Ethics Awareness Presentation at the ConocoPhillips Alumni Center at OSU. Foe the Oklahoma Public Fund Trustee Education Conference

1. Ethics Awareness
Andrew L. Urich, J.D.
Puterbaugh Professor of Ethics & Legal Studies
Spears School of Business
Oklahoma State University
aurich@okstate.edu
www.andrewurich.com

2. Ethics Awareness
 I am NOT here to moralize.
 “Awareness” changes human behavior.

3. Who Am I to Discuss Ethics?
 I am a hypocrite.
 I play favorites.
 I interpret rules to my benefit.
 I have been known to ignore rules that get in my way.
 I hate to admit I’m wrong even in those rare situations
when it looks like I might be.
 I am much more likely to believe things that benefit me.
 I like my ideas better just because they’re mine.

4. Who Am I to Discuss Ethics?
 Sometimes I think it’s fun to say “no” just because I
have the power to do so.
 Here is how I make decisions: I decide what I want
the answer to be – and then make up the logical
reasons to support my decision.
 I tend to judge myself by my intentions rather than
my actions.
 I tend to judge others by their actions rather than
their intentions.

5. Key Points to Remember
 Human nature is not naturally ethical.
 Ethics is gray – not black and white.
 (In other words, you can’t just say you’re an ethical person – and
that’s all there is to it)
 It is difficult to be ethical all of the time.

6. Ethical Lapses in the News
 Enron inflated earnings by $586 million — investors lost $60
billion
 Adelphia founder used corporate assets as collateral for $3.1
billion in personal loans — company bankrupt
 WorldCom overstated profits by $7.1 billion — 17,000 workers
laid off
 Barings Bank’s Nick Leeson caused his employer's collapse in
1995 after losing US$1.3 billion in unauthorized derivatives
trading.

7. Ethics
 What is more important than the
reputation of your organization?
 Perception and reality are both
important.

8. Ethics Today
 Times are changing in society!
 Do ethics change with the times???

9. Case problem
 The Thrifty V.P.

10. Case problem 1
 The Thrifty V.P.
 Just following orders
 Ethics and young people
 Entrapment
 Does everyone have their price?

11. Discussion Question
 What do you use as an ethical
guideline? In other words, how do you
decide what’s ethical?
 Should ethical decisions be based on
“gut instinct” or “conscience?”

12. 1. It’s Easier Not To Be Ethical
 Easier to do what’s convenient
 Easier to conform to norms
 Easier to do what’s profitable
 Easier to win if you cheat
 It is very difficult to overcome the challenges
of human nature

13. 2. Beliefs About the Ethics of
Others
 Everyone thinks like me.
 People follow the leader.
 Different ethics for different situations?

14. 3. Attitudes Toward the Company
The Need for Ethical Leadership
 “The fish rots from the head down.”
-Sir Andrew Louis
 Employees want to “even things out.”
 Message from higher management
(It’s the perception that counts.)

15. 4. Self-Delusion
 Rationalization: polite term for self-delusion

16. The Secret to Happiness
 Self-delusion
 Hypocrisy
 Ignorance

17. The Secret to Happiness
Ignorance is Bliss
“People who do things badly
are supremely confident in
their abilities — more
confident, in fact, than people
who do things well. Not only
do they reach erroneous
conclusions and make
unfortunate choices, but their
incompetence robs them of
the ability to realize it.”
Dunning, David Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology December 1999.

18. Thank You
I appreciate your
time and attention.
Andrew Urich
aurich@okstate.edu
www.andrewurich.com

19. Additional Training Opportunities
Andrew Urich
 Tune Up Your Negotiation and Persuasion Skills
 Influence Skills: Getting Along and Getting Things Done
 Developing Your Professional Image
Become more successful by building a personal brand image
 Critical Thinking
Keys to making good decisions, judgments and evaluations

20. References
 Ailes, Roger. You Are the Message. New York. Doubleday, 1988.
 Bazerman, Max H. Smart Money Decisions, Wiley & Sons, 1999.
 Blanchard, Kenneth, et.al. The Power of Ethical Management. William Morrow and Company,
Inc., 1988.
 Buckingham, Marcus, et.al. First, Break All The Rules. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999.
 Cialdini, Robert B. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. Harper Collins, 2007.
 Cohen, Randy. The Good, The Bad, & The Difference. Broadway Books, 2002.
 Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. New York: Simon & Schuster,
1989.
 Fisher, Roger and William Ury. Getting to Yes. New York: Viking Penguin, Inc., 1981.
 Koch, Charles G., The Science of Success, Wiley & Sons, 2007.
 Lakoff, George. Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think . The University of
Chicago Press, 2002.
 Lattal, Alice Darnell, et. al. Ethics at Work. Performance Management Publications, 2005.
 Lewicki, Roy J., et. al. Negotiation. 2nd Edition., Irwin, 1994.
 Lewicki, Roy J., et. al. Essential of Negotiation, 4th Ed. McGraw Hill, 2007.
 Maxwell, John C. There’s No Such Thing as “Business” Ethics . Warner Business Books,
2003.
 Nelsen, Jane, et. al. Positive Discipline, Three Rivers Press, 1998.
 Paul, Richard. Critical Thinking. Santa Rosa, CA: Foundation for Critical Thinking, 1993.