Chapter 11. Health Care Communication Ethics

I just loved this chapter while reading because it gave me not only the information about the topic, but also an insight of the life itself. What attracted me the most was about responsiveness. The text book says, "Health care communication ethics understands health not in what happens to us, but in our response to that which meets us. ... To engage health care communication ethics, one looks for ways to respond to the illness in the larger context of a life, not just for answers to "fix" ill health." When you have a cancer, you will take lots of medicines. If you take them just to fix your cancer without any efforts to positively respond to the illness, you won't be able to cure because you don't have a sense of hope and just rely on medicine itself. On the other hand, if you have a responsibility to actively respond to the illness, you will be more likely to cure because you are going to be hard to not only take the medicines, but also receive all kinds of treatements with postiveness and hope.
I also loved this passage, "Each time health not wanted by us meets us in our lives, we have the opportunity to practice the pragmatic necessity of response, readying ourselves for the final freedom - our responses to the inevitability of death." It never sees any illness as an obstacle that we should avoid or be frustrated when we meet, but as a great opportunity to learn how to react and respond when we meet death in the end of our lives. I personally think this indefinitely positive attitude is just so much beautiful and this is how I want to live my life . I hope this sense of hope and postiveness is always remembered to all of us on the earth.

Communication Ethics in Business and Professional Setting

Business and Professional communication shares some common ground with organizational, managerial, and corporate communication according to Shelby, 1993.  Business and professional communication works at the micro level of organizational action.  Addressing problems of written persuasion, for example, letters, memos, and emails.  More forms include business letters, performance evaluations, and interviews.  The good that the book acknowledges that we need to highlight protection and promotion of particular good that underlies the practice of the business and professional communication as a public act (176).

A keynote concept that was mentioned was the dialectic of direction and change.  Commitment to direction and change assumes that presumptuous belief that a given place will exist for all time is dangerous.  Communication ethics in business and professional settings require a commitment to two commutative actions clarity of direction and being able to over adversity and pivot and change direction if and when necessary.

Its kind of funny how this works, I have not followed this story very closely but Playboy magazine.  As of recently they will be changing or have changed that layout of the magazine to where there will be no more nude women featured in the magazine.  It was brought up that with the advancements of technology not many people buy magazines in general because everything is on the internet.  Consequently Playboy will go under new development and in a different direction compared to the last forty years of "skin." Showing more articles about life, entertainment, and sports.  I think it relates to business and professional ethics because a business can not stay the same forever.  It needs to role with the changes and advance into bigger and better things to accommodate to society.

Chapter 10

Business and professional communication ethics is defined as “the study of communication within particular business and professional settings, defined by participation in the public square of competitive economic exchange” (pg. 174). Understanding the complexities of business and professional communication ethics requires an assumption that commitment in business and professional environment is the equivalent of good manners and proper form. In particular, commitment to one direction and change assumes that the presumptuous belief that a given place and practice will exist for all time is dangerous. The author later address the misconceptions about communication ethics in business and professional contexts begins when we situate “ethics in the person” suggests that if we have good people, we will have a good business and professional communication ethics” (pg. 178).

Throughout the chapter the author provides meaning of the term “beyond manners” by explaining how our manners and proper form coordinating smooth lines of interaction in the professional work setting. Confusion arises when our impulse equates communication ethics with attributes of the individual “me” thinking that only “good people” “like me” can assist an organization. Additionally “there is a common temptation to list or describe all the behavior that “should” define communicating ethically in a business and professional setting. The reason for rejecting the temptation is that it does not give one communication ethics literacy” (178). In our society today, we often only think about our self and what we consider “good” for an organization rather than considering other viewpoints. This “me” thinking also equates to relationships and common interactions with others. Why do we only tend to think about our self? Do other countries also have a “me” way of communicating?

For example, last semester and over the summer I interned at a non- profit. The organization was recently established and I was one of the first interns that were hired. There was no set guidelines of the specific tasks the intern had to complete, nor was there a given communication guideline exchange. This was difficult because being one of the first interns at the organization we were essentially the “guinea pigs.” My boss had a difficult time assigning tasks to us because he was new himself to his role as the owner and manager. He frequently displayed a “me” way of thinking that his way, was the only good way. How can one in position of authority allow others to contribute effectively without portraying “my way is the only way?” Additionally, his philosophy aligned with the reading that “the impulse to equate communication ethics with attributes of the individual, “me” walks into a common temptation of thinking that only “good people,” “people like me,” can assist an organization. In a time of postmodern disagreement on what is and is not good, it is simply impossible to find enough good people who believe just as “I” do (pg. 178). What are other ways an organization can diverge from thinking only “good people” can assist in decision making and communication ethics?

