  • Literacy. Whatever the situation, you need to speak and write correctly. This applies to both negotiations and correspondence. It is unacceptable to use abusive phrases, including if you cite the phrase of another person as an example.


Norms

There are multiple norms of ethical behavior for the leader, colleagues of each organization. Their manifestation mainly consists of knowledge, and also depends on the desire of everyone to work fruitfully and efficiently. There are also special rules that will help prevent conflicts. These include:

  • When disagreements arise, non-contact forms should be used. This will help the emotions subside a little and already make decisions more carefully.
  • Entrust negotiating disputes only to those employees who hold high positions in the company, and also have all the necessary powers.
  • It is better to involve a qualified specialist at the first stage of the conflict. This will help prevent possible deterioration of the situation, material and moral losses.
  • It is necessary to use even small chances to achieve a truce.
  • If it was not possible to resolve the controversial issue, then the dispute is further considered in the pre-trial or judicial procedure.

Such norms define expectations, effective behavior, which is approved by the enterprise or society. Of course, the most civilized business will be only honest business, which is built on moral and ethical values.



Relationship culture

In business, it is important to observe the culture of communication. If you speak the language of the client, you will be able to conclude the most profitable contracts. Corporate ethics, the ability to listen, as well as knowledge of the traditions of your partners will help to form a positive image of the company and conclude mutually beneficial deals.

So, for example, Russia has its own peculiarities of business communication, in contrast to Japan and Vietnam. Modern national ethics has undergone development with the improvement of traditional society.

The roots of business ethics go back to the past, when relationships were just beginning to emerge between people. In medieval Europe, the basis of such business relationships was the desire for profit. Now at the enterprise or in the company this principle is also present. Also important are the moral qualities of employees. All this allows you to establish strong contacts with the right partners.


Solving conflict situations in a team

Every team is made up of different people men and women, leaders and subordinates. Sooner or later there will be a clash of interests - conflict situations. Further fruitful work will depend on how the company as a whole overcomes them. It is worth noting that conflict is the interaction of several people with different goals and interests. Conflicts arise from different reasons. For example, personal motives. These usually include a mismatch of positions in relation to one's own personality. There are also production reasons that are associated with the work process.

Also conflicts can be one-sided, two-sided, and also false(occur due to misunderstandings and mistakes). It is worth noting that all conflicts have a different pace of development. It can be somewhat slow paced or fast and fast paced. As a result of the conflict, one side can win. You can also reach a compromise or return to the previous state.

Business etiquette is designed to resolve such situations, ideally to stop them at the first manifestations of discontent. In this case, it is worth removing the psychological barrier with colleagues in order to achieve understanding. The person who resolves the conflict must be flexible, assess the emotional state of the parties.

Choosing a way to resolve the conflict, the manager focuses on his professionalism and on a specific situation. It can be done quickly. For example, when a person shows only his displeasure. It is better to immediately stop such a conflict, until the stable work of the team is disturbed. At the same time, the employee needs to have restraint and be organized. You can not conduct a conversation in raised tones. This will further aggravate the situation.

Another effective way can be to use a neutralizing phrase. Every manager should have a couple of these tricks in his stock. You can also use another method. If you allow the client to speak out, and the seller, for example, to calmly listen to all the comments, then the conflict situation will be settled. Maintaining calmness and self-control is at the heart of business ethics. It pays to be more patient.

You will learn more about business etiquette and the culture of communication with colleagues from the following video.

Every entrepreneur should understand that in the modern civilized world not only professionalism is of great importance, but also the ability to comply with the principles of business ethics. The way a person adheres to these rules reflects the degree of seriousness of the approach to business. Therefore, most experienced businessmen pay special attention to this aspect of behavior.

One of the important components of success is a clear regulation of professional communication. In the process of building relationships with potential business partners, it is necessary to adhere to generally accepted ethical standards, which are a system of certain rules that take into account cultural and national traditions. The outcome of negotiations, and, consequently, the commercial success of the enterprise, largely depends on how competently the code of business ethics is observed.

Universal norms allow not only to place important accents correctly, but also to analyze and even model the behavior of other participants in the process. The ethics of business communication makes it possible to build your own line of conduct that contributes to the normalization of complex relationships with partners. Indeed, in the professional sphere it is very important not to allow yourself to be drawn into any conflict situations.

In the process of communicating with business partners, it is not enough to show courtesy and goodwill. For successful negotiation, you need to follow the generally accepted rules. The most important categories on which business ethics is built include many moral and ethical standards. Depending on their interpretation, they can significantly facilitate or, on the contrary, complicate professional communication. A civilized society based on market relations has already had the opportunity to be convinced of the effectiveness of doing business built on a moral basis. Business and professional ethics contribute to the development of fruitful cooperation, strengthening partnerships and coordination of interests.

The first and most basic rule on which business ethics is built is never to be late for anything. The day of any business person is scheduled literally by the minute, so being late for a business meeting can be regarded as a sign of disrespect for partners. Non-punctuality is considered one of the most important indicators of a person's unreliability. A true professional knows how to value not only his own time, but also the time of his business partners.

The commercial success of any enterprise is based on the extent to which employees are able to keep production secrets. Business ethics obliges the personnel to show restraint in everything that is somehow connected with technological and personnel issues. In addition, conversations about the personal lives of employees are unacceptable. Such stories can be perceived as a sign of bad taste. An important role in success is given to the ability to listen and understand your opponents. Entrepreneurs who build their own businesses in an ethical manner achieve success much faster.

The rules of business ethics require the demonstration of a high degree of professionalism. This is usually expressed in the presentation of specific requirements for the behavior and style of clothing of employees. In official institutions, a strict and restrained appearance is welcomed. Such solid organizations employ people who have a sense of their own dignity. For any reputable enterprise, it is important that the staff observe the generally accepted standards of business ethics, so it is impossible to meet here too noisy and uninhibited people. Full-time employees are required to demonstrate composure and the ability to control their emotions. The behavior and style of clothing of employees can tell a lot about the company itself. These characteristics allow you to make an almost unmistakable opinion about intellectual and professional qualities.

Any leader should strive to turn the company entrusted to him into a cohesive team that adheres to high moral standards of communication. It is important for a good boss that his subordinates not only observe ethical standards, but also do not feel the slightest discomfort in communication.

If there are difficulties associated with dishonesty, the manager must find out the reasons. It is important to be able to find the strengths of any employee, and not endlessly reproach him for a mistake.

According to the norms of professional ethics, any criticism should have a constructive background. In business communication, the transition to personalities is unacceptable. Comments made to employees must comply with ethical standards. It is imperative to collect complete information on each specific case and choose the optimal form of communication, and only after that you can ask the employee to give an explanation of the reasons for not completing the task. You can not give the staff a reason to doubt that the management is in full control of the situation. The team must be encouraged even when the goal was achieved with the active intervention of the authorities. According to the norms of business ethics, it is extremely important to be able to admit your own mistakes in work.

In the business sphere, an aggressive and defiant demeanor is absolutely unacceptable. Entrepreneurs often begin to brag about their own achievements and unreasonably flaunt a huge amount of luxury items. In all civilized states, such an approach is considered a sign of bad taste, indicating excessive pretentiousness and disrespect for the interests of business partners.

Western entrepreneurs are very attentive to everything that their interlocutor says. Therefore, business ethics absolutely does not allow lengthy discussions and conversations on abstract topics. Any conclusions and comments must be subject to detailed analysis, so all stories about limitless possibilities can become a reason for distrustful and wary attitude on the part of foreign colleagues.

Most domestic entrepreneurs often sin with vague statements that are incomprehensible to most foreign colleagues. At the heart of any business is the solution of specific tasks that allow you to achieve certain goals. The result of any business negotiations should be the clarification of important issues.

Business Ethics

Ethics in a broad sense is understood as a system of universal and specific moral requirements and norms of behavior implemented in the process of social life. Accordingly, the ethics of business relations singles out one of the spheres of public life.

Ethics of business relations has recently received more and more attention. Employers pay more and more attention to the issues of ethics of business and personal relationships in the selection of personnel and their hiring, as well as in the process of direct performance by employees of their professional role. Compliance with the ethics of business relations is one of the main criteria for assessing professionalism as an individual employee, the organization as a whole.

