ethics in the workplace © 2012 cengage learning. all rights reserved. chapter 1 welcome to ethics
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE © 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. CHAPTER 1 Objectives Identify common ethical principles and sources of ethical beliefs. Distinguish among etiquette, law, and ethics. Slide 3 CHAPTER 1TRANSCRIPT
ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Chapter 1
Welcome to Ethics
ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
CHAPTER 1
Welcome to Ethics The fundamental question in ethics is, How
should people behave? In many situations, people act (or choose not
to act) to avoid negative consequences. But what about decisions in which no choice
is illegal, and no choice will lead to any particular problems for the decision maker?
If a person has a genuine free choice, what principles should guide his or her actions?
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
CHAPTER 1
Objectives Identify common ethical principles and
sources of ethical beliefs. Distinguish among etiquette, law, and
ethics.
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
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Key Terms and Concepts ethical principles relativism legalism authority culture morality
intuition reason standard of etiquette standard of law standard of ethics
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
What Is Ethics All About? Ethical principles are general statements of
how people should or should not act. These principles are often the reasons behind
a person’s actions, thoughts, and beliefs. Some ethical principles are frequently
described as universal, meaning that rational people thinking logically would have to agree that everyone should follow them.
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
The Golden Rule A popular universal ethical principle is
known as the golden rule—you should treat others as you would want to be treated.
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Common Ethical Principles People should:
Respect the rights of others. Keep their promises. Be honest. Take responsibility for their actions. Act in the best interests of others. Help others in need when possible. Be fair.
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Do Right and Wrong Exist? Some people argue that they are mere
social inventions created to control people’s behavior.
Others assert that they are little more than emotional reactions or social agreements.
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Criticisms of Ethics Relativism is the belief that because
ethical values vary so widely, there can be no universal ethical principles that apply to everyone.
Legalism is the belief that because there are laws and policies to cover issues of right and wrong, ethics is irrelevant.
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Sources of Ethical Beliefs Ethical beliefs come from a variety of
sources. Lessons taught at home, in school, or in
religious training Individual life experiences Messages that society sends through
television, music, magazines, and books
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Sources of Ethical Beliefs Most people tend to identify one or more
of the following sources: Authority Culture Intuition Reason
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Authority According to the authority approach, an
action is right or wrong because someone important said so.
This way of thinking is often seen in religious ethics, but other moral authorities in history have included political leaders (for example, monarchs).
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Culture Culture refers to the idea that the morality of an
action depends on the beliefs of one’s culture or nation.
Morality refers to that part of human behavior that can be evaluated in terms of right and wrong.
This approach says that cultures and nations, like individuals, have different values and principles based on their different experiences and histories.
A belief that works well for one culture may be harmful for another.
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Intuition Intuition is the idea that principles of right
and wrong have been built into a person’s conscience and that he or she will know what is right by listening to that “little voice” within.
This reliance on intuition is very common. People often seem to know instinctively
whether actions are right or wrong.
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Reason Reason refers to the idea that consistent, logical
thinking should be the primary tool used in making ethical decisions.
With the appeal to reason, an action is not wrong just because an authority says so, just because it is unpopular within a culture, or just because someone’s inner voice warns against it.
Instead, this approach suggests that a person look open-mindedly at the arguments on both sides of an issue and then use reason to carefully choose the stronger arguments.
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Standards A standard, or norm, is an accepted level
of behavior to which people are expected to conform. All standards involve some kind of
expectation. The level may be set low (a minimum
standard), in the middle (an average standard), or very high (a standard of excellence).
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Standards of Behavior People’s actions can be evaluated
according to many standards. Three of the most common standards of
behavior: Standards of etiquette Standards of law Standards of ethics
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Etiquette The standard of etiquette refers to
expectations concerning manners or social graces.
Societies and cultures have their own rules of etiquette that their members are expected to meet.
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Etiquette Most people understand their social
etiquette standards and try to live up to them. Many rules are not written down. Violations can result in embarrassment.
Etiquette also reduces social friction and makes it easier for people to live together as a community.
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Difference Between theStandards of Etiquette and Ethics That difference is seriousness. The issues covered by the standard of
etiquette are not as serious as those that pertain to ethics.
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Law The standard of law has to do with rules
of behavior imposed on people by governments.
Like ethics, this legal standard can be serious, too. Many laws deal with life-and-death issues,
including rules forbidding murder, drunken driving, drug use, and child abuse.
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Difference Between Legal and Ethical Standards People must follow legal standards or face
specific negative consequences.
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ETHICS in the WORKPLACE© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.
Ethics The standard of ethics refers to social
expectations of people’s moral behavior. The ethical principles and rules making up this
standard are made valid by the reasons and arguments supporting them.
For ethical statements to be valid, they must make logical sense.
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Difference Between Legal and Ethical Standards Legal standards (based on authority) may
change as authorities change. Ethical standards (based on reason)
change only when new information causes people’s thinking about the standards to change.
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