If an organisation wants to take ethics seriously, it needs to identify the core values or principles to which it wishes to be committed. It then needs to translate those values into guidance principles for all employees, so that they can refer to them while facing an ethical dilemma.
Core values include responsibility, integrity, honesty, respect, trust, openness, fairness and transparency. Organisations may also articulate a set of business values, such as quality, profitability, efficiency, reliability, customer services, etc. Core values serve as the foundation stone on which a business is build.