SHS

Business Ethics and Social

Responsibility
Module 3: Quarter 3 – Week
3
Business Ethics and Social Responsibility
Grade 12 Module 3: Quarter 3 – Week 3
First Edition, 2020

Copyright © 2020
La Union Schools Division
Region I

All rights reserved. No part of this module may be reproduced in any form without written
permission from the copyright owners.

Development Team of the Module

Author: Ma. Paz F. Garcia, MT II

Editor: SDO La Union, Learning Resource Quality Assurance Team
Illustrator: Ernesto F. Ramos Jr., P II

Management Team:

ATTY. Donato D. Balderas, Jr.

Schools Division Superintendent
Vivian Luz S. Pagatpatan, Ph.D
Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
German E. Flora, Ph.D, CID Chief
Virgilio C. Boado, Ph.D, EPS in Charge of LRMS
Lorna O. Gaspar, EPS in Charge of EsP Michael
Jason D. Morales, PDO II
Claire P. Toluyen, Librarian II
Business Ethics and
Social Responsibility
Module 3: Quarter 3 – Week 3
 TARGET

BUSINESS DECORUM
DECORUM is from a Latin word meaning “right or wrong”. It is the appropriateness ,
polite behaviour in a society. The concept of decorum is applied to prescribed social
behaviour limits of appropriate within set situations. It is defined as appropriate,
polite behaviour in society. It is a behaviour that people consider to be correct, polite
and respectable.

Code of Ethics or Code of Conduct is a set of organizational rules or standards

regarding organizational values, beliefs, and ethics as matters of legal compliance that
govern the conduct of the organization and its members. Organizational members are
responsible for adhering to the code of conduct and will be held accountable for
failure to do so.

In the previous lesson, you have learned about the core principles underlying
fairness, accountability and transparency in business operation and stewardship in
the socio-economic development of a country.

This module will provide you with information and activities that will help you
understand better the common practices in business organizations such as decorum,
protocol, policies, marketing, bookkeeping, reportorial requirements and
documentation, and others.

At the end of this module, you are expected to :

1. Distinguish between good policies/practices and morally acceptable

policies/practices (ABM_ESR12-IIIa-d1.6).
2. Craft simple “Code of Ethics” or “Codes of Right Conduct”.
What Do You Already Know?

Let us find out how much have you already know about the common practices
in business organizations.

Read and understand the statement then select the letter with the best answer
by encircling it.

1. Which of the following is the best explanation of a business code of conduct?

A. A set of ethical standards
B. A set of rules regarding legal compliance
C. A set of rules regarding business values
D. A set of rules business’ values, beliefs and ethics as well as rules
governing legal

2. Which of the following is NOT a type of business code?

A. Code of Conduct C. Code of Ethics
B. Code of Practice D. Code of Morality
3. What should be done when introducing yourselves in a meeting?
A. Tell only your name
B. Tell both your name and surname
C. Tell only your surname
D. Tell only your designation
4. How do you demonstrate professionalism at work?
A. Treat others with respect
B. Take many breaks to gossip with other employees
C. Help with a project and make sure you get all the credit
D. Tell everyone private personal details about your boss
5. Your friend, Joan, dropped by in your workplace one afternoon. Where will
your friend stay?
A. At your workstation
B. In the waiting area
C. In your co-workers station who is out in the office
D. In the bathroom
6. The set of rules, forms and practices established for behaviour in a polite
society.
A. Business Etiquette C. Etiquette
B. Ethics D. Netiquette
7. What should NOT be done in a meeting?
A. Be firm in what you say
B. Raise your hand up when you want to speak
C. Raise the tone of your voice
D. Taking important details of the meeting
 8. Mr. Sika Tuna attended a meeting together with the resort owners of San Juan
held at Isla Bonita Resort. Many things are discussed. What two things should
he do after the meeting?
A. Concentrate and reflect
B. Communicate and reflect
C. Forget everything immediately
D. Rethink and communicate
9. You are newly hired Accounting Clerk in a reputable banking institution. How
many working hours would you render to the company?
A. 7 hours B. 8 hours C. 9 hours D. 10 hours
10. It is a set of organizational rules or standards regarding organizational values,
beliefs, and ethics that govern the conduct of the organization and its members.
A. Code of Conduct C. Policy
B. Code of Ethics D. Rules and Regulations

JUMPSTART
Direction: Read the case below then answer the questions that follow. Write your
answer on the space provided.

