Ethics at the Workplace

A couple of days ago, a friend of mine complained to me about what he thinks is a disturbing trend, the deteriorating levels of what he termed the four pillars of ethical conduct at the workplace, viz: Honesty, Integrity, Respect and Professionalism. I just continued staring at him without asking him any question but I silently urged him on, for my antenna was now up and running.
He intimated to me how one of his fellow sales people was  paying illegal fees to promote his product (one of the many that particular company handles). His issue: unfairness and/or rather the disregard of all four concepts that define workplace ethics. I thought I got his point clearly but then I also wanted him to look at it in a much simpler and clearer my way.
My pitch:" Well, lapses manifest in all sorts of forms and on all sorts of ethical issues, e.g.

• carrying home that day's issue of the news paper meant for the reception desk
• printing personal documents on that one page of company stationery
• personal phone calls on the company line
• hiding a used cup of coffee under your colleague's desk
• face-booking during official working hours unless it is part of your job description
• special treatment in return for sex, etc."

I looked him straight in the eye for his reaction to this, he simply threw up his hands in the air and concluded that it was like pissing in the wind-- the piss is simply blown back and splashed onto your pants and face.
How much more abuse is the workplace prepared to take?