| The culture of business is changing as a result of the | | | | was convicted of fraud and embezzlement to the |
| global economy. Countries and people that once | | | | tune of over 6 billion dollars. The workers went two |
| seemed so remote are now the same people we | | | | years without a pay increase and a lot of people lost |
| communicate with and do business with on a daily | | | | a large portion of the money they had invested in |
| basis. I am not so naive that I believe that all the | | | | Tyco Stock and the retirement plans. This along with |
| jobs that have been lost to outsourcing will ever be | | | | several other high profile cases precipitated the |
| returning here. But I do understand the laws of jungle | | | | Sarbanes Oxley Act that we have today. Tyco |
| regarding the need to adapt in order to survive. It is | | | | Electronics was eventually split off from Tyco |
| critical that the US continues to be a leader in | | | | International and we have since spent the last |
| innovation and creativity. If we can give rise to new | | | | decade trying to rebuild the reputation of the |
| technologies and industry we can secure our own | | | | company and reinvent our identity. One of the ways |
| future. There will always be those who want to lean | | | | we did this was to create a new corporate logo and |
| towards protectionism but it is unrealistic to expect | | | | to distance ourselves from our parent company as |
| that we will ever go back to the way things were | | | | much as possible. We now have yearly ethics training |
| during the latter part of the twentieth century. We | | | | seminars and all employees are required to sign a |
| will have to embrace the fact that we are now all | | | | form indicating awareness of the company ethics |
| part of a system that spans the entire globe and | | | | policy. The only thing I find puzzling about this is that |
| those who do survive will be the ones who accepted | | | | the problems we experienced started at the top of |
| the challenge to cross over the cultural barriers and | | | | the food chain and tricked down. The ethics initiative |
| open their minds to change. If there is one constant | | | | seems to start at the bottom and move up the |
| thing in the world, it is change. | | | | chain. |
| A strong leader must provide his or her subordinates | | | | In a larger sense, I believe it is the responsibility of |
| with a positive role model and demonstrate the | | | | the United States to set an example for the rest of |
| attitudes and traits he or she expects from them. He | | | | the world by promoting ethics and mutual respect in |
| must inspire them to work as members of a team | | | | all business transactions. We must insist that the |
| toward a common goal and help them to see the | | | | highest ethical standards be adhered to within our |
| benefit of accomplishing these goals. I believe that a | | | | own organizations in order to demonstrate our |
| leader who motivates workers to perform out of a | | | | commitment to the developing nations with which we |
| sense of respect and who cultivates a desire to | | | | now conduct business on a regular basis. It takes a |
| succeed within the ranks will be more effective than | | | | considerable amount of emotional maturity to guide |
| one who uses coercion and or negative | | | | people from different cultures in the direction of the |
| reinforcement. Negative reinforcement only results in | | | | highest moral good without taking an ethnocentric |
| employees focusing on their own self interests rather | | | | position. If we want to be respected, we ourselves |
| than the needs of the organization as a whole. I have | | | | must give respect with regard to the customs and |
| had it both ways during my working life, and I have | | | | traditions of other nations. Conversely, we must insist |
| been fortunate here at Tyco Electronics to work for | | | | on the protection of human rights and safe working |
| a middle management team that is both proactive | | | | conditions for everyone from the CEO down to the |
| and goal oriented and I can tell you that it has made | | | | front line production workers. We must not |
| my job a lot easier. | | | | knowingly engage in illegal or immoral acts even if |
| You may notice that I have not cited any texts or | | | | they are the generally accepted practices of some of |
| publications about ethics in writing this paper. Most of | | | | the cultures we encounter. In doing this, we raise the |
| what I have stated comes from my own personal | | | | bar for our own betterment and for all those in the |
| observations and my experience as an employee of | | | | global community. Everyone has something of value |
| a large international company. At Tyco Electronics we | | | | to offer and we gain nothing if we experience |
| were able to witness first hand the importance of | | | | success at the expense of our humanity and morals. |
| ethics back in 2000. Our then CEO, Dennis Kozlowski, | | | | In this, we cannot afford to compromise. |