Development of an Ethics Program - Assignment Example

Development of an Ethics Program The planning report will include the sections shown below. Make sure proper referencing is used. 1. Ethics Committee (10 marks – at least 2 important points about each question) Who will be involved in your Ethics Committee and why? The ethics committee will involve the chairman, vice chairman, secretary, journalist’s representatives and community representatives. They will be the ones involved in the ethics committee because they represent the major media services of Aljazeera as well as other stakeholders within the media services industry. How will members be selected for this committee and what will be the length of term for members on the committee? Members for this committee will be selected according to their qualifications and service to the Aljazeera media. The length of term for the committee members will be one year of committed service. How will you ensure that your committee always has experienced members? What is the role of your committee? To ensure that the committee always has experienced members, checking their education levels and experience will be necessary. This will help in matching positions with education and experience needs. What are the ongoing activities of your committee? The ongoing activities of the committee include; training employees at all levels about the code of ethics, communicating effectively to everyone in the organisation about the code of ethics, monitoring and reporting the accountability of all within the organisation, assessment of the company reports, overseeing ethical due diligence when the company is undertaking a new project and liaison with stakeholders concerning ethical issues. Based on the questions above, provide information about the Ethics Committee you will set-up. Media Ethics Committee Information for Public and Staff Most of the media companies are now required to have ethics committees which have different ethical functions within the organisation. What will the ethics committee do? The ethics committee will provide the public as well as journalists with ethics consultation service, develop and revise policies that pertain to media ethics and journalism policy. It will also facilitate ethical education about topical issues in media ethics. Goals of the Ethics Committee The ethics committee at Aljazeera aims at promoting the rights of journalists and the public and controlling information published in the media. Who are the Members of the Ethics Committee? The members of the ethics committee will include; the chairman, vice chairman, secretary, journalist’s representatives and community representatives. What are the Criteria for being selected as a committee member? The criteria for selecting a committee member will be based on their education qualifications and service to the Aljazeera media. 2. Values Statements (5 marks – 1 paragraph) Explain some of the important values that this company has. Some of the important values that the Aljazeera media has include; honesty, fairness, credibility, courage, balance, diversity, independence, and giving no priority to commercial or political over professional consideration. Aljazeera will adhere to the above journalistic values in all its reporting activities ( Al Jazeera Media Network, 2015). Provide a summary of the information on the organization’s website OR use the website to identify some important values on your own. The company upholds the value of honesty by endeavoring to get the truth and declaring it in their dispatches, news bulletins as well as programmes explicitly in a way that does not leave any doubt about the validity and accuracy of the truth. All audiences will be treated with due respect while addressing all stories with due attention for a clear, factual and accurate presentation of the picture. Full consideration will be given to the feelings of all the victims of disasters (Al Jazeera Media Network, 2015). 3. Code of Ethics (5 sections x 7 marks each = 35 marks) a. Explain 5 important ethics issues that should be priorities for your committee to deal with. Demonstrate your understanding of the issues we have reviewed in class and give a reason why each of the issues you selected is a priority for your organization. (2 marks each) The following ethics Issues will be priorities for my committee to deal with including Disrespect - Disrespect in the media industry occurs when audiences are not treated in a respectful way and stories are not addressed with attention. The issue is important for Aljazeera because disrespect of audience and information leads to improper presentation of information that is not suitable to the public. Dishonest Media Competition – This happens when media companies compete unfairly using dishonest means to source and present their information. This issue is a priority because it adversely affects the standards of performance of our company Discrimination- This happens when media companies do not recognise diversity in human societies who have different values, beliefs, cultures, intrinsic individualities and races. It is an issue which is of priority to Aljazeera media because when condoned, it leads to presentation of inclined and unfaithful reflection of those human societies. Transparency- The issue of transparency in the media industry occurs when journalists deal with news and their sources in a transparent manner. Transparency is a priority issue in Aljazeera because, if it is not observed, then the validity and accuracy of the news as well as their sources are questionable Bias - In the media industry, bias occurs during the presentation of issues, when views and opinions are presented impartially, it is said they are bias. It is a priority issue because, bias go against the ethical conduct of the organisation and does not present true information about the news. b. Using one of the examples given below as a GUIDELINE, write a code of conduct to match each item discussed in 3a. Above. You can use a table to present this information BUT make sure your details are complete. (5 marks each) Issues Issue 1: Disrespect Example of Ethical Behavior Respecting your audience and addressing every story with attention How can the issue be prevented? Disrespect can be prevented by taking due consideration to respect every audience for the media and giving full attention to every story to be presented Possible Ethical Situation or Crises Disrespect leads to demoralization of various audiences and mistrust of the media from the public Results of Poor Ethical Behavior Disrespecting audience and not paying attention to every story, leads to presentation of unclear and inaccurate information to the public Penalties for Violations by Employees Suspension of the employee from the company Issue 2: Dishonest Media Competition Example of Ethical Behavior Competing with other media houses using acceptable means How can the issue be prevented? Dishonest media competition can be prevented by welcoming fair and honest media competition without allowing it to affect adversely the company’s standards of performance. Possible Ethical Situation or Crises The media reputation is presented as untrustworthy Results of Poor Ethical Behavior The media company can result to presentation of unacceptable information the public Penalties for Violations by Employees An employee will seize to be a journalist of Aljazeera media Issue 3: Discrimination Example of Ethical Behavior Reflecting human societies without considering their races, cultures, values and beliefs How can the issue be prevented? Recognising diversity within human societies with all their races, cultures as well as beliefs and their values Possible Ethical Situation or Crises Reporting news based on peoples culture Results of Poor Ethical Behavior Presenting partial and unfaithful reflection of different human societies Penalties for Violations by Employees Discredit of the presented information about the society by the employee. Issue 4: Transparency Example of Ethical Behavior Observing transparency in dealing with the news and its sources while adhering to the internationally established practices concerning the rights of these sources. How can the issue be prevented? Endeavoring to get to the truth and declare it in the company’s messages, programmes as well as news bulletins clearly and in a style that leaves no doubt about its validity and accuracy. Possible Ethical Situation or Crises Concealing information about the collected news and sourcing information using unacceptable means Results of Poor Ethical Behavior Invalid and inaccurate presentation of news Penalties for Violations by Employees Suspension as a journalist from the company Issue 5: Bias Example of Ethical Behavior Present the different points of view as well as opinions without bias and partiality. How can the issue be prevented? Distinguish between news materials, opinions as well as analysis, so as to avoid the entraps of assumption and propaganda. Possible Ethical Situation or Crises Presentation of conflicting issues that are not true and full of malice Results of Poor Ethical Behavior Presentation of bias information about an issue Penalties for Violations by Employees Suspension as a reported from the company 4. Communication of the Ethics Program (5 marks – 1 paragraph) I will introduce my program by circulating it to all employees within the organisation. Every employee will have a copy of the ethics program to guide them in reading the policy and signing the compliance form. This will ensure that they understand their responsibilities. I will also hold governance training so as to reinforce key concepts addressed in the ethics program (The Network, 2015). This will serve to motivate the employees in making sure the ethics in the company is improved. When communicating the ethics program, the senior management has the responsibility of talking about mutual trust to the employees as they unveil the program. They serve to encourage employees to create an organisation that serves to encourage exemplary conduct (Paine, 2015). The three important activities that should happen on an annual basis so as to ensure that the existing as well as new employees keep thinking about the organization’s ethics policy in everything they do in their work include; recirculating the ethics program at different times of the year to employees and asking them to reread and remind them of their responsibilities, holding governance programs to train employees about the ethical code and monitoring the employee’s behaviors according to the expectations of the organisation on appropriate behavior (Boundless, 2014). Based on the communication strategy described above, the communication program will be communicated to employees through two methods. First, a circulation will be made to all employees them followed by a governance training program. The senior management plays a big role in communicating the ethics program to employees. Finally, measures will be taken to maintain employee’s adherence to the ethics program all through. 5. Ethics Audit - Monitoring and Evaluation of the Results (5 marks x 3 sections = 15 marks) Goals The following goals about ethics issues will be achieved including; To improve employee behavior in news reporting for the organisation To ensure all organizational activities are aligned with the code of ethics To ensure all employees understand and uphold the ethical principles in everything they do Activities To improve employee behavior in news reporting for the organisation, the management will hold briefings with employees so as to emphasize on their discipline when reporting. To ensure all organizational activities are aligned with the code of ethics, I will involve all stakeholders to contribute to the ethics program for the organisation. To ensure all employees understand and uphold the ethical principles in everything they do, the organisation will train its employees on the importance of the ethics program and how they can apply it in their work. Measuring Progress To measure the progress of the ethics program in the organisation, I will use the model of balanced scorecard. According to Rohm (2014), a balanced scorecard is a performance measurement framework that is used in grouping existing measures into categories and then displaying those measures in a graphical way. The measures are usually operational and are used to track program operations, service delivery and production. The following measures will be used to measure progress of the ethics programs including; inputs and process measures, outputs and outcomes. Measuring Progress Measures Goals measurements Inputs and Process Assess whether employees have been briefed on behavior Evaluate whether all stakeholders have been consulted to contribute of the ethics program Appraise whether employees have been trained about the ethics program Outputs Evaluate whether employees have received the expected behavior when reporting. Assess whether all stakeholders have contributed to the making of the ethics program. Estimate whether employee training needs on the ethics programs have been met. Outcomes Gauge whether employee behavior has improved when reporting news. Appraise whether all organizational activities have been aligned with the code of ethics Assess whether employees have understood the ethics program and can uphold the ethical principles in everything they do 6. Reporting and Whistle blowers (5 marks – 1 paragraph) What kinds of regular and ad hoc (incident) reporting will happen to monitor the state of ethics in the organization? So as to monitor the state of ethics within the organisation, regular and incident reporting will be encouraged on employees to report any violation of the ethics program that they are aware of to the management. All staffs are allowed to make a protected disclosure of any violation of the ethical code to the management at any time. Give details about your reporting and show how you would encourage and protect whistleblowing behavior in your organization. To protect employees and encourage whistleblowing behavior within the organisation, the company will advise employees to use to protected disclosure for whistleblowing. Protection will be offered to whistle blowers and any attempt to victimize them will be considered as a violation of the company Code of ethics. 7. Crisis Management (10 marks – 1 paragraph + list) What potential crisis or risks can you identify based on the nature of your organization and its industry? Describe TWO and identify how you hope to prevent these situations. The nature of my organisation is a media company that operated within the media industry. The potential risks that I can identify in our organisation include; consumer demand shifts and inability to control costs. Consumer demand shifts are being experienced as a result of advances in technology that have shifted content delivery towards consumers. To prevent such a situation in the organisation, it is important to make a separation of the production of the experience from its consumption. This means that, the company has to adapt to modern methods of reporting (Broadcaster Magazine, 2008). The company may also face the risk of inability to control costs as a result of increases of film production costs which are on the upswing. There are also risks of technology costs increasing in digital storage. This means that, I will advise the management of the company to invest heavily on digital storage so as to avoid or prevent such risks. Identify a list of important steps for a Crisis Management process that should be followed and include any important tools to assist the organization with this process. Steps for Crisis Management Process Butterfield (2001) presented a seven step formula that companies can use in managing crisis. It includes the following steps; 1. Defining the scope of the crisis 2. Establishing a unified response 3. Creating a major information service 4. Acting promptly 5. Establishing a media response policy 6. Documenting everything 7. Conducting a post crisis review Important Tools to Assist the Organisation with Crisis Management Process include; 1. A detailed crisis emergency response plan 2. A communications plan References Al Jazeera Media Network. (2015). Media: Code of Ethics. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/aboutus/2006/11/2008525185733692771.html Boundless. (2014). Managers Role in Ethical Conduct. Boundless Management. Boundless, Retrieved from https://www.boundless.com/management/textbooks/boundless-management-textbook/ethics-in-business-13/maintaining-ethical-standards-97/managers-role-in-ethical-conduct-456-3504/ Broadcaster Magazine. (2015). Major Risks for Media & Entertainment Industry: E&Y. Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/news/major-risks-for-media--entertainment-industry-e-y/1000081220/?&er=NA Butterfield, B. (2001). A Seven-Step Formula for Crisis Management. The Forbes Group: Center Collection. The Center for Association Leadership, Retrieved from http://www.asaecenter.org/Resources/whitepaperdetail.cfm?ItemNumber=12170 The Network. (2015). Ethics Communication: Read all about it. Retrieved from https://www.tnwinc.com/1799/governance-training/ Paine, L. (2015). Managing for Organizational Integrity. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/1994/03/managing-for-organizational-integrity Rohm, H. (2014). About The Balanced Scorecard. Balanced Scorecard Institute. Retrieved from http://balancedscorecard.org/Resources/Articles-White-Papers/Using-the-BSC-to-Align-Your-Organization Appendix 1 Table 1: Ethics Issues Kind of General Ethical Issue Relate the Issue to the Industry Why is this issue a priority for your industry / organization? Disrespect Disrespect in the media industry occurs when audiences are not treated in a respectful way and stories are not addressed with attention The issue is important for Aljazeera because disrespect of audience and information leads to improper presentation of information that is not suitable to the public Dishonest Media Competition This happens when media companies compete unfairly using dishonest means to source and present their information This issue is a priority because it adversely affects the standards of performance of our company Discrimination This happens when media companies do not recognise diversity in human societies who have different values, beliefs, cultures, intrinsic individualities and races It is an issue which is of priority to Aljazeera media because when condoned, it leads to presentation of inclined and unfaithful reflection of those human societies Transparency The issue of transparency in the media industry occurs when journalists deal with news and their sources in a transparent manner If transparency is not observed, then the validity and accuracy of the news as well as their sources are questionable Bias Bias in the media industry occurs during the presentation of issues, when views and opinions are presented impartially, it is said they are bias Bias goes against the ethical conduct of the organisation and does not present true information about the news Read More