Ethical Failure Read the Encyclopedia of Ethical

Ethical Failure

Read the Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure. Select three of the violations discussed in the document. Explain the violation, including its U.S. Code, use examples from your own career or the document, and discuss the possible fines / imprisonment for the violation.

Three possible violations of the Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure include: bribery, fraud and gambling / other contest guidelines. In the case of bribery, the guide forbids anyone from taking kickbacks or money for special favors. In general, this can cost the government between $400 thousand and $1 million for every $115 thousand that is earned illegally. Under Section 18 U.S.C. § 201(c)(1)(B) (2003) it says that these practices, "Forbids any public official from accepting anything of value in exchange for an official act to be performed, or because of any official act already performed. Violations of this law can merit fines, imprisonment for up to 2 years, or both." This is illustrating how law is explicitly banning these practices. ("Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure," 2007)

For example, someone who knowingly accepts a bribe in order to receive favorable treatment is in violation of these provisions. This is taking place, when they accept any kind of monetary or special reward for engaging in these activities. Under these guidelines, they are subject to fines and the possibility of being imprisoned for a term of up to two years. ("Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure," 2007)

Fraud is taking place, when an individual or a group is knowingly lying to governmental or other organizations about the overall scope of their activities. This can occur with someone misrepresenting their capabilities to outright engaging in actions in order to deceive various stakeholders. The long-term affects, are that this kind of behavior will cause many people to lose faith in different entities. This is because an atmosphere has been created surrounding fraudulent activities. Over the course of time, various officials will do whatever is necessary to maintain this structure for their own benefits. ("Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure," 2007)

Under 18 U.S.C. § 371 (2003), the law states that anyone who is attempting to defraud the U.S. government is subject to fines and up to five years in prison. This is illustrating how these practices are banned under federal law. A good example of this can be seen with someone who is attempting to defraud Medicare and Social Security. These people do not have a legitimate purpose for any claims they are making, with the exception of their own self-interest. ("Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure," 2007)

Gambling and other contest guidelines are when government employees are directly sponsoring or engaging activities to promote some kind of contest. This occurs when public resources are used in the process of achieving these objectives. The basic idea is to utilize this to promote the event. In many ways, this gives the appearance that a particular government entity is sponsoring the event. When in reality, higher officials are not aware of what is taking place or the scope of select activities. ("Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure," 2007)

For example, a government employee has an office pool for the NCAA Tournament. While this is strictly voluntary, it is considered to be a violation of C.F.R. § 102-74.395. This forbids, "All persons from entering in or on Federal property from participating in games for money or other personal property, operating gambling devices, conducting a lottery or pool, or selling or purchasing numbers ticket." This is illustrating how these actions are in direct violation of the law. As a result, they can be subject to fines and dismissal from their position. ("Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure," 2007)

You are the new "ethics coordinator" for your organization. Today is your first day of presenting the ethics training. Seventy-five really bored and angry people are sitting in front of you. What will you say to this group of reluctant trainees about the importance of ethics?

The most important tactic that should be embraced is not engage in the same kind of ethics strategy that was used in the past. This is because it did not work and many employees are jaded about what happened. Moreover, they are tired of being preached at about changing their behavior and there is no transformation within the organization itself. (Nemeth, 2011) (Bruce, 1998)

This is indicating that management has an adversarial approach and does not listen to staff members. Instead, they are using authoritarian tactics to enforce policies and procedures that no one believes in. Over the course of time, this has resulted in many people feeling a sense of resentment about how they were treated in the past. (Nemeth, 2011) (Bruce, 1998)

The first thing to say to the group of trainees; is to tell them how this is not talking about why ethics are important. On the contrary, it is focused on understanding how previous polices did not work and what kind alternatives can be used in the future. During this process, there is a concentration on listening to the views of trainees and implementing them into the approach. (Nemeth, 2011) (Bruce, 1998)

If these techniques are used, they will be more willing to open up about the challenges that they are facing and how to address them. This is when trainees will follow different ideas and incorporate them into their system of values. The reason why is because, they see how this can benefit them over the long-term. Out of their own self-interests, they are motivated to embrace these changes. (Nemeth, 2011) (Bruce, 1998)

Next, some of the ideas that worked in the past must be discussed. During this process, is when employees will talk about how this can help the work environment and if these provisions will address the underlying challenges inside the firm. This will allow them to see the role that ethics plays in enhancing the work atmosphere. (Nemeth, 2011) (Bruce, 1998)