Ethics

Which truth?

It isn't hard to do the right thing, what's hard is knowing what the right thing is to do

It isn't hard to know what the right thing is to do, what's hard is doing it.

Both of these statements are true, there are times where you know what the right thing to do is, but you just can't bring yourself to do it.

Ethical Reasoning

highlights two kinds of acts: those which enhance the well being of others. (those worthy of praise) and those that harm or diminish the well being of others. (those that warrant criticism).

Decisions sometimes both benefit one group of people and arm another and how do we balance that.

Basics for Ethics

human behavior has consequences for the welfare of others. We are capable of helping or harming others.

Just Do the Right Thing

easier said than done

Humans tend to judge the world from a narrow, self serving perspective. We are self-interested.

We are masterful at self deception and rationalization. We maintain beliefs that fly in the face of the evidence (the facts). We engage in acts that violate ethical principles. And we feel perfectly confident in our righteousness.

At the root of virtually every unethical act lies some degree of self delusion. (The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool. - Richard Feynman)

Discomforts of Ethics

What makes us feel uncomfortable about ethics is its up close and personal nature.

Ethics is more than a sterile academic course of study. It is how we choose to live.

Ethics summons us to look in the mirror. We may not like what we see. We may not recognize ourselves.

Social Convention - Conventional Thinking (Moral Lens)

Try to make decisions based upon what we think we know and understand. And try to make decisions
based on the mainstream and what other people might do in this situation. (relativism)

Religion - Theological Thinking (Moral Lens)

They make decisions through theological things. Using faith as a touchstone in making decisions

Politics - Ideological Thinking (Moral Lens)

Sometimes there are certain principles and ideologies that people attach to in making decisions and are
able to justify what they've done through these.

Law - Legal Thinking (Moral Lens)

Law can be very powerful in influencing decisions and assisting in our justification

What is the law permit or allow me to do thought process to make decisions?

What Ethics is NOT

Ethics is not what you feel is right and wrong

Ethics is not about doing what everyone else is doing or what others believe is right

Ethics is not about doing what you are told

Ethics is not what the law requires or allows you to do - law sets a standard for what is permissable and what is prohibited, just because it is legal does not mean it is ethical

What Ethics IS

Ethics is understanding the difference between what you have the right to do and what the right thing is to do

Ethics is the process of questioning, discovering and defending our values, principles and purpose

Ethics is about learning who you are and staying true to that in the face of temptations, challenges and uncertainty

Ethics is about claiming your own identity

Ethics is an attempt to answer this question: how shall I live my life?

Values

a reflection of our priorities; of what we attach importance to.

These are often forged in a crucible of loss, when we are tested.

Greg Smith's "Values" Crisis - The "special sauce" was gone.

Goldman Sachs Reading (Greg Smith)

What is he trying to share with us?

He is trying to show that it went from an environment of trying to help people, and then it changed to
having monetary priorities.

How did this happen?

The firm changed the way it thought about leadership.

○ Leadership is about ideas, setting an example and doing the right thing.
○ Three quick ways to become a leader:
■ Execute on the firms "axes," which is Goldman-speak for persuading your clients to invent in
stocks
■ Get your clients to trade whatever will bring the biggest profit to Goldman
■ Find yourself sitting in a seat where your job is trading any illiquid product.

Greg Smith's "values" crisis- the "special sauces" was gone.
○ Spent his life in financial services for Goldman Sachs
○ He believed what made his job unique and the reason why he wanted to work there, putting clients first,
was lost.
○ There is a tremendous push to just be a company in that industry. Back in the day, the client and
customer's interest came first and he argues this value got lost along the way.
○ Wells Fargo story- have people on the front line to contact all their clients that have an account, and some
had fictional 8 accounts switch the firm. People were compensated more based on the ability to open up
accounts for their clients. Some of the older inactive customers had 8 accounts. And while this did
generate revenue, over the long term it is bad for reputation and the ceo went in front of congress
■ His justification is that "it was our effort to deepen client relations".

The Place of Values

The compliance based approach and the behavioral approach to ethics.

Giving Voice to Values - Mary Gentile's
Epiphany.

Steve Goldsmith's Rendezvous with Values.

Ethical Dilemmas as a conflict of values.

