FOCUS ON WRITING. One of your company’s vice presidents has asked you to help the company develop an updated code of ethics. Developing the official code of ethics will require months of research and collaboration with attorneys, consultants, editors, managers, and other stakeholders. In the meantime, the V.P. has asked you to develop a brief but practical guide for ethical communication that will serve as a practical reference for all employees until the final code of ethics has been approved. It will also lay out the key components to be included in the official code.
Using the material in this chapter and the web resources listed here, prepare a two-page memo to outline your brief guide to ethical communication. Your purpose is to explain clearly how to avoid major ethical pitfalls in corporate communication.
• www.apegs.sk.ca
Monthly publications, statistics, feature stories, and legal information for the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Saskatchewan.
• www.engineering.com/Library/ArticlesPage/tabid/85/articleType/ CategoryView/categoryId/7/Ethics-Case-Studies.aspx
Case studies in engineering ethics from the Engineering.com website.
• www.professionalethics.ca/cdn.html
Links to ethical information on professional groups such as the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Canada (IEEE), as well as international ethics, compiled by philosopher-ethicist Chris MacDonald.