Michelle Go began employment with Luxor Tours Company when she was
hired as probationary employee as tourist guide in 2005. Her application form showed
that she was a BS Tourism graduate of a university e in tour-guiding.

Michelle’s performance as tourism guide was satisfactory, but she had difficulty
building positive relationships with syupervisors, peers, or subordinates. “Michelle is
weird” was a comment given by a peer when asked if she was getting along well with
her.

On the fifth month of her probationary employment, a written performance

evaluation was done and the result was poor; “lack of focus,” “tactless
remarks,”chronic tardiness” were comments that appeared in many evaluation sheets.
At the end of the fifth month of her employment, Michelle was given a “thank you
letter” by the Luxor management, terminating her probationary employment.

Three years later, Luxor Tours acquired smaller tour agency. Luxor HR
manager Lynn Sotto , while preparing for the merger, saw Michelle’s name in the
employees’ list of the said tour agency. Upon checking, she verified that, indeed, it was
Michelle Go whose service they terminated a few years ago. She held a middle-
management position and her personal files, when reviewed, showed some
questionable entries like the following: that she was a BS Tourism graduate of a
leading university; that from 2001 to 2004 she managed a tour agency in Manila; her
employment with Luxor was no mentioned at all.

Lynn had a dilemma: should she report the false claims in Michelle’s files to the
owner/general manager of Luxor Tours?

Questions:

1. If you were in Lynn’s position, will you report what you found out
about Michelle to Luxor’s Management? Explain your answer briefly.

2. As the owner/manager of Luxor tours, how will you handle this case if the
information was reported to you? Explain your answer briefly.

Let Us Study

Words to study..
Decorum
Decorum appropriateness,
appropriateness,polite
politebehaviour
behaviourininaa
society
society Protocol
Protocol proper
properprocedure
procedure or
or conduct
conduct

Policy
Policy set
setofofguidelines
guidelinesor
orrules
rules

Code
Codeof
ofEthics
Ethics set
setofofguidelines
guidelinesthat
thatassist
assistindividual
individualinin
understanding understanding the difference between what is
right and wrong.
Code of Conduct a set of organizational rules or standards regarding
organizational values, beliefs, and ethics

DECORUM
Directions: Identify professionals/SK Council in your community. Fill in as
much information about them in the space provided. Based on their character
descriptions, identify their appropriate conduct and behaviour.

Name of SK Position Gender Additional Expected

Council / Information Conduct and
Professional Behavior
 DISCOVER

BUSINESS MEETING ETIQUETTE / GOOD PRACTICES

Etiquette refers to good manners required by an individual to find a place in the
society. It is important for an individual to behave appropriately in public to earn
respect and appreciation.

One must learn to maintain the decorum of the work place. It is important to
respect one’s organization to expect the same in return. No one would ever take you
seriously if do not behave well at the workplace.

Meetings are an important part of corporates where employees sit together on a

common platform, exchange their views and opinions and reach to a solution
benefitting the organization and mutually acceptable to all.

Meeting Etiquette refers to codes of behavior an individual ought to follow while

attending meetings and discussions at the workplace.

Let us go through some meeting etiquette in detail:

 Try to find out what the meeting is all about.

Understand the importance of the meeting. Never go blank. Employees should
do all the ground work before attending meetings to ensure maximum
participation from their end. Prepare notes in advance.
 Never attend meetings without a notepad and pen.
It is practically not possible for an individual to remember each and every thing
discussed at the time of meeting. A notepad helps in jotting down the important
points for future reference.
 Always keep your cell phone on the silent or vibrator mode.
Cell phones ringing in the middle of meetings and seminars are considered rude
and unprofessional. This might insult others sitting in the same room as well as
break the pace of the meeting.
 Do not attend phone calls during meetings unless it is an emergency. It is bad
manners to do the same.
Superiors must create an agenda before every meeting.

