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CH04 Introduction To Ethics

Ethics examines questions about how to live a good life and determine right from wrong. It involves behaving honestly, fairly, and respecting diversity. There are different views on ethics like utilitarianism which focuses on happiness and justice which focuses on fairness. Studying ethics is important for having a just society, treating people equally, securing employment, and reducing stress. Unethical behavior can stem from individual factors, issues themselves, or environmental factors like reward systems. Key ethical principles are respecting autonomy, doing good, avoiding harm, and acting justly.

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Francis Ryan Porquez
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67 views

CH04 Introduction To Ethics

Ethics examines questions about how to live a good life and determine right from wrong. It involves behaving honestly, fairly, and respecting diversity. There are different views on ethics like utilitarianism which focuses on happiness and justice which focuses on fairness. Studying ethics is important for having a just society, treating people equally, securing employment, and reducing stress. Unethical behavior can stem from individual factors, issues themselves, or environmental factors like reward systems. Key ethical principles are respecting autonomy, doing good, avoiding harm, and acting justly.

Uploaded by

Francis Ryan Porquez
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to Ethics

What is Ethics?
Ethics

• Ethics or moral philosophy, asks basic questions about


the good life, about what is better and worse, about
whether there is any objective right and wrong, and how
we know it if there is.
Ethical Behavior

• It is characterized by honesty, fairness, and equity in


interpersonal, professional and academic relationships,
and in research and scholarly activities.
• It respects the dignity, diversity, and rights of individuals
and groups of people.
• It is the application of moral principles in a given situation.
It means to behave according to the moral standards set
by the society.
Views on Ethical Behavior

• Utilitarianism: does a decision or behavior foster


happiness or pleasure?
• Justice view: does a decision or behavior show fairness
and impartiality?
• Moral rights view: does a decision or behavior maintain
the fundamental rights of human beings?
• Individualism: does a decision or behavior will be most
beneficial to me?
• Practical view: is the decision or behavior acceptable to
society?
Necessity of Ethical Behaviour
1. Make society better. When we help make society better, we are
rewarded with also making better own lives and the lives of our
families and friends. Without moral conduct, society would be a
miserable place.
2. Treat everyone equally. Equality is a cornerstone of most Western
democracies, where all individuals are afforded the same rights. This
is not possible without the majority of citizens behaving in a moral
manner.
3. Secure meaningful employment. Often employers will look at a
person’ past behaviour as a predictor of future behaviour. Someone
who has a history of immoral behaviour will have difficulty securing
employment in a meaningful job, as that person may not be trusted.
Necessity of Ethical Behaviour
4. Succeed at business. If you are employed in an occupation in which
there you must rely on others, your moral conduct will determine the
degree of goodwill that you receive from others. Businesses that have
a checkered moral history are typically viewed with caution and are
unlikely to attract new customers through word of mouth, and
therefore are unlikely to prosper. This is especially the case where
social media ­makes customer reviews readily accessible.
5. Lessen stress. When we make immoral decisions, we tend to feel
uncomfortable and concerned about our decision making. Making the
right moral decision, or taking a principled perspective on an issue,
reduces stress.
3 Reasons for Unethical Behaviour
1. Bad apples (individual factors): Unethical choices are more
likely from people with specific personal characteristics —
specific views and values. Overwhelmingly, these employees are
driven by self-interest. For example, they manipulate others for
their own personal gain, fail to see the connection between their
actions and outcomes, and believe that ethical choices are
driven by circumstance. They obey authority figures’ unethical
directives and act merely to avoid punishment.
3 Reasons for Unethical Behaviour
2. Bad cases (issue-specific factors): An employee might make
an unethical choice in one situation, but not in others. Some
issues are more likely to lead to unethical choices. Employees
are more likely to act unethically when they don’t see their action
clearly causing harm — for example, when the victim is far away
or the damage is delayed. Unethical choices also occur when an
employee feels that peers will not condemn their actions.
3 Reasons for Unethical Behaviour
3. Bad barrels (environmental factors): Unethical choices are
more likely when the organization encourages individualistic
behaviour rather than doing what is best for other employees,
customers, and the community. For example, the performance
management system might reward individual bottom-line
achievement, no matter how it is achieved.
Four Fundamental Ethical Principles
1. The Principle of Respect for autonomy
 Autonomy is Latin for "self-rule". We have an obligation to respect
the autonomy of other persons, which is to respect the decisions
made by other people concerning their own lives. This is also
called the principle of human dignity. It gives us a negative duty
not to interfere with the decisions of competent adults, and a
positive duty to empower others for whom we’re responsible.

2. The Principle of Beneficence


 We have an obligation to bring about good in all our actions.
Four Fundamental Ethical Principles
3. The Principle of Nonmaleficence
 We have an obligation not to harm others: "First, do no harm."

4. The Principle of Justice


 We have an obligation to provide others with whatever they are
owed or deserve. In public life, we have an obligation to treat all
people equally, fairly, and impartially.

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