Ethics Review Module 1

Study Notes

Ethics

Derived from the Greek word "ethos", meaning tradition, habit, character, or attitude
Empirical study of moral decisions, and a discipline concerned with what is morally good and evil, right and wrong
Systematic analysis of the nature of human actions

Types of Ethics

Normative Ethics

Addresses questions about the essence of human behavior
Examines whether a particular act should or should not be carried out
Fields:
- Moral Philosophy: deals with moral ideas, moral obligation, and the purpose of an act
- Applied Ethics: applies philosophical tools to examine specific, controversial issues and provide practical solutions to moral problems

Meta-Ethics

Discipline that relies on meaning and science to address non-moral questions about morality

Moral vs Non-Moral Standards

Moral Standards

Guidelines on morally permissible and unacceptable acts
Promote the common good, including the welfare and well-being of humans, animals, and the environment
Blending of norms and values
Norms: basic guidelines regarding human acts
Values: universal convictions as to what is acceptable, desirable, and beneficial
Applies to laws not related to social or legal considerations
Examples: etiquette, statutes, and code of professional ethics
- Etiquette: decorum, propriety, and reverence for formal criteria governing conduct in a civilized society
- Statute: written law passed by a legislative body
- Professional code of ethics: set of guidelines to help practitioners differentiate between right and wrong

Moral Dilemmas

Making a choice between two or more moral values
Situation where moral values are equally significant
Scenario where a person has a strong moral reason in action, but not equally strong moral reason in acting in another way
State where a person has difficulty in deciding between conflicting choices

Levels of Moral Dilemma

Organizational Ethical or Moral Dilemma

Situation that affects staff, shareholders, and society, as well as corporate ethics and customers
Includes leaders' ethical actions in preserving financial reporting integrity
Common ethical issues:
- Unethical leadership/bad leadership behavior
- Toxic workplace culture
- Discrimination, harassment, and peril
- Employee favoritism
- Unrealistic and conflicting goals
- Use of the organization's technology, social media use, and privacy concerns
- Business travel ethics

Individual Moral Dilemma

Situation where individuals confront factors such as peer pressure, personal financial position, and social status that may influence individual ethical standards

Structural Moral Dilemma

Pertains to selecting a proper system of responsibilities and relationships, a continuing universal challenge
Concepts:
- Differentiation vs Integration: conflict between the distribution of jobs and the organization of numerous activities
- Gap vs Overlap: when main tasks are not explicitly defined, critical jobs will suffer

Description

This quiz reviews the basics of ethics, including the Greek origins of the word, types of ethics, and the discipline's concern with moral good and evil. It covers normative ethics and addresses questions about human behavior.