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I have completed the Ethics Awareness Inventory located on the student web page for Week 2. The instrument is an exceptional tool that allows me to discover how I approach ethical issues and why. Most (if not all) ethical issues have no wrong and right answers for the choices I make. For instance, let us think about my friends, John and Tania, who decided to donate their tax refund. Tax refunds could be used in several ways, i.e. depositing the money in their retirement accounts, spending it to revitalize the economy, purchasing a nice summer vacation for their children, or donating the whole amount to charity as they are planning to do. In the above example there is no right or wrong answer (Trevino and Nelson, 2006).
My results were: my ethical profile is most closely aligned with (R) results and is least closely aligned with (E) equity. The combined score was 0 (see the attached document). I was not surprised to read that my ethical perspective is based on the result or consequences of my actions; more specifically, I need concrete evidence when I judge if an individual’s actions are ethical. My category is aligned with the utilitarian theory. The utilitarian approach promotes productivity and efficiency; however, as a disadvantage such approach tends to sacrifice the rights of minorities for the benefit of the majority (Trevino and Nelson, 2006). Generally, decision makers, particularly those ones in for-profit organizations (including myself); opt for the utilitarian approach as they feel safer and more comfortable with this approach (Robbins, 2005).
As far as my ethical style I “believe that we each have a moral right to experience the good life” (The Williams Institute, 2006, ¶ 1). Therefore, my ethics style is directed to find ways to improve the well being of the greatest number of people. For instance, as a regional property supervisor I often have to take decisions (i.e. trimming bushes for security reasons) that make most of the tenant happy and some other unhappy. Trimming the bushes made some tenants feel relieved as offenders could not use those bushes as a cover if they were planning to commit any criminal activity in the premise; conversely, a few tenants were unhappy as the appeal of the building decreased. My decision was based on the well being of the greater number of tenants.
The Ethics Awareness Inventory also mentioned several frustrations I face when addressing an ethical dilemma. An ethical dilemma is “a situation in which there is no ethically acceptable solution” (McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2009, ¶ 1). I disagree with some frustrations mentioned in the report such as idealists who protect the interest of some minority may stand in my way of achieving the good life of the majority or the presence of various views of what is good for the society as whole may frustrate me. I do not think that social pressures as the one described above have influenced my individual and business ethics at all. My individual and business ethics are based on my character that developed slowly and as a result of an accumulation of values that I acquired by family, friends, schools, religious organization, and other personal experiences (Trevino & Nelson, 2006).
Learning the three components (articulation, application, and awareness) involved in the ethical decision making process and how to identify one’s CORE beliefs can be truly useful in my workplace when I am attempting to evaluate other coworkers’ ethical approaches and making sure that their different approach is not going to interfere with my ability to achieve organizational goals. Articulation refers to my ability to explain the principles that support my position. Awareness refers to “the ethical perspectives that serve as the basis for making good ethical choices” (The Williams Institute, 2006, ¶ 1). Finally, application refers to the way I apply the principles as I face ethical choices daily.
In an attempt to recommend a solution for ethical dilemmas, I believe that I should first arrive at my moral judgment and decide how I should act. Then, I should ask myself questions such as how comfortable am I with the judgment and the decision? Do they cohere with my other values and beliefs, or with my understanding of good moral life and my view of the virtues? My reaction to the above questions are not the ultimate test of the morality of my actions, “but sometimes they are good place both to start and to end” (DeGeorge, 2005, p. 124).
DeGeorge, R. T. (2006). Business Ethics (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.
McGraw-Hills Higher Education (2009). Definition of ethical dilemma. Retrieved August 23, 2009 from http://cwqa.mcgraw-hill.com/downhome/
Robbins, S.P. (2005). Organizational behavior (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education
The Williams Institute (2006). Ethics awareness inventory. Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/Vendors/TWI/EAI/
Trevino, L.K, and Nelson, K.A. (2006). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right (4th ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons.
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