I don’t care how golfers get to the top. Wal-mart is well-known for their unethical business practices concerning employees. . This attitude of “college marketplace” is a symptom of a bigger, systemic problem that academics of all fields have been denouncing for years. Evidently my explanation wasn’t itself very clear. Some scams arise out of deliberate greed on the part of the clients. I need to go back to grading students. Many writers look at it as a ghostwriting job generating income for their business and learning along the way. Ethic Icky #3: Having never written for a magazine before, am REALLY glad you mentioned this. But starting a journey late to avoid unethical assignments is a wise decision writers must take to enjoy a lifetime of writing. Many companies are unaware of journalistic ethics, and will ask to hire you to write for them. I’m with you. Some employees only feel or want to know what’s in it for them and if they can get away with it. Our reputations are all we’ve got, so do not lie, people. I wondered if the company for which I’m now working could pay your fees to write an article [for that magazine] that mentions them. . To me, the points you make concern common decency. Article spinning, of course, has been around a long while and will probably not go away, since everyone now realizes they can’t use duplicate content. So agree with you. Content marketing is starting to blur the lines between PR and traditional journalism much more than previously. If the purpose of writing an essay for college is to learn, then I agree that it’s not doing the student a favor as far as their learning is concerned. I dropped out of an excellent PhD program because the job prospects are so very slim. The last point I will discuss is how management and organizations encourage ethical behavior. Incidentally, most published works, in their final-text version, are the result of more than one person’s efforts–usually for better (it’s hard for the original writer to catch EVERY error singlehanded or think of ALL the best ideas), occasionally for worse (I have seen a few of my articles get into print with glaring errors that weren’t mine). The definition of ethical behavior is a way of interaction within a company, community, and culture of an organization that tends to be good for the business and involves demonstrating respect for vital moral principles that generally includes integrity, fairness, dignity, and basic rights. You may be asked to do something that you are uncomfortable with, may witness or experience bullyingfrom a manager or notice … But so help me, if I get on the wrong side of the law and need a lawyer, I want them to have personally done every single piece of their law degree coursework, from 101 up. You’re doing someone else’s assignment and the teacher is grading the student assuming it’s his efforts. Another way that managers can encourage ethical behavior is by making sure they hire and recruit ethical people. Managers who don’t treat every employee as equal is unethical even though it’s not illegal. Organizations need to ensure that they keep employees informed of their policies and train employees of what is expected of them ethically. This essay has been submitted by a student. Only being honest and not taking these types of writing assignments will do that. Has this happened to you? Unethical use of computers 1. I responded, “Um, no, I don’t have to do anything illegal, immoral or unethical.” I was removed from her care. Organizations operate more effectively and efficiently when everyone practices ethical behavior and all employees are held accountable when they do not. Me telling him that my clients pay $1/ a word. Employees should recognize the importance of not acting unethical. Please tell me you’re joking. Having someone else do it is *not* “outsourcing.” It’s cheating, and I can’t imagine there’s a single educational institution in the country that doesn’t punish it with at least suspension if not expulsion. It wasn’t full-time income, but I wasn’t looking for that. Everyone has to decide, for herself, I believe, what they consider to be ethical and then act accordingly. At no time should anyone show bias among employees. People will be talking behind each other’s back and the manager may not get the respect that he/she deserves. While people asking a grant writer to do this will say this allows the grant writer to “share the risk”, it also promotes the risk of padding the grant request, and foundations are always on the lookout for it when they review money requests. I advised them against that because it could damage both my credibility and theirs, but they remained convinced that it was the right strategy for them, so I walked away. You said exactly what I was trying to say–in the concise manner I couldn’t seem to achieve on this round. Greed can be a cause of unethical behavior, having a financial gain, and the type of environment that you are working in. If they decide it’s worth the risk to get a better grade (they’re paying for the class, and paying for a D may not appeal to them, so why not outsource so they get an A or B), then again, that’s up to them. Please, tell me what you think about such topic for your blog. These weren’t reviews per se but they wanted to artificially spark conversation around their brand. Coercing an injured worker not to report a work injury to workers' compensation by threatening him with the loss of a job