Giving Voice to Values - Mary Gentile's Epiphany

The Harvard students could justify anything they decided to do by using the moral theories as touch
stones and foundations.
○ You can justify anything you want to do if you can house it with any of those theories.
○ What would it be like if people could really be true or faithful instead of focusing on their endgames and
finding a way to rationalize what they do?
■ She taught ethics at the Yale school of Business. She felt that when she was teaching students
ethics, she was actually doing something unethical. The Yale students were able to justify
everything they did by creating a rationale around what you want to do. You can justify anything
you want to do if you wrap it in one of these moral theories.
● What would you do, what would you say, and how would you be effective? - questions asked about how you
would go about the situation after witnessing something unethical or you think is wrong.
● What happens when trying to make a difference?
○ You have to forgo your values.
○ One will stay, one will go.
○ Sometimes it is just an illusion to win.

Steve Goldsmith's Rendezvous with Values

Mayor of Indianapolis
○ Put out a very moving political ad
○ Let's re-elect Steve goldsmith, he has our values
○ At first prof was like omg he knows me, but then he realized he had been fooled, because how does he
know my values?
○ We have value voters now, and if you tell them what they want to hear and it's close to their values, you
are in.

Moral Paradox

A decision making problem that pits two possible moral imperatives against each other, nether of which is unambiguously acceptable or preferable. The complexity arises out of the situational conflict in which honoring one moral imperative would result in violating another

Values as Anchors

If the world works as we might hope, if there is consistency between purpose and action, then our beliefs should inform our values and should then be reflected in the decisions that we make and what we actually do. And what we actually do, if it is done consistently is what forms our principles.

All that stands between you and those who would hope to use you to their own advantage, to advance their own agenda, is what you believe in, what you value, and how far you are willing to go to protect them.

Clay Christensen's Search for Meaning

Three Questions:

How can I be sure that I'll be happy in my career ? (The powerful motivator in our lives isn't money; it's the opportunity to learn, grow, contribute to others and be recognized for achievements.- Frederick Hertzberg)

How can I be sure that my relationships with my spouse and family become an enduring source of happiness? (Having a clear purpose in your life).

How can I be sure I'll stay out of jail?

Living for your resume or Eulogy?

Two sides of our nature:

Adam I- worldly, ambitious, a builder a creator, an innovator, wants to conquer the world, savors accomplishment, motto is "success." Adam I builds on your strengths

Adam II - the humble side of our nature. Yearns to do good and be good, wants to hear a calling and obey the world, asks why are we here, cherishes love, redemption, return. Adam II is built on fighting your weaknesses.

Society favors Adam I and neglects Adam II

Can we reconcile the two parts of our nature?

A Parent's Anguish in the New World Order

A delicate balancing act - How can we hold on to our careers, raise and educate our kids, care for our aging parents and wake up to fight another day?

Pandemics, like all great truths lay bare all of our vulnerabilities.

Each choice that we make, every decision, has implications for others.

A reminder of how precarious our lives are, how we are all trying to cut a bargain with uncertainty.

Why do People do Bad things at Work

There are things people do that we question their intentions, or if they are a bad person. Generally thinking is that
when we read or hear about wrongdoing particularly in a business or something, we conclude that behind those
scandals and bad episodes, are bad people. In many cases, acts that we deem to be just wrong, or unethical.
These acts are most often likely a result of our limitations as human beings.

We have capacities of what we can do or can accomplish. In any number of situations, we have good people who
don't harbor bad intentions, may be responsible for doing bad things, or creating a bad outcome.

Scripts (why good people do bad things)

There is much work that people do in organizations that is repetitious and the effort required to complete
these things is mindless. You are on autopilot and rolling along doing what you need to do.

○ They tap into our desire to accept as true, what enforces our beliefs. (I've been doing this for the past 60
years and I've been doin it right).

○ What reinforces our beliefs is the fact that we've been doing this task for so long. When work that is
designed becomes repetitive, or routine. People stop paying attention. In many respects, these scripts
become cognitive shortcuts for getting a job done. These shortcuts replace careful thought.

○ People stop paying attention and suspend judgement. These scripts become cognitive shortcuts that
replace careful thought to get the job done even if careful thought is necessary.

○ In order to keep people engaged, you need to find a way to change it up. Routine becomes numbing and
causes us to lose our focus, and sometimes when we lose our focus, bad things happen

Distractions (why good people do bad things)

Things distract us from making us do our best work.

