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Business Ethical Issues

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Business Ethical Issues
Employee Behavior
From large corporations to small businesses, individuals involved in all types of business often face ethical issues stemming from employee behavior. For example, whether an employee can spend work time checking personal email accounts, how a manager deals with claims of harassment and to what extent a manager can "groom" a certain employee for a promotion are all examples of ethical issues regarding employee behavior. There are legal consequences for some unethical employee behavior. For example, if a supervisor discriminated against an employee based on her gender, religion or ethnicity when making recommendations for a promotion, legal action could be sought. Small business owners can help to prevent ethical problems stemming from employee behavior by drafting a clear, attorney-reviewed set of standards that dictate behavior policies for employees at all levels.
Employee Working Conditions
In addition to employee behavior, there are a number of ethical issues business people must consider about employee working conditions. For example, employers must be aware of the safety of their work environment and if they have compensated employees for all the time they have worked. The must also consider if they have required an employee to work an unreasonably long period of time or if they have him doing an unusually difficult task. Just like there are legal consequences for some unethical issues regarding employee behavior, there are also legal consequences for unethical working conditions. For example, an employer who requires an employee to work without pay or who creates an unsafe working environment can face legal action.
Supplier/Customer Relations
In addition employees and business owners must consider the ethical issues involved with their relationships between suppliers and customers. Business owners in particular must consider whether it is ethical to do business with suppliers who have unethical practices. When dealing with customers or

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