Ethical Responsibilities
The Ethical Responsibilities Required of You as a Manager
- situation in which you have to decide whether to pursue a course of action that may benefit you or your organization but that is unethical or even illegal * may also be a situation in which there’s a choice to be made between two options, neither of which resolves the situation in an ethically acceptable fashion * ex: taking credit for others work * offering a client a worse product for your own profit * 4 types:
1. truth vs loyalty 2. short vs long-term 3. individual vs community 4. justice vs mercy
Defining Ethics and Values
- standards of right and wrong that influence behavior * may vary among countries and cultures
- relatively permanent and deeply held underlying beliefs and attitudes that help determine a person’s behavior
Conflicting Values
- organizations may have 2 value systems that conflict
1. value system stressing financial performance
vs 2. value system stressing cohesion and solidarity in employee relationships
Four Approaches to Deciding Ethical Dilemmas
- utilitarian approach: * guided by what will result in the “greatest good for the greatest number of people” * often associated with financial performance * based on philosophy of Classical Utilitarianism: Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill
- individual approach: * guided by what will result in individuals best long term interests, which ultimately is in everyone’s self-interest * assumes that people will act ethically in the short run to avoid harm in the long run
- moral rights approach: * guided by respect for the fundamental rights of human beings: the right to life, liberty, privacy, health, safety, and due process
- justice approach: * guided by respect to impartial standards of fairness * policies administered impartially and fairly regardless of gender, age, religious affiliation, sexual orientation
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