THINKING ETHICALLY: MENTORING TO DEVELOP ETHICAL

Read the THINKING ETHICALLY section below. Answer the three questions at the end of the section in a 2 page paper APA FORMAT. In addition to the three questions in the text, answer the following question: Describe and evaluate the usefulness of two traditional training methods that could be used to foster ethical behavior. You will respond to a total of four question in this Assignment. Follow the project guidelines below.

THINKING ETHICALLY

MENTORING TO DEVELOP ETHICAL

EMPLOYEES

According to business professor Linda Treviño, ethical

behavior in organizations depends less on formal training

programs than on such management practices as

ethical leadership. Perhaps most important is creating

an environment in which employees believe people are

treated fairly. Managers can foster such an environment

by responding positively when employees raise ethical

and other concerns. They can also build ethical leadership

by rewarding ethical behavior in managers and by

placing ethical managers in positions where they can

mentor others.

In recent years, mentoring has become especially

critical in companies’ financial divisions. Several highprofile

scandals involving misleading financial reports

have brought greater regulation and public scrutiny,

especially aimed at the chief financial officer (CFO) and

his or her staff. Whereas CFOs were once valued primarily

for their quantitative skills, today they need a

broader range of ethical skills. In particular, they must

be role models for ethical behavior, mentoring the organization’s

other financial experts. With these greater

demands, the average length of service for a CFO is

now just 30 months.

SOURCES: Linda Treviño, “The Key Role of HR in Organizational

Ethics,” Ethics Resource Center, 2007, www.ethics.org ,

accessed March 21, 2008; and Cynthia Jamison, “Struggling

to Survive,” Strategic Finance , April 2007, downloaded from

General Reference Center Gold, http://find.galegroup.com .

Questions

1. In general, how might a senior executive mentor

junior employees in behaving ethically?

2. If you were an employee who contributed to preparing

an organization’s financial statements,

would having a CFO who places a high priority on

ethical behavior help you meet high ethical standards?

Why or why not?

3. How might an HR department help to develop financial

executives who are ethical leaders and mentors?