Ethics includes a system of specific areas, moral requirements and norms, behavior, i.e. the ethics of business relations is based on the general rules of conduct developed by people in the process of joint life.

To establish a pleasant and useful business relationship, you must be able to interest a person with your clear and at the same time figurative statements, attention to the essence of the issue. Achieving the result of the conversation, and in a respectful manner, is an important condition, both in everyday life and in business situations.

Almost all areas of business ethics have rules that apply to the ethics of conduct in a broad sense. In addition, without exception, all areas of business ethics are based on the fundamental norms of ethics.

Basic principles of business ethics

The principles of business ethics are a generalized expression of the requirements developed in the moral consciousness of society, which indicate the necessary behavior of business relations.

In the work of the American sociologist L. Hosmer, the ethical principles of business behavior are formulated more modernly, based on the axioms of world philosophical thought, which have been tested by theory and practice for centuries.

There are ten such principles and, accordingly, axioms:

1. Never do anything that is not in your or your company's long-term interests.
2. Never do anything that cannot be said to be really honest, open and true, which could be proudly announced to the whole country in the press and on television.
3. Never do something that is not good, that does not contribute to the formation of a sense of comradeship, since we are all working towards one common goal.
4. Never do anything that violates the law, because the law represents the minimum moral standards of society.
5. Never do anything that does not lead to greater good than harm to the society in which you live.
6. Never do what you would not like to recommend to others who find themselves in a similar situation.
7. Never do anything that infringes on the established rights of others.
8. Always act in a way that maximizes profit within the limits of the law, the requirements of the market and with full consideration of costs. For the maximum profit under these conditions testifies to the greatest efficiency of production.
9. Never do anything that might hurt the weakest in our society.
10. Never do anything that interferes with another person's right to self-development and self-realization.

V modern conditions Key ethical business relationship issues arise in the following areas:

1. relationships between organizations;
2. relations between organizations and the state;
3. relations between producer organizations and consumers;
4. relations between organizations and owners (investors);
5. relationships between organizations and local communities;
6. relationship between organizations and the environment.

Managers and workers who face such problems cannot follow only what they have learned about morality in their families, from teachers, in the church, etc., to solve them. Often, immoral decisions are made and impartial acts are committed by people who are extremely honest and have the best intentions. Modern business relationships are extremely saturated with ethical issues. To solve them, it is necessary to develop certain approaches, establish "rules of the game" that contribute to the successful fulfillment of professional tasks by participants in business relations and the harmonization of the interests of the business sphere and society.

Communicative culture in business communication

Communicative culture is knowledge, skills in the field of organizing interaction between people and interaction in the business sphere itself, allowing you to establish psychological contact with business partners, achieve accurate perception and understanding in the process of communication, predict the behavior of business partners, direct the behavior of business partners to the desired result .

The communicative culture is based on the generally accepted moral requirements for communication, inextricably linked with the recognition of the uniqueness, the values ​​of each person: politeness, correctness, tact, modesty, accuracy, courtesy.

The main indicators of the culture of speech in business communication include:

Vocabulary;
vocabulary;
pronunciation;
grammar;
style.

Brief conclusions can be drawn:

1. Ethics of business communication is the doctrine of the manifestation of morality and morality in business communication, relationships between business partners.
2. The Core Business Principles provide the individual employee in any organization with an ethical platform for decisions, actions, actions, interactions, etc.
3. The principles of business ethics serve as the basis for the development by each employee of any company of his own personal ethical system.
4. The culture of oral and written speech is often the core of professional ethics. Its important indicators are communication style, functional literacy.

Code of Business Ethics

The Code of Business Ethics at an enterprise is a set of the most important rules of business conduct, both for the enterprise itself and for its employees, ethical norms for intra-corporate relationships, social responsibility, and other top-priority business ethics issues.

As a rule, the Code of Business Ethics is developed on the basis of generally accepted norms of business ethics, as well as accepted Russian and foreign documents that define the best corporate governance practice. These include the Social Charter of Russian Business (adopted by the 14th Congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs) and the Code of Corporate Conduct (adopted by the Federal Commission for the Securities Market, Decree No. 421/r “On Recommendations for the Application of the Code of Corporate Conduct”).

The Code of Business Ethics defines the fundamental corporate values ​​of the enterprise:

Efficiency. The enterprise is aware of its duty and its responsibility to shareholders and partners, therefore profitability and efficiency of activity are an indisputable value for the enterprise;
The personnel is the main value of the enterprise. Everything the company does is done by people and for people. The quality of personnel, opportunities for revealing the talents and abilities of employees, the ability to use them for the benefit of the enterprise and the employee himself are an indispensable condition for the enterprise's versatile success in achieving the stated goals;
Social responsibility. The enterprise is a responsible and conscientious participant in the market economy. Aware of the responsibility to all stakeholders in the regions of its operation, the enterprise pursues a socially responsible policy on labor, employment, industrial relations, provides support to employees, the disabled, veterans, and carries out extensive charitable and sponsorship activities;
Partnership. The enterprise forms, maintains and highly appreciates the established relationships with business partners, public organizations and consumers. Achieving highly effective results is impossible without long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation, without an interest in the sustainable development of our partners' business, without mutual respect and responsibility for fulfilling the obligations assumed. The enterprise maintains the spirit of partnership and collectivism in labor collectives, motivates the personnel to achieve high labor results;
Moral. In its diverse activities, the enterprise does not just formally follow the laws and goals. For an enterprise, it is also important how and in the name of what it works. Following its mission, the company carries out its activities on the basis of honesty and justice, respect and decency.

The Code of Business Ethics as a tool of corporate culture contains rules of conduct, specific recommendations on what is unacceptable in relationships, as well as a list of documents adopted by the enterprise to regulate certain areas of activity.

Thus, the Code of Business Ethics is intended to define the corporate values ​​of the enterprise, following which demonstrates the commitment of the enterprise and its employees to the basic ethical values ​​that determine business behavior and form the reputation of the enterprise, its competitiveness and efficiency.

The implementation of the standards of business ethics contained in the Code should bring the values ​​of the enterprise up to behavioral norms. The Code of Business Ethics is an important part of the corporate governance system, it helps the company to avoid unnecessary risks, support long-term economic growth and promote the further development and globalization of business.

Principles of business ethics

Modern universal (ecumenical, universal) ethical principles of business ethics are based on the axioms of world philosophy and verified by centuries of business practice.

The general ethical principles of business are successfully formulated by the American sociologist L. Hosmer:

1. Never do anything that is not in your or your company's long-term interests. The principle is based on the teachings of ancient Greek philosophy (Protagoras) about personal interests combined with the interests of other people, and the difference between long-term and short-term interests.
2. Never do anything that cannot be said to be really honest, open and true, which could be proudly announced to the whole country. The principle is based on the views of Aristotle and Plato on the personal virtues of honesty, openness and moderation.
3. Never do something that is not good, that does not contribute to the formation of a sense of community and work towards one common goal. The principle is based on the commandments of world religions (St. Augustine), calling for goodness and awareness of interconnection and interdependence.
4. Never do anything that violates the law, because the law represents the minimum moral standards of society. The principle is based on the teachings of Hobbes and Locke on the role of the state as an arbitrator in the competition between people for goods.
5. Never do anything that does not lead to greater good than harm to the society in which you live. The principle is based on the ethics of utilitarianism - the practical benefits of moral behavior, developed by I. Bentham and John S. Mill.
6. Never do what you would not like to recommend to others who find themselves in a similar situation. The principle is based on Kant's imperative about the rule of a universal, universal norm.
7. Never do anything that infringes on the established rights of others. The principle is based on the views of Rousseau and Jefferson on the rights of the individual.
8. Always act in such a way as to maximize profit within the limits of the law, the requirements of the market and with full consideration of costs, for the maximum profit under these conditions indicates the greatest efficiency of production. The principle is based on the economic theory of A. Smith and the teachings of V. Pareto on the optimal transaction.
9. Never do anything that might hurt the weakest in society. The principle is based on Rawls' distributive justice rule.
10. Never do anything that interferes with another person's rights to self-development and self-realization. The principle is based on Nozick's theory of expanding the degree of individual freedom necessary for the development of society.