or benefits. Employees having a high ethical standard are paramount to the success of any organization and acting in an unethical manner will almost ultimately destroy it. I like transparency but if I didn’t know to mention something, I might not. Whether you are playing the salesman role for your own business or you are hired to market an employer’s products or services, you need to understand the thin line between ethical and unethical … My conscience asked me, “Can you give an opinion about something you have never tried?” And would I try out something (especially skincare products that can damage my skin) for the sake of little money? One of the most important questions one can ask is what makes employees make unethical decisions or why they start to act in unethical ways. It is a process. Saying that it’s okay for a student to buy a paper because otherwise they’d get a bad grade is basically saying that it’s okay for someone to pay for a diploma without ensuring that they actually know what they’re supposed to know. When you’re clear that this is article is part of this company’s marketing, and it has useful stuff but basically IS being provided to help promote the company, then the publication is free to decide if they take pieces in this category or not. Ask them in the comments below. Prentice Hall, Unethical Behavior. Lots of interesting questions. The examples of unethical issues include acts that fail to recognize certain human rights, such as failing to tell the patient that he has lung cancer, because the doctors do not … I sure hope no one got the idea I had any doubts. I couldn’t believe it. It was a long-term client for whom I’d written a resume, but she kept taking on more than she could do and hired me to write for her when she went to school. Such a practice is done by authors to increase their number of publications. I can think of several more, one of which is a variation on the fake reviews. I have stopped arguing with them now however I stand firm on my resolve that I’m never pursuing academic writing. I teach online and I strongly suspect I’m getting essays, at least one in every class, from an essay mill. Academic writers say they are only helping fellow students. During the promotion of infant formula in third world countries especially in Africa, the Nestle … Now, what I write is ethical and if I’m the least bit uncertain I’ll check with others and turn it down if I remain uncertain. Abuse of power can take on many manifestations. I nearly fell for one of these job postings once. Okay, rant over. But trust me, it won’t be worth it when you’re found out and banned from the publication. They were to use those papers as guidelines to write their own. Ode of conducts include:a)modifying certain information on the internet, without the owner’s permission c) managed to get important data unethically for his own usage. I did think about this – the fact that I could end up selling the piece to the publication as well, which then means getting paid by the client and the publication, and while I wasn’t sure about the ethics of this, it didn’t sit well with me. Unfortunately, that’s not how things always work out in the messy world of free enterprise. Your explanations of how you justified behaving badly in your own head will not help you preserve your reputation. She got caught by a professor once and was upset about getting a lower grade. you It’s like saying that it’s okay for a medical student to pay someone else to pass their exams, because otherwise they might not get an MD. The key question here, I think, is: “Is there really an ethical difference between accepting money to ghostwrite someone else’s resume or memoirs, and doing the same with a school essay?”. This will let every employee know what is expected of them and what their responsibility is to the company ethically. In many workplaces, the culture is influenced by the attitudes and behavior of those in management positions. Hiring a writer offline to write a paper just means they’re less likely to be caught, since it isn’t a frequently reused piece sitting on a website somewhere. Well, Carol, after all, he said it would only take you five minutes (grin), Whyever would you think he wouldn’t pay well? Saying “yes” to this one is a great way to find yourself never writing for that magazine again, after they realize you failed to mention that the subject of your “great idea” for an article is in fact a paying client of yours. Hopefully now you know how to present it to the publications…and I’ll hope your pay isn’t tied to successfully placing those pieces, because it’s hard to get those wins. Giacalone, Mark, D., Handbook of Unethical Work Behavior, (2012), Sharpe, M.E. The general public a favour because they know to stay away from crappy restaurants/products/businesses because all the reviews are truthful. Worst that happens is they say ‘no’ and they don’t want to run it, but that’s out of your control. Oh, don’t be — publications get these pitches all the time and are completely used to it. Since then I’ve always made sure I review school essays for administrators, principals and other educators. I wonder how many writers out there are unaware of these things. But starting a journey late to avoid unethical assignments is a wise decision writers must take to enjoy a lifetime of writing. If you want others to be honest to you then you should do the same. Hi Jennifer — not surprised to hear this