Tag: Role Play and Simulation

Creditor

A creditor could be a bank, supplier or person that has provided money, goods, or services to a company and expects to be paid at a later date. In other words, the company owes money to its creditors and the amounts should be reported on the company’s balance sheet as either a current liability or a non-current (or long-term) liability.

Some creditors, such as banks and other lenders, have lent money to the company and will require the company to sign a written promissory note for the amount owed. When a promissory note is required, the company borrowing the money will record and report the amount owed as Notes Payable.

If the creditor is a vendor or supplier that did not require the company to sign a promissory note, the amount owed is likely to be reported as Accounts Payable or Accrued Liabilities.

Other creditors include the company’s employees (who are owed wages and bonuses), governments (who are owed taxes), and customers (who made deposits or other prepayments).

Some creditors are referred to as secured creditors because they have a registered lien on some of the company’s assets. A creditor without a lien (or other legal claim) on the company’s assets is an unsecured creditor.

Debtors

A debtor is a person, company, or other entity that owes money. In other words, the debtor has a debt or legal obligation to pay the amount owed.

A debtor is an individual or entity that owes money to a creditor. The concept can apply to individual transactions, so that someone could be a debtor in regard to a specific supplier invoice, while being a creditor in relation to its own billings to customers. Even a very wealthy person or company is a debtor in some respects, since there are always unpaid invoices payable to suppliers. The only entity that is not a debtor is one that pays up-front in cash for all transactions. Thus, an entity could be a debtor in relation to specific payables, while being flush with cash in all other respects.

A debtor is considered to be in default if it does not pay a debt within the payment terms of the debt agreement. Thus, a short payment or late payment could trigger a default.

The liability owed by a debtor can be discharged in bankruptcy, or with the agreement of the counterparty. In either case, if the liability is no longer valid, the entity involved is no longer a debtor in relation to that liability.

When a customer hires a safe deposit locker from the bank, the relation between the bank and the customer is lessor and lessee. The bank is the lessor (licensor) and the hirer of safe deposit locker is the lessee (licensee/tenant).

Bailor and Bailee

Bailment refers to delivery of goods by one person to another for some purpose under a condition that the goods to be returned to depositor when the purpose is accomplished or otherwise disposed of according to the directions of the person while delivering the goods (Sec 148 of contract act). The person delivering the goods is known as bailor and the person to whom goods are delivered is called bailee.

Ex.

• The articles, valuables, securities deposited in the safe deposit vault of the bank are also an example of bailment. In this case, the customer and banker relationship is bailor and bailee, besides their relationship as trustee and beneficiary. The bailor is still the rightful owner of the item though the item is in bailee’s possession. As a bailee, the bank has to take care of the goods bailed.
• A car parked in a parking area where parking charge is collected. The car owner is the bailor and the contractor who collected the charge is the bailee. As a bailee, the contractor has to take care of the car parked at his parking area.
• Relationship of Pledger and pledgee is also a type of bailment in which goods are delivered by one person to another as a security for payment of a debt or performance of a promise (Sec 172, Contract Act, 1872). For example, the borrower delivers the gold jewel to the bank as a security for the loan granted by the bank. In this case, the borrower who pledged the gold to the bank is the bailor (pledger) and the bank is the bailee (pledgee).

Trustee and Beneficiary

When a banker accepts items like securities or documents for safe custody or maintains escrow accounts of the customers, the relation between the banker and customer is a Trustee and the Beneficiary (Trustier). The bank is the Trustee and the customer is the beneficiary.

 (Escrow is a separate type of bank account generally opened for various business deals like acquisition, transfer of shares and debentures of a company, where money deposited in banks will be released only under fulfillment of certain conditions of a contract).

Agent and Principal

When a bank collects cheques, bills and other instruments for customers, the relation between the bank and customer is that of Principal and Agent. The bank also makes regular payments of insurance premium rent etc. as per standing instruction received from the customer. In the above cases also the relation between the bank and the customer is of Principal and agent. The bank act as the agent and customer the principal.

Advisor and Client

When a customer invests in securities, the banker acts as an advisor. The advice can be given officially or unofficially. While giving advice the banker has to take maximum care and caution. Here, the banker is an Advisor, and the customer is a Client.

Relationship of Bailor and Bailee

When Customer deliver goods to bank for purpose of safekeeping under a condition that goods will be returned to depositor when purpose is completed. In this case, Customer becomes bailor and bank becomes bailee. The process is known as Bailment. Example of Bailment is; Articles, Securities and valuables kept in safe deposit locker. In this case, relationship between banker and customer is Bailee and Bailor.

The relationship between banker and customer may be terminated in any of the following ways

1. By mutual agreement:

The relationship between banker and customer may be terminated by mutual agreement.

2. Death of customer:

Death of a customer is an obvious reason for terminating the relationship between banker and customer. On the receiving the notice of death of the customer the bank stops the payment. The dissolution of a corporation customer is equivalent to death.

3. Lunacy of customer:

The Lunacy of a Customer terminates the relationship between banker and a customer. Bankers authority to pay cheques is revoked by notice of insanity. But unless the evidence of insanity is fairly conclusive, the banker’s wisest course would appear to be to treat the customer as sane in so that the banker is not held liable for damages for wrongful dishonor.

