BUSINESS ETHICS

Common Practices in Business

Organization Part 1

Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines

SPJ INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE INCORPORATED
LESSON
There are common business acts that are being practiced in every firm’s activity.
Business practices are a set of governing rules that are being conducted to reach the
goals of the firm. These rules guide the employees on how they should act and decide.
It is expected that every employee must abide by the laws of the company
accordingly.
Decorum and protocols are examples of the practices in the company. Let us
explore these practices to know how it is being applied in Filipino set-up kind of
business.
A. Decorum
On-Time
• When we are in a business setting, we
should always practice being punctual. It is
one of the simplest forms of
professionalism in the business world.
• Arrive at your office on or before your official
time.
• Respect the time of other people. When
meeting someone, whether clients, managers
or any important persons, always be prompt.
Don’t let the other parties wait for you. Come
to the meeting place 15-30 minutes before the
time of the meeting.
• Make some allowances for the unexpected
delays
• Confirm business appointments
• If you come on time to business meeting,
making sure to finish the
• meeting on time, that shows also a sign of respect.

On Preparation

• Make sure that all your files and pertinent documents are ready when presenting to
clients or other parties.
• When conducting the interview, make sure that your questions are ready.
• Check your laptop or projector if it is functioning and do a dry run before the time of
the meeting.
 • Make sure that your battery is full when using gadgets in meetings and other events.

On Agenda

• The executive should circulate the meeting agenda one week in advance.
• If you are one of the important persons in the meeting, inform the chairperson if you
cannot attend the meeting to make necessary adjustments on the date and time of
the meeting.

On Attire and Appearance

• Dress appropriately in the workplace.

• Wear the proper dress code. If you are in the corporate industry, you
• must wear formal attire, but if you are in a manufacturing firm, usually
• they require a polo shirt and jeans.
• Wear also the proper uniform that the company issued to be easily
• recognized as the employee of the company.
• Always know the dress code when coming into work-related social
• events because we don’t want our company to be put to shame. By
• dressing properly, we show that we value our work and the reputable
• name of our company.
• As a head, you must always remind your personnel of the proper dress
• code in events you are attending to.
• Everybody must strictly follow the rules.
• It is better to give illustrations/ samples of attire the employees need to
• wear to have the same view on the proper dress code.
• Wear a conservative type of dress to earn respect from other people.

On Decorum

• Always watch your words when speaking to someone.

• Maintain your composure even things are getting on your nerves.
• Never use foul or offending words because that is a sign of unprofessionalism.
• Spreading gossip and confidential information MUST be avoided because it will not
create a harmonious environment.
• Avoid tapping on the table, chewing food or bubble gum or creating noise from your
mouth, tapping your feet on the floor, playing with your swivel chair, yawning loudly,
and other forms of destruction when conversing with a group or even individuals.

On Basic Courtesy and Respect

• We should always consider the feelings of others when interacting with them. Remain
courteous and respectful even in challenging times.
• If you are arguing with peers, stay on the topic, and do not get into a personal
manner.
• Treat everyone with respect as much as we want to be respected, whether it is our
superiors, peers, or subordinates.
• Be cautious with the words that you use and your environment to keep a harmonious
relationship.

On Greetings

• The usual way to greet someone is by shaking his hand and smile.
• Commonly, in formal situations, the first one to greet is the oldest or the most
important person.
• In women that know each other very well, they greet normally by giving warm
embrace and cheek to cheek.
On Formal and Informal Address

• When it is your first time to meet someone, address him by his family name.
• In our country, we use “Mister” for men and “Mrs” for women who are married but it
is always safe to use “Miss” if we do not know the civil status of a person.
• We must also know the title of the person we are talking to for us to address him/her
correctly (titles such as Doctor, Attorney, Engineer, Architect, etc. )
• Avoid calling a person in their first name unless they ask you to do so.

On Speaking in Meetings

• Wait for your turn when you want to say something.

• Commonly, there is a designated time for question-and-answer portion, wait for this
time if you want your queries to be clarified.
• It is a big NO to interrupt someone when they are talking or asking questions.
• Be still and compose even if you do not agree with someone’s
comments/suggestions/ opinions. Do not raise your voice nor use foul language.