Universal ethical principles and norms that are significant for all categories of scientists:

Scientific honesty and correctness in the collection of experimental data;
- refusal to appropriate other people's ideas and research results, from hasty conclusions based on unverified data;
- defending one's scientific views in any scientific environment, in polemics with any authorities in science.

Psychology and ethics of business communication

Business conversations and negotiations play an important role in political, entrepreneurial, commercial and other areas of activity. The ethics and psychology of negotiation processes are studied not only by individual researchers, but also by special centers. Negotiation methodology is included in the training programs for specialists in various fields.

Business conversations and negotiations are carried out in a verbal form, which requires the participants in communication not only to be literate, but also to follow the ethics of speech communication. An important role is played by what gestures, facial expressions we accompany speech ( non-verbal communication). Of particular importance is the knowledge of non-verbal aspects of communication in negotiations with foreign partners with a different culture and religion.

A business conversation involves the exchange of opinions and information and does not involve the conclusion of contracts or the development of binding decisions. It can be independent, precede negotiations or be integral part.

Negotiations have a more formal, specific character and, as a rule, provide for the signing of documents that define the mutual obligations of the parties (agreements, contracts, etc.).

Preparation for negotiations includes: defining the subject (problems), searching for partners to solve them, clarifying your interests and the interests of partners, developing a strategy and tactics (plan and program) for negotiations, selecting specialists for the delegation, solving organizational issues and preparing the necessary materials - documents , drawings, diagrams, samples of products offered, etc.

Scheme of negotiations: the beginning of the conversation, the exchange of information, argumentation and counterargumentation, the development and adoption of decisions, completion.

The first stage of the negotiation process can be an introductory meeting (conversation), during which the subject of negotiations is clarified, organizational issues are resolved, or a meeting of experts that precedes negotiations with the participation of leaders and members of delegations. The success of negotiations as a whole largely depends on the results of such preliminary contacts.

Help build relationships with partners:

1. Rationality. Behave with restraint, as uncontrolled emotions negatively affect the negotiation process and making reasonable decisions.
2. Understanding. Inattention to the partner's point of view makes it difficult to develop mutually acceptable solutions.
3. Communication. If partners do not show interest, still try to consult with them, which will help maintain and improve relations.
4. Reliability. False information weakens the power of argument and adversely affects reputation.
5. Avoid mentoring tone, do not lecture your partner. The main method is persuasion.
6. Acceptance. Try to understand the other side, be open to new information from your partner.

1. Time. Good days for negotiations are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. The most favorable time of the day is half an hour or an hour after dinner, when thoughts about food do not distract from solving business issues.
2. Wednesday. A favorable environment for negotiations can be created, depending on the circumstances, in your office, representative office of a partner or in neutral territory (in a conference room, in a hotel room adapted for negotiations, in a restaurant hall, etc.).
3. Questions. Success is determined by the ability to ask questions and get comprehensive answers to them. Questions serve to guide the course of negotiations and to clarify the point of view of the opponent. Asking the right questions helps you make the right decision.

Question types:

1) Information questions are designed to collect information that is necessary to form an idea about something.
2) Control questions are important to use during any conversation to find out if your partner understands you. Examples of control questions: “What do you think about this?”, “Do you think the same as me?”.
3) Leading questions are necessary when you do not want to let the interlocutor impose on you an undesirable direction of the conversation. With questions like these, you can take control of the negotiation and steer it in the direction you want.
4) Provocative questions allow you to establish what your partner really wants and whether a state of positive expectation is correctly arising. For example: “If I offer you a way to quickly solve a problem ... without risking anything, will you be interested in this?”.

10) Concluding questions are aimed at an early positive conclusion of the negotiations. In this case, it is best to first ask one or two confirming questions, accompanied by a friendly smile: “Was I able to convince you of the benefits of this proposal?”, “Have you convinced yourself how easy everything is to be solved?” And then, without an additional transition, you can ask a question that concludes the negotiations: “Which time suits you better - May or June?”.

Compliance with ethical standards and principles. Successful conduct of business conversations and negotiations largely depends on the observance by partners of such ethical norms and principles as accuracy, honesty, correctness and tact, the ability to listen (attention to the opinions of others), specificity.

Accuracy is one of the most important ethical standards inherent in a business person. The term of the agreement must be observed to the nearest minute. Any delay indicates your unreliability in business.

Honesty. It includes not only fidelity to the assumed obligations, but also openness in communication with a partner, direct businesslike answers to his questions.

Correctness and tact. They do not rule out perseverance and vigor in negotiating with respect for correctness. Factors that interfere with the course of the conversation should be avoided: irritation, mutual attacks, incorrect statements, etc.

The ability to listen. Listen carefully and with concentration. Do not interrupt the speaker.

Concreteness. The conversation should be specific, not abstract, and include facts, figures, and necessary details. Concepts and categories should be agreed and understood by partners. Speech should be supported by diagrams and documents.

The negative outcome of a business conversation is not a reason for harshness or coldness at the end of the negotiation process. The farewell should be such that it allows you to maintain contact and business ties.

Business ethics and business etiquette

Business ethics, the principles of which were very competently formulated by the American sociologist L. Hosmer, are the basis of any interaction in a team.

Let's take a look at what points it implies:

Refuse from activities that are not in your interests and not in the interests of your company.
Never do anything that you can't tell the whole country about.
Never do anything that is not in the best interest of the company.
Never break the law.
Never interfere with the self-development of another employee.
Establish yourself only at your own expense.
Don't infringe on the rights of others.
Do not humiliate the "weak" in society.
Don't do what you don't want others to do.
Be honest with yourself.

If a person knows how to behave at work, at negotiations, business meetings, conferences and presentations, he will definitely succeed. But do not forget that you are a person. Your main weapon in your professional activity is your individuality. It is no secret that there are a lot of employees in companies, but there are always not enough self-sufficient individuals. So why not fill this niche?

Ethics and etiquette of business communication have their own special principles that any self-respecting person should know:

Honesty and decency.
Responsibility and collegiality.
Reliability.
Professionalism and competence.
Justice.
Respect for yourself and colleagues.
Conflict-free.
Personal opinion.

A person spends most of his life at work, so it is extremely important to create a healthy atmosphere there. Employees should be aware of what business ethics of communication will be appropriate within the workforce. After all, only these simple principles and rules are designed to regulate relations between people. Ethical standards have a significant impact on the efficiency of the entire labor process.

Each person can cultivate these qualities in himself and apply them in life situations. The main thing is perseverance and diligence. Do not be afraid of work, perform tasks with pleasure and respect the norms of business etiquette. There is a basic rule that business ethics implies: the topics of conversations should be neutral, and in no case should you lie. Be honest with others, and most importantly, with yourself.

Employees, regardless of their position, should not be afraid to take the initiative, express their opinion and their point of view. These are the kind of people every manager needs. Be strong and self-confident, show your full potential, do quality work and amaze everyone with your activity and perseverance. After all, only such people achieve success and can boldly declare themselves to the whole world. Remember that you need to go to the goal on your own. Therefore, do not use other people in your interests, do not assert yourself at their expense, do not humiliate them, but respect others and yourself.

Business ethics rules

Good manners in the office public institution somewhat different from what is considered decent (usual) outside of them.

If the leader is a man, women should not expect him to get up when they enter the office. Although there are well-bred men among the bosses who have this habit brought to the level of a reflex and who always get up when a lady enters the room, this is an exception. And let it be nice, but still a secular tone at work is inappropriate. In an office, a government agency, the male boss is the first to go through the door, and when you go on business, he gets into the car first.

The words "thank you" and "please" in a work setting are even more desirable than in "social life." Thank your colleagues for any, even the most insignificant service, and do not forget about the “magic word” when you make a request or simply transfer an order from your superiors to one of the employees.

Always smile when you greet colleagues and return their greetings with a smile.

Talk to people in a calm, friendly tone and show them signs of attention, regardless of their gender.

If the man walking ahead of you to the door has a lot of documents, overtake him to open the door and let him pass. Help in the office should always be the one to whom it is more convenient and convenient, however, in official relations there is a clear hierarchy that you must feel and maintain. This does not mean that you should be shy in front of your superiors or show increased attention to every word, no, but you should give him or her due respect.