4. Notice to terminate:

In case of any current account, no such notice by the customer to a banker appears necessary. But if it is a deposit account the banker could insist on the notice period specified on the fixed deposit receipt/book.

5. Bankruptcy:

The bankruptcy or winding up of the bank is a sufficient ground for terminating the relationship between a Banker and customer.

6. Order of court:

If the court restrains the banker to carry on further of the banking business, the account of the customer comes to an end.

7. Transfer of balance amount:

If the customer transfers the whole amount of balance of his account to any other person, then the account may be closed by the banker. In this way the relationship of banker and customer comes to an end.

Voluntary Termination

The banker cannot close the account of the customer. If the person wanted to close his account with his free consent, then the relationship between banker and customer can be terminated.

Closing the account after bank notice

It is the right of the banker that if he found and illegal activity with the account or any other reasonable ground, the bank can close the account after giving proper notice to the customer.

A computer virus is a type of computer program that, when executed, replicates itself by modifying other computer programs and inserting its own code. If this replication succeeds, the affected areas are then said to be “infected” with a computer virus, a metaphor derived from biological viruses.

Computer viruses generally require a host program. The virus writes its own code into the host program. When the program runs, the written virus program is executed first, causing infection and damage. A computer worm does not need a host program, as it is an independent program or code chunk. Therefore, it is not restricted by the host program, but can run independently and actively carry out attacks.

Virus writers use social engineering deceptions and exploit detailed knowledge of security vulnerabilities to initially infect systems and to spread the virus. Viruses use complex anti-detection/stealth strategies to evade antivirus software. Motives for creating viruses can include seeking profit (e.g., with ransomware), desire to send a political message, personal amusement, to demonstrate that a vulnerability exists in software, for sabotage and denial of service, or simply because they wish to explore cybersecurity issues, artificial life and evolutionary algorithms.

Computer viruses cause billions of dollars’ worth of economic damage each year.

In response, an industry of antivirus software has cropped up, selling or freely distributing virus protection to users of various operating systems.

The terms “Virus” and “malware” are often used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing. While a computer virus is a type of malware, not all malware are computer viruses.

The easiest way to differentiate computer viruses from other forms of malware is to think about viruses in biological terms. Take the flu virus, for example. The flu requires some kind of interaction between two people like a hand shake, a kiss, or touching something an infected person touched. Once the flu virus gets inside a person’s system it attaches to healthy human cells, using those cells to create more viral cells.

A computer virus works in much the same way:

• A computer virus requires a host program.
• A computer virus requires user action to transmit from one system to another.
• A computer virus attaches bits of its own malicious code to other files or replaces files outright with copies of itself.

It’s that second virus trait that tends to confuse people. Viruses can’t spread without some sort of action from a user, like opening up an infected Word document. Worms, on the other hand, are able to spread across systems and networks on their own, making them much more prevalent and dangerous.

Types

There are several types of computer viruses that can infect devices. This section will cover computer virus protections and how to get rid of computer viruses.

Multipartite Virus

A multipartite virus uses multiple methods to infect and spread across computers. It will typically remain in the computer’s memory to infect the hard disk, then spread through and infect more drives by altering the content of applications. This results in performance lag and application memory running low.

Resident Virus

Viruses propagate themselves by infecting applications on a host computer. A resident virus achieves this by infecting applications as they are opened by a user. A non-resident virus is capable of infecting executable files when programs are not running.

Multipartite viruses can be avoided by not opening attachments from untrusted sources and by installing trusted antivirus software. It can also be prevented by cleaning the boot sector and the computer’s entire disk.

Direct Action

A direct action virus accesses a computer’s main memory and infects all programs, files, and folders located in the autoexec.bat path, before deleting itself. This virus typically alters the performance of a system but is capable of destroying all data on the computer’s hard disk and any USB device attached to it. Direct action viruses can be avoided through the use of antivirus scanners. They are easy to detect, as is restoring infected files.

Overwrite Virus

Overwrite viruses are extremely dangerous. They can delete data and replace it with their own file content or code. Once files get infected, they cannot be replaced, and the virus can affect Windows, DOS, Linux, and Apple systems. The only way this virus can be removed is by deleting all of the files it has infected, which could be devastating. The best way to protect against the overwrite virus is to use a trusted antivirus solution and keep it updated.

Browser Hijacker

A browser hijacker manually changes the settings of web browsers, such as replacing the homepage, editing the new tab page, and changing the default search engine. Technically, it is not a virus because it cannot infect files but can be hugely damaging to computer users, who often will not  be able to restore their homepage or search engine. It can also contain adware that causes unwanted pop-ups and advertisements.

Browser hijackers typically attach to free software and malicious applications from unverified websites or app stores, so only use trusted software and reliable antivirus software.

File Infector

A file infector is one of the most common computer viruses. It overwrites files when they are opened and can quickly spread across systems and networks. It largely affects files with .exe or .com extensions. The best way to avoid file infector viruses is to only download official software and deploy an antivirus solution.

Web Scripting Virus

A web scripting virus attacks web browser security, enabling a hacker to inject web-pages with malicious code, or client-side scripting. This allows cyber criminals to attack major websites, such as social networking sites, email providers, and any site that enables user input or reviews. Attackers can use the virus to send spam, commit fraudulent activity, and damage server files.