○ Back in the day there was no media really or any large distraction. Now we are in a new era with
distractions all around us at every step of the way.

○ We overlook a problem, or say we'll get back to it because we have 15 other things to do.

○ we all live in an age of distraction. There is so much going on that we are perpetually distracted.
Oftentimes, when there are mishaps or decisions that are made, they are the product of those
distractions. People often overlook information that is questionable. Information is always being thrown
at us that sometimes we overlook because there are so many distractions.

Moral Exclusion

Discount the value or the worth of other people. We discount the moral standing of other people
○ When we decide that some people don&\#39;t count or matter as much
○ Assessing people and trying to determine what their wealth is, and sometimes we fail to understand that
the decisions made might have implications on those we exclude because we are discounting them.
○ Dominant group in a society, this group views itself as intrinsically superior to others and creates an
environment of exclusion. We miss a lot because of this, and this causes significant harm to those who
we discount.
○ when we decide that some people don't matter as much. Assessing people and trying to determine what
their worth is. Oftentimes, we fail to consider that the decisions that we make have implications for people
we can't see or don't know or for people that we may sell short. We try to make decisions where we
discount people that do matter. We somehow minimize their humanity in a way.
■ People sometimes create this idea that some don't matter as much. AS a result, we miss a lot
and there's much we don't pay attention to. There are decisions or choices we make that cause
harm.
● Bad things are often the result of human failings and our limitations. More often than not, they are not out of the
selfish intent to do harm.

Peter Singer

He was very controversial. People at Princeton were protesting his hiring. Said he was the worst person in the
world, stuff like that.
● He came to Pitt and talked about climate change, corruption, and then he talked about famine and hunger. There
are large daunting questions that we can ignore but at our own peril.
● He believes that incapable children and disabled children should just be put out of their miserable lives. He also
believes that animals have rights and walk the same moral plane as us. They have the capacity to suffer.
● Talked about his article and his proposition to give money to this indeed rather than luxuries. He presents this to
us because we are the ones that make the money.
● He's asking for us to keep 48,000 dollar a year and anything above that would go to feeding people across the
world.
● The greater moral evil rule- people who have it in their power to stop something bad from happening without
sacrificing any moral compromises ought to act.

Singer: Solving World Hunger

He believes that people can live off of little money, denying the fact that people like luxury, people don't like to
have to live off of solely necessities.
Because some people have so much, he is insinuating that the extra, the extra money that separates the rich
from the poor, the wealthy from the sufferers could help solve world hunger.
He isn't asking us to give up our life, he is just considering that we could live a less luxurious life in order to help
those in need.
Human psychologists tell us that human nature wouldn't make it plausible that people would sacrifice so much for
strangers. Based on facts of human nature, they may be right, but they would be wrong to draw a moral
conclusion from those facts. Then if we value the life of a child more than going to fancy restaurants, the next
time we dine out we know that we could have done something better with that money.
Knowing where we should be going is the first step toward heading in that direction.

Talk of Baby in the Well

Jessica fell in the well, and there was a huge news network following, national vigil, and there was a surplus of
donations and toys. More than they could handle, so the family almost begged everyone to stop. Easier for us to
focus on one child then 900,000.
● Adma smith states , the reason we are moral beings is because of the imaginative capacity to place ourselves in
someone else&\#39;s situation. (empathy)
● Empathy has been one of the main drivers to move people to do things.
● Identifiable victim effect- the death of one person is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic. (Stalin) When we
can bring our focus to a specific problem and particular person that we can identify with in some way, we are
more likely to respond than in the situation when we have a vague understanding of one's suffering and pain.
Baby Jessica is an example.
● Empathy is viewed as a core leadership competency
● There was a baby in a well, there was one small child named Jessica who falls into the well at her parents' farm.
● Everyone around the country spread their arms out and wanted to help, because they wanted to help.
● The difference between this situation and others (like the hungry children around the world, is that we see the
pictures, this girl was personalized.
● Empathy in the workplace, is there room?
● Empathy involves putting yourself in someone else's shoes and understanding their perspective, or at least trying
to. Empathy can lead to teamwork and collaboration, rather than just solely using competitiveness as a guide.

