Ethics and Csr Revision
Ethics and CSR Chapter 9
Ethics
Connock and Johns (1995) define ethics as the following 3 elements;
• Fairness • Deciding what is right and wrong • Practices and rules which underpin responsible conduct between groups and individuals
Billington (2003) lists five distinctive features of ethics;
• Nobody can avoid ethical decisions, we make ethical decisions every day of our lives • Ethical decisions matter, they affect the lives of others • Although ethics is about right and wrong, there are no definitive answers • Ethics is always about choice – a decision where the individual has no choice cannot be ethical
Billington (2003) also identifies three different approaches to ethics
• Absolutism – ethics are underpinned by absolute values which all in all societies and to all situations • Relativism – ethics depend on the situation and the cultural mores prevalent at a particular time or place • Unitarianism – The good of the greatest number is the criterion of right or wrong.
Carroll’s (1990) 11 ethical principles
|Name of Principle |Description |
|Categorical imperative |You should not adopt principles of action unless they can be adopted by everyone |
|Conventionalist ethic |Individuals should act to further their self interest as long as they do not violate|
| |the law |
|Golden Rule |Do unto others as you would have them do to you |
|Hedonistic rule |If it feels good, do it! |
|Disclosure rule |You should only take action or decision if you are comfortable with it after
Ethics
Connock and Johns (1995) define ethics as the following 3 elements;
• Fairness • Deciding what is right and wrong • Practices and rules which underpin responsible conduct between groups and individuals
Billington (2003) lists five distinctive features of ethics;
• Nobody can avoid ethical decisions, we make ethical decisions every day of our lives • Ethical decisions matter, they affect the lives of others • Although ethics is about right and wrong, there are no definitive answers • Ethics is always about choice – a decision where the individual has no choice cannot be ethical
Billington (2003) also identifies three different approaches to ethics
• Absolutism – ethics are underpinned by absolute values which all in all societies and to all situations • Relativism – ethics depend on the situation and the cultural mores prevalent at a particular time or place • Unitarianism – The good of the greatest number is the criterion of right or wrong.
Carroll’s (1990) 11 ethical principles
|Name of Principle |Description |
|Categorical imperative |You should not adopt principles of action unless they can be adopted by everyone |
|Conventionalist ethic |Individuals should act to further their self interest as long as they do not violate|
| |the law |
|Golden Rule |Do unto others as you would have them do to you |
|Hedonistic rule |If it feels good, do it! |
|Disclosure rule |You should only take action or decision if you are comfortable with it after