Ethics

Ethics is a branch of
Philosophy
Epistemology
Types of Judgments
Descriptive Judgments in
Psychology Sociology
Types of Judgments
Normative Judgments in
Ethics
Law
Aesthetics
Religion
Custom
Ethics is a body of principles or standards of
human conduct that govern the behaviour of
individuals and groups.
Ethics arise not simply from man's creation but
from human nature itself thus, making it a
natural body of laws from which man's laws
follow.
Ethics
Ethics
Ethics is actually a branch of philosophy
and is considered a normative science
because it is concerned with the norms of
human conduct. As a science ethics must
follow the same principles of logical
reasoning as other sciences.

What is?
What ought to be?
How to we get from what is to what ought to
be?
What is our motivation for acting ethically?

Ethics
Sources of Ethical Norms
Family
Friends
The Law
Regions of Country
Profession
Employer &
Employee
Media and Social
Networks
Fellow Workers
Society at Large
The Individual
Conscience
Religious Beliefs
Motive
Act Consequence
Types of Ethical Theory

Approaches to doing Ethics:

Ethics and Religion
Religion gives Ethical views
Explicit commandments
Implicit ideals
Provide models and exemplifies virtues
Divine Command theory
Why do we follow religions authority?
Ethics requires religious grounding or not?

Ethical Reasoning
Can ethics or ethical decisions always be
rational?
Can ethics always be objective?
Can emotions play any positive role in ethical
decisions?

Biases
Prejudices
Anger Fear
Jealousy
To reason well and make a good case about
questionable ethical matters
Making a good and sound argument about
ethical matters

The Premises
The Conclusions

Meta Ethics

Normative Ethics
Meta Ethics
Meta-ethics is concerned primarily with the
meaning of ethical judgments and with the
notion of which properties, if any, are
responsible for the truth or validity thereof

Concerned with analyzing
ethical terms, ethical language,
and ethical statements

Normative ethics is the study of what makes
actions right and wrong

Asks basic questions about the good life,
about what is better and worse, about whether
there is any objective right or wrong, and how
we know it if there is.
Normative Ethics
Applied Ethics
Applied ethics is the philosophical
examination, from a moral standpoint, of
particular issues in private and public life that
are matters of moral judgment.
It is thus a term used to describe attempts to
use philosophical methods to identify the
morally correct course of action in various
fields of human life
Applied Ethics
Decision ethics, or ethical theories and ethical decision
processes
Professional ethics, or ethics to improve professionalism
Clinical ethics, or ethics to improve our basic health
needs
Business ethics, or individual based morals to improve
ethics in an organization
Organizational ethics, or ethics among organizations
Social ethics, or ethics among nations and as one global
unit

no reason to be ethical--as long as you are
making money and staying out of jail

should be ethical but identify their ethical duty
with making a legal profit for the firm--no need
to be ethical in any further sense-- no need for
any background beyond business and law

No point in studying Ethics as character is
made in childhood
Business Ethics-- why not?
Three approaches
Business Ethics
The application of general ethical concepts
to the unique situations confronted in
business. It asks what is right or wrong
behavior in business and what principles
or rules can be used as guidance in
business situations.

Tells people what they ought to do
Provides the Set of principles or rules
Business Ethics


Moral principles concerning acceptable
and unacceptable behavior by business
people. Executives are supposed to
maintain a high sense of values and
conduct honest and fair practices with the
public
Business Ethics


Business ethics is a form of applied ethics that
examines ethical principles and moral or ethical
problems that arise in a business environment.
In the increasingly conscience-focused
marketplaces of the 21st century, the demand
for more ethical business processes and actions,
is increasing.
a code of principles based on values that
govern an organization's actions and
decisions.
Business Ethics


Business ethics can be defined as written and
unwritten codes of principles and values that
govern decisions and actions within a company.
In the business world, the organizations culture
sets standards for determining the difference
between good and bad decision making and
behavior.

Business Ethics


Knowing the difference between right and
wrong.

Because unless you adhere to your own
personal code of ethics, it will be difficult to
practice business ethics. Or to ask others
to follow them
Business Ethics
Moral Responsibility and Accountability
Are these words interchangeable?

Responsibility can be shared

Accountability cannot be shared



Accountability is:
A commitment one makes to ones
communities and to each other and affirmed in
ones Mission, Vision, and Core Value
Statements
It means that one has an obligation to inform
partners and stakeholders of ones actions and
results
Being accountable demonstrates:

One upholds not only the letter, but also the
spirit of the law;
One respects the rights and needs of the public
and each individual human being;
One maintains impartiality; and
One responsibly manages resources entrusted
to him/her

Responsibility is:
an obligation that arises from tasks we assume,
to accept the consequences arising from the
results of our decisions, actions, or inactions.
Being responsible involves the capacity to
distinguish between right and wrong and to act
accordingly
The sources of moral responsibility
Past actions
Roles
Developed moral agency

Moral responsibilities change over time and
between agents

They can be shared, and they can be contested.

Given the sometimes-fluid nature of moral
responsibility, identifying who is responsible for
what can be difficult.

Responsibilities are attached to our roles
If one has the responsibility to commit an act or
to refrain from acting, one can be held to
account

One can be morally responsible for some purely
self-regarding act without being accountable to
anyone

Moral responsibility assumes a capacity for
making rational decisions


This justifies holding moral agents accountable for
their actions

Morality gives reasons for action

Moral agents must in principle be capable of
choosing to act morally

People who lack a capacity for rational decision-
making cannot be held morally responsible for their
actions.
Levels of Responsibility
As team members, we are responsible for:
providing accurate and essential information to
the team leader,
performing tasks to the best of our abilities and
to the professional standard required,
identifying potential or real problems and
solutions, and
accounting for our decisions and actions

As team leaders, we are responsible for:

clearly defining objectives with team members,
clarifying the extent of the authority of team members,
providing suggestions on how to accomplish a task, if necessary,
identifying skills needed for the job,
providing team members with opportunity for skill development,
building consensus,
removing barriers to successful completion of tasks -- including
team members who are unwilling or unable to participate,
recognizing the contributions of team members, and
accounting for the decisions and actions of the team.

Levels of Responsibility
A few conditions that supports
accountability
Everyone is accountable to themselves, each other, and
the communities they serve.
An atmosphere of trust is an essential prerequisite for
empowerment.
Responsibility and authority to make decisions and/or to
act is clearly understood and accepted.
The capacity and commitment to deliver quality service
is recognized as an integral component of being
accountable.
Measurement and evaluation are seen and used in
constructive ways to support continuous learning and
quality improvement in our work