Protecting against web scripting is reliant on deploying real-time web browser protection software, using cookie security, disabling scripts, and using malicious software removal tools.

Network Virus

Network viruses are extremely dangerous because they can completely cripple entire computer networks. They are often difficult to discover, as the virus could be hidden within any computer on an infected network. These viruses can easily replicate and spread by using the internet to transfer to devices connected to the network. Trusted, robust antivirus solutions and advanced firewalls are crucial to protecting against network viruses.

Boot Sector Virus

A boot sector virus targets a computer’s master boot record (MBR). The virus injects its code into a hard disk’s partition table, then moves into the main memory when a computer restarts. The presence of the virus is signified by boot-up problems, poor system performance, and the hard disk becoming unable to locate. Most modern computers come with boot sector safeguards that restrict the potential of this type of virus.

Prevention

There’s no way to stop viruses from being created. There will always be a young programmer wanting to prove that they can “Play with the big boys,” or a hacker who wants to just see chaos and damage. And, just like real-world vandalism, someone who creates viruses can start their “career” with a harmless prank but grow into causing millions of dollars of damage by deleting massive files from multiple corporations.

The best way to protect home computers against viruses is to have updated antivirus software, keep computers and software updated with the latest patches, and monitor the behavior of all users of a computer, including learning what types of files can be harboring viruses (such as Microsoft word documents in a massively forwarded e-mail). There will always be viruses, but staying vigilant will help keep a computer from becoming infected.

1. Install antivirus or anti-malware software

It might seem obvious, but many home computers don’t have this protection. It’s essential to keep your PC virus free.

2. Keep your antivirus software up to date

Protective software is one thing; but keeping it up to date is another. While free antivirus software is better than nothing, it’s not the best solution. Microsoft has a free security package if you operate with Windows, even though you would’ve already paid for the Windows licence. Many people don’t know about it; but, actually, it’s a good form of protection.

3. Run antivirus scans regularly

This might also go without saying, but we often forget to do it. Adjust the settings so scans run at regular intervals (like once a week). Using the device while antivirus software is running can be challenging. Try running it at night when the computer is idle. Because we usually turn our devices off at night, we tend to overlook scans. Set the antivirus software to run on a specific night and only leave the computer on at that time. Make sure it doesn’t switch off automatically or go into hibernation mode.

4. Keep your operating system up to date

Whether you use Windows, Mac OS X, Linux or another operating system, always keep it up to date. Developers regularly release patches to plug security leaks. The patches will help keep your system safe. You should also keep your antivirus software up to date. New viruses and malware are emerging constantly. Their software scanning is as sophisticated as their databases, so make sure you’re on top of things.

5. Protect your network

Many PCs connect to files, printers and the Internet via Wi-Fi.  Make sure the network requires a secure password and never browse on open networks.

Use WPA or WPA2 encryption. PME is no longer secure enough. Expert hackers can circumvent it in minutes. It’s also a good idea not to disclose the name of your Wi-Fi network (the SSID). You can connect to the network manually on your device by typing in the SSID and password. If you usually let guests use your Internet, give them an alternative SSID and password just in case.

6. Think before you click

Avoid websites you don’t trust. Don’t open email attachments from people or companies you don’t know. Don’t click on links in unwanted emails. Always hover the mouse over a link (especially a short URL) before clicking on it to see where it will take you.

If you need to download something from the Internet, an email, an FTP site, a file exchange service, etc., check it over first. Good antivirus software will do it automatically, although you have to make sure it’s running.

7. Keep your personal information secure

This is probably the hardest thing to do on the Internet. Many hackers use social engineering over brute force to access your files. They can gather enough information to hack your online accounts to collect even more data.

They go from account to account until they have all they need to get hold of your bank details and steal your identity. Be careful on message boards and social media. Block all your privacy settings and avoid using your real name in chat forums.

8. Don’t use unsecured Wi-Fi

Don’t use the free, open Wi-Fi (no password or encryption) in cafés, libraries, airports, etc. Think about it. If you can connect easily, how far can a hacker go?

9. Back up your files

Backing up all your files is the best form of protection. Ideally, keep your files in three places: where you work on them (your computer); an external storage device; and somewhere else.

Use a back-up service or get two external hard drives and keep one at work; a relative or a friend’s house; or in a safe.

10. Use several secure passwords

Never use the same password twice, especially for bank accounts. We usually use the same email address or username, which are easy to see and steal. If you always use the same password and someone uncovers it, it’ll take just a few seconds to hack into all your accounts.  Choose a strong password with lower- and upper-case letters, numbers and symbols. Make it easy to remember but difficult to predict. Don’t use dates or pets’ names.

In environmental philosophy, environmental ethics is an established field of practical philosophy “which reconstructs the essential types of argumentation that can be made for protecting natural entities and the sustainable use of natural resources.” The main competing paradigms are anthropocentrism, physiocentrism (called ecocentrism as well), and theocentrism. Environmental ethics exerts influence on a large range of disciplines including environmental law, environmental sociology, ecotheology, ecological economics, ecology and environmental geography.

