...Michael S. Huckaby BBA 4751 Business Ethics Professor Fernando Chavez Leadership is a complex and ever evolving skill-set. Good leaders not only guide behaviors of followers, but lead them and their organization to achieve common objectives. Good leaders have an ability to adapt to any setting so everyone feels empowered to contribute creatively to solving problems. Leaders of various levels of success have been studied throughout history, some good, some bad, but everlasting questions are always at the forefront of studying leadership: What is a good leader? What is the right approach to leadership or style of leadership? Do certain types of leaders produce better results? Are ethical leaders always the best leaders? If a single answer to these questions existed, perhaps society could build the mold of the perfect leader and distribute it throughout the world to solve the greater problems of society. However, this approach is unrealistic, so society is left to explore leadership in an effort to understand what makes a good leader. The primary purpose of this research paper is to critically examine whether a direct correlation exists between leadership style and ethical decision making. To answer this question, the author will examine each leadership style in terms of its definition, its multi-faceted dimensions or characteristics, and the associated behaviors of each. After looking at leadership styles, the dimensions of ethics in the theoretical framework of leadership...
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...as a key element of ethical thinking, rather than rules about the acts themselves (deontology) or their consequences (consequentialism). Thus making ‘Virtue Ethics’ and deontic ethical theory. Both Elizabeth Anscombe and Alasdair MacIntyre believed that modern ethical studies have lost their ways. The philosophers felt that they were too concerned with normative rules and this doesn’t help to fill the moral vacuum of society. And that ‘Virtue Ethics’ was the only solution to the moral vacuum in society. According to Anscombe, the best way to fill this moral vacuum is to chart our moral virtues. Virtues help ordinary people be moral and must be based on good will; similarly to Aquinas’ internal vs external goods idea in Natural Law. Anscombe believed that society needed the return of Virtue Ethics because she was critical of deontological ethics as she felt they had become outdated. She was also critical of teleological ethics as she believes the end doesn’t justify the means, which we can understand from when she says, “The concepts of obligation, and duty – moral ‘ought’, ought to be jettisoned.” In 1981, MacIntyre wrote a book titled ‘After Virtue’ in which he traces he history of ‘Virtue Ethics’ and attempts to establish a system of the ethical theory appropriate for the modern age. He developed Virtue Ethics by putting less emphasis on reason and putting more stress on people, their characters and the context of their lives – essentially making the ethical theory...
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...The Parable of the Sadhu Case Recount 1 New Zealander came staggering with a body Dumped the almost naked, barefooted Sadhu at McCoy’s feet and left McCoy took his pulse; Stephen and 4 Swiss gave outer clothings Japanese refused to transport the Sadhu down to the hut with their horse Stephen attempted to help the Sadhu but was suffering from altitude sickness McCoy took off, leaving the Sadhu with Stephen Sherpas carried Sadhu down to a rock at 15,000 feet; Japanese gave the Sadhu food and drink Sadhu was last seen throwing rocks at dogs Fate of Sadhu unknown What happened high on the Himalayan pass? Describe all the people who were there. Why is the incident so important and memorable for McCoy? Sadhu • Hindu monk • Renounce material attachments, food, clothing and shelter • Leaves behind all material attachments • Lives in caves, forests and temples • Never ending pilgrimage • Rugged life (eg. early morning bath in cold mountain) • Wears little or no clothing Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_4425905_become-hindu-sadhu.html Why is the incident so important and memorable for McCoy? • Doesn’t know the final outcome • Lessons about the corporate world was learnt What do you think is the “basic ethical dilemma” referred to by McCoy? Basic Ethical Dilemma Should McCoy have done more? What factors may have influenced the various hikers’ decisionmaking? The perception among some that “the Sadhu has himself to blame for the...
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...as a key element of ethical thinking, rather than rules about the acts themselves (deontology) or their consequences (consequentialism). Thus making ‘Virtue Ethics’ and deontic ethical theory. Both Elizabeth Anscombe and Alasdair MacIntyre believed that modern ethical studies have lost their ways. The philosophers felt that they were too concerned with normative rules and this doesn’t help to fill the moral vacuum of society. And that ‘Virtue Ethics’ was the only solution to the moral vacuum in society. According to Anscombe, the best way to fill this moral vacuum is to chart our moral virtues. Virtues help ordinary people be moral and must be based on good will; similarly to Aquinas’ internal vs external goods idea in Natural Law. Anscombe believed that society needed the return of Virtue Ethics because she was critical of deontological ethics as she felt they had become outdated. She was also critical of teleological ethics as she believes the end doesn’t justify the means, which we can understand from when she says, “The concepts of obligation, and duty – moral ‘ought’, ought to be jettisoned.” In 1981, MacIntyre wrote a book titled ‘After Virtue’ in which he traces he history of ‘Virtue Ethics’ and attempts to establish a system of the ethical theory appropriate for the modern age. He developed Virtue Ethics by putting less emphasis on reason and putting more stress on people, their characters and the context of their lives – essentially making the ethical theory...
