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Developing a Sense of Business Ethics
from Mass High Tech
Ethics is not uniquely related to what happens in the laboratory.
The Working Values Group, a Boston-based corporate governance strategy firm, helps companies in various industries deal with ethical issues relating to business practices.
The company has helped Pharmacia develop a standards of business conduct manual as well as initiate ethics training.
David Gebler, Working Values president and founder, said that in the past, ethics was seen as a compliance issue.
"There has been a shift over the past few years recognizing that business ethics relates to corporate culture," he said. "Ethics is ... really a tool by which companies try to achieve business goals."
The most significant issues for companies involved in developing and manufacturing drugs are patents and social policy, Gebler said.
In particular, Gebler notes a societal expectation that drugs should be free. "It's a big challenge for companies to manage that public policy issue," he said.
According to Gebler, businesses that work to develop favorable reputations have more leeway as a result. Working Values recommends that companies state their case honestly and without a sense of embarrassment.
"Once a company understands values are important, the rest is easy," Gebler said.
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