There are many ethical decisions that human beings make with respect to the environment. For example:

• Should humans continue to clear cut forests for the sake of human consumption?
• Why should humans continue to propagate its species, and life itself?
• Should humans continue to make gasoline-powered vehicles?
• What environmental obligations do humans need to keep for future generations?
• Is it right for humans to knowingly cause the extinction of a species for the convenience of humanity?
• How should humans best use and conserve the space environment to secure and expand life?
• What role can Planetary Boundaries play in reshaping the human-earth relationship?

Ecologic extension

Alan Marshall’s category of ecologic extension places emphasis not on human rights but on the recognition of the fundamental interdependence of all biological (and some abiological) entities and their essential diversity. Whereas Libertarian Extension can be thought of as flowing from a political reflection of the natural world, ecologic extension is best thought of as a scientific reflection of the natural world. Ecological Extension is roughly the same classification of Smith’s eco-holism, and it argues for the intrinsic value inherent in collective ecological entities like ecosystems or the global environment as a whole entity. Holmes Rolston, among others, has taken this approach.

This category might include James Lovelock’s Gaia hypothesis; the theory that the planet earth alters its geo-physiological structure over time in order to ensure the continuation of an equilibrium of evolving organic and inorganic matter. The planet is characterized as a unified, holistic entity with ethical worth of which the human race is of no particular significance in the long run.

Conservation ethics

Marshall’s category of ‘conservation ethics’ is an extension of use-value into the non-human biological world. It focuses only on the worth of the environment in terms of its utility or usefulness to humans. It contrasts the intrinsic value ideas of ‘deep ecology,’ hence is often referred to as ‘shallow ecology,’ and generally argues for the preservation of the environment on the basis that it has extrinsic value instrumental to the welfare of human beings. Conservation is therefore a means to an end and purely concerned with mankind and inter-generational considerations. It could be argued that it is this ethic that formed the underlying arguments proposed by Governments at the Kyoto summit in 1997 and three agreements reached in the Rio Earth Summit in 1992.

Consequentialism

Consequentialist theories focus on the consequences of actions, this emphasises not what is ‘right’, but rather what is of ‘value’ and ‘good’. Act Utilitarianism, for example, expands this formulation to emphasise that what makes an action right is whether it maximises well-being and reduces pain. Thus, actions that result in greater well-being are considered obligatory and permissible. It has been noted that this is an ‘instrumentalist’ position towards the environment, and as such not fully adequate to the delicate demands of ecological diversity.

Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic (1949) tries to avoid this type of instrumentalism by proposing a more holistic approach to the relationship between humans and their ‘biotic community’, so to create a ‘limit’ based on the maxim that “a thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community; it is wrong when it tends otherwise.” Thus, the use of natural resources is permissible as long as it does not disrupt the stability of the ecosystem. Some philosophers have categorised Leopold’s views to be within a consequentialist framework, however it is disputed whether this was intentional. Other consequentialist views such as that of Peter Singer tend to emphasise the inclusion of non-human sentient beings into ethical considerations. This view argues that all sentient creates which are by nature able to feel pleasure and pain, are of equal moral consideration for their intrinsic value. Nevertheless, non-sentient beings, such as plants, rivers and ecosystems, are considered to be merely instrumental.

Deontology

Deontological theories state that an action should be based on duties or obligations to what is right, instead of what is good. In strong contrast to consequentialism, this view argues for principles of duty based not on a function of value, but on reasons that stand beyond the consequences of an action. Something of intrinsic value, then, has to be protected not because its goodness would maximise a wider good, but because it is valuable in itself; not as a means towards something, but as an end in itself. Thus, if the natural environment is categorised as intrinsically valuable, any destruction or damage to such would be considered wrong as a whole rather than merely due to a calculated loss of net value. It can be said that this approach is more holistic in principle than one of consequentialist nature, as it fits more adequately with the delicate balance of large ecosystems.

Avoid harm

“Harm” means negative consequences, especially when those consequences are significant and unjust. Examples of harm include unjustified physical or mental injury, unjustified destruction or disclosure of information, and unjustified damage to property, reputation, and the environment. This list is not exhaustive.

Well-intended actions, including those that accomplish assigned duties, may lead to harm. When that harm is unintended, those responsible are obliged to undo or mitigate the harm as much as possible. Avoiding harm begins with careful consideration of potential impacts on all those affected by decisions. When harm is an intentional part of the system, those responsible are obligated to ensure that the harm is ethically justified. In either case, ensure that all harm is minimized.

To minimize the possibility of indirectly or unintentionally harming others, computing professionals should follow generally accepted best practices unless there is a compelling ethical reason to do otherwise. Additionally, the consequences of data aggregation and emergent properties of systems should be carefully analyzed. Those involved with pervasive or infrastructure systems should also consider Principle.

Be fair and take action not to discriminate

The values of equality, tolerance, respect for others, and justice govern this principle. Fairness requires that even careful decision processes provide some avenue for redress of grievances.

Computing professionals should foster fair participation of all people, including those of underrepresented groups. Prejudicial discrimination on the basis of age, color, disability, ethnicity, family status, gender identity, labor union membership, military status, nationality, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, or any other inappropriate factor is an explicit violation of the Code. Harassment, including sexual harassment, bullying, and other abuses of power and authority, is a form of discrimination that, amongst other harms, limits fair access to the virtual and physical spaces where such harassment takes place.