Empathy as a Core Value

"What makes us moral beings is the imaginative capacity to placve ourselves in someone else's situation." - Adam Smith

In "The Empathic Civilization" it is argued tha empathy has been the main driver of human progress.

Why does "The Baby in the Well" speak to us but the hunger, the starvation of hundreds of millions does not?

The "Identifiable Victim Effect": the tendency of individuals to offer aid when a specific identifiable person is observed under hardship, as compared to a large vaguely defined group with the same needs.

Do we fail to see the humanity in others?

Empathy (and its place in our lives)

increasingly viewed as a core leadership competency, tempers incivility, one of our highest human qualities. It is the root of most behavior that we associate with goodness. a function of both compassion and seeing things from another person's perspective. It is an antidote to bullying, the key to preventing bullying and other forms of cruelty.

Empathy is essential to our humanness

A lack of empathy makes warfare and crime possible.

Empathy enables us to expand our circle of concern.

Empathy is about EQ not IQ.

An Empathy Index published by the Harvard Business Review found that the ten most empathetic companies in creased in value more than twice as much as those at the bottom of the index and generated 50% more earnings, defined by market capitalization, from one year to the next."Empathy is more important to a successful business than it has ever been, correlating to growth, productivity, and earnings per employee." (HBR Dec. 2016).

The Doctrine of Doing and Allowing

The distinction between DOING harm and ALLOWING harm is morally significant because it asks us to consider whether it is harder to justify doing harm as opposed to allowing harm to occur.

Willie Sutton's Story

Willie Sutton did not go to college or have a degree. However, he grew up in tough times and had to support his
family. To do so he robbed banks. Mostly in the Midwest. He was quite good at it. He had a long run of success,
he spent some time on the FBI's top ten list.
● He was eventually arrested and charged, put on trial, and convicted. On the day of his sentencing, the judge
asked him to approach the bench. The judge asked, why did you do it? His response was, "Because that&\#39;s where
the money is". He was ethically challenged, because somewhere along the way he didnt realize robbing the
banks is not how you make a living. Morally speaking this isnt acceptable either.

Kidder's Ethical Paradigms

Truth v. Loyalty

Individual v. Community

Short Term v. Long Term

Justice v. Mercy

Truth v. Loyalty

Truth is conformity with the facts; that which is in accord with fact or reality.

Loyalty involves allegiance to a person, an organization, a society or government, or a set of ideas to which one owes fidelity.

The Problem- What happens when the truth is at odds with loyalty we would like to honor.

What is to be done when there is an expectation that loyalty be placed above truth; when we face a situation in which we believe that the relationship asks or requires more than we believe it deserves. Blind loyalty - loyalty that cannot be questioned?

Individual v. Community

It is expected in a society committed to the sanctity of the individual, that we take care of ourselves, that we put our own interests first.

What happens when what is best for the individual is at odds with or not in the best interests of the whole?

What happens when in pursuing my own best interests, I am putting the well being of the community, of which I am a part, at risk?

We are individuals of self interest

Short Term v. Long Term

What happens when our immediate needs or desires conflict with what might be for the best in the long term?

To take the long view, to play the long game, requires that we delay gratification, that we sacrifice.

It is a conflict between sustainable values and situational values

Tom Friedman on the "Asian Values" of our grandparents

sustainable vs. situational, requires sacrifice

Justice v. Mercy

Justice is viewed as fundamental fairness. It is the belief that similarly situated people have the right to expect (in a just society/organization, etc.), that they will be treated in a similar fashion.

Mercy is compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.

Mercy is often a request or plea for an exception or departure from the justice standard that is applicable to all similarly situated people.

mercy ex. bad worker begs for a second chance to get back on track

fairness vs. compassion

Adventures in Capitalism - Our Capitalist Faith

The Black Bear and the Investment Banker - The Ideology of Self Interest

Adam Smith's Capitalist Blueprint: "When morally conscientious individuals follow their own self interest- it works to the benefit of society as a whole."

"Man is motivated by a desire to improve his condition."

" It is self interest that is the dominant psychological force in the market."

Capitalism and Morality Debate

Capitalism as a force of nature springing from instincts deep in our human nature and not a contrived ideology.

Our challenge- Should we give capitalism a moral purpose?

Do people need to have a moral purpose to feel fulfilled?

Is Capitalism morally neutral? Indifferent to moral choices?

