Values and Ethical Decision Making
Values and Ethical Decision Making
Rebecca Bryson
Management/MGT521
May 25, 2011
Michael M Lee, MBA, MBOL
Values and Ethical Decision Making
In this paper, the subjects to discuss are the evaluation of personal values, organizational values, and ethical decision making. Also identified within this paper, is Rebecca’s values and how they apply to her business management framework. The subjects within this paper will also be compared and contrasted to Rebecca’s value concepts with the research and statements of others. In the end, the reader should have a better understanding of the importance of personal and organizational values in addition to ethical decision making in the course of conducting business.
Personal Values According to Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), there are two major personal ethics theories that attempt to detail and validate more rules and principles: utilitarianism and deontological ethics. The utilitarian theory suggests that no moral act or rule is essentially right or work, but rather the right or wrong of an act is exclusively a matter of the general non-moral good is produced in the result of completing the act or obeying the rule (Moreland, n.d.). According to Moreland (n.d.) there are three important features of deontological ethics: “duty should be done for duty’s sake, humans should be treated as objects of intrinsic moral value; that is, as ends in themselves and never as a mere means to some other end, and a moral principle is a categorical imperative that is universalizable; that is, it must be applicable for everyone who is in the same moral situation.” Heathfield (2011) feels that personal values are qualities that should be considered worthwhile as they represent a person’s highest precedence and driving forces. Ethical leadership involves the idea of personal integrity, and this integrity is a quality that assists in explaining leadership’s effectiveness. The basic explanation of
Rebecca Bryson
Management/MGT521
May 25, 2011
Michael M Lee, MBA, MBOL
Values and Ethical Decision Making
In this paper, the subjects to discuss are the evaluation of personal values, organizational values, and ethical decision making. Also identified within this paper, is Rebecca’s values and how they apply to her business management framework. The subjects within this paper will also be compared and contrasted to Rebecca’s value concepts with the research and statements of others. In the end, the reader should have a better understanding of the importance of personal and organizational values in addition to ethical decision making in the course of conducting business.
Personal Values According to Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873), there are two major personal ethics theories that attempt to detail and validate more rules and principles: utilitarianism and deontological ethics. The utilitarian theory suggests that no moral act or rule is essentially right or work, but rather the right or wrong of an act is exclusively a matter of the general non-moral good is produced in the result of completing the act or obeying the rule (Moreland, n.d.). According to Moreland (n.d.) there are three important features of deontological ethics: “duty should be done for duty’s sake, humans should be treated as objects of intrinsic moral value; that is, as ends in themselves and never as a mere means to some other end, and a moral principle is a categorical imperative that is universalizable; that is, it must be applicable for everyone who is in the same moral situation.” Heathfield (2011) feels that personal values are qualities that should be considered worthwhile as they represent a person’s highest precedence and driving forces. Ethical leadership involves the idea of personal integrity, and this integrity is a quality that assists in explaining leadership’s effectiveness. The basic explanation of
References: Badaracco, Jr, J. L. (March-April 1998). The discipline of building character. Retrieved from https://classroom.phoenix.edu/afm215/secure/view-attachment.jspa?ID=20080114&messageID=112090911&name=HBR_The_Discipline_of_Building_Charater_VIEW[1].pdf&view=inline Hamilton, A. (n.d.). Leadership and organizational values. Retrieved from http://www.alagse.com/leadership/110.php Hartman, L. P. (2005). Perspective in business ethics (3rd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Heathfield, S. M. (2011). Identify and live your personal values; Values bring you success in life and work. Retrieved from http://humanresources.about.com/od/success/qt/values_s7.htm?p=1 Moreland, J. (n.d.). Ethics theories: Utilitarianism vs deontological ethics. Retrieved from http://www.equip.org/articles/ethics-theories Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2011). Organizational behavior (14th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. The Williams Institute. (n.d.). Williams ethics awareness inventory self-assessment. Retrieved from https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/Vendors/TWI/EAI/ Yukl, G. (2010). Leadership in organizations (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.