At&T Code of Ethics
AT&T: Code of Ethics
Krystal Lewis
South University Online
Managerial Communications BUS3041 S02
April 22, 2013
AT&T: Code of Ethics A little known fact that I just saw on a trivia show about a month ago dealt with AT&T. I was shocked to find out that AT&T stands for the “American Telephone and Telegraph” company which began around the end of the 19th century. With over a century of technology and personnel changes on every level, the company must be doing something right to still be going so strong after so long. Many companies suffer and eventually file for bankruptcy after too many competitors enter their market. Blockbuster and Hostess both experienced high customer demand for years but eventually went under like so many others. The factors that led up to their demise may have been poor food costs, unexpected expenses, or even deviation from a code of ethics. A company needs a code of ethics to operate efficiently and effectively. One online site states the code of ethics as being “a set of principles of conduct within an organization that guide decision making and behavior. The purpose of the code is to provide members and other interested persons with guidelines for making ethical choices in the conduct of their work” (USLegal Inc., 2013, para. 1). AT&T lays out a very specific outline for how they expect their employees, directors, and officers to act and handle themselves while at work or as a representative of the company. Their code of ethics says that these company representatives are expected to act with integrity and remain honest as long as it does not require any confidential information to be given away but it later states that they expect employees to observe government or local laws, rules and regulations (AT&T Intellectual Property, 2013). I don’t understand how they can expect to you adhere to strict ethical codes but not require you to observe all local and federal laws and not just observe them. Outside of
Krystal Lewis
South University Online
Managerial Communications BUS3041 S02
April 22, 2013
AT&T: Code of Ethics A little known fact that I just saw on a trivia show about a month ago dealt with AT&T. I was shocked to find out that AT&T stands for the “American Telephone and Telegraph” company which began around the end of the 19th century. With over a century of technology and personnel changes on every level, the company must be doing something right to still be going so strong after so long. Many companies suffer and eventually file for bankruptcy after too many competitors enter their market. Blockbuster and Hostess both experienced high customer demand for years but eventually went under like so many others. The factors that led up to their demise may have been poor food costs, unexpected expenses, or even deviation from a code of ethics. A company needs a code of ethics to operate efficiently and effectively. One online site states the code of ethics as being “a set of principles of conduct within an organization that guide decision making and behavior. The purpose of the code is to provide members and other interested persons with guidelines for making ethical choices in the conduct of their work” (USLegal Inc., 2013, para. 1). AT&T lays out a very specific outline for how they expect their employees, directors, and officers to act and handle themselves while at work or as a representative of the company. Their code of ethics says that these company representatives are expected to act with integrity and remain honest as long as it does not require any confidential information to be given away but it later states that they expect employees to observe government or local laws, rules and regulations (AT&T Intellectual Property, 2013). I don’t understand how they can expect to you adhere to strict ethical codes but not require you to observe all local and federal laws and not just observe them. Outside of
References: Carroll, J. "Cats and the seven deadly sins." San Francisco Chronicle. 2011, September 07: E10.