Dr. T. Roger Manley, Nathan M. Bisk College of Business, Champions Business Ethics and Leadership in the Global Marketplace

Dr. T. Roger Manley is a professor of management and organizational psychology in the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business at Florida Tech. Dr. Manley has been a professor at Florida Tech for over thirty years serving in the capacity of Dean from 1988 to 1990 and Associate Dean from 1980 to 1988. Dr. Manley remains a strong proponent of business ethics and leadership in a global environment, as reflected in his teaching, service, and research.

A U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Dr. Manley teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in organizational behavior, business ethics, and leadership. Dr. Manley conducts research and consults in numerous fields including: organizational culture and change; leadership and business ethics; executive coaching and 360 degree feedback; personal values and generational conflict in the workplace; and evolving social contract between employers and employees. He is the author or co-author of more than 100 chapters in books; journal articles; papers in conference proceedings; magazine articles and newspaper op-ed columns; and technical reports.

Dr. Manley has been involved with the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business High School Business Ethics Competition for many years; playing a leadership role in selecting timely, relevant case studies as the basis for the competition. The High School Business Ethics Competition, as part of the College of Business Center for Ethics and Leadership, is an annual event offering local high school students an opportunity to work effectively in teams, perform critical thinking, and communicate effectively in presenting their case.

Dr. Manley shares some of his insights regarding business ethics.

“We place ourselves in the care of physicians when we are sick and feeling poorly, we confide our inner thoughts and doubts to our clergy, and we place our most sensitive affairs in the hands of our attorneys. We expect that these professionals will treat us well, and rely on them to do so.

The same logic applies in business. As customers we expect that the maker of our automobile has exercised due diligence in designing and manufacturing a safe and reliable vehicle for our use. When we purchase our airline tickets, we expect that the aircraft will be well-maintained and the crew well-trained and fully qualified to perform their duties. Without these unnoticed expectations of daily moral behavior, business as we know it would come to a screeching halt.”

He continues, “Business is an important human institution, a basic part of the communal fabric of life. Just as governments come into being out of the human need for order, security, and fulfillment, so too does business. The goal of all business is to make life more secure, more stable, and more equitable for its many stakeholders. No business can view itself as an isolated entity, unaffected by the needs and demands of individuals and society.”

Dr. Manley concludes with this statement. “Edward Freeman observed, ‘Ethics is how we treat each other, every day, person to person. If you want to know about a company’s ethics, look at how it treats people – customers, suppliers, and employees.’”

(For more information about Dr. Roger Manley, check out his faculty profile: http://www.fit.edu/faculty/profiles/profile.php?tracks=rmanley).