...Ethical and Moral Issues in Business Moral and ethical issues greet us each morning in the weekly paper, meet us at our jobs, and bid us good night on the nightly news. We are faced with the rights of the homeless and abortion, and sexual morality. Dealing with these moral and ethical issues is confusing particularly when people are trying to think through an ethical issue and defining what questions to ask and what causes should be reflected. The difference between ethics and morals can seem slightly logical to many. Morals describe individual character, while ethics stress a social system in which those morals are related. In other words, ethics point to principles or codes of behavior accepted by the group to which the individual fits. So while an individual’s moral code is normally unchanged, the ethics he or she practices can be other-dependent. An example of ethical and moral issue would be the ex-mayor of Detroit, Kwame Malik Kilpatrick. He used the city own cell phone to communicate with his child hood