 The agenda must be circulated among all employees for them to prepare in
advance. Meetings should not be conducted to disseminate important matters
and have well-defined plans. Make a list of issues to be discussed in the
 meeting. Make sure you do not deviate from the key points. Keep the meetings
short.
 Never be late for meetings.
Going late for a meeting is something which is not expected from a professional.
 Chewing gum during meetings is childish and must be avoided.
 Be a good listener.
Listen to what others have to say. Wait for your turn to speak.
 Sit wherever you find a place. Do not run here and there.
 Do not enter the meeting room once the meeting has already begun. It disturbs
others.
 Avoid taking your cups of coffee or tea to meeting rooms unless and until
advised by superiors.
 Fiddling with pen or notepad is one of the major distractions in meetings. One
must concentrate and stay alert.
Be an attentive listener. Do not yawn even if you find the meeting boring.
 The one chairing the meeting must speak loud and clear. It is essential to take
care of the pitch and tone.
 Meetings ought to be interactive and allow employees to come up with their
suggestions and valuable feedback.
A question answer round must be kept at the end for employees to clear their
doubts.
 Once the meeting is over, minutes of the meeting must be prepared and
circulated across all departments for them to take necessary action
 Use Whiteboards, projectors, graphs, pointers, slides for better clarity.
 Do not convert the meeting room into a battle ground. Speak politely and do
respect your colleagues.
 Never attend meetings in casuals. Follow a professional dress code.
PROTOCOL

Business protocol is an extremely important aspect of the formation of

relationships within a company and between companies. Protocol can be defined as
the proper procedure of conduct. There are many different protocols necessary
between companies.

TYPES OF PROTOCOLS IN BUSINESS

ETIQUETTE

Companies have different levels of etiquette. It includes how co-workers treat

each other and how formal the working environment is. For example, a very informal
environment might yield employees that playfully joke with each other. If a new
client were in the office and heard a playful joke out of context, he might think that
your company is comprised of rude employees. Etiquette also includes how organized
an office appears, the appearance of documents and reports that the office prepares
and the way that employees relate to their superiors.

ATTIRE
Attire is the one of the first things that will be noticed in a meeting or a visit to
the office. Some businesses have very informal attire, allowing their employees to
wear jeans and t-shirts. Most offices, however, use business casual or business
formal attire as their protocol. This requires button-down shirts for men and women
with dress pants or skirts.

COMMUNICATION

The communication protocol of an office can be quickly determined by calling

the front desk. One receptionist may offer a formal and positive greeting, while a
simple “hello” might be the standard greeting at another office. An office may
institute specific policies for how employees communicate with each other and how
they communicate with incoming calls or visitors. The communication protocol may
also include whether employees are available to take calls outside of their normal
office hours. Employees may use their phones before 8:00 o’clock, during lunch
break and after office work at 5:00 o’clock in the afternoon.
MEETINGS

The protocol of the business meeting has changed greatly especially now a
days. Many meetings are now incorporating the Internet and video apps to allow for
worldwide capabilities. This gives an employee working from home a chance to both
be involved in the meeting and to be much less formal. Some businesses have
certain protocols set up to ensure that these meetings run a particular way and have
specific professional standards.

PERSONAL CODE OF ETHICS

 Maintain the highest level of professional standards

 Conduct yourself with honesty and integrity at all times toward all people
 Offer your best efforts everyday by presenting pertinent, accurate, and
objective information
 Listen carefully and allow people to provide information without interrupting
or arguing
 Be punctual and honor the value of time
 Accept responsibility for the duties that have been assigned
 Collaborate with others in a spirit of teamwork to accomplish defined goals
 Show respect to all people in the workplace and honor diversity in all areas
including age, gender, disability, sexual orientation, ethnic background,
nationality and religion

POLICIES

Company policies, rules and regulations present guidelines to employees and

management. Whenever questions arise concerning conduct or operations, policy is
in place to direct behaviors and solve ethical questions. Well-written company
procedures will support human resources department in its daily tasks

COMPANY POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

Company policies outline acceptable behaviors and employee expectations,

while procedures describe and define process flows and company objectives. Both
policies and procedures should be crafted within the scope of the organization's goals;
policy and procedure manuals are therefore written with the ultimate goal of helping
employees to aid the company's overall mission. Human resources executives can
work with managers of other departments to craft policies and procedures that will
ultimately strengthen the company.
SIGNIFICANCE OF COMPANY POLICIES

By describing what is expected of employees, company policies provide a

framework through which employees can excel. The policy handbook outlines steps
that will be taken if an employee breaks company rules. This gives the company a
legal protection; when employees sign off on company policy manuals, they are
acknowledging accepted behavior standards and that their continued employment is
depending on following rules of conduct.