On Listening

• Always take down notes to remember all of the important things that have been
discussed in the meeting. Taking down notes also avoids repetition of questions that
have been answered already.

On Cellphones and Laptops

• Make it a habit to turn off your cellphone or put it into vibration mode even before
the meeting starts.
• Excuse yourself once you receive phone calls and leave the meeting room to avoid
destructions and disturbance.
• Do not also use your laptop unless it is needed in the meeting

On Business and Visiting Cards

• Always use your both hands in presenting the business card to a business client.

On Break

• When having a meeting, give time to a break every two hours.

• During break time, it should last for at least 15-20 minutes while meal time is 30
minutes to 1 hour.

On Appropriate Communication

• Always make sure to return call phone calls and emails.

• Always inform the person on the other line of your name,
company name, and the department you are representing.
• Always speak politely.
• When sending emails, use appropriate subject to easily
identify the concern of your message.
• Always use words that sound professional.
• Salutations and greetings should be used in standard
correspondence.
• Words such as “Dear”, ‘respectfully” or sincerely, please,
thank you are the common words to express respect and
professionalism.
• When constructing e-mails, never use capital letters
because it may seem like you are yelling to the receiver of
the letter.
On Building Relationship

• Treat your employees with respect.

• Thoughtfulness is one of the keys to having a good relationship with them. Some
companies give the cake to the birthday celebrant. Some give birthday allowance or
birthday leave to show care to their employees.
• It is also better to take some time to visit and talk to your staffs even janitorial
positions.

On-Gift Giving

• Appreciate the gift you receive whether it is a big or small item.

• Opening of gift can wait after all the guest in the event place left.
• Common gifts that large companies prepare for their contacts are pens, notepads,
umbrellas, wines, and food products.
• The presentation of the gift is also important, so use elegant wrappers.
• Bring sweets or flowers(except for chrysanthemums and white lilies) if you are invited
to a Filipino home.
• You may send fruits after the event but not before and during the event.

B. Protocol
Examples of Protocols in Philippine Business

Filipino Family- Modeled Businesses- in some corporations, nepotism does exist where
employers give more favor to their relatives to be employed in their company. Thus, it is
very rare for them to be fired for being inefficient in the workplace unless a major mistake
was done.

Business is Personal –in the Philippines, it is easy to deal with your partners to be if you
happen to be introduced by a friend related to the company you want to deal with. A
personal approach is such a factor to make decisions and close a deal. So, it is important to
know the right people and their relationship with the company when doing business with
others because the successful relationship is based on personal interaction and trust.

Status-Consciousness – Filipinos need to be acknowledged by his/her title because we are

status-conscious. For many, it is a way of showing respect to your business partner or soon
to be partners

Politeness and Ambiguity – For us Filipinos, it is very difficult for us to say “no” to any
business proposal because we value the culture of pakikisama and the importance of
having a harmonious relationship with business partners and other entity related to our
firm. Because we don’t want to offend or embarrass someone by saying no, we make
excuses by saying “we’ll get back to you” maybe later” we’ll call you back”, “perhaps”,
maybe on another day”. For some instance, phones calls are not answered or secretary’s
common spill is “the boss is out” as a means of declining some offers or proposals.

ACTIVITIES

Activity 1
Search for decorum and protocols of businesses in other countries that is not
commonly practiced here in our country but you think might be applicable and
helpful to adapt by businesses in the Philippines to create a better environment and
help attain their objective/s.
ACTIVITY 2
Fill in the blank.
1. The proper attire code for corporate industry is _____________.
2. When having a meeting, give time for a break every ____ hours.
3. Come to the meeting place ______ minutes before the time.
4. Filipinos must be acknowledged by their titles because they are ___________.
5. _____________ is an act of an employer to give favor to his relatives to be employed in his
company.

ACTIVITY 3

Many rules is being discussed earlier under decorum and protocols. Among those
rules under decorum,
• what do you think is the most given importance or emphasis by the
Filipino business owners?
• Why do you think so? How about in protocols?
• What do you think has the least given importance under decorum
practices?
• Why do you think so? How about in protocols?
• What is the importance of decorum and protocols in business?