...SHEILA JANE M. ESPINA CONCEPT PAPER MFC 301 MBA ETHICAL RELATIVISM & REASONING IN ETHICS INTRODUCTION People develop their judgment concerning morality over time. They improve and widen them through interactions with individuals and social institutions. In different societies each with their own ethnicity and traditions, there are different thoughts concerning how humans are to behave. Different societies and cultures have different policies, different customs, laws and regulations and moral ideas. ETHICAL RELATIVISM Cultures vary extensively in their ethical practices. Whatvarious practices that some societies considers morally acceptable, can be condemned in others, like polygamy or adultery, racism, sexism, and genocide, which is the deliberate killing of people who belong to a particular racial, political or cultural group. Differences like these may make us question whether there are any universal moral principles or whether morality is merely a matter of "cultural taste."Dissimilarities in these practices across cultures raise a vitalconcern in ethics -- the concept of "ethical relativism." Ethical relativism is the philosophy that states that morality is relative to the customs of one's culture. Albeit, whether an action is right or wrong is contingent on the moral norms of the society in which it is practiced.The same action may be morally right in one society but be morally wrong in another. It is a theory in which the...
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...my paper is whether Massey Energy acted in an ethical manner with regards to the events at the UBB mine. The dilemma will be analyzed using two different ethical principles, the principle of lawfulness and the principle of harm. Along with the ethical principles, Massey will be subject to two different methods of ethical reasoning. These two methods are the human rights and utilitarian methods. After analyzing their actions in accordance to these principles and methods, I concluded by all accounts that Massey did not act in an ethical way. Ethical principles are society’s guide to moral behavior. They are basic behavioral rules that are considered essential for the preservation and continuation of organized life. One principle for ethical and moral behavior is the principle of lawfulness. This principle states that individuals are to not violate the law in order to act in an ethical fashion. Massey Energy Corporation was known for not adhering to governmental mandates that ensured the safety of the environment. Two years prior to the disaster at UBB, Massey violated policies in the Clean Water Act, and was forced to pay $20 million. The corporation received hundreds of citations in regards to site violations at the UBB site alone. The second ethical principle I will use to judge the actions of Massey is the principle of harm. This principle simply requires individuals to do no harm to others. Massey does not uphold this ethical principle for the sole fact that due...
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...Ethical Role of the Manager In a broad construction of the ethical role of the manager, managing and leading can be said to be inherently ethics-laden tasks because every managerial decision affects either people or the natural environment in some way—and those effects or impacts need to be taken into consideration as decisions are made. A narrower construction of the ethical role of the manager is that managers should serve only the interests of the shareholder; that is, their sole ethical task is to meet the fiduciary obligation to maximize shareholder wealth that is embedded in the law, predominantly that of the United States, although this point of view is increasingly accepted in other parts of the world. Even in this narrow view, however, although not always recognized explicitly, ethics are at the core of management practice. The ethical role of managers is broadened beyond fiduciary responsibility when consideration is given to the multiple stakeholders who constitute the organization being managed and to nature, on which human civilization depends for its survival. Business decisions affect both stakeholders and nature; therefore, a logical conclusion is that those decisions have ethical content inherently and that managerial decisions, behaviors, and actions are therefore inherently ethical in nature. Whenever there are impacts due to a decision, behavior, or action that a leader or manager makes, there are ethical aspects to that decision or situation. While some skeptics...
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...911 per facility protocol and made Irene comfortable, waiting with Irene’s daughter, for the ambulance to arrive. The ambulance personnel arrived to the scene and immediately proceeded with performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) Ethical Dilemma Irene’s daughter and nurse instantly stated that Irene was a DNR resident of the facility. Emergency personnel stated that they would have to view the DNR documents and would continue procedures until they examined the required paperwork. Irene’s nurse ran into the facility to grab her record; however, by her return the emergency personnel had already resuscitated Irene. There are many scenarios where ball dropping can occur in healthcare and it is at those times when ethical legal decision-making dilemmas appear. Marjorie is a 91-year-old female residing in a long-term care facility (Kase, 2013). Marjorie’s daughter filed a lawsuit against the long-term care facility and the hospital for attempting to resuscitate Marjorie and perform multiple and painful interventions to sustain her...