The accepted rules of business etiquette can differ significantly not only in different industries, but also in individual companies. However, there are rules that must be followed by both office workers and government employees. Among them are the observance of punctuality, compliance with the image of the company in clothing, the ability to keep secrets and the ability to leave personal problems outside of work. Let's talk about each of these rules in more detail.

The rules of business etiquette in an office, government agency require that you always come to work on time, complete all tasks on time. Delays, delays in work that must be handed in exactly at the promised time are unacceptable.

Never miss business meetings, come to them early so as not to jeopardize the reputation of the company, and not just your own. If you need to be late, warn about it in advance, the authorities should be aware of where you are. Remember that the observance of accuracy, punctuality in all matters is an indispensable rule of business etiquette for a civil servant and office worker, as well as a manifestation of respect for others, natural for any educated person.

It is necessary to follow the generally accepted rules of business etiquette in clothing:

The appearance of the employee should match the image of the company, creating a pleasant impression, and when you work in a government agency, this is even more important.
Women are required to wear skirts and dresses that are no longer than the knee, and tailored trouser suits are allowed. It is unacceptable to wear clothes of bright, flashy colors with sparkles, rhinestones, as well as tight-fitting things to work in the office.
Men should adhere to business style, wear suits, trousers, shirts with or without a tie. Jeans and sweaters are best excluded from the working wardrobe.
For work, you can wear modest jewelry that is in harmony with the clothes, as well as other details of the costume.

You must be able to keep the secrets of the company, any transaction, without extending this topic either with colleagues or with your loved ones. Do not read letters intended for other persons, transmit all messages personally, without intermediaries and unauthorized persons. If you need to send a fax, call the addressee in advance so that he is nearby and can personally receive the document or letter. Do not mix your personal life with work, do not talk about problems in life, seek solace or ask for help from colleagues. In the office, it is important to maintain composure and good mood, regardless of the bad mood. These rules of business etiquette of a civil servant and office worker must be strictly followed.

The rules of business etiquette for subordinates imply a remote, non-familiar appeal to a manager. Even if the boss (boss) is a girl or a young man only a little older than you, it’s worth saying “you”. If you are in the manager’s office, and a business partner or other boss enters, whether you stay or leave, he must decide if he asks you to leave, there is no reason to feel slighted. If your boss ever insults you in front of strangers, don't respond in kind. If you are upset, do not jump out of the office, try to calmly go out and find a secluded place where you can calm down. Do not discuss what happened with colleagues. You can sort things out with the manager during off-hours, calmly listening to his wishes and expressing your complaints. The higher the boss, the more difficult your role, and in some situations it is important to remember the rules of business etiquette. If a particularly respected person needs to be escorted down the corridor of an institution, you need to open the doors to let the important guest through, and then move next to him, lagging behind only a quarter of a step. If the corridor forks, you will need to indicate the direction with a graceful gesture. If the corridor winds, you can say "Let me walk you" and then boldly go ahead.

There are norms and rules of business etiquette that are unambiguous for all employees: do not read other people's letters, speak with restraint and politeness, be friendly with colleagues and keep a distance from superiors. But sometimes at work, an exception is made to these rules, for example, when you need to find a document in the desk of another employee who is not there. General behavior in the service and in the office should be dignified, with impeccable manners. You constantly need to monitor your behavior, how you walk, communicate, sit. Remember that it is indecent to touch the nose, ears, hair or other parts of the body in public.

What should not be done in the workplace in any case:

Chew, pick your teeth.
Gnawing on pens, pencils, papers, or fingernails.
Correcting makeup, manicure, painting lips at the workplace are the basic rules of business etiquette for a secretary.
Yawn without covering your mouth.
Put your feet on the table, cross your legs.

Daily need:

Keep clothes, hair, body clean, use deodorant, but not perfume.
Carry a neat handkerchief with you.
Take care of your dental health.

These rules and wishes are indispensable norms of etiquette, they allow you to become not only a good, valuable employee, but also a pleasant person with whom you want to deal. Appearance is the best way to demonstrate respect for other people.

When you first start working in the office and get to know your colleagues, you begin to build relationships that will determine the climate in the team and the results of common work. How to behave in order to win them over? Be friendly with everyone, but don't try to get close to one person right away, give yourself some time to get to know people better. Feel free to ask employees about the job, but don't have personal conversations with them at first. Don’t worry if you didn’t manage to join the team from the first day, there’s nothing wrong with that. Always thank colleagues for their help and remember not to go beyond the rules of business communication etiquette.

For instance:

Do not annoy your colleagues with your conversations and do not interfere in other people's conversations;
do not gossip and do not listen to gossip, do not eavesdrop on other people's telephone conversations;
do not discuss health problems and body functions with colleagues;
do not try to express or impose your personal opinion on any occasion;
do not scold anyone in the presence of strangers, even if you are right three times, suddenly lost your temper - apologize immediately;
do not pretend that you are more busy than others, sometimes you can politely ask your colleagues not to make noise, but do it politely and without calling;
do not be selfish, in your official zeal, try not to harm your colleagues in order to earn some kind of advantage or curry favor with your superiors.

And the main rule of business etiquette, both for an office worker and a civil servant, says: “you must be polite, tactful, courteous and tolerant in dealing with colleagues and management, never going on about your emotions.”

Ethics of business culture

As you know, a person enters into business relations with other people during his life. One of the regulators of these relations is morality, which expresses our ideas about good and evil, about justice and injustice. Morality gives a person the opportunity to evaluate the actions of others, to understand and comprehend whether he lives correctly and what he should strive for. A person can make communication effective, achieve certain goals, if he correctly understands moral norms and relies on them in business relations.

If he does not take into account moral norms in communication or distorts their content, then communication becomes impossible or causes difficulties.

Who created the rules of human behavior? Why is one behavior approved by society, while another is condemned? Ethics answers these questions.

Ethics is one of the oldest branches of philosophy, the science of morality (morality). The term "ethics" comes from the Greek word "ethos" ("ethos") - custom, temper. The term "ethics" was introduced by Aristotle (384-322 BC) to denote the doctrine of morality, and ethics was considered a "practical philosophy", which should answer the question: "What should we do in order to do the right thing?" moral deeds?

Initially, the terms "ethics" and "morality" coincided. But later, with the development of science and social consciousness, different content was assigned to them.

Morality (from Latin moralis ~ moral) is a system of ethical values ​​that are recognized by a person. It regulates human behavior in all spheres of public life - at work, at home, in personal, family and international relations.

"Good" and "evil" are indicators of moral behavior, it is through their prism that an assessment of a person's actions, all his activities takes place. Ethics considers "good" as the objective moral meaning of an act. It combines a set of positive norms and requirements of morality and acts as an ideal, a role model. "Good" can act as a virtue, i.e. be a moral quality of the individual. "Good" is opposed by "evil", between these categories since the foundation of the world there has been a struggle. Often morality is identified with good, with positive behavior, and evil is seen as immorality and immorality. Good and evil are opposites that cannot exist without each other, just as light cannot exist without darkness, top without bottom, day without night, but they are nevertheless not equivalent.

To act in accordance with morality means to choose between good and evil. A person strives to build his life in such a way as to reduce evil and increase good. Other most important categories of morality - duty and responsibility - cannot be correctly understood and, moreover, cannot become important principles in human behavior if he does not realize the complexity and difficulty of the struggle for good. Moral norms receive their ideological expression in commandments and principles on how one should behave. One of the first rules of morality in history is formulated as follows: "act towards others as you would like them to act towards you." This rule appeared in the VI-V centuries. BC. simultaneously and independently of each other in different cultural regions - Babylon, China, India, Europe. Subsequently, it began to be called "golden", since great importance was attached to it. Today it also remains relevant, and one must always remember that a person becomes a person only when he affirms the human in other people. The need to treat others as oneself, to exalt oneself through the exaltation of others, is the basis of morality and morality.

The moral life of a person and society is divided into two levels: on the one hand, what is: being, mores, actual everyday behavior; on the other hand, what should be: due, ideal pattern of behavior.