Is capitalism immoral, amoral or moral?

Nature of Capitalism

The system is market driven, its' objective is to create wealth.

It is materialist, impersonal, non-human and blind to class, race, color, religion and gender.

Capitalism produces great blessings and great miseries.

In a capitalist society, everyone has the chance to succeed and fail.

American Dream

Moralizing Capitalism

Paul Johnson- Our challenge is how do we harness the power of market capitalism to moral purposes without destroying its dynamism, its capacity to produce wealth?

1. Ensure equality of opportunity.

2. Ensure equality before the law (The fall of Enron)

Michael Sandel on How Markets Crowd Out Morals

Two Objections to Markets:

1. The Fairness Objection points to the injustice that can arise when people buy and sell things under conditions of inequality or dire economic necessity (i.e. selling a kidney to feed your family).

2. The Corruption Objective is about institutional integrity; the fidelity of an institution to its constitutive ideals. (appointing a campaign donor as Postmaster General, Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughren buying the best colleges for their kids).

"In America, Anything is Possible"

A Pew Research Center Study (2013) found that 90% of Americans believe that the government should do all that it can to ensure equality of opportunity.

Social mobility is not impossible but increasingly upward mobility in America is becoming a statistical oddity.

Economic segregation is our greatest challenge- the poor have grown poorer, the rich richer and the middle class have stagnated. (the working poor).

Chief among our challenges is that we won't be able to afford to educate our children.

Economic Inequity

Politics have shaped the market and in ways that benefit those at the top at the expense of those in the middle and at the bottom.

Concentrated economic power is in effect political power.

The Role of Government - Just as excessive regulation can be damaging to markets, so too is the unrestrained exercise of power and influence by those who have the most economic power.

American Dreams, American Realities

If anything good emerges out of this period that we are living through, it might be an awakening to the pre-existing conditions of our body politic; the biological virus is also a social virus. (Symptoms: inequality, callousness, selfishness and a profit motive that undervalues life and overvalues commodities).

COVID-19 is only a movie villain. Our real enemy does not come from the outside, but from within. Our real enemy is not the virus but our response to the virus - a response that has been degraded and deformed by the structural inequalities of our society.

Inequality is the real issue

Will Capitalism Suffer "Death by a Thousand Cuts?"

At companies that pay their employees well, executives say it reduces turnover, spurs engagement, attracts talent and may be the right thing to do.

Mark Bertolini, former CEO of Aetna argues that "The survival of capitalism depends on it." - concerned with income gap

Bertolini argues that if we don't reinvent the capitalist model, we will lose it because it will be changed for us.

With income inequality at historic highs, it is incumbent on business to help spread prosperity.

Venture capitalist Nick Hanauer - Fellow plutocrats- the pitchforks are going to come for us - biz has to take a leadership role

New Capitalism

(Mark Benioff, CEO of Salesforce - NYT 10/14/19).

Profits are important but so is society.

"It's time for a new capitalism- a more fair, equal and sustainable capitalism that actually works for everyone and where businesses don't just take from society but truly give back and have a positive impact."

Promotes greater and broader participation, profits are important but we need a new, fair system that is more sustainable

Rousel Uclaf and RU (in the service of life)

RU 487 ends pregnancy, Uclar believed it would save lives. French gov was a huge shareholder of the product, french catholic population was not a fan of the product. Protests and death threats arised and caused Dr. Sakiz to be alarmed.

Dr. Edward Sakiz

as developing the product, he felt he was acting on humanitarian issues, ultimately decided the company would not move forward

Hoechst

german company that was an investor in Rousel Uclaf. He would have a difficult time endorsing this product, a faith based issue that would
keep him from supporting this product. This company was the largest producer of deathly gases used in WWII. Associated with death industry.

Right v. Right Questions

1. Those that raise questions about personal integrity and moral identity.

2. Those that present conflicts between responsibilities for others and important personal values and

3. Those involving responsibilities that a company shares with other groups in society.

Right v. Right Choices Test Us

Right v. Right choices are best understood as defining moments.

Right v. Right decisions have three basic characteristics:

These moments reveal a manager's/organization's values.

These moments test the strength of the manager's/organization's commitments.

These moments shape the character of the person/organization

Right v. right problems typically involve choices between two or more courses of action, each of which is a complicated bundle of ethical responsibilities, personal commitments, moral hazards and practical pressures and constraints.

