Part A:
What's Your Ethics Credo?
Ethics are the beliefs, values, and moral principles by which we determine what is right or wrong. An ethical communica¬tor is one who considers the thoughts, feelings, and consider¬ations of the people with whom a communicator is interact¬ing. The National Communication Association has developed a Credo for Communication Ethics to emphasize the impor¬tance of being an ethical communicator:
Ethical communication is fundamental to responsible think¬ing, decision making, and the development of relationships and communities within and across contexts, cultures, • channels, and media. Moreover, ethical communication en¬hances human worth and dignity by fostering truthfulness, fairness, responsibility, personal integrity, and respect for self and others.
In the workplace it's especially important to be mindful of your ethical principles because of the trust others place in you, espe¬cially when managing other people's money or having access to private information such as medical or financial records.
What's your personal ethics credo? As you work with others in business and professional contexts, what are key ethical prin-ciples that guide you in communicating with others? Imagine you are being interviewed for a job and the interviewer asks you what your ethical principles are. What would you say?
Part B:
You've had an e-meeting via the Internet with your col-leagues. Its your job to distribute the minutes of the meet¬ing. Should you use a media-rich or media-lean method of communicating the minutes to your coworkers?