Often in business relations we encounter contradictions between what is and what should be. On the one hand, a person seeks to behave morally, as they say, properly, on the other hand, he wants to satisfy his needs, the realization of which is often associated with a violation of moral standards. This struggle between ideal and practical calculation creates a conflict within a person, which is most acutely manifested in the ethics of business relations, in business communication. Since the ethics of business communication is a special case of ethics in general and contains its main characteristics, then the ethics of business communication is understood as a set of moral norms and rules that regulate the behavior and relations of people in professional activities. Therefore, when studying the course “Business Culture and Psychology of Communication”, we will talk about how to act in business relations, so that you know about it, try to accept it and act accordingly. The norms and rules of behavior in force in society require a person to serve society, to coordinate personal and public interests. Moral norms are based on traditions and customs, and morality teaches us to do every thing in such a way that it does not hurt the people who are nearby.

One of the main elements of the culture of business communication is the moral behavior of people. It is based on universal moral principles and norms - respect for human dignity, honor, nobility, conscience, sense of duty and others.

Conscience is a person's moral awareness of his actions, thanks to which we control our actions and evaluate our actions. Conscience is closely connected with duty. Duty is the awareness of conscientious performance of one's duties (civil and official). For example, in violation of duty, thanks to conscience, a person is responsible not only to others, but also to himself.

For the moral image of a person, honor is of great importance, which is expressed in the recognition of the moral merits of a person, in reputation. The honor of an officer, the honor of a businessman, the honor of chivalry - it is this that requires a person to maintain the reputation of the social or professional group to which he belongs. Honor obliges a person to work conscientiously, to be truthful, fair, to admit his mistakes, to be demanding of himself.

Dignity is expressed in self-respect, in awareness of the significance of one's personality; it does not allow a person to humiliate, flatter and please for his own benefit. However, excessive self-esteem does not decorate a person very much. The ability of a person to be restrained in revealing his merits is called modesty.

A person who is worth something does not need to flaunt his merits, inflate his own worth, inspire others with the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bhis own indispensability.

An integral part of the culture of business communication is nobility. A noble person is true to his word, even if it is given to the enemy. He will not allow rudeness towards people unpleasant for him, he will not slander about them in their absence.

Nobility does not require publicity and gratitude for help and sympathy.

Business Ethics

One of the unique abilities of a person is his ability to build on the natural and social reality with a second world, an ideal world, in which ideas about good and evil play a leading role, i.e. ethical, moral values.

The moral norms and rules developed by people in order to regulate their relationships are extremely diverse. This diversity is explained both by the all-penetrating nature of these norms, which affect all spheres of social life, and by the possibility of free choice by each of us of certain moral values. One of the manifestations of this diversity of moral rules and norms and their high role in any sphere of human activity is the existence of not only codes of norms of universal morality, but also various modifications of these general norms in the form of a set of rules, codes of corporate, professional ethics. One of the varieties of such group morality is business ethics, or business ethics. True, there are no special institutions that, like law enforcement agencies, would monitor compliance with these norms. At the same time, experienced businessmen take into account the requirements of these norms in their practical activities no less than the requirements of the law. Life has taught them that the most profitable business is the one that is based on compliance with the requirements not only of law, but also of business morality.

The unwritten norms of ethics, which are guided one way or another by participants in business relationships in order to prevent possible friction and conflicts, can be reduced to the following simple requirements:

Don't be late. Being late should be assessed by your partner as a sign of disrespect to him. If you are delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, it is better to inform us in advance. This rule applies not only to the attendance at work, the meeting, but also to the observance of the established deadlines for the completion of work. To avoid delays, delays, you should allocate time to perform work with one or another stock. Admittedly, punctuality is an essential requirement of business etiquette.

Be laconic, do not say too much. The meaning of this requirement is to protect the company's secrets in the same way as your personal secrets. It is well known that the protection of official secrets is one of the most important business problems, which often become a source of serious conflicts. This rule also applies to the secrets of the personal life of a colleague, which became known to you by chance. And this applies to both good and bad news from the personal lives of your colleagues.

Be kind and welcoming. Compliance with this rule is especially important when colleagues or subordinates find fault with you. And in this case, you should behave with them politely, kindly. It must be remembered that no one likes to work with people who are unbalanced, grouchy, capricious. Politeness, friendliness are needed for communication at all levels: with bosses, subordinates, customers, customers, no matter how provocatively they sometimes behave.

Sympathize with people, think not only about yourself, but also about others. It often happens that the clients you serve have negative experiences with other organizations. In this case, it is especially important to show responsiveness, sympathy and prevent legitimate fears. Of course, attention to others should be shown not only in relation to customers and customers, it also extends to colleagues, superiors and subordinates. Respect the opinions of others, even if they don't match yours. In this case, do not resort to sharp objections if you do not want to be in the category of people who recognize the existence of only two opinions: their own and the wrong one. It is people of this warehouse who often become the instigators of the conflict.

Watch your clothes, appearance. This means that you need to be able to organically fit into your environment at work, the environment of workers at your level. Moreover, this does not exclude the possibility of dressing with taste, choosing the appropriate color scheme, etc. Being an operator in a bank, you should not come to work with an expensive case that even the president of the bank cannot afford. Of course, this is a small thing, but one that can hurt your promotion.

Speak and write in good language. This means that everything you say and write should be written in a literate, literary language. If you have any doubts about this, before sending a letter on behalf of the company, check the spelling with a dictionary or have the letter checked by an employee of your level whom you trust. Make sure you never use swear words, even in a personal conversation, as this can develop into a bad habit that will be difficult to break. Do not reproduce the expressions of those people who use such words, because there may be a person who will understand these words as your own.

These basic rules of business ethics serve as the most important prerequisite for the formation of an atmosphere of cooperation that creates a reliable barrier against destructive conflicts.

Certainly, real life complex and contradictory. It is well known that in addition to civilized, humane business, there is also a criminal business that uses completely different methods and professes different moral values. The main methods here are deceit and fraud, threats and blackmail, contract killings and terror. For this reason, everyone who enters the harsh world of business makes their choice between the values ​​of civilized and criminal, shadow business.

And sooner or later everyone becomes convinced that only a civilized, humane business based on positive moral and ethical values ​​should be truly effective and successful.

Considered requirements of a psychological nature, organizational and managerial principles, as well as positive moral norms make any organization reliable and stable. All these norms serve as a long-term basis for the prevention and constructive resolution of conflicts. In countries with developed market economies, these requirements and norms are often included in the texts of contracts between companies.

Among such norms specifically aimed at preventing conflicts, the most common are the following:

The use of forms of non-contact communication in case of disagreements, for example, in the form of letters or e-mail, since in conditions of emotional stress that has arisen, direct contact is fraught with the possibility of aggravating relations.
Assignment of negotiations on controversial issues only to persons occupying a high position in the company and having all the necessary powers.
Involvement in necessary cases is already on early stages conflict situation of specialists - conflictologists, in order to avoid possible further deterioration of the situation and large material and moral losses.
Use in the course of negotiations of all, even the smallest chances for achieving reconciliation.
In case of failure of negotiations, clearly determine the further procedure for considering the dispute in pre-trial or judicial procedure.

These and similar norms and rules have an educational impact on people, clearly define the expected, optimal behavior approved by the organization, society. At the same time, the norms and rules also indicate the conditions that allow the use of certain sanctions against violators, up to the use of coercion or force.

Business and professional ethics

The results of the polls show that there is a growing interest in ethical issues all over the world. In countries with developed market relations, it is common that the issue of business ethics and social responsibility is of concern to the entrepreneur as well as production efficiency.

All over the world, thanks to economic and social changes, the moral and ethical standards of society, the right to human dignity, working conditions, the state of the environment, an abundance of spiritual goods, individual freedom, social connection between people, justice, minimizing conflicts within society are gaining more importance. , active participation of all citizens in public life, the right of every citizen to participate in decision-making, etc.

To realize these values, a high level of development of productive forces and culture is necessary. At the same time, without restoring the moral foundations of society, it is impossible to create a platform for restructuring the economy.

In a period when the transition from a totalitarian system to the formation of democratic institutions and a market economy is taking place, the issue of the relationship between economics and ethics, moral and economic values ​​is becoming increasingly important.

Ethics - a system of norms of moral behavior of people, their duties in relation to each other and society as a whole.

Morality is a form of social consciousness, a social institution that performs the function of regulating human behavior.