Idea of Balance

In situations in which important ethical claims stand in opposition, moderation and caution seem to be in order.

It was Aristotle who counseled moderation for people who find tension or conflict among their duties, commitments, responsibilities and virtues, from veering too sharply in one direction or another and trampling on some fundamental human values as they pursue others.

For Aristotle "balance represents a deep moral idea in a world of inescapable conflicts. " In conflicts where so many important values and responsibilities stand in opposition, he would ask if you have done all you can to strike a balance, both morally and practically.


goal is to try to morally and practically strike a balance

Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development

preconventional, conventional, postconventional

Carol Gilligan

Women and men speak of the world in different manners

Women:
o Speak of care, they speak of divulging controversies
o Care based approach
o Much more skilled in using words and language.

Men:
o Men like to look at the rules, and the rights prior to making a decision
o Justice approach
It's not as though one approach or model is superior, it's just that they're different.

How we respond when challenged

The conflict between should and want ("should" dominates as we think about our response in a given situation, "want" dominates when it comes time to act).

Our survival instinct is to be liked; to be included

Why we feel vulnerable: A. The presence of authority
B. When it might alienate friends or colleagues.
C. When it might cause subordinates to think less of us.

James Rest's "four components" of moral behavior

moral sensitivity - identify and discern situations

moral judgment - sort out possibilities for resolving the problem

moral motivation - prioritization, making a decision to prioritize values, moral values should prevail over personal values

moral character - begins to develop

bounded rationality

limitations on our ability to do the best we can

decision makers work under three unavoidable constraints, which means that even individuals who intend to make rational choices, are bound to make decisions that are satisficing rather than optimal:

1. Limited, often unreliable information.
2. The limited capacity of the human mind.
3. Time Limitations

Ethical Implications

To the extent that a decision affects the well being of others, it has ethical implications. By well being we mean the happiness, health, dignity, integrity, freedom and respect for those who might be affected by a decision - it is a decision with ethical implications.

Virtually every decision we make has some impact on the well being of others

All business decisions are ethical decisions

Psychology of Unethical Behavior

Three Psychological Dynamics that Lead to Crossing Ethical Lines:

1. Ominpotence- When someone feels so aggrandized and entitled that they believe that the rules of decent behavior don't apply to them.

2. Cultural Numbness - When others play along and gradually begin to accept and embody deviant norms.

3. Justified Neglect - When people don't speak up about ethical breaches because they are thinking of more immediate rewards such as staying on good footing with the powerful.

Are you your own person?

To be your own person requires independence of thought, feeling and action. This means that you can and do think, feel and act without excessively relying on others to give you direction.

If you are your own person, then you will be prepared to stand your ground when your principles or values are at stake.

In the end, people who maintain their dignity, instead of selling their moral souls, tend to command more respect and to be well regarded by others.

Learning to Be Ethical

How Can We Develop a More Psychologically Realistic Approach to Business Ethics?

1. We need to be aware of how we fool ourselves, (Rationalizing behavior).

2. We have to be taught how to challenge people appropriately; to step outside our comfort zone.

Inconsistent Ethical Instincts

It seems that principles are rooted in deep, reasoned conviction. But a growing body of research shows that our values often prove to be inconsistent intuitions, swayed by ethically irrelevant factors.

Philosophers and psychologists distinguish between two ethical frameworks:
Teleology(Consequentialism)

Deontology ( adherence to rules, standards, principles).

Teleology

Outcomes based; focus is on consequences. A good outcome or result trumps other considerations. Governed by circumstances, situations, no fixed standards. Moral Relativism - hols that we should not judge others and believe that there is only "one way"

Deontology (Ethical Formalism)

It is rules based, anchored to universally recognized principles. It is means based because it always considers how a result or outcome, however laudable it might be, was achieved. what was wrong 500 years ago will be wrong 500 years from now. We have a duty to act in accordance with moral laws, regardless of the outcomes.

ex. Robinhood, deontologist should recognize theft rather than giving to poor aspect

Raymond Baumhart Study

A. Ethics is what conforms to the Golden Rule
B. Ethics is what is in accord with my religious beliefs.
C. Ethics is what my feelings tell me is right.

