Public Education

Public Education creates different problems and issues to managers and employees than the traditional enterprise. In public education, federal guidelines and policies are created to protect the client of the LEA (Legal Educational Agency). Known as FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, education leaders and managers are responsible for keeping records and student information confidential. In today's age, it is very difficult to keep information from leaking. Expanding on the idea and purpose of FERPA, in a private entity managers face similar issues. Managers are given access to information that needs to stay confidential. It becomes increasingly more difficult to keep tabs on the information that a manager or employee has access. The news shares stories with us on a regular basis that information has been leaked or revealed. As an agent of the entity, managers must maintain an ethical composure and handle confidential information with the utmost care.

Last week I read an article on CNN.com that stated a employee of Coca-Cola was caught with the secret formula to Coca-Cola primary soft drink, Coke. The most astonishing thing in the article was that the individual was caught because Pepsi-Cola contacted Coca-Cola when the individual tried to sell them the formula. I was not taken by the fact that the individual had the formula until I started to think about the paper. This is one of the many examples that I have witnessed in the past months.

I belabored the argument of weather or not this was a moral or ethical issue. I was unable to come to a conclusion as I think it fits both. It is obvious that this individual was lacking moral judgment as he stole from a company to advance his financial position. I also would argue that being a member of a professional group, this individual crossed ethical lines. As an employee of Coca-Cola, this individual agreed to an ethics statement. This agreement can be found in the Code of Business Conduct that all Coca-Cola employees agree to when taking an office with the enterprise. Specifically in this document, the employee agrees to twenty five different statements. Two of which state:

9. Protect and make efficient use of the Company's assets.

Computer hardware, software and data must be safeguarded from damage, alteration, theft, fraudulent manipulation and unauthorized access. You must adhere to specific security measures and internal controls for each computer system to which you are authorized access. Treat your password to the Company's computer systems as you would the keys to cabinets containing highly confidential information.

13. Protect the Company's nonpublic information.

Our nonpublic information is any information that the Company treats as confidential and has not been disclosed or made available to the general public. It includes financial or technical data, plans for acquisitions or divestitures, new products, marketing strategies, personal information about employees, major contracts, business plans, financing transactions, major management changes and significant corporate developments. Under no circumstances can you allow others access to the Company's confidential information without the protection of a confidentiality agreement, and even then only for an appropriate purpose that is in the best interest of the Company. The Company's confidential information may never be used or disclosed to others for personal gain

Coca-Cola expects their management and employees to react and function with a certain level of ethics. This is evident with the Cod of Business Conduct.

Companies are creating confidential data at a staggering rate. Competition in the business world has never been tougher. It is vital to the enterprise