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AbstractEthical perspective plays an important role in business. Impressions arebased on perception and important decisions are made from these interactions.This paper will evaluate all four ethical perspectives including character/virtue,obligation/deontology, results/utilitarianism, and equity/relativism. My ownpersonal ethical perspective will also be described and evaluated using results

from the ethics awareness inventory from the Williams Institute.

Character/VirtueThe character/virtue ethical perspective describes individualswho believe character is a most important characteristic. Moral values such asintegrity, trustworthiness, and honesty are traits seen in those described in thiscategory. People described with this character trait believe these characteristicsstrengthen the ability to make ethical decisions in business and away from thework environment. Strict compliance with rules is less important than behaving asa decent and caring individual.

Along with moral character, the ethical perspective virtue is a philosophy that

indicates wisdom and well being allow individuals to make ethical decisions.Virtue also stresses behavior in individuals in how actions should be made asopposed to the actions that take place. Wisdom plays an important part in thedecision-making process mixing with morals for each individual situation.

Obligation/ DeontologyThe obligation/deontology perspective describes thosethat are categorized this way that ethical decisions are based on the loyalty andresponsibility of each individual. Intent over results is a main factor in thiscategory. Treatment of individuals takes priority over task completion and results.Obligation based ethics in people described with this perspective feel respectand dignity towards others is an important trait. Other characteristics include

justice, human rights, and fairness.

Deontology stresses welfare of each individual is the primary factor in ethicaldecision making however, this mainly applies to the majority affected. Thereasoning behind that factor is that no one decision can account for everyindividual. When conflict arises, some individuals are treated differently in orderto come to a solution.

Results/ UtilitarianismIndividuals categorized with results ethics believe thatresults of an individuals actions determine their ethical perspective. People withresults ethics also believe that the majority should be satisfied. If the results

create positives for the largest amount of people affected, that person is viewedas ethical. However, when results are less than satisfactory and have not beenviewed as achieving overall good for society, those results are consideredunimportant. The main goal for people with results ethics is to create a peasantenvironment which would provide improvement to society.

The Utilitarianism perspective bases decision making for the good of the majority.Individuals characterized with utilitarianism traits believe consequences affect

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individual motivation. Utilitarianism based ethics can be broken into two types:rule based and act based. Rule-based utilitarianism ethics involve principles thatare used as a guide to decision making mainly which has the greatest effect onthose involved. Act-based utilitarianism ethics takes gathered information indetermining which solution will achieve the greatest good (for the majority).

Equity/ RelativismEquity perspective ethics involves the use of past and presentexperiences to make ethical decisions. For every circumstance, practical andobjective points of view are taken into consideration. People who are categorizedwith equity traits believe the decisions they make are not evaluated as wrong orright.

People who are characterized with relativism perspective traits believe in nouniversal set of rules. Each individual is responsible for his or her morals andactions. When dealing with a variety of cultures, the relativism perspective statesthat each culture should be evaluated accordingly since they may have differing

ethical beliefs.

Ethics Awareness ProfileAfter taking the Ethical Awareness Inventoryassessment, the profile most closely aligned with my personality was character. Itend to base my ethical perspective on what it is good to be rather than what it isgood to do. If I am asked to judge a persons ethics, I would examine thecharacter of the individual. I look for evidence of virtue (honor, integrity, justice) inpeople who are more important than actions. Compliance with rules does notguarantee that a person is ethically moral. In my opinion, compliance with rulesmay not be genuine and does not make anyone moral without consistentlystriving to be a morally good human being.

My ethical style relies on the ability of individuals to make sound moral decisions.Complying with preset standards or principles of right and wrong is not enough tofind solutions to complex ethical dilemmas. I tend to believe that exemplarycharacter (honesty, wisdom, integrity) allows individuals to make better choices.Developing practical wisdom and sound judgment are also valuable in guidingdecision making. I also believe that making tough decisions or following ruleswould me more difficult if individuals did not already possess strong character.

Ethical DilemmasNot everyone in society has an equal opportunity to developvirtues. I may become a little frustrated when conversing with those who do not

share the same values.

I also believe that character development does not happen overnight but takestime to develop. This behavior may have been neglected for years and may needa re-building process.

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Although compliance with rules is a positive, building or creating ethical behavioris not guaranteed. Ethical behavior may be less than sincere so continuallystriving to become a good person should be a highly-sought virtue.

Decision making when disregarding ethical behavior is considered a negative

reflection on the decision makers. I would rather not give concessions whereintegrity and honesty are devalued.

Those who have never been guided in an ethical manner may never understandmy own perspective. Many business dealings include unethical behavior which Iprefer not to undertake. Although this may not suit the companys bottom line,making decisions based on my moral standards is more important. Integrity andhonesty stand above unethical decision making.

Ethical Dilemmas in my WorkplaceMany issues will arise when addressingethical responsibility at my workplace. My main duty at work is a customer

service position. I must solve computer problems as quickly as possible as wellas present myself professionally with courtesy. Because I am instructed to treatevery client and customer with respect, I am not allowed to respond to angry orcombative personalities. My job is to become a calming influence and let thecustomer know that I will do everything possible to get order restored. However,receiving abuse is one of the common situations I face as service-orientedpersonnel. Although I do not always agree with this policy, I must adhere to thestrict guidelines set by the job description.

Another common ethical dilemma I may face at work is to report my efforthonestly. While other personnel are misrepresenting the amount of work

completed, my responsibility is to stay honest about the workload while striving toreport my assignments accurately.

One last dilemma is time abuse. Many employees clock in and out for them whileshowing up late and leaving early while handing in inaccurate time cards. Itwould be easy to get away with this behavior as well but I prefer to maintainintegrity and stay within my moral framework.

ConclusionThroughout the business world, different ethical perspectives areused. Individuals ethical perspectives affect sound judgment in decision making.These important decisions will have impact on employees and personnel. Facing

situations will be inevitable while making critical decisions will need considerationof many aspects allowing for better choices.

ReferencesEthics Awareness Inventory, The Williams Institute, RetrievedOctober 26, 2008 from:https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/Vendors/TWI/EAI/

https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/Vendors/TWI/EAI/https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/Vendors/TWI/EAI/