Types of Company Policies

Company procedures outline how employees will complete tasks, including job
descriptions, divisional responsibility and organizational reporting structure.
Procedures can also include expected outcomes and individual goals, setting annual
standards for employee and departmental performance.

Examples of a company policy for employees might standards of employee

behavior, such as dress codes, attendance, timing in and using the Biometric
Machine, filing a leave (sick leave) and sexual harassment policy.
 EXPLORE
ACTIVITY 2: TELL ME ….

A. Direction: As member of the Sanguniang Kabataan, you

are task to interview your Barangay Chairman and its
Council and the SK Council on their existing policies, rules, regulations and
Code of Conduct implemented in the community. Follow the format given.

Interview Guide:

1.) Name of Barangay:_ _____________________________________________________

2.) Name of Brgy. Chairman:_ __________________________________________________
3.) Sangguniang Barangay: _________________________________________________
: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

4.) What are the vision, mission and values of your

Barangay? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
5.) Do you have local policies, rules and regulation implemented in the
barangay? _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
6.) Do you have Code of Conduct for all Barangay Officials to follow?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
7.) How do you craft your Code of Conduct? Polies, Rules and Regulations?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
8.) Who are the members involved in crafting the Code of Conduct?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
9.) Why do you make your own Code of Conduct? Policies, Rules and Regulations?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
B. Write a narrative report compose of 500 words containing the important
findings of your interview to be submitted. Handwritten is encourage.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
 DEEPEN
Let us apply what you have learned.

ACTIVITY 1: MY OWN CODE OF RIGHT CONDUCT

With the learnings gained from previous discussion

particularly on Personal Code of Ethics , you are now ready to the
next phase of the lesson. Keep On!!

Direction: Identify 10 personal traits that would be included in your personal code
of right conduct. Explain how you will implement this trait in your daily life.

MY OWN CODE OF RIGHT CONDUCT

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
 GAUGE

Direction: Read and understand each statement. Select the best

answer by encircling the letter.

1.

1. How do you demonstrate professionalism at work?

A. Treat others with respect
B. Take many breaks to gossip with other employees
C. Help with a project and make sure you get all the credit
D. Tell everyone private personal details about your boss

2. Which of the following is the best explanation of a business code of conduct?

A. A set of ethical standards
B. A set of rules regarding legal compliance
C. A set of rules regarding business values
D. A set of rules business’ values, beliefs and ethics as well as rules
governing legal

3. Which of the following is NOT a type of business code?

C. Code of Conduct C. Code of Ethics
D. Code of Practice D. Code of Morality

4. Mr. Sika Tuna attended a meeting together with the resort owners of San Juan
held at Isla Bonita Resort. Many things are discussed. What two things should
he do after the meeting?
A. Concentrate and reflect C. Forget everything immediately
B. Communicate and reflect D. Rethink and communicate
5. How do you demonstrate professionalism at work?
A. Treat others with respect
B. Take many breaks to gossip with other employees
C. Help with a project and make sure you get all the credit
D. Tell everyone private personal details about your boss

6. Your friend, Joan, dropped by in your workplace one afternoon. Where will
your friend stay?
A. At your workstation
B. In the waiting area
C. In the bathroom
D. In your co-workers station who is out in the office
7. It is a set of organizational rules or standards regarding organizational values,
beliefs, and ethics that govern the conduct of the organization and its members.
C. Code of Conduct C. Policy
D. Code of Ethics D. Rules and Regulations

8. You are newly hired Accounting Clerk in a reputable banking institution. How
many working hours would you render to the company?
7 hours B. 8 hours C. 9 hours D. 10 hours

9. What should be done when introducing yourselves in a meeting?

A. Tell only your name
B. Tell both your name and surname
C. Tell only your surname
D. Tell only your designation
10. The set of rules, forms and practices established for behaviour in a polite
society.
A. Business Etiquette C. Etiquette
B. Ethics D. Netiquette
REFERENCES:

Business Protocol: How to Survive & Succeed in Business; Jan Yager; 2000
Cohen, Bryan. Types of Protocol in Business last modified July 24, 2020.
https://bizfluent.com/list-6767617-types-protocol-business.html

Reeher, Jason. General Company Policies and Procedures last modified July 24, 2020.
https://bizfluent.com/about-5479660-general-company-policies-procedures.html

(Cabrera, Helena Ma. F.; Altarejos, Anthony DC.; Benjamin, Riza; 2017)