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...AS Philosophy & Ethics Course Handbook 2013 to 2014 [pic] OCR AS Level Religious Studies (H172) http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/type/gce/hss/rs/index.aspx OCR AS Level Religious Studies (H172) You are studying Philosophy of Religion and Religious Ethics and will be awarded an OCR AS Level in Religious Studies. The modules and their weightings are: |AS: |Unit Code |Unit Title |% of AS |(% of A Level) | | |G571 |AS Philosophy of Religion |50% |(25%) | | |G572 |AS Religious Ethics |50% |(25%) | If you decide to study for the full A Level you will have to study the following modules at A2: |A2: |Unit Code |Unit Title |(% of A Level) | | |G581 |A2 Philosophy of Religion |(25%) | | |G582 |A2 Religious Ethics |(25%) | Grading | ...
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...A Review of Ethics Concepts & Theories Educational Objectives: 1. Explain the type of problem that is addressed by philosophers. 2. Explain how ethical norms help address ethical issues that arise in accountancy. 3. Contrast the views of Mills, Machiavelli and Kant. 4. Describe what is meant by a social contract. 5. Analyze a given situation and tell why it would be appropriate or inappropriate to lie. 6. Explain the views of Kierkegaard and contrast him from other existentialists. 7. Discuss the concept that ethics cannot be based on religion. 8. Explain the use of ethical reasoning and how it can be used in your professional life. Introduction The major ethical principles accepted in the western world follow guidelines and rules that must be universally applied in all situations. These ethical principles are established primarily on the basis of teachings set forth by philosophers throughout the ages, starting with the great Greek thinkers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. As you might expect, there have been many alterations 修改 to these moral principles throughout the years. What was considered ethically correct by some was rejected by others and replaced with their own concept of what constituted moral or ethical behavior. A Comment about Philosophy: Philosophy, unlike science, addresses issues that cannot be solved. In fact, some philosophers state that if a problem can be solved, philosophers will not even...
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...THREE ETHICAL APPROACHES BASED ON VIRTUE, DUTY AND CONSEQUENCE Three ethical approaches have evolved as the focus of those who study moral philosophy: virtue ethics, duty ethics and consequential ethics. Virtue ethics, associating ethics with personal habits, is associated with Aristotle. Duty ethics is associated with religious beliefs, although Kant tried to create a system of duties independent of belief in God. Consequential ethics is associated with the quest for rationalism during the Enlightenment, and especially with the Utilitarians. Virtue Ethics Plato and especially later Aristotle described moral behavior as “what the moral or virtuous person does.” The virtuous person develops a sense of right and wrong. This idea endures. We look to people we think of as ethical to give us advice on an ethical issue because such people have a sense of right and wrong. Aristotle tried to take the idea further, with less success. He thought that virtuous behavior meant people realizing their potential. He suggested that virtue was tied to moderation, a middle way between excess and deficiency. This idea is in practice not proven so helpful because where the midpoint is depends on where we put the extremes.[2] For example if an extreme drinker is someone who drinks six liters a day of vodka, then is three liters a day a moderate drinker? Markets operate without depending on the virtue of the business people who trade in them. But in practice ethical behavior is admired...
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...What is Morality Introduction to Philosophy American Intercontinental University David C. Koopmans September 23, 2012 Abstract This paper discusses whether infanticide is universally morally wrong, or morally right withing certain contexts. The focus of the paper is going to be that infanticide is universally morally wrong. Infanticide is the practice of killing a newborn baby that is practiced in many other cultures, but is deemed illegal in the United States. The question is, is this practice universally morally wrong, or is it morally right within certain contexts. Cultures exist that make having multiple children an extreme financial burden, or due to population control, illegal to have more than one child. Even within these contexts, does it make it morally right to practice infanticide? No, it does not! The practice of infanticide is universally morally wrong. Infanticide is practiced in several cultures, one of which is Pakistan. According to cultural relativism, this practice is deemed morally right. Cultural relativism deals with actions that are specific to a culture and the individuals within a specific culture. The beliefs and customs of a particular culture are relative to the individuals within that culture. What may be morally right in one culture may not be right in another (gotquestions.org, 2011). Relativism deals with the fact that individual societies may deem, for themselves, what is right or wrong. Since truth...
