Aliya and Samuel, managers from different departments at Finger Lakes Financial, are discussing the troubling behavior of an employee. Aliya says that it is the responsibility of high-level managers to take steps to prevent legal wrongdoing by punishing offenders. However, Samuel believes that every individual should take personal responsibility for his or her own behavior and that everyone needs to understand how to do the right thing. Samuel prefers a(n) ________ ethics program.

But such a personal ethics program cannot work in an organization. An organization is made up of persons from different backgrounds and orientations with differing work and personal ethics. An organizational ethics program cannot succeed by being dependent on personal scruples, as being suggested by Samuel. Every organization requires a company-wide ethics program that is equally applicable to all persons in the organization. The tone of such ethics program should be set at the top of the organization's hierarchy.