Virtue Ethics: Business Ethics and the Individual (MGMT 2010) PDF

VIRTUE ETHICS BUSINESS ETHICS AND THE INDIVIDUAL (MGMT 2010) 1 Agenda Review Moral Reasoning and Normative Ethics Virtue Ethics Finding your own virtues 2  Course Objective Empowe...

VIRTUE ETHICS BUSINESS ETHICS AND THE INDIVIDUAL (MGMT 2010) 1 Agenda Review Moral Reasoning and Normative Ethics Virtue Ethics Finding your own virtues 2  Course Objective Empower YOU to make the best business decisions for YOU Focus on making real-world decisions in real- world contexts Key Concepts Systematizing, defending, and Ethics recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior Ethics in a business decision-making Business Ethics context Where ethical principles come from Meta-ethics Universal truths or social inventions? Moral standards that regulate right Normative Ethics and wrong conduct How to make good moral judgments Applied Ethics in specific situations 4 Agenda Review Moral Reasoning and Normative Ethics Virtue Ethics Finding your own virtues 5  Moral Reasoning: How to decide if something is moral or not Factual Moral Moral Informat Standar Judgmen ion ds t “Emma killed a kitten” “Killing kittens is bad” “Emma was bad” How do we know that killing kittens is bad? 6 Course Components Guidelines for what is right and what is wrong (just enough) Normative Ethics Applied Business Ethics (Case (just enough) Studies) Meta-ethics 7 Three Types of Normative Ethics Virtue Duty Consequenti Theories Theories alism (character) (obligation) (cause & If you develop Duty compels you good character, to effect) An action is morally right if the you will naturally meet your consequences are be virtuous obligations more favorable (i.e. do the right regardless of the than unfavorable thing) consequences 8 Is Ned Stark an Ethical Man? 9 Is Ned Stark an Ethical Man? 10 Agenda Review Moral Reasoning and Normative Ethics Virtue Ethics Finding your own virtues 11  Discussion Question Do you have free will? Or do you do what the system tells you? Are you responsible for your own actions? Structure vs. Agency Postmodernism: Classical Liberalism: the you are controlled individual should by your decide for environment him/herself DoStructu you believe YO in structure Agency re or agency? U Moral relativism: Moral absolutism: right & wrong exists right & wrong exists, within context can be clear No free will: nobody Free will: you are can be held responsible responsible for your  “If a woman is not cut, she’s always ready for sex,” Mrs. Fatty said, with Do you believe in structure a hint of a smile. “She can do it from morning to or agency with respect to night.” right vs. wrong? Structure vs. Agency Postmodernism: Classical Liberalism: the you are controlled individual should by your decide for environment him/herself Structu YO Agency re U Yes, …but right structure & wrong matters… exists Moral relativism: Moral absolutism: right & wrong exists right & wrong exists, within context can be clear No free will: nobody Free will: you are can be held responsible responsible for your Structure Are virtues & Agency Affects Virtue Ethics absolute or relative to culture? Virtues are ideal character traits Should you even try to cultivate virtues? Virtues come from natural tendencies but can be either cultivated or lost Should you be responsible for this? A virtuous person will naturally make the morally right decision 17 Structuralist vs. Agentic Virtue Ethics Structu YO Agency re U Take your natural Fight against your tendencies regardless natural tendencies if of their origins they are vices Cultivate within Train your virtues to tendencies the best resist your vices, Structuralist vs. Agentic Virtue Ethics Structu YO Agency re U Take your natural Fight against your tendencies regardless natural tendencies if of their origins they are vices Cultivate within Train your virtues to tendencies the best resist your vices, Take an emotion and apply the following: Too Too Just muc little right h Moderation is the key to a good life 20  Aristotle & the Buddha say roughly similar things Aristotle’s List of Virtues Key: virtues are like Too Too habits. Practice avoiding littl e Virtue mu ch extremes TakeFeelings whatDeficiency comes naturally Just Right Excess toConfidence you and make Cowardice sureRashness Courage to Self- moderate Pleasure Spending any extremes Insensibility Temperance indulgence Stinginess Magnificence Vulgarity Undue Honor humility Pride Vanity Anger Lack of spirit Patience Irascibility Self- Understateme expression nt Truthfulness Boastfulness Shamelessnes 22 Structuralist vs. Agentic Virtue Ethics Structu YO Agency re U Take your natural Fight against your tendencies regardless natural tendencies if of their origins they are vices Cultivate within Train your virtues to tendencies the best resist your vices,  Neo-Confucianism & Medieval Christianity say similar things  First blossoming of the Renaissance Giotto: Scrovegni Chapel 25 Fighting Desperation with Hope Fighting Envy with Charity 27 Fighting Infidelity with Faith 28 Fighting Injustice with Justice 29 Fighting Wrath with Temperance 30 Fighting Inconstancy with Fortitude 31 Fighting Foolishness with Prudence 32  Virtue Ethics: training yourself to suppress your vices with virtues Two different approaches towards virtue Postmodernism: Classical Liberalism: the you are controlled individual should by your decide for environment him/herself Structu YO Agency re U Yes, …but right structure & wrong matters… exists Moral relativism: Moral absolutism: right & wrong exists right & wrong exists, within context can be clear No free will: nobody Free will: you are can be held responsible responsible for your  Discussion Question Which approach to virtue do you subscribe to more closely? Are you responsible for your own actions?  Good judgment is considered virtuous Factual Moral Moral Informat Standar Judgmen ion ds t “Emma killed a kitten” “Killing kittens is bad” “Emma was bad” Moderation in Aristotle / “Prudence” in the Scrovegni Chapel 36 Agenda Review Moral Reasoning and Normative Ethics Virtue Ethics Finding your own virtues 37  Activity Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): Take the test and let’s see whether you think it describes you well. https://www.16personalities.com/free- personality-test What does the 4 letters mean? 39 Four basic types: Analysts (xNTx) 40 Four basic types: Diplomats (xNFx) 41 Four basic types: Sentinels (xSxJ) 42 Four basic types: Explorers (xSxP) 43  Discussion Question How would you interpret results according to two approaches? What do you need to moderate? Suppress?  Choose only the ones that matter most to you! Takes Activity too long otherwise. Personal Values Test Take the test and let’s see whether you think it describes your values. https://personalvalu.es/personal-values- test Personal Values Test  Discussion Question What were your top 5 values? Did you find them insightful? Results could be uninteresting or profound, not scientific  Discussion Question What have you learned about your values? Your virtues? Decide what works for you – but keep the basics in mind! For next week: The Die Roll Experiment Your task is to roll a 6-sided die – Nobody will ever see what you roll – Each dot on the dice is worth 40 HKD – So, you can earn from $40 to $240 Your Assignment (due Friday, 11:59pm) – Report the number you rolled via Canvas – I will pay one randomly selected student per section via a lucky draw – The amount you will make off of me will depend on the die roll you reported 49 For next week Read the Manfold Toy Company case study 50