There are corporate, entrepreneurial and other types of ethics. Ethical norms of the company's behavior in relations with the state, buyers, suppliers, workers are studied by corporate ethics. Many Western firms have their own ethical codes. At the same time, they proceed from the fact that high ethical standards ensure stable profits.

The public plays an important role in shaping business ethics and in identifying and eliminating unethical business practices. Ethical issues are discussed in the press, on television, in consumer societies, various associations, etc.

Business ethics develops a code of conduct, shows the dignity of the entrepreneur's intentions, and defines his inherent features.

The leading place among them is occupied by those that determine the nature of the entrepreneur and entrepreneurship. The first feature is entrepreneurship, which is understood as the ability to achieve a goal through one's own initiative, ingenuity, practical acumen, willingness to take certain risks, accept and implement original ideas. The second is the socially innovative nature of the entrepreneur's activity, his special role in the market transformation of the economy. The last feature that determines the nature of an entrepreneur is the human factor, a person whose efforts in a market economy are aimed at making a profit, combined with ethical and psychological readiness for responsible, honest civilized entrepreneurship. This means that in any entrepreneurial activity, the interests and needs of the state and the whole society should be taken into account.

These features form the ethics of the entrepreneur and are in close interaction.

It is the combination of the clearly conscious nature of entrepreneurship, the determination of its usefulness for economic development and social progress, with the observance of certain norms of behavior by the entrepreneur, that gives reason to single out the components of entrepreneurial activity.

Professional ethics reflects the features of moral consciousness, behavior and relationships of people, due to the specifics of professional activity.

Professional ethics defines the ethical principles and norms of people's behavior within a certain type of work activity. Therefore, pedagogical, medical, military, managerial and other ethics are singled out.

The decisive conditions for success are diligence, professional skills and talent. In the activation of these qualities, the moral approach and the level of moral consciousness are of increasing importance. Important in professional ethics is an objective and benevolent attitude towards people, their professional thoughts, service aspirations. The real manifestation of professional decency is the unity of word and deed.

The most common ways of forming ethical behavior in business structures can be the following:

Development of ethical standards;
- Creation of ethics groups or committees;
- Conducting social surveys and audits;
- Teaching ethical behavior.

So, the basis of the ethical code of the company is to follow the rules of conduct accepted in general for society.

Business Ethics

Labor collectives arise for the sake of the joint achievement of certain goals. Therefore, it is business communication that comes to the fore in them. Business communication is a process of interconnection and interaction in which there is an exchange of activities, information and experience that involves the achievement of a certain result, the solution of a specific problem or the implementation of a specific goal.

Business communication can be divided into:

Direct (direct contact);
- indirect (when there is a spatio-temporal distance between partners).

Direct business communication has greater effectiveness, the power of emotional impact and suggestion than indirect, it directly operates socio-psychological mechanisms.

In general, business communication differs from ordinary (informal) communication in that in its process a goal and specific tasks are set that require their solution. In business communication, we cannot stop interacting with a partner (at least without loss for both parties). In ordinary friendly communication, specific tasks are most often not set, specific goals are not pursued. Such communication can be terminated (at the discretion of the participants) at any time.

A general requirement is a friendly and helpful attitude towards all work colleagues, partners, regardless of personal likes and dislikes.

The ability to behave appropriately with people is one of the most important, if not the most important, factor in determining the chances of success in business, office or entrepreneurial activity. Dale Carnegie noticed back in the 30s that the success of a person in his financial affairs, even in the technical field or engineering, depends fifteen percent on his professional knowledge and eighty-five percent on his ability to communicate with people.

In this context, the attempts of many researchers to formulate and substantiate the basic principles of the ethics of business communication or, as they are more often called in the West, the commandments of personal public relation (very approximately can be translated as "business etiquette") are easily explained.

There are six following basic principles of business communication ethics:

1. Punctuality (do everything on time). Only the behavior of a person who does everything on time is normative. Being late interferes with work and is a sign that a person cannot be relied upon. The principle of doing everything on time extends to all service tasks. Specialists who study the organization and distribution of working time recommend adding an extra 25 percent to the period that, in your opinion, is required to complete the assigned work.
2. Confidentiality (don't talk too much). The secrets of an institution, corporation, or particular transaction must be kept as carefully as personal secrets. There is also no need to retell to anyone what you heard from a colleague, manager or subordinate about their official activities or personal life.
3. Courtesy, goodwill and friendliness. In any situation, it is necessary to behave with clients, customers, buyers and colleagues politely, affably and kindly. This, however, does not mean the need to be friends with everyone with whom you have to communicate on duty.
4. Attention to others (think of others, not just yourself). Attention to others should extend to colleagues, superiors and subordinates. Respect the opinions of others, try to understand why they have this or that point of view. Always listen to criticism and advice from colleagues, superiors and subordinates. When someone questions the quality of your work, show that you value other people's thoughts and experiences. Self-confidence should not get in the way of being humble.
5. Appearance (dress properly). The main approach is to fit into your work environment, and within this environment - into the contingent of workers at your level. It is necessary to look the best way, that is, dress with taste, choosing a color scheme to match your face. Carefully selected accessories are of great importance.
6. Literacy (speak and write well). Internal documents or letters sent outside the institution must be written in good language, and all proper names transmitted without errors. You can't use swear words. Even if you just quote the words of another person, they will be perceived by others as part of your own vocabulary.

There are "written" and "unwritten" norms of behavior in a given situation of official contact. The accepted order and form of treatment in the service is called business etiquette. Its main function is the formation of rules that promote mutual understanding of people. The second most important is the function of convenience, i.e., expediency and practicality.

Business etiquette includes two groups of rules: norms in force in the field of communication between equal in status, members of the same team (horizontal); instructions that determine the nature of the contact between the leader and the subordinate (vertical).

The relationship between the boss and subordinates largely determines the atmosphere in the team. There are several rules that must be followed by a leader who wants a friendly atmosphere to reign in the team, helping to better and faster cope with the assigned work.

Corporate Business Ethics

The first sprouts in the field of business ethics in modern Russia began to break through in the 90s. A number of professional codes of ethics were adopted, among which should be mentioned: the Banker's Code of Honor, the Rules for the Good Practice of Members of the Professional Association of Stock Market Participants, the Code of Honor for Members of the Russian Guild of Realtors, the Code of Professional Ethics for Members of the Russian Society of Appraisers. The financial and economic crisis has become a certain milestone in the evolution of modern Russian business. It was after the infamous financial default that many public organizations of Russian entrepreneurs (at the federal and regional levels) began to develop and adopt moral codes. Such a code has been adopted by the Russian Union of Entrepreneurs and Industrialists (RSPP), one of the most influential business structures. A month later, the Congress of the Union Russian manufacturers beer and non-alcoholic products adopted a code of honor for brewers. Moral codes already exist both in large Russian corporations and in enterprises of a more modest scale.

At the level of individual enterprises, the practice of adopting corporate codes is becoming more widespread. Corporate codes can be different in the form of presentation and heading. It depends on the specifics of specific industries, regions, enterprises, management preferences, etc.

The Code of Corporate Ethics can perform three main functions: reputational; managerial; development of corporate culture.

The reputational function is to increase the confidence in the company on the part of potential investors (shareholders, banks, investment companies) and business partners (clients, suppliers, contractors, etc.). The presence of a company's code of business ethics is already becoming a kind of sign of its success and a necessary condition for a high business reputation. As a result of the adoption and implementation of the code of business ethics in the company's activities, its investment attractiveness is growing, the company's image is reaching a qualitatively higher level.

However, the managerial function of a code of business ethics should not be underestimated. It consists in regulating and streamlining corporate behavior in complex and ambiguous situations in terms of observing the principles of ethics, honesty and good faith.

The management function is provided by:

Formation of ethical aspects of corporate culture between stakeholders within the corporation (shareholders, directors, managers and employees). The Code of Business Ethics, by introducing corporate values ​​within the company, crystallizes the corporate identity of this company and, as a result, improves the quality of strategic and operational management in it.
- Regulation of priorities in relations with external stakeholders (suppliers, contractors, consumers, creditors, etc.).
- Determining the order and procedure for developing and making decisions in complex ethical situations.
- Enumeration and concretization of forms of behavior that are unacceptable from the standpoint of ethics. The Code of Corporate Ethics is a significant factor in the development of corporate culture. The Code can convey the company's values ​​to all employees, orient employees towards common corporate goals, and thereby enhance corporate identity.