was a hot topic. If you are writing a document that would be used to harm other living things (like writing a manual for a handgun) y… Robert Gombos-June 4, 2013. Also, the act of researching and writing an essay is supposed to help them actually learn the material, not just assess their writing ability. (oh, and yay, first comment!). In conclusion, unethical situations can destroy an organizations culture. And it can go on for a very long time… I’ve seen PhD students request ghostwriters for their dissertation. In fact, one prospect originally wanted to hire me to blog for the brand, which would have been fine, but when Quora started to gain traction, they decided that they wanted me to set up my own Quora account and post questions and answers that related to their brand–without disclosing that I was hired by the brand. It really isn’t worth it to sell your integrity for a few dollars. It’s easy to reason away why it might be unethical as a writer to do this. And plagiarism is rampant out there. You could pitch a magazine that another reporter should write about your client — that’s a PR activity. It is lying by omission. I write essays about school-related topics that aren’t related to school work or for students and will no longer write the actual homework assignment. Sort of fascinating how much discussion the college-essay point has inspired! In case you think nobody would be crazy enough to ask you to make up a review of something you know nothing about, here’s a screen shot of a recent LinkedIn query I got: I hope it goes without saying that becoming a writer who posts made-up reviews around the Internet is not going to help you build a lucrative writing career. Seriously, we are forgetting ethics and principles and blindly chasing money. In this scenario, the magazine will usually not pay the company anything — it’s a free piece the CEO wants to get published to promote the company, and everybody’s clear on that. Okay, thanks Now I just need to make the pitch . Class begins Wednesday. Often, it’s a business writer who’s now deciding to move into magazine article writing, and doesn’t understand how the rules work in that side of the writing world. I notified the job board where I found the position, but was told as unethical as it may be, it wasn’t their job to judge. 23 Ethical & Unethical Behavior Examples in Workplace Workplace ethics are a dynamic set of values that vary with people and their definition of a workplace. I’m a college writing teacher. You probably just spared me some future angst. (2016, Jun 13). If you just make sure you disclose where you fit into the scenario, you’ll be OK. By NOT doing these things, you’re not only doing yourself a favour, but you’re also doing the Wish I could be a permanent college student. One of the easiest ways that an employee can keep from being unethical is just doing the right thing, for the right reasons, at the right time. This is the road to college degrees becoming totally meaningless. I think anyone who hasn’t had journalism training could run afoul of this one without realizing they’re doing something wrong…one of the reasons we spend so much time on these sort of ethical issues in 4-Week Journalism School. I do sometimes pitch articles on behalf of my copywriting client, but my client and I agreed that I should always identify myself in my bio as “Marketing Consultatnt for xxxx” or something similar to keep things transparent. At one point, the client did want to insert more mentions of the company name and product into an article I’d written, but to no surprise on my part, the editor stripped all those out before publication. Of course it would; they are unique and written only for the student, so there is no obvious plagiarism. The rationalization of unethical behaviour is argued to be a common practice in the world today. I’ll edit someone’s paper, but I keep it strictly to punctuation and grammar. The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) will not allow anyone in their worldwide membership to do this, and will throw out any member they learn does this. I think history shows us where we’re headed if the guiding principle is “do what is right in your own eyes.”. The student a favour by making them put in their own work and learn a hell of a lot more than if they had their paper written for them How is that not unethical?? The companies I worked for said that the students weren’t to use your words exactly. But that assumes that that’s the purpose, and that that’s the favor I’m concerned about. Then why do you charge? It shows so little respect for the intellectual work of academic research, and then these people become professors. Thanks! Don’t worry, E, you’re covered by my Universal Comment Typo Forgiveness insurance policy! Not If You Do These 4 Things, 3 Things Graduate School Taught Me About Freelance Writing, I’m Alex, I work for , We can write a blog post “, Don’t Take These 3 Types of Unethical Writing Assignments, http://www.writejobs.info/2013/04/freelance-writing-online-pr-firm-pay-30.html. I repeat, it is NOT my own view that this is “just another ghostwriting job.” I intended that as an opener to my own explanation of the clear differences. I have some friends who are into academic writing. But what they’d like you to do is pitch a big magazine you’ve been writing for a great idea — that you’ve discovered a great business to profile…your new client’s business. Everyone should