The use of information and technology may cause new, or enhance existing, inequities. Technologies and practices should be as inclusive and accessible as possible and computing professionals should take action to avoid creating systems or technologies that disenfranchise or oppress people. Failure to design for inclusiveness and accessibility may constitute unfair discrimination.

Be honest and trustworthy

Honesty is an essential component of trustworthiness. A computing professional should be transparent and provide full disclosure of all pertinent system capabilities, limitations, and potential problems to the appropriate parties. Making deliberately false or misleading claims, fabricating or falsifying data, offering or accepting bribes, and other dishonest conduct are violations of the Code.

Computing professionals should be honest about their qualifications, and about any limitations in their competence to complete a task. Computing professionals should be forthright about any circumstances that might lead to either real or perceived conflicts of interest or otherwise tend to undermine the independence of their judgment. Furthermore, commitments should be honored.

Respect privacy

The responsibility of respecting privacy applies to computing professionals in a particularly profound way. Technology enables the collection, monitoring, and exchange of personal information quickly, inexpensively, and often without the knowledge of the people affected. Therefore, a computing professional should become conversant in the various definitions and forms of privacy and should understand the rights and responsibilities associated with the collection and use of personal information.

Computing professionals should only use personal information for legitimate ends and without violating the rights of individuals and groups. This requires taking precautions to prevent re-identification of anonymized data or unauthorized data collection, ensuring the accuracy of data, understanding the provenance of the data, and protecting it from unauthorized access and accidental disclosure. Computing professionals should establish transparent policies and procedures that allow individuals to understand what data is being collected and how it is being used, to give informed consent for automatic data collection, and to review, obtain, correct inaccuracies in, and delete their personal data.

Know and respect existing rules pertaining to professional work

“Rules” here include local, regional, national, and international laws and regulations, as well as any policies and procedures of the organizations to which the professional belongs. Computing professionals must abide by these rules unless there is a compelling ethical justification to do otherwise. Rules that are judged unethical should be challenged. A rule may be unethical when it has an inadequate moral basis or causes recognizable harm. A computing professional should consider challenging the rule through existing channels before violating the rule. A computing professional who decides to violate a rule because it is unethical, or for any other reason, must consider potential consequences and accept responsibility for that action.

Maintain high standards of professional competence, conduct, and ethical practice

High quality computing depends on individuals and teams who take personal and group responsibility for acquiring and maintaining professional competence. Professional competence starts with technical knowledge and with awareness of the social context in which their work may be deployed. Professional competence also requires skill in communication, in reflective analysis, and in recognizing and navigating ethical challenges. Upgrading skills should be an ongoing process and might include independent study, attending conferences or seminars, and other informal or formal education. Professional organizations and employers should encourage and facilitate these activities.

Foster public awareness and understanding of computing, related technologies, and their consequences

As appropriate to the context and one’s abilities, computing professionals should share technical knowledge with the public, foster awareness of computing, and encourage understanding of computing. These communications with the public should be clear, respectful, and welcoming. Important issues include the impacts of computer systems, their limitations, their vulnerabilities, and the opportunities that they present. Additionally, a computing professional should respectfully address inaccurate or misleading information related to computing.

Ethical issues in HR

Equal Opportunity

The HR managers must regularly monitor the company’s hiring practices to make sure there is no discrimination in the hiring process based on ethnicity, sexual orientation, race, religion and disability. However, simply abiding with Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines does not guarantee ethical behavior.

Harming Some While Benefitting Others

HR managers do much of the screening while the hiring process is still on. By its very nature, screening leaves some people out and permits others to move forward. In short, the ones left out will be affected by not getting the job, no matter how much they need it.

HR managers can neglect the emotionalism of such situations by adhering strictly to the skill sets and other needs of the position, but there will always be a gray area where HR managers may scale how much each applicant wants and needs the job.

Privacy Issues

Any person working with any organisation is an individual and has a personal side to his existence which he demands should be respected and not intruded. The employee wants the organisation to protect his/her personal life. This personal life may encompass things like his religious, political and social beliefs etc. However certain situations may arise that mandate snooping behaviours on the part of the employer. For example, mail scanning is one of the activities used to track the activities of an employee who is believed to be engaged in activities that are not in the larger benefit of the organisation.

Race, gender and Disability

In many organisations till recently the employees were differentiated on the basis of their race, gender, origin and their disability. Not anymore ever since the evolution of laws and a regulatory framework that has standardised employee behaviours towards each other. In good organisations the only differentiating factor is performance! In addition, the power of filing litigation has made put organisations on the back foot. Managers are trained for aligning behaviour and avoiding discriminatory practices.

Performance Appraisal

Ethics should be the basis of performance evaluation. Highly ethical performance appraisal demands that there should be an honest assessment of the performance and steps should be taken to improve the effectiveness of employees. However, HR managers, sometimes, face the dilemma of assigning higher rates to employees who are not deserving them; based on some unrelated factors eg. closeness to the top management. Some employees are, however, given low rates, despite their excellent performance on the basis of factor like caste, religion or not being loyal to the appraiser.

Safety and Health

Industrial work is often hazardous to the safety and health of the employees. Legislations have been created making it mandatory on the organisations and managers to compensate the victims of occupational hazards. Ethical dilemmas of HR managers arise when the justice is denied to the victims by the organisation.

