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Business Ethics

Key Terms

Business EthicsKey Terms

Key Terms

business purpose exception
an exception to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 that permits employers to monitor all oral and electronic communications, assuming they can show a legitimate business purpose for doing so
closed shop
a union environment that requires new hires to be automatically enrolled in the labor union and union dues to be automatically deducted from their pay
codetermination
a concept popular in Europe that gives workers the right to participate on the board of directors of their company
collective bargaining
union negotiations with an employer on behalf of employees
comparable worth
the idea that pay should be based upon a job holder’s worth to the organization rather than on salary history
consent exception
an exception to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 that allows employers to monitor employee communications provided employees have given their consent
EEOC
the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, created by the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 and which attempts to eliminate discrimination in the workplace based on race, gender, or creed
employment at will
a legal philosophy that holds that either the employee or the employer may dissolve the employment arrangement at will (i.e., without cause and at any time unless an employment contract is in effect that stipulates differently)
OSHA
the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which governs workplace safety, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which administers the act at the federal level
pay ratio
the number of times greater the average executive’s salary is than the average worker’s
right-to-work law
a state law that says a worker cannot be forced to join a union
sexual harassment
unwelcome touching, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature from a supervisor, coworker, client, or customer
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