The basic limitation of the implementation of ethical standards in the organization is the impossibility of their direct administrative regulation. The area of ​​individual moral attitudes is too delicate an area for direct intervention with the help of directive levers.

Therefore, as a rule, the code does not provide for legal liability for its non-compliance. At the stage of creation, it is proposed to adopt the code voluntarily; if desired, and if there is an appropriate procedure, each employee can make their wishes to the text and the execution system. For new members of the community, the document is already a given that must be accepted. If a person aspires to work in a company, then knowledge and understanding of the principles of life in this company will help, on the one hand, a new employee to adapt faster, and on the other hand, the company to maintain integrity, a “single face”.

The option of introducing the code as a local normative act is also possible. To do this, variants of specific violations are more carefully prescribed and a system for their detection and prevention is being created. This approach, adopted more in the United States than in Europe, supports ethical standards at the pre-convective level (due to fear of punishment and due to group pressure). However, the focus on social control over the ethical behavior at the same time reduces the intrinsic motivation to comply with norms and rules. In areas where social control is difficult (violations with a low risk of exposure), the likelihood of violations remains high.

Professionally homogenous organizations (banks, consulting companies) often use codes that primarily describe professional dilemmas. These codes came from the codes of professional communities described earlier. Accordingly, the content of such codes primarily regulates the behavior of employees in difficult professional ethical situations. In banking, for example, this is access to confidential information about the client and information about the stability of his bank. The Code describes the rules for handling such information and prohibits the use of information for personal enrichment.

First of all, management tasks are solved here. Complementing such a code with chapters on the mission and values ​​of the company contributes to the development of corporate culture. At the same time, the code can have a significant volume and complex specific content and be addressed to all employees of the company.

In large heterogeneous corporations, the combination of all three functions becomes complex. On the one hand, there are a number of policies and situations that are traditionally enshrined in ethical codes in international practice. These are policies in relation to clients, suppliers, contractors; description of situations related to possible abuses: bribes, bribery, embezzlement, deceit, discrimination. Based on the managerial function, the code describes the standards of exemplary behavior in such situations. Such a code has a significant volume and rather complex content. Addressing it to all groups of employees in the conditions of a significant difference in the educational level and social status of employees is difficult. At the same time, the development of the company's corporate culture requires a single code for all employees - it must set a common understanding of the company's mission and values ​​for each employee.

In such a situation, two versions of the code are used - declarative and expanded.

The declarative version of the code primarily solves the problems of developing corporate culture. At the same time, in order to provide the code to the international community and solve specific management problems, it is necessary to develop additional documents.

A detailed version of the code regulates in detail the ethics of behavior of employees. It fixes the specific regulation of the behavior of employees in certain areas where the risk of violations is high or complex ethical situations may arise. These regulations are described in the form of policies regarding customers, consumers, the state, political activities, conflicts of interest, labor safety. At the same time, the large volume and complexity of the content of such codes determine their selective addressing.

In most companies, such codes are developed for top and middle management and are not a universal document that unites all employees.

Principles of business communication ethics

Business ethics is professional ethics that regulates the system of relations between people in the field of business. Principles are abstract, generalized ideas that enable those who rely on them to correctly shape their behavior, their actions, their attitude to something.

The ethics of business communication should be taken into account in its various manifestations: in the relationship between the enterprise and the social environment; between enterprises; within one enterprise - between a leader and subordinates, between a subordinate and a leader, between people of the same status. Between the parties of this or that type of business communication there is a specificity. The task is to formulate such principles of business communication that would not only correspond to each type of business communication, but also not contradict the general moral principles of people's behavior. At the same time, they should serve as a reliable tool for coordinating the activities of people involved in business communication.

Business Ethics Principles, i.e. professional ethics, give a particular employee in any organization a conceptual ethical platform for decisions, actions, actions, interactions, etc.

The specificity of business communication is due to the fact that it arises on the basis of and about a certain type of activity related to the production of a product or business effect. At the same time, the parties to business communication act in formal (official) statuses that determine the necessary norms and standards (including ethical ones) of people's behavior. Like any kind of communication, business communication has a historical character, it manifests itself at different levels of the social system and in various forms. His distinguishing feature- it does not have a self-contained value, is not an end in itself, but serves as a means to achieve some other goals. In the conditions of market relations, this is above all.

Taking into account all that has been said, the ethics of business communication can be defined as a set of moral norms, rules and ideas that regulate the behavior and attitudes of people in the course of their production activities. It is a special case of ethics in general and contains its main characteristics.

Principles of business communication ethics:

1. The central position of the so-called gold standard is generally accepted: actions that you would not want to see in relation to yourself.
2. Fairness is necessary when providing employees with the resources necessary for their official activities (cash, raw materials, material, etc.).
3. The third principle requires the obligatory correction of an ethical violation, regardless of when and by whom it was committed.
4. According to the fourth principle, called the principle of maximum progress, the official behavior and actions of an employee are recognized as ethical if they contribute to the development of the organization (or its units) from a moral point of view.
5. The logical continuation of the fourth principle is the fifth principle, the principle of minimum progress, according to which the actions of an employee or organization as a whole are ethical if they at least do not violate ethical standards.
6. The essence of the sixth principle is as follows: ethical is the tolerant attitude of the employees of the organization to the moral principles, traditions and others that take place in other organizations, regions, countries.
7. The seventh principle recommends a different combination of individual relativism and ethical relativism with the requirements of universal human ethics.
8. According to the eighth principle, individual and collective principles are equally recognized as the basis for developing and making decisions in business relations.
9. The ninth principle recalls that one should not be afraid to have one's own opinion when solving any official issues. However, nonconformism as a personality trait should be manifested within reasonable limits.
10. The tenth principle - no violence, i.e. “pressure” on subordinates, expressed in various forms, for example, in an orderly, command manner of conducting an official conversation.
11. The eleventh principle is the constancy of impact, expressed in the fact that ethical standards can be introduced into the life of the organization not by a one-time order, but only with the help of ongoing efforts on the part of both the manager and ordinary employees.
12. The twelfth principle - when acting (on a team, on individual employees, on a consumer, etc.), take into account the strength of possible counteraction.
13. The thirteenth principle is the advisability of advancing trust in the employee's sense of responsibility, in his competence, in a sense of duty, etc.
14. The fourteenth principle strongly recommends striving for non-conflict.
15. The fifteenth principle is freedom that does not restrict the freedom of others.
16. The sixteenth principle can be called the principle of promotion: the employee must not only act ethically himself, but also promote the same behavior of his colleagues.
17. The seventeenth principle says: do not criticize a competitor.
18. This refers not only to a competing organization, but also to an “internal competitor” - a team from another department, a colleague in which one can “see” a competitor.

Features of business ethics

Business ethics is a special manifestation of professional ethics. Often, as identical, the concepts of “economic ethics”, “entrepreneurial ethics”, “business ethics”, “market ethics”, etc. are used. Therefore, we will use the concepts of “business person” and “entrepreneur”, “businessman” as identical. The specificity of business ethics is due to the need for regulation and organization economic activity people, which is associated, firstly, with the performance of specific production functions; secondly, with the technological process; thirdly, with the need to achieve specific results of labor. The market is a local social system that must be rationally comprehended from the standpoint of morality. The problem of the relationship between economics and morality is an ancient problem. Even Aristotle, developing his system of ethics in this aspect, advised to deal only with the production of goods. This problem also worried medieval theologians, but they argued that “making money”, hoarding, wealth are subject to moral condemnation: money is from the devil. Formation of new economic relations in Europe in the XVI century. - capitalism, the era of industrialists - is closely related to the emergence of Protestantism.

Rejecting medieval attitudes, Protestantism made possible the formation of business ethics as a result of the moral consecration of the desire for profit. The desire for profit and for God have become not only compatible, but also mutually conditional. And the reward of financial success began to be understood as a sign of God's favor. The idea that moral people will certainly be successful in business, and good businessmen - certainly good ethically, constituted an important dimension of the economic situation that has developed under capitalism. Capitalism provided the moral legitimacy of "making money." Russia, as the successor of the Orthodox culture, represents a bone structure in this regard. The formation of market relations aimed at achieving financial and social success still does not receive moral support from the majority of the population. For this majority, only one result of the reforms is obvious - a deep stratification of society into the poor and the rich.