treat others as they wish to be treated. They say it’s fair because they are putting in “their” efforts. Most writers know this is just not cool. They’ll learn how to use graphic organizers, organize their notes, pace themselves through calendaring, prepare outlines and bibliographies as well as actually write. . Probably not. So thank you for that one. It’s actually amazing at the number of people who do it, even at the upper levels. But, Theda, you’re helping them *cheat*. This is a great example of unethical research and the affect it has. I reported it, and within 10 minutes, she was declared a do-not … Yeah — thanks for adding this one, Amber! Not me. … College is a business anyway. The first thing that they should do is establish a code of ethics. I like it. This is not an example of the work written by professional essay writers. Awesome. Yeah, you gotta snort sometimes. The company has grown 20% each year. It seems as though many professionals can get tied up in their own success that they disregard the importance of being ethical. One particularly exhilarating (and disgusting) example is the original “I Spit On Your Grave” (yes, there are sequels), an extremely violent and graphic cult film in which a young writer is gang … According to a survey conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based Ethics Resource Center (ERC), more than a half of American workers have personally witnessed some form of unethical … If someone genuinely wants to help they’d mentor and guide the other person, not handicap him. I know, you wonder why the essay mills are allowed to exist…but there they are. Clients all the time will ask – they don’t have money now or extra administrative budget so they want to pay a percentage of the grant. This essay will provide some basic ethical guidelines that apply to organizations, why unethical behavior is happening in the workplace, and finally, it will identify ways in which management and organizations can encourage ethical behavior. I still shake my head at the fact that essay mills exist; can’t imagine using one (as a student or writer) and feeling good about it. It’s because your children are being taught by overworked and underpaid adjuncts and sessional teachers who need to work at 3 different universities teaching 4-5 courses (1 course is about 30 hours of work a week of preparing, teaching and marking) per semester. But there are a lot of random people out there, and you have to have your own ethical compass to get through this, because people WILL make sleazy offers. Students looking for free, top-notch essay and term paper samples on various topics. This could create a culture that causes employee abandonment. I said, “No way, that’s dishonest.” He persisted. Putting compliances and code of ethics would drastically reduce the number of unethical situations. Then she would’ve let me heal and tanned my hide again. For freelancers it’s a piece of cake, for students just learning it’s a struggle. It’s unethical as it wastes the time of journal reviewers, publication resources, and renders no benefit to humanity or sci… , Would I go back to it? As professionals, we have an individual opportunity and a standard of responsibility to be committed to the standards of quality of ethical and moral standards in the workplace. Nancy A., Health & Lifestyle Writer. Best part of this post: “Your name came up first in the linkedin search, I bet you’re really professional.” No kidding, unprofessional crazy guy! What kind of an educational consultancy was it? The point is that, while with many written projects multiple input is necessary and even standard for achieving the work’s primary purpose, with an essay the primary purpose is to enable the reader to judge the writer’s *individual* ability. Way back when I first started (in 2005, I think), I took some jobs writing essays for college students and made some pretty decent money at it. Unethical behavior is any action that is set out to taking advantage of another without their knowledge or consent. ETHICAL WRITING IN THE WORKPLACE Ethical writing means doing what’s right and fair andbeing honest and just with your employer, co-workers, and customers. Common … Hyundai; 2. It’s funny how the Internet gives people that “wild West” feeling where they suddenly think they don’t need a moral compass. I would like to add one more unethical writing behavior: taking a percentage of the award in grant writing. Wow, that Captcha thing is a new one on me! But I kept going with it for a few years just because I didn’t mind the money, and I really enjoyed the work. Or you could offer a magazine an article by your CEO that you’ve ghostwritten, for which you will be paid by the company. It’s just wrong to do this and I no longer will allow it to be done. It can do the student a favor if it means they pass as opposed to fail a course that they paid for. There is so much corruption in business today that the true meaning of ethical behavior has almost been forgotten. In fact, research has shown that managers are responsible for 60% of misconduct that occurs in the workplace. They consistently place profits before the health of their employees. Desperate as I was at the time, it was a gig I just couldn’t accept. I have heard a lot about this from professional grantwriters, that if they get that offer, they run. This speaks to a problem I have (or had really). 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