Categorical Imperative

A concept developed by the philosopher Immanuel Kant as an ethical guideline for behavior. In deciding whether an action is right or wrong, or desirable or undesirable, a person should evaluate the action in terms of what would happen if everybody else in the same situation, or category, acted the same way.

Your action may become a standard in society, would you want that?

Immanuel Kant

A right action is right not because of its consequences but because it satisfies the demands of justice, respects the rights of others or because we've promised to perform it.

To act out of duty, in obedience to a categorical imperative, is what it means to be moral.

Virtue Ethics

emphasizes the virtues or moral character of a person, whereas deontology emphasizes duties or rules and teleology emphasizes the consequences of our actions. Ask yourself, who should I be?

Where deontology and teleology concern themselves with the right action- virtue ethics is concerned with the good life and what kind of persons we should be.

What kind of person should I be? - deals with an entire life rather than specific dilemmas

Virtue

focuses on the integrity of the individual. It is desirable character traits like courage, compassion, generosity, tolerance.

We develop virtues by practicing them. They are learned by repetition. It's about doing not saying.

We are what we do and what we do repeatedly.

Is every person his/her own moral philosopher?

Yes.

Different approaches:
Egoism
Relativism (Social Group/Cultural)
Utilitarianism
Rights
Justice

Dow Corning Case

John Swanson was building his career, everyone felt he was dedicated to his organization, and he was. He believed in the company he was a part of. He was loyal, his loyalty yielded fruit, he built a very successful career. He formed the business conduct committee: they were trying to create this new code that they felt would
set them apart. It wasn't long before this code was circulating across America.

John Swanson was receiving calls from CEO's across America, they were asking him questions in regard to the details of the
process.The code stated we will act with the idea that everything we do will eventually see the light of day.

Dow corning made a breast implant: The breast implant would restore the appearance of woman prior to
having breast cancer. People began calling about issues with the breast implants, they had a wide range
of physical implants. Many women were asking "are you hearing from other women who have had the
implant." they began to respond by saying that if they felt this was an issue; they would address it.
Swanson said it didn't seem to be anything wrong with the product, there was a lot of support for this.

Someone filed a lawsuit against Dow Corning, and this caught their attention. The consensus opinion
was where is the evidence, that links the product to the issues that these women are experiencing. These
implants were causing auto-immune-system diseases such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

Swanson wanted to sue Dow Corning. John Swanson stayed with the company and he left when he retired.

Is Silence killing your company?

"A corporate fear of too much truth."

If employees will affect profit, revenue of the company, it should definitely address it and stand up for the
company. Companies are trying to figure out what to do about the current time.

o It is important for companies should keep their reactions to employees and their outside of work activities
consistent

The Parable of the Sadhu

the sadhu represented a challenge to the group's values and priorities, and that ethical dilemmas require thoughtful reflection and action, even in the face of difficult circumstances.

The Dangers of Willful Blindness”, Margaret Heffernan

discusses the psychological concept of willful blindness, which refers to the tendency of people to ignore information that is uncomfortable or inconvenient

Obedience Experiment and the Banality of Evil

both the Obedience Experiment and the Banality of Evil illustrate the dangers of blind obedience to authority, and the importance of understanding the situational and social factors that can lead ordinary people to commit acts of atrocity.

Dissent and Obedience in Organizational Life

Milgram's book highlights the importance of individual autonomy and critical thinking in organizational life, and the need for organizations to be responsive to dissent and open to change.

Is Silence Killing Your Company

the article argues that silence can be a major obstacle to organizational success, and that addressing this issue requires a combination of cultural, structural, and individual changes.

Space Shuttle Challenger Launch Decision

complex interplay of organizational, technical, and social factors that can contribute to safety-critical failures, and the importance of proactive risk management and open communication in preventing them

A Corporate Fear of Too Much Truth,

he article highlights the negative impact of fear and silence in corporate culture, and the importance of creating a culture that values honesty, transparency, and open communication.

It argues that this requires a willingness to challenge the status quo, to embrace dissenting voices, and to create a culture that encourages innovation and continuous learning.

The Organization and Its Discontents \n Challenger

the article highlights the complex interplay of organizational and technical factors that contributed to the Challenger disaster, and the importance of addressing the cultural and social dynamics of organizations in preventing similar disasters.