Chapter 10

Chapter 10 discusses communication ethics in business and the professional arena. Professional and Business communication ethics relates to organizational communication ethics since organizations are usually business related or at a somewhat professional level. However, organizational communication ethics concerns a large area in organizations from structural to social dimensions. Business and professional communication ethics "deals primarily with specific written and spoken task-related communicative activities and emerges pedagogically..."(175). This is to say that the ethics in this area is discovered or learned by understanding what is effective in micro level communication. Business and professional communication ethics is mainly task focused and what their brand promotes, not how a company's social dimension is created.

This year, I have noticed a lot of companies taking a different approach to Black Friday. Many camping and outdoor outlets like REI or GrandTrunkHammocks are closing down on Black Friday. Instead of taking part in this shopping day, they have offered smaller sales, that are more specific to seasonal needs, leading up to this day. They are promoting a "Day to be Outside" and enjoy the arena in which they promote. It has worked to reinforce peoples desire for the outdoors and necessity for their products. It makes people want to buy their products when they aren't on sale because they believe it will better their experience in the outdoors. I am a sucker for this advertising even though I understand what is going on. They use written ads, personalized to it's members(like myself) to reinforce our value of nature.

Business Ethics

This chapter discusses Business and Professional Communication ethics,"Business communication shares some common ground with organizational communication, managerial communication , and corporate communication, but with significant areas of distinction" (175). It is slightly similar to organizational communication ethics, but it supports more details in issues of written persuasion, including routine letters, memos and e-mails."The goal of continuing to last is the good that requires protection and promotion in business and professional communication ethics" (715) It is important for a business to protect the good of the company to maintain succesful therefore they need to" provide goods and services that meet the needs of a given moment"(174)

"To keep a company going requires attention to the ongoing dialectic of direction and change; they work together as a unified guide for communication ethics action"(174). An example I can think of is how the Mall Of America are changing direction, which I believe is a business that have to work hard to be innovative. Currently they are expanding the Mall, and the current expansion includes a "high end" shopping district, a luxury hotel and a gigantic office building.  I believe that they have to expand the Mall if they want to maintain their rumor as a popular tourist attraction in the U.S. and the status as "the largest mall in america".  As a part of their strategy they want to expand their target audience towards the "upper class". Keeping the ongoing reality of direction and change is one of the keys in business and professional communication.

chapter 10

Chapter 10 dives into the subject of business and professional communication ethics, it relates it to previous chapters (such as organizational communication) but states the main aspect that differentiates this chapter from the rest as, "Business and professional communication works at the micro level of organizational action, addressing issues of written persuasion, including routine letters, memos, and e-mail correspondence..." (175).

Business communication zeros in on a certain goal, "A company without clarity of direction falls prey to atrophy and decline, unable to engage in self-critical examination and change" (180).  In order to reach the goal, they note "public testing" (which reminds me of trail and error).  Understanding how the public responds to the communication a company produces allows them to see what direction they should take to make their goal become a reality.

Society has put an emphasis on health over the past few years.  This has highlighted the health issues within the restaurant industry, and in return, that industry has had to evolve to satisfy all audiences.  Vegetarianism and veganism are two health diets that continue to be on the rise in society.  Due to this, many restaurants are having to change/add options on their menu to satisfy this type of customer.  Promoting through advertisements the multiple options for vegetarians/vegans on the menu draws in business from those consumers, making that business stand out from others.

Chapter 10

Talking about business and professional communication, it firstly a little difficult for me to connect the new concept to any actual issues around me.  After referring the definition and analysis about business and professional communication ethics, it becomes clear.  In the weekly reading, the most fundamental description about business and professional communication ethics is "the study of
communication within particular business and professional settings, defined by participation in the public square of competitive economic exchange. Nonprofits must take the market and its demands seriously, just as a competitive business does; both types of business and professional settings are needed in today’s marketplace(P 174).  Additionally, the most interesting parts about business and professional communication ethics for me are "Our approach acknowledges these perspectives and employs a communication ethics standpoint to highlight protection and promotion of a particular good that underlies the practice of business and professional communication as a public communicative act"(P 176) and "The direction is the key to holding a given organization accountable"(P 179).
From my working experience as volunteer with MinnPost, an organization concerns about the objectivity of journalistic reports, revolutions in journalism in Minnesota and exploring changes and solutions to current journalistic situation.  The most frequent approach of communicating among this organization is conducting events like guest lectures, watching dramas, and simply getting together with members and talking about recent news.  Connecting to reading material, it is obvious that MinnPost has clear organizational purpose to protect and promote the development of journalism, has its regulations to select members, and conducts activities based on recent events.  Talking about how to develop the quality of its activities, it has a survey system aims to listening to participants, staffs and volunteers about every activity they held.  As this organizations takes the responsibility to promote the development of journalism, sometimes it needs supports from the government and comments on recent political events.  Personally, cooperating with the government can be regarded as an effective way to earn benefits for the public as not every people can totally understand the meaning of some important polities; meanwhile, this cooperation makes this organization more accountable in news reporting, especially in political sections.