Ethical behavior is important to human kind, significant to the process of persuasion, and impacts persuasion by evolving the process of persuasion, and expanding who is responsible for it. It begins with ethics and develops into how one must communicate to persuade successfully and responsibly and ends with who must take accountability in a persuasive exchange. This ethical view of persuasion, the new persuasion, is more sophisticated, refined, and civilized.
The importance of ethical behavior is seen at the roots of human kind. It is the foundation of a civilization. We as people are guided by our ethical norms in the societies we create. Ethics is defined by Larson (2009) as the
“characteristics of human nature that distinguish us from so-called lower forms of life, characteristics we can then use as standards for judging the ethics of persuasion. Among them are the capacity to reason, to create and use symbols, to achieve mutual appreciative understanding, and to make value judgments” (p. 49).
These ethical norms guide our behavior so that peaceful communities may exist. We may not be able to live by the theory of absolutism, which according to Messina (2007) states that “it would be wrong to lie in any case, despite the consequences” (p. 39). We know this is asking to much of human kind, but it is necessary to have a standard by which behavior is measured. Without rules, whether implicit or explicit, we have little protection from ourselves. Ethical standards differ across the world which makes them very important with regard to business practices.
An example of one of these ethical norms or standards is offered by Mathis and Jackson (2007) and is as follows: “the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) prohibits U.S. firms from engaging in bribery and other practices in foreign countries that would be illegal in the United States” (p. 22). This seeks to hold a certain ethical standard even while doing business with other countries, regardless of whether those countries require the upholding of such standards or practices. Even though this can create barriers or make for unfair advantages for other countries, it is a code of ethics that seeks to ensure that business done in the U.S. or by the U.S. is done ethically.
Another example of where we see these ethical standards put into place is in the organizational cultures of our business. We know that the best way to teach is to lead by example and this statement holds true within our businesses. When a company is seen as doing something of questionable ethicality it can be irreversibly damaging. According to Ferrel, Fraedrich and Ferrell (2009) “Efforts to deter unethical behavior are important for companies’ long-term relationships with their employees, customers, and community” (p. 223). When damage is done it can effect a wide range of stakeholders in a company from the ground up. The important message in looking at ethical behavior from a business standpoint is that when unethical behavior occurs, it doesn’t just jeopardize one relationship, it can jeopardize a reputation which can destroy the hard work that has been put into building relationships and rapport in a community. It is more difficult to rebuild a reputation than to maintain one. Convincing someone of a reform after making a mistake takes much more effort. This makes ethical behavior very significant to persuasion.
Ethical behavior is significant to persuasion because public communication has a responsibility to be crafted ethically. Ethics changes the vision of yesterday’s persuasion, or as Reardon (1991) says, “Persuasion is viewed not as something one does to another, but with another (Perloff, 2003, p.32). Persuasion is a process. For all parts of that process to be successful it must be ethical. There is an wealth of variables to consider in persuasion. It is more than a sender crafting a message, it is more than the intentions they have in sending that message and more it is more than their ability to send it. According to Messina (2007), “…the last end of ethical persuasion should be respect for people as autonomous, rational, worthy and capable of informed choices” (p.42). To persuade responsibly the message sender must ensure that their audience is aware of the message sender’s intentions, and that they are able to seek out information to challenge the position of the message sender. A conglomerate of media outlets could be seen as unethical means of communications if the masses they reach have less than adequate access to other opinions or messages. The defense then is often times a utilitarian one, which according to Messina (2007) is “a kind of ‘happiness quotient’ for society -the greatest good for the greatest number” (p. 39). People do have a wide array of outlets to seek out news in today’s world, but questions still remain to the ethics of mass message sending and if it does in fact do the “greatest good for greatest number” (Messina, 2007, p.39). That is what researchers are still working on. What we do know is that public communication has a responsibility to be crafted ethically.
We need ethics because persuasion includes not only the motivation and ability of the receiver to process the message and form judgment, but also their responsibility for seeking out information that proves or refutes what is offered to them in a persuasive message. If both parties are not held accountable for persuasion, then no persuasion is successful. Thinking of persuasion from an ethical standpoint changes how we see the process, and how we persuade. It redefines the old persuasion into one that suggests that if we wish to persuade or change others through communication, we must be held accountable and do it on a more level playing field. If deceit and corruption are allowed to enter the playing field then persuasion becomes something that would demolish the ethical foundation for which civilizations are built. Accountability on both sides is the new face of persuasion. This is why I believe persuasion as a positive, everyday occurrence is such a tough pill to swallow. We have to be responsible and accountable.
Ethics allow us to communicate properly, honestly, and respectfully. Persuasion is a necessary tool of communication and with ethical principles it can be used justly. Ethics are the foundation of a civilized society, ethical behavior is important to persuasion because it allows for communication to take place in a humane manner, and its significance is marked by the evolution of a communication process that has been practiced and studied for centuries.
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