1. cultural differences: what maybe considered unethical in one culture could be an accepted practice in another. managers may need to consider a wide range of issues, including acceptable working conditions minimum wage levels, product safety issues, and environmental protection.
2. knowledge: as a general rule, the more you know and the better you understand a situation, the better your chances of making an ethical decision. in the churn of daily business, though, it's easy to shut your eyes and ears to potential problems. however, as a business leader, you have the responsibility not only to pay attention but to actively seek out information regrading potential ethical issues. ignorance is never an acceptable defense in the eyes of the law, and it should't be in question of ethics, either.
3. organization behavior: companies with strong ethical practices create cultures that reward good behavior------and don't intentionally or unintentionally reward bad behavior. at united technologies, a diversified manufacturer based in Hartford, Connecticut, ethical behavior starts at the top; executives are responsible for meeting clearly defined ethical standards, and their annual compensation is tied to how well they perform. to help avoid ethical breaches, many companies develop programs to improve ethical conduct, typically combine training, communication, and a code of ethics that defines the values and principles that should be used to guide decisions. Employees who observe unethical or illegal behavior within their companies and are unable to resolve the problems through normal channels may have no choice but to resort to whistle-blowing----expressing their concerns internally through formal reporting mechanisms or externally to the news media or government regulators. However, the decision to “blow the whistle”