There are several reasons for discontent, but the most significant are two, social and ideological:

1) lack of habit to work: to receive funds for life at the expense of their personal abilities;
2) a new wave of Christianization of Russia: the Orthodox doctrine preaches non-possessiveness, unpretentiousness, contentment with little. Money is still seen as the antithesis of morality. But at this stage, this ideology is often used not as a conviction, but as an excuse for its failure in the new economic conditions. The Western model of economic relations is currently based on the assertion that good ethics means good business, that is, compliance with certain moral standards reduces the degree of entrepreneurial risk. The motto of European business is the saying: "Private property must be honest." Honesty and fairness are the most common moral principles of civilized business relationships. However, in each society in a particular era, these principles acquire their own specific outlines. In our conditions for present stage the task of formulating the norms of civilized entrepreneurship is relevant.

business ethics

Ethics in a broad sense is understood as a system of universal and specific moral requirements and norms of behavior implemented in the process of social life. Accordingly, the ethics of business relations singles out one of the areas of public life. Based on universal human norms and rules of conduct, the ethical norms of service relations have some distinctive features.

Ethics of business relations has recently received more and more attention. This is expressed in an increase in the volume of training programs in the system of university and postgraduate training in relevant disciplines (for example, "ethics and business etiquette", "business ethics", "ethics and etiquette of business relations", etc.). Courses for studying the basics of the general ethics of behavior are also introduced into some school curricula, into the system of secondary specialized education, and over time, the coverage of educational institutions with such courses increases.

Employers pay more and more attention to the ethics of corporate and personal relationships in the selection of personnel and their hiring, as well as in the process of direct performance by employees of their professional role.

At the same time, it should be emphasized that the concept of "professional role" includes not only the ability to perform job duties, but also the skills of relationships with the external environment (colleagues, management, subordinates, clients, partners, etc.) in the process of implementing the goals fixed for a particular position. professional tasks or functions. Compliance with the ethics of business relations is one of the main criteria for assessing the professionalism of both an individual employee and the organization as a whole.

Compliance with the norms and rules of business ethics by the employees of an organization becomes its “calling card” and in many cases determines whether an external partner or client wants to deal with this organization in the future and how effectively their relationship will be built.

The use of norms and rules of business ethics is perceived favorably by others in any case, even if a person does not have sufficiently developed skills in applying the rules of ethics. The effect of perception is amplified many times over if ethical behavior becomes natural and unintentional. This happens when the rules of ethics are not only an internal psychological need of a person, but are also worked out in the process of systematic training. Moreover, this training involves the use of both special training practical exercises within the framework of a particular educational program, and any situation that develops in the process of professional activity, to develop skills in the ethics of relationships. For example, having studied the rules for conducting a business conversation or telephone conversations, you can use any conversation as a training.

It should be noted that this approach should be extended not only to the sphere of official relations, but also to everyday life situations, to relationships with friends, relatives, casual interlocutors.

So, ethics includes a system of universal and specific (for example, for any professional activity) moral requirements and norms of behavior, i.e. ethics of business relations is based on the general rules of conduct developed by people in the process of joint life. Naturally, many norms of relationships in a business environment are valid for everyday life, and, conversely, almost all the rules of interpersonal relationships are reflected in work ethics.

It is hardly possible to consider such a situation correct when the same person behaves fundamentally differently in business and at home. Correct in relationships, attentive and polite with people must be always and everywhere. The foregoing does not exclude, for example, a certain firmness and organizational skills in relationships with loved ones, as well as a sensitive attitude to the personal problems of colleagues at work.

It is hardly doubtful that the attitude of others towards a particular person (and vice versa) in the process of professional activity is a continuation of the relations that develop in public life as a whole. Desirable manifestations of the attitude of others towards ourselves in everyday life, we naturally transfer to the sphere of business relations. Accordingly, the people around us expect us to know the rules of conduct and the ability to put them into practice.

The relationship between ethics in the broad sense and business ethics can be traced based on the logical sequence of individual problems of people's perception of each other. A favorable basis for acquaintance, for further relationships is largely laid in the first moments of the meeting.

A significant role is played by the appearance of a person, his compliance with the situation. An important role in this case is given to such details as the ethics of greeting, shaking hands and introducing a person to a person. These initial nuances of relationships are important both in everyday life and in business life.

To establish a pleasant and useful business relationship, you must be able to interest a person with your clear and at the same time figurative statements, attention to the essence of the issue. These problems are solved during the development of rhetoric skills that are important in everyday life and especially in an office setting.

These skills should be embodied in special rules for preparing and conducting a conversation, since we are faced with the need to use them everywhere. Achieving the necessary” desired result of the conversation, and in a respectful manner, is an important condition both in everyday life and in business situations.

A private variant of the conversation is a telephone conversation. The general rules of ethics (such as, for example, politeness, attentiveness to the interlocutor, the ability to direct the conversation, etc.) are supplemented in this case by some special ones, determined by the specifics of the telephone conversation. Using these rules will allow you to make a positive opinion about the interlocutor, regardless of what kind of conversation took place - personal or business.

In the process of any conversations, it becomes necessary to express critical remarks or judgments to our interlocutors, since we are not always satisfied with the actions and statements of our environment. The general and corporate ethics of criticism of someone contain similar rules, which, in turn, are based on the main norms of ethical relationships.

So, almost all areas of business ethics have rules that correspond to the norms of conduct in a broad sense. In addition, without exception, all areas of business ethics are based on the fundamental norms of ethics. These include respect for the self-esteem and personal status of another person, understanding the interests and motives of the behavior of others, social responsibility for their psychological security, etc.

Consider the basic principles of business ethics.

The principles of ethics of business relations are a generalized expression of moral requirements developed in the moral consciousness of society, which indicate the norms of behavior for participants in business relations.

In the work of the American sociologist D. Hosmer, modern ethical principles of business behavior are formulated, based on the axioms of world philosophical thought, which have been tested by theory and practice for centuries.

There are ten such principles and, accordingly, axioms:

1. Never do anything that is not in your or your company's long-term interests (the principle is based on the teachings of ancient Greek philosophers (in particular Democritus) about personal interests combined with the interests of other people, and the difference between long-term and short-term interests).
2. Never do anything that cannot be said to be really honest, open and true, which could be proudly announced to the whole country in the press and on television (the principle is based on the views of Aristotle and Plato on personal virtues - honesty, openness, moderation, etc.).
3. Never do something that is not good, that does not contribute to the formation of a sense of elbow, as we all work for one common goal (the principle is based on the commandments of world religions (St. Augustine), calling for goodness and compassion).
4. Never do anything that violates the Law, because the law represents the basic moral norms of society (the principle is based on the teachings of T. Hobbes and J. Locke on the role of the state as an arbiter in the competition between people for the good).
5. Never do anything that does not lead to good, not harm to the society in which you live (the principle is based on the ethics of utilitarianism (the practical benefits of moral behavior) developed by I. Bentham and J.S. Mill).
6. Never do what you would not want to recommend to others who find themselves in a similar situation (the principle is based on the categorical imperative of I. Kant, which declares the famous rule about the universal, universal norm).
7. Never do anything that infringes on the established rights of others (the principle is based on the views of J.-J. Rousseau and T. Jefferson on the rights of the individual).
8. Always act in a way that maximizes profit within the limits of the law, the requirements of the market and with full consideration of costs. For the maximum profit under these conditions indicates the greatest production efficiency (the principle is based on the economic theory of A. Smith and the teachings of V. Pareto on the optimal transaction).
9. Never do anything that could harm the weakest in society (the principle is based on the rule of distributive justice by K. Rhodes).
10. Never do anything that would interfere with the right of another person to self-development and self-realization (the principle is based on A. Nozick's theory of expanding the degree of individual freedom necessary for the development of society).

These principles are present to varying degrees and are recognized as fair in various business cultures. The ideal, albeit a very distant goal of the world business community is the type of relationship based on the triumph of moral and ethical principles.