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...Ethical and Legal Aspects of Healthcare | Law and Ethics | Unit 1 Individual Project | | Duty-oriented reasoning, otherwise known as deontology, deals with Immanuel Kant’s influential moral theory regarding what a person is obligated to do (Rosenstand, 2003). The reasoning behind deontology is the intention, and is based on universal principles that guide actions (Fremgen, 2009; Rosenstand, 2003). Duty-oriented reasoning concludes that the consequences of the action are not as important as the principle moral law that dictates the action; that the presence of one’s duty is the determining factor as to an action’s morality (Kant, 1785). For example, a person has a moral obligation to be honest, even if that honesty has negative outcomes. To lie, even to save one’s life, would be morally objectionable because there is a duty to be honest. Duty-oriented theory states that the basic "rightness" or "wrongness" of an act depends on "principle" rather than on the situation or the consequences. Duty-oriented theory promotes the good, but it is not the only driving force. Duty-oriented theory is all about correct principle regardless of results. When I have made decisions in the past, I see that "principle" is important to me, especially principles of personal boundaries, truth, and fairness. As applied to the scenario above, it is important to determine the moral obligation. As a paramedic, the implied duties and obligations are to aid those in need. The primary duty...
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...ignorant to the fact that the choices we are making have a moral factor. Critical thinking plays a major role in assisting us in developing values, using moral reasoning, and to make ethical conclusions. The steps involved. Critical thinking is defined as having the means to articulate what you study, being open to all possibilities and able to draw your own conclusions based on what you have learned. There are six steps to the critical thinking process. The first is knowledge; you are able to identify with what you hear and read, the topic, issues, and main points. Step two is comprehension, being able to relate to the information and put it into your own words. Step three is application, taking what you have learned and apply it to an actual situation. Step four is analysis, which means breaking the information down to see how they are connected to other ideas. The final step is evaluation, this occurs when you understand with supporting details and you are able to form a conclusion. According to "Ethical Reasoning: A Key Capability" (2013), ethical reasoning is the “ability to reflect on moral issues in the abstract and in historical narratives within particular traditions. Ethical reasoning is the ability to identify, assess, and develop ethical arguments from a variety of ethical positions” (What Counts As Ethical...
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...not formed by life experiences. D) always incorporated in laws. Answer: B Terms: Ethical Principles Diff: Easy Objective: LO 4-1 AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning abilities 2) ________ means that a person acts according to conscience, regardless of the situation. A) Caring B) Fairness C) Integrity D) Respect Answer: C Terms: Ethical principles and integrity Diff: Moderate Objective: LO 4-1 AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning abilities 3) One of the main reasons people act unethically is that they choose to act selfishly. A) True B) False Answer: A Terms: Ethical Principles Diff: Easy Objective: LO 4-1 AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning abilities Learning Objective 4-2 1) A six-step approach is often used to resolve an ethical dilemma. The first step in this process is to: A) identify the alternative actions available. B) identify the ethical issues from the facts. C) determine who will be affected by the outcome of the dilemma. D) obtain the relevant facts. Answer: D Terms: Ethical dilemma Diff: Moderate Objective: LO 4-2 AACSB: Ethical understanding and reasoning abilities 2) Describe an ethical dilemma that an auditor or an accountant might face in his or her business career, then illustrate how the auditor or accountant might use the six-step approach presented in the text to resolve that dilemma. Be specific. Answer: An ethical dilemma is a situation a person faces in which a decision...
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...based corporate/organisational culture to ensuring company-wide ethical conduct. Testament to this topic I use the case of Enron and its ethical demise to successfully support my argument and highlight the need of top level management to be the main proponents of this culture to allow lower level employees to adopt a behaviour of moral reasoning. The body of the essay will highlight the importance of shaping an ethically based organisational culture, through a number of components, namely a company’s executive management team and its corporate governance system. I also briefly evaluate agency and stakeholder theories and how they relate to an organisational culture from an ethical perspective, and point out Enron’s culture was predominantly one of agency reasoning. Finally I provide a brief and direct conclusion to assert my argument that ethics needs to exist deep within an organisation’s culture and needs to be the key leading value of an organisation. A breakdown of ethics can eventually lead to the demise of a once very reputable and successful company. A great textbook example is of course, the fall of Enron – one of the biggest corporate bankruptcies in US history. Like most companies, Enron had a code of ethics in place and employees who were educated in the field of ethics, agency and stakeholder theories. As this essay will assert, however, this is not enough to ensure the proper moral reasoning by employees. Berenbeim (2002, p. 1) states that, “organisations...