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...They believe that being publicly humiliated and sometimes being stripped of certain licenses is enough of a punishment (Richman 2013 p. 57). In 2005, the United States vs. Booker case overturned strict mandatory guidelines. The defendant claimed the sentencing guidelines to be unconstitutional for violating his 6th amendment right (Rehavi and Starr 2013 p. 14). The judges were given back their discretional power so long as they began their sentencing power using the guidelines (Rozen 2011 p. 1543). A judge may now choose to deviate from the sentencing guidelines, but they have to do so with sufficient reason as to why (Rehavi and Starr 2013 p.14). Most judges still follow the guidelines because either they feel that the guidelines are fair and just, or they may not want to justify their reasoning behind deviating from the guidelines (Rehavi and Starr 2013 p. 14). Subcategories of normative ethics can aid in discussing the morality of sentencing guidelines. Normative ethics help to determine which moral standards to follow and which actions are considered morally right or wrong. There are two subcategories of normative ethics; teleological theory and deontological theory. The difference between the two categories is whether the moral valuation is in the action itself or in the consequences of an action. The teleological theory determines the moral worth of an action based upon whether that action accomplishes its purpose. The consequences of the act determine the act’s correctness...
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...about two main general categories in which we can place the ethical theories: teleological and deontological. From the first category we enumerate the Aristotelian perspective or the one developed by J. St. Mill, while the Kantian perspective is exemplary for deontological ethics. According to the teleological perspective, a form of human behavior is described as moral or non-moral according to the goals explicitly set. The mere achievement of these goals is a necessary and sufficient condition to qualify as moral people’s actions or deeds without taking into account the “intermediate stages” of the actions performed to achieve those goals. Deontology, as a general horizon of articulating the ethical theories, believes on the contrary that in every moment of our existence, every action or deed that we accomplish can be described as moral or non-moral according to the ethical principles underlying our behavior. The very important consequences arising from the two general theoretical horizons concern two different perspectives on “human nature”, or what we call the essence of the human being. Starting from this horizon we will have the consequentialist and deontological dimensions related to euthanasia. The bioethical dimension in which we will discuss the issue of euthanasia involves both dimensions or horizons. The arguments against euthanasia seem to rely rather on the Kantian deontological horizon, while euthanasia pros seem to rely on the consequentialist horizon...
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...The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/2045-4457.htm SAJGBR 2,1 Profiting from poverty: ethics of microfinance in BOP Linda M. Sama and R. Mitch Casselman Department of Management, Peter J. Tobin College of Business, St. John’s University, New York, New York, USA Abstract Purpose – This paper seeks to examine the ethical dilemmas that emerge when offering microfinance services in BOP markets. Design/methodology/approach – Utilizing the ethical lenses of deontology, teleology, virtue ethics and moral relativism, the paper builds on prior research on ethical issues in BOP markets and the ethics of microfinance to highlight the specific stakeholder impacts facing MFIs. Relevant literature and examples from practice are utilized to illustrate the different ethical perspectives. Findings – In general, many of the key dilemmas represent themselves in the extreme poverty segment of the BOP where commercial business models have the least traction. Research limitations/implications – Propositions are developed for the corrective actions in the paper which might allow future research to uncover differences in intervention success in different BOP markets. Practical implications – The discussion of potential interventions for the various stakeholders may ameliorate criticisms of MFIs, suggest opportunities for cross-sectoral partnerships and improve outreach to the poorest of the poor. Social implications – For each issue...