Restructuring and layoffs

Restructuring of the organisations often result in layoffs and retrenchments. This is not unethical, if it is conducted in an atmosphere of fairness and equity and with the interests of the affected employees in mind. If the restructuring company requires closing of the plant, the process by which the plant is chosen, how the news is to be communicated and the time frame for completing the layoffs is ethically important.

Unethical practices of HRM

Employers:

They sometime indulge in unfair practices like one or more of the following:

(i) Creating split in union leaders by inducing regionalism, casteism or ego problems

(ii) Not caring for just demands of the Trade Union and not behaving respectfully with union leaders.

(iii) Trying to create rift between different unions if there are more than one recognised union.

(iv) Biased attitude in selection, transfers, promotions, and training and development activities.

(v) Giving different treatment and facilities to different people in the same level posts.

Employees:

However some common problems are as follows:

(i) False claim of age, qualifications and experience. Some even forge marks cards to claim certain qualifications.

(ii) Producing fake certificates of SC/ST category to obtain a job in that category.

(iii) Head of personnel projecting or short listing candidates belonging to his commonly, region or religion.

(iv) Creating transfers, openings, promotions suiting to their own kith and kin.

(v) Taking decision very slow or very fast to suit conveniences of own kith and kin.

Government Agencies:

Government agencies role is reducing year after year due to lesser employments in government sector.

However, the unfair or unethical practices continue in government sector in following manner:

(i) Announcing the vacancies and not taking any action further. Not clear about processing dates, written tests/interview dates and selection dates. Accountability is totally lacking.

(ii) Functioning of government employment offices is not transparent, not reliable and in fact its purpose is not well served.

(iii) Government offices and selection committees will be excessively cautious of reservation quotas and possible court cases rather than going through the responsibilities in an unhindered manner.

(iv) Most of the time the government selections get stalled or delayed due to situations like question paper leakage or court cases,

(v) The government method of selections is at best suited to low paid jobs and not for senior level posts.

Manpower Consultants:

By and large manpower consultants do a good job as mostly they are hired by the private organisations. Moreover their services are mostly for official posts and there is no statute to follow rules of reservations.However, here also sometimes certain unfair strategies do take places:

(i) Consultants tend to play the caste and regional game since they are free to operate the way they like.

(ii) There is possibility between HRD managers of corporate and consultants to organise selections as per their own plans and strategies which invariably helps kith and kin, community and regional following.

(iii) Some consultants guide candidates to alter the bio-data to suit the corporate.

Outside Sources:

The outside sources dealing with corporate are vendors, dealers, traders, customers, courier service, statutory offices representatives, banks and financial institutes. The interaction of these people will be more frequent, though there are many more people contacting the corporate.

The conduct, transactions and dealings of these outsiders also influence the ethical and unethical values and conduct of corporate employees. It is very important that outsiders conduct themselves in such way that the values and attitudes of both sides are fair and just. Deviation of fair attitude leads to wrong decisions, corrupt practices and damage to the corporate reputation.

Employee code of conduct guides individuals as to how they should behave at the workplace. Employees need to be aware as to what is expected out of them in the office. You just can’t behave the same way at office as you behave at home. Your Boss can be your best friend outside office but at work you have to respect him and also treat him like your superior. Employee ethics is essential for maintaining discipline at the workplace. Management needs to be liberal with the employees but there has to be some element of fear also in the minds of employees. If the superiors are too friendly with their subordinates, there are chances they might start taking undue advantage of the friendship. There has to be a balance always. Yes, organization’s policies ought to be employee friendly but that does not mean employees come to office at 11 AM just because they cannot get up early in the morning. There has to be a genuine reason for everything.

There has to be a proper dress code for employees. Individuals just can’t enter into the office wearing anything. Employee code of conduct decides what individuals ought to wear to office. Some organizations are very particular of what their employees wear to work. Let us go through an example:

Organization A did not instruct employees about their dress code. There was really no strictness as far as dress code was concerned. One fine day; Paul came to office wearing T shirt and Capri. The same day, one of Organization A’s esteemed clients came for site visit. Trust me, the moment the client met Paul, he was rather surprised. Understand, coming in jeans and T shirt to work does not stop us from working but it just reflects the non-serious and casual attitude of employees. It is always better if employees come to work in formals. Casual dressing is okay on Saturdays but that does not mean you can come to work wearing shorts. Dress sensibly even if it is a weekend and you have already gone in the holiday mood. Employee dress code also ensures uniformity among employees.

Employee code of conduct ensures career growth and also benefits the organization in the long run. If employees understand the difference between what to do and what not to do at the workplace, problems would never arise. We bunk offices because we do not realize that such a practice is wrong and unethical. Employee ethics ensures employees adhere to the rules and regulations and also work for the organization. Employee ethics motivates employees not to indulge in gossiping, nasty politics, criticizing fellow workers, bunking office and so on. They seldom think of sharing confidential information or data with competitors and all their energies are utilized in productive activities which would benefit the organization.

Employee ethics ensures employees attend office on time and genuinely respect their superiors. Most of the times it has been observed that employees have a hate relationship with their Bosses. Are bosses wrong always? Ask yourself. How would you feel if someone reporting to you is absconding from the office and you have a deadline to follow? Yes, sometimes it does become essential to show your powers and be a little authoritative. Understand that employee ethics is not meant to downgrade employees but make them aware of their duties and responsibilities in the organization.