Columbia and the Making of a Flawed Culture

the importance of addressing the cultural and organizational factors that contribute to disasters, and the need for a more holistic approach to preventing such incidents in the future.

It emphasizes the role of organizational culture in shaping behavior and decision-making within organizations, and the need for open communication, constructive dissent, and a willingness to challenge the status quo in promoting safety and preventing disasters.

Informed Consent – The Dow Corning Case

highlights the importance of informed consent in healthcare, and the need for healthcare professionals and medical device manufacturers to provide clear and accurate information about risks and benefits to patients.

Our Inconsistent Ethical Instincts,

highlights the challenges of making ethical decisions in a world where our ethical instincts are often inconsistent and influenced by various factors. It emphasizes the importance of using reason and critical thinking to overcome our ethical biases, and the need for ongoing ethical reflection and dialogue in personal and professional contexts.

Are you your Own Person?

1. Personal identity refers to the unique characteristics that define an individual, including their beliefs, values, memories, and experiences.
2. emphasizing the importance of personal identity in shaping our lives and experiences, and the need for ongoing reflection and self-discovery to fully understand who we are as individuals

In Life and Business-Learning to be Ethical,

underscores the importance of ethical behavior in both personal and professional contexts, and provides practical strategies for navigating ethical challenges in the business world. It emphasizes the need for ongoing ethical reflection and education, and the importance of committing to ethical behavior in all aspects of life.

When Good People Do Bad Things at Work

provides a useful overview of the psychology behind unethical behavior in the workplace, and offers practical strategies for addressing ethical dilemmas in an ethical manner. It emphasizes the importance of organizational culture and leadership in promoting ethical behavior, and underscores the need for ongoing ethical reflection and education in the workplace.

Defining Moments – When Managers Must Choose Between Right and Right.

1. Ethical dilemmas in the workplace often involve conflicts between two or more important values, such as honesty and loyalty, or individual and organizational interests.

The Capitalism and Morality Debate

1. Critics of capitalism argue that it can lead to negative social and environmental consequences, such as inequality, exploitation, and environmental degradation. They argue that the pursuit of profit can lead to companies cutting corners and engaging in unethical practices, and that the resulting inequalities in wealth and power can have negative effects on society as a whole.

The Price of Inequality

argues that the high levels of economic inequality in modern societies are harmful and unsustainable

Equal Opportunity – Our National Myth,

1. To address these issues, we need to rethink the way we approach economic policy and social justice. This includes policies such as progressive taxation, investments in education and infrastructure, and reform of the criminal justice system. We also need to challenge the myth of equal opportunity and acknowledge that it is a goal we have yet to achieve.

The Ideas that Won’t Survive the Corona Virus

the article argues that the pandemic has brought about a reevaluation of our societal values and priorities, and that some traditional ideas may not survive in a post-pandemic world.

The Morally Troubling “Dirty \n Work” We Pay Others to Do in Our Place.

1. organizations can take steps to improve the working conditions and pay of those who perform dirty work, and individuals can take responsibility for the moral implications of their outsourcing decisions.
2. By recognizing and addressing the moral implications of dirty work, we can work towards a more equitable and just society that values all forms of labor and respects the dignity of all workers.

The Indivisibility of Ethics”

1. Ethics is indivisible: ethical principles and values should be consistent across all domains of life, including personal, professional, and public domains.

Bluffing in Business Ethical?

Carr suggests that businesses should have their own code of ethics that acknowledges the role of strategic deception, but also sets clear limits and guidelines for when and how bluffing can be used.

The Singer Solution to World Poverty

proposes that individuals with significant wealth have an ethical obligation to donate a substantial portion of their income to help alleviate global poverty

The Baby in the Well,

1. Bloom argues that empathy, defined as the ability to feel the emotions of others, can actually lead to irrational and biased decision-making. Empathy can cause individuals to focus on the immediate needs of one individual at the expense of the greater good.

Empathy- The Glue \n We Need to Fix a Fractured World.

concludes that empathy is not a solution to all of our problems, but that it is a necessary component of creating a more just and equitable society

TED TALK: Should You Live for Your Eulogy or Your Resume

Brooks argues that there are two sets of virtues: those that are typically associated with career success and the accumulation of wealth and power (the "resume virtues"), and those that are associated with moral character and a life well-lived (the "eulogy virtues").

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