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...Gregory B. Sadler President and Founder, ReasonIO Ethics in Business Education Project Copyright Gregory B. Sadler, 2011 Goals and Scope of this Workshop Ethics can be complicated – in reality it often is Important to be clear and pragmatic about workshop Limited goal here: designed to help Business faculty with one specific skill/knowledge area Presumes only most basic knowledge about Ethics The Key Question: What Do You Need to Know To Assess Students’ Knowledge and Application of Ethical Theories? EB EP Copyright Gregory B. Sadler, 2011 What Do You Need to Know To Assess Students’ Knowledge and Application? You need basic understanding of each ethical theory You need to know what to look for in student responses You don’t need to be in agreement with any of these ethical theories You don’t need to know whether these theories are ultimately correct or not You don’t need to be concerned with other “big picture” issues, e.g. the origin of ethics EB EP Copyright Gregory B. Sadler, 2011 What We Are Going To Cover Five Ethical (families of) Theories Each articulates a particular perspective on good and bad, right and wrong Basic Principles / Key Terminology Important Variations in that family What to look for in student responses Knowledge of theory Application of theory EB EP Copyright Gregory B. Sadler, 2011 Five Theories Egoism the self and its needs Utilitarianism ...
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...Academy of Management Journal 2013, Vol. 56, No. 4, 1002–1023. http://dx.doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.0960 POWER, MORAL CLARITY, AND PUNISHMENT IN THE WORKPLACE SCOTT S. WILTERMUTH University of Southern California FRANCIS J. FLYNN Stanford University We propose that power increases how severely people punish transgressors. Further, we argue that this greater severity stems from an increased sense of moral clarity instilled by the psychological experience of power. We investigate the linkages among power, moral clarity, and punishment across multiple studies. Individuals with an increased sense of power advocated more severe punishments for transgressors than did those with a diminished sense of power. Further, moral clarity mediated the link between power and severity of punishment. We discuss the implications of these findings for managers in organizations and researchers interested in punitive reactions to moral transgressions. Ethical standards of professional conduct often are implicit or tacitly held (Flynn & Wiltermuth, 2010; Haidt, 2001; Turiel, 2002), making it difficult for members of organizations to know which types of behavior are permissible and which are not (Treviño, 1986). Although many employees can and do seek guidance on moral matters from colleagues (Treviño, 1990), the advice they receive often varies according to whom they ask. Coworkers can send mixed signals about what constitutes morally appropriate behavior. Indeed, the viewpoints expressed by top...
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...348 HUMANIORA Essays on Business and Leadership Ethics Tuomo Takala TURUN YLIOPISTO UNIVERSITY OF TURKU Turku 2012 ISBN 978-951-29-5010-2 (PRINT) ISBN 978-951-29-5011-9 (PDF) ISSN 0082-6987 Painosalama Oy – Turku, Finland 2012 A note from the writer I was born in 1955 and am a professor of management and leadership at the University of Jyväskylä, with a solid academic track record. My main academic work has been research in the area of business ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Based on my research I have written around a hundred publications, of which about fifty can be seen as scientifically significant, in one way or another. I started as a business leadership major at the University of Jyväskylä in 1977. General studies sparked my interest in philosophy, and in time I became more and more interested in it. I graduated as a Master of Economics in 1982, at which point I had already done Advanced studies in Philosophy. Nevertheless, I did my postgraduate studies in economics and began to study corporate societal responsibility in 1983. At the same time I continued my studies in philosophy and graduated as a M.Sc (Philosophy) in 1986, the same year when I finished my licentiate’s work on societal responsibility for the Business Studies program in the University of Jyväskylä (Ph.D in Economics 1991). At that time, I was already also interested in the thematic of business ethics. These fields were not popular in economics at that...
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...Managers’ Ethical Evaluations of Earnings Management and Its Consequences* ERIC N. JOHNSON, University of Wyoming GARY M. FLEISCHMAN, University of Wyoming SEAN VALENTINE, University of North Dakota KENTON B. WALKER, University of Wyoming 1. Introduction and motivation The purpose of this study is to investigate, in an experimental setting, how favorable versus unfavorable organizational consequences influence managerial responses to an employee’s earnings management behavior. We focus on the following question: Do the ends of positive organizational consequences justify the means of earnings management? Earnings management is defined as ‘‘the choice by a manager of accounting policies so as to achieve specific objectives’’ (Scott 2003: 369). Earnings management can be fundamentally classified as either accounting related, involving the manipulation of accounting records through aggressive or fraudulent applications of accounting principles, or operating related, involving choices made by management regarding the timing of investment or operating activities, with the result that reported earnings are influenced by these choices (Lev 2003; Cohen, Dey, and Lys 2008; Roychowdhury 2006; Gunny 2010).1 The effect of earnings management on the value of the firm and the related issues of financial-based incentives for managing earnings has been widely examined in the accounting literature (e.g., Healy 1985; Dechow, Sloan, and Sweeney 1995, 1996; Healy and Wahlen 1999; Fields...
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