Most essentially, employee ethics is important as it goes a long way in making the value system of employees strong. This way, employees on their own develop a feeling of attachment and loyalty towards the organization. Remember, employee ethics is not meant to bind you but make you an indispensable employee.

Reason:

A quality code of conduct can foster employee retention and loyalty. When you feel engaged with the company’s culture and share the same values, you will feel committed. Also, the code serves as a framework for making ethical business decisions. It serves as a communication tool for employees, customers and stakeholders about what a company truly values. Furthermore, it informs a candidate seeking a job about how a particular company is likely to treat them upon joining.

Types of code of conduct

An employer may choose to include different types of codes of conduct in their employee handbook. Here are some important ones:

• Company’s value
• Conflict of interest
• Financial integrity and responsibility
• Confidential information
• Harassment and discrimination
• Dress code
• Leave policy
• Break-time policy
• Social media policy
• Reporting misconduct
• Illegal activity
• Internet usage policy
• Use of technology
• Absenteeism
• Plagiarism
• Environmental concerns

Importance:

Provides guidelines of employee behaviour

Having a code of conduct gives you a structure to follow from the moment you join a new company. It reduces the instances of problems coming up because you will always follow the most appropriate behaviour. Also, a code clearly outlines the difference between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour, which helps in strengthening relationships with your colleagues.

Outlines a company’s principles and values

When a company displays their code of conduct on their website, it helps potential job candidates and clients learn more about its vision, principles and values. Based on this, an employee can decide whether they share the same values and fit into its culture.

Accelerates career growth

When you know what to do and what to avoid, problems and dilemmas rarely occur at work. You may not realise that asking other employees to punch for you or sharing business information with outsiders is an unfair practice. But with a code of conduct, you avoid such practices. This can help accelerate your career growth because you utilise your energy in productive activities.

Ensures compliance with the legal system

A code addresses issues like workplace discrimination and harassment. It ensures that you adhere to the company’s policies and ensure compliance with the central and state legal system. When you act within the law, it improves your company’s credibility and helps in building its brand.

Increases employee morale

When every employee respects each other, it builds long-lasting relationships and boosts the entire team’s morale. Employees prefer working in an organisation that boosts morale because they feel respected and valued. It also helps bring out your full potential and you work towards achieving a common business goal.

Produces a compliant culture

Candidates prefer to work in companies with a robust and in-depth code of conduct because it helps them understand the process for solving work-related problems. Also, these rules make it a lot easier to report a violation of your company’s policies. With a streamlined process in place, it becomes easier to ensure compliance.

The meaning of work ethic refers to a set of behavioral rules that create a positive environment at work. A strong work ethic can lead to employees being fairly treated, which in turn motivates them and develops a sense of loyalty towards the organization.

Workplace ethics ensures positive ambience at the workplace. Workplace ethics leads to happy and satisfied employees who enjoy coming to work rather than treating it as a mere source of burden. Employees also develop a feeling of loyalty and attachment towards the organization.

Organizations need to have fool-proof systems to measure the performances of individuals. Appraisal system needs to be designed keeping in mind employee’s performance throughout the year and his/her career growth. Periodic reviews are essential.

It is mandatory for superiors to know what their subordinates are up to. You need to know who all are going on the right track and who all need that extra push.

On the other hand, office politics and a management that doesn’t encourage ethical and fair behavior is bound to make employees depressed and disinterested.

A time, when this plays out, is the appraisal season. Assessing employee performances is a key function of any business. To ensure that the assessment is fair and free of manipulation, it is important to create an appraisal system that takes into account the year-round performance of employees. There is also a need to integrate periodic reviews to be able to do this effectively.

Employees have to be made aware of whether they are doing the right things, and if they need any course correction. A strong work ethic ensures that there are adequate directives and correct work practices in place to mentor the employees properly. These practices lead to fair and equal treatment of all employees and a transparent appraisal system.

Importance Of Work Ethic for Business

A strong work ethic is very important for any modern business organization. There are a number of advantages of adopting an ethical approach at work:

Superior Productivity

The emphasis on ethics and giving due importance to the work assigned to them push employees to work more efficiently. They won’t be merely interested in finishing their quota of eight hours a day and leaving the premises.

On the contrary, they will be self-driven to adhere to the timelines and quality parameters of the task assigned to them. They will be willing to put in extra effort to meet the project deadlines whenever needed.  Such a committed approach will increase the company’s productivity and market share. Further, the company management would feel assured that its personnel will support them through any situation and remain committed to the growth of the business.

Superior Asset Management

In a company that has an ethical work environment, workers remain committed to the organization’s growth. In such a scenario, the employees behave responsibly towards company infrastructure and equipment to enable the best possible outcome. Whether it is a company laptop, printer or a production machine in the factory, the people using them will always follow the right and ethical practices. This will increase the longevity of the equipment and reduce the maintenance and operating cost.

Ethic Breeds Team Spirit

Work ethic also helps cultivate a healthy, collaborative and pleasant company culture. When employees feel valued, respected and inclusive, they focus on being active contributors to the organization’s success.

Such a work ethic fosters a spirit of bonding and collaborative working among teams. Instead of credit-hogging, the mindset moves towards credit sharing. People start seeing themselves as a collective force and focus on the welfare of the team and not just on individual growth. This team spirit further enhances the company’s performance in a long-term sustainable way.

Embracing Change

One of the most important aspects of ethical work practices is that employees become adaptive to changes. They don’t remain confined to conventions and develop out-of-the-box thinking.

They become understanding, dependable, trustworthy, self-driven and highly responsible. Whenever the situations demand a change or there is a challenge, they proactively adapt to the changed scenario and take steps to prevent any disruption or drop in the performance of the organization.

In companies where such ethical working is not encouraged and employees don’t align themselves with the organization, it is common to see them leave the ship as soon as it starts sinking.

Brand Value and Public Perception

It goes without saying that ethical work culture will help in boosting the company’s public image and the market value of the brand.

When people come to know of a company that has employee integrity, commitment and professionalism built into its processes, they will automatically view it as a responsible brand. The ethical hygiene of a company is also reflected in its products and customer service as it becomes synonymous with transparency, quality and responsive consumer support.  Such companies gain a lot of goodwill by way of word mouth and acquire customers organically.

Smooth Implementation of Decisions and Policies

Major decisions in ethical companies are usually taken after consultation with employees and taking into account their benefits and well-being. This leads to employees respecting and welcoming decisions wholeheartedly.

This is how a strong work ethic influences the harmonious functioning of the management, which leads to faster growth of the organization.

Friction-Less Working

In organizations where employees work in isolation or focus only on their individual goals, there is always a chance of clashes, office politics and bitterness.

On the other hand, work ethic fosters a family style of working environment where everyone is focused on the collective performance of the company. Employees trust the company to take care of their interests and this leads to a working environment where people respect each other and are dedicated to their jobs.

Even if some misunderstandings or disputes arise, they are discussed and solved internally without the intervention of the management.

Greater Success For The Business

The biggest importance of work ethic is reflected by the success a company achieves due to it. Ethical companies are great places to work at. They take care of their employees’ needs and concerns and provide them all opportunities to excel at work. Moreover, there is scope for future growth at such places.

Employees also feel motivated and responsible for the success of such an organization and work towards it. In such a harmonious environment, the business is bound to grow exponentially.

Deceptive or false advertising is the marketing of information or visual content about a product that is misleading and unrealistic. Businesses use deceptive advertising to promote goods under claims that are not accurate to the product’s actual appearance or function.

Deceptive or false advertising can lead consumers to purchase products that are actually counterfeit, defective, or even dangerous.

Deceptive advertising and false advertising are present in a myriad of industries. Consumers must be wary of claims that look or sound too good to be true.

It is important to stay up-to-date with health alerts, safety alerts, product notifications, and recalls related to products that you use on a regular basis in order to minimize the risk of injury.

Ways to help recognize false advertising and bad products:

• The price seems too good to be true for the type of product.
• If photos and descriptions do not match up with the product you’ve received, it is likely deceptively marketed.
• Fake online reviews of deceptively marketed products are overwhelmingly positive but do not provide realistic context. Even the most reputable products have some poor reviews from real customers. Most deceptively marketed products will “receive” glowing reviews from fake accounts.
• If the business does not respond to inquiries or questions about their product, they are likely hiding something.
• Check if the business is officially registered or recognized with governmental agencies such as the Better Business Bureau.

Types:

Disclose Accurate Prices

A common type of deceptive advertising is any commercial that gives incorrect or misleading information regarding a product’s price. The Federal Trade Commission, which enforces laws against deceptive advertising practices, reports that ads must fully disclose the price that a consumer can be expected to pay for a product and present any discounts, sales or markdowns in an honest way. For example, if an advertisement claims that a product’s price has been lowered 20 percent, but the advertised product never sold at a higher price, the ad may be deceptive.

Simply put, you cannot hide fees to make your product price sound incredible. For example, if you offer a laptop for sale at “only $199!” but there’s a bunch of add-ons that the customer must pay before they can take the product home, then you’re in dangerous territory. Most businesses get around this problem by placing an asterisk after the headline price which directs the consumer to the small print. But if the terms don’t match up, or they are not clear, then your advert may be classified as deceptive.

Avoid the Bait-and-Switch Tactic

Another common type of misleading advertisement is the bait-and-switch, in which an advertiser makes a claim about the price or availability of a product while never intending to actually sell the product, or to sell it for a much higher price. When customers respond to the advertisement, the seller exploits their interest to try to sell them the product at a higher price or a different product. Bait-and-switch advertising is not only a form of deceptive marketing; it’s illegal, according to the FTC, if the first contact or interview is secured by deception.

Portray Quality and Origin Honestly

While it’s generally deceptive for an advertisement to mislead consumers about price or availability, deceptive ads also are those that make statements about quality or origin that cannot be substantiated. For example, an advertisement cannot claim a product was “made in the United States” if it was actually manufactured in another country. Similarly, advertisements may be deceptive if the product has defects in quality that are not fully disclosed, or if an advertisement implies that the product may be used for a purpose it is not adequately designed for.

Another thing to watch out for is photography. If an image in an advert or marketing claim portrays the product in its best case scenario, and there’s no way the customer is going to get that product specification for the advertised price, the the advert could be deceptive. For example, you should not be showing an image of a double-thick, juicy burger if the product on the customer’s plate looks very different.