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...planning to join other private prison corporations by making campaign donation and retaining lobbyist to draft and seek the passage of two laws about anti-illegal immigrant and the Intensive Probation Act that will increase opportunities to do business with the federal government. As a manager at Private Prison Corporation of America, I will conduct a stakeholder analysis to determine whether PPA should do it, and my analysis bases on the frameworks Managing for Stakeholders by Freeman, The social Responsibility of Business by Milton Friedman, Ethical Reasoning by Sucher, Five Traditionnal Theories of Moral Reasoning by Werhane, and How to make value count by Joel E. Urbany. The stakeholders of Private Prison Corporation are board of director, corrections officers, offenders, probation and parole officers. Those are employees in corporation. Another, government agency would contract with a provider to supply a service such as health care or programming for inmates. In general, the decision of corporation affects people in many different ways, so as a manager, I have to analyze carefully in order to make an appropriate decision. The first theory that I apply to analyze, is Milton Friedman’ article. Friedman said that the business would be to make as much money as possible while conforming to the basic rules of society, both those embodied in law and those embodied in...
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...ETHICAL REASONING ASSIGNMENT By :Lina Cassis 500389711 LAW 122-011 491 Word The issue that is raised in Martha’s situation is the fact that she made a statement about Bob in public that could ultimately ruin his reputation. The legal aspect of this issue is the fact that she made a defaming statement about Bob. Defamation can either be slander or liable, although it was slander when Martha communicated a wrongful accusation “that Bob is not a man of his Word” to a third party(TBREA) that caused them(assuming they are reasonable people) to have a lower opinion of Bob, which can cause his business to suffer. The ethical aspect of this issue is the fact that Martha being a reasonable person should have known that it is ethically wrong to talk about somebody in a hurtful way especially among his peers. Martha will be liable for defamation. She slandered Bob’s reputation and as a result his clients will doubt his word and his reputation and business as a result will suffer. The statement “Bob just doesn’t keep promises” is indeed defamatory statement because a reasonable person would have thought that it referred to the plaintiff (McInnis,Kerr,Vanduzer; 2014).Member of the (TBREA) knew that Martha was referring to Bob because she made no effort to even hide his name, although if she has just said “he just doesn’t keep his promises” members might not know who she is referring to and consequently would not be a defamatory statement. Martha does not have any defences to the tort...
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...Moral Development and the Justice System As law enforcement officials, we need to understand the moral development of not only those we come in contact with in our job, but also of ourselves. Why? The answer is, as police officers; we may be confronted with hundreds of issues about moral reasoning each day. These may range from the decision a suspect makes about whether to resist arrest to whether or not we issue a speeding ticket to a friend. Every day, citizens, as well as officers, make hundreds of decisions that involve moral reasoning. It is imperative as officers of the law that we understand and recognize the reasons behind the decisions of other as well as ourselves. To change our behavior and appreciate others behavior we must be aware of why we as humans make the decisions we make. A psychologist named Lawrence Kohlberg identified three levels of moral development or reasoning. The first level is pre-conventional morality, and it contains two stages. At the pre-conventional level, one does not have a personal code of morality. Instead, our moral code is formed by the standards of adults in our environment and the consequences of adhering to or breaking their rules. This stage is prevalent in children, but can be seen even in older youth and in some cases, adults. The two stages in Level one are: Obedience and Punishment Orientation and Individualism and Exchange. In the first stage an individual is good to avoid being punished. In the second stage, the person recognizes...
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...Chapter 1: What is CSR Organizations can be classified in 3 categories: 1) For profits: Seek gain for their owners 2) Government: Exists to define rules and structures of society within which all organizations must operate 3) Non-profits: Emerge to do social good when the political will of the profit motive is insufficient to address societies needs Stakeholders: Includes all those who are related in some way to a firm “A stakeholder in an organization is any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the organizations objectives” could range from clearly defined customers, employees, suppliers, creditors, and regulating authorities, to other more amorphous constituents such as local communities CSR is both critical and controversial; It is critical because the for-profit sector is the largest and most innovative part of any free societies economy. However CSR remains controversial; In spite of the rising importance of CSR today for corporate leaders, academics, and bureaucrats alike, many still draw on the views of the Nobel Prize- winning economist Milton Friedman, who argues against CSR because it distracted leaders from economic goals. Friedman believed that the only “social responsibility of a business is to increase its profits”- that society benefits most when businesses focus on maximizing their financial success. David Packard, a co-founder of Hewlett-Packard however, believes “a group of people get together and exist as...
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...BMB2033: BUSINESS ETHICS AND VALUES Course Leader: Shaharudin Yunus COURSE NOTES TOPIC 1: Fundamentals of Values, Ethics and Morality LEARNING OBJECTIVES At the end of this chapter, you will be able to: Define values List the sources of value Identify the roles of values in decision-making Identify the definition of ethics Identify the nature of ethical reasoning Identify the concept of ethical standards and judgement Define morality Identify the various phases of Kohlberg's theory of moral development Identify the differences between ethics and morality Identify the similarities between ethics and morality Identify the basic unification of ethics, values and morality NATURE OF VALUES 1.1.1 Definition A small company has just employed Rizal as a marketing executive. As a fresh graduate, Rizal feels enthusiastic about the job and is determined to be a good worker. On the first day of work, new employees were briefed on how work is done. At that point, Rizal realized that some of the company's marketing strategies somewhat deceived the customers. This is just one example of ethical issues in business that we will look at in this course. Values, ethics, and morality are three concepts used in discussing 'Business Ethics and Values'. We will see how they should be applied in businesses. However, in this section, we will discuss values first. Values are defined as fundamental principles or enduring beliefs about the most desirable conditions and...
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...estate market. Owen wants to sell quickly but has not made any final decision yet since he considers the market will improve in the future and will be able to receive a better offer for the house. My duty, as a member of the Ethics Department for ABC Company, is to advise the personnel about their ethical obligations. Luke, troubled by the situation, comes for advising. Issue Luke is faced with a dilemma and his ethical reasoning is being put to test. Luke has to choose between being loyal to the company or care for his brother’s personal finances. Luke has two possible options in this situation. What decision will be ethical? Since he works for ABC, he has the obligation and responsibility of maintaining confidentiality and loyalty to the company. On the other hand, his brother’s decision to wait for a better offer for the house might be greatly influenced and negatively affected by the project proposed by ABC. Luke’s relationship with his family might get damaged if he decides to keep quiet, but if he warns his brother ahead of time, his job and reputation will be in jeopardy. Utilitarianism and Kant’s categorical imperative theories will help get a better understanding of what ethical decision should be made in this situation. Analysis: Utilitarianism This philosophy stands for the...
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...My law and ethics understanding and beliefs In 1847 the American Medical Association revolutionized medicine in the United States. Members of this newly formed organization, met in Philadelphia as the first national professional medical organization in the world, dedicated themselves to establishing uniform standards for professional education, training, and conduct. They unanimously adopted the world's first national code of professional ethics in medicine. For more than 160 years since, the AMA's Code of Medical Ethics has been the authoritative ethics guide for practicing physicians. Ethics in Hand are pocket-sized guides to the Code of Medical Ethics for physicians and medical students. The Code articulates the enduring values of medicine as a profession. As a statement of the values to which physicians commit themselves individually and collectively, the Code is a touchstone for medicine as a professional community. It defines medicine’s integrity and the source of the profession’s authority to self-regulate. At the same time, the Code of Medical Ethics is a living document, evolving as changes in medicine and the delivery of health care raise new questions about how the profession's core values apply in physicians' day to day practice. The Code links theory and practice, ethical principles and real world dilemmas in the care of patients. The next time you hear a monotheist tell a non-believer that morals come from the Bible or that moral reasoning cannot provide an...
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