4    Actualizing Business & Professional Ethics in the Workplace                          1,000 word minimum

The assignment for this module has one part designed to both capture the essence of all six learning objectives and give each student in this course a head-start on his or her professional life.  Just as it makes sense for you to create a policy manual to effectively run your organization, it also makes sense for you create a policy manual for your professional life.

Private information is not to be revealed in this assignment.  If you feel there is a need for it, add it later.  All that matters here is that you show you have the insights needed to create such a document.  You may use a fictitious person if you prefer.

Here are the elements it is to have:

1.  A cover page

2.  An Introduction, not to exceed 2 or 3 pages, which identifies your profession and the key elements within its code of conduct.  Reference the source of the code of conduct.  Conclude with a one paragraph “mission statement” which includes your name, your profession goal, and the virtues you plan to use to achieve that goal.

3.  Section One:  Purposes – State or list the ways in which this personal policy manual can serve you as a guideline for your career development and success.

4.  Section Two:  Definitions – State and define any words or terms from your profession’s code of conduct that you might not already know or you might want defined in a way special to you/

5.  Section Three: Policy Rules – State how often you will review your policies and any rules you might want to make regarding your personal policy manual.

6.  Section Four: Principles – List and define the principles by which you intend to live out your professional life.

7.  Section Five: Policies – List and define the policies by which you intend to live out your professional life.  This list will take the form of New Year’s resolutions.  Leave out any that are too personal and add them back in for your private version.

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Returning to that small business you are familiar with or would like to start…

1.  List 5 traits or virtues you feel necessary to a job well done. For example, you could choose: thoroughness, timeliness, safety, sensitivity, and professionalism.

2.  Identify a task in that business with which you are familiar.

3.  Write a job description for that task using a sentence for each of the five virtues which tells how the task must be done to fulfill that virtue.  For example: thoroughness – always make sure that…..

What you now have is a great way to think out what has to be included in the next job description that you write.  The fairness is in the fact that if you apply the virtues you want to the performance assessment criteria of every job, each employee will be evaluated by the same standards, standards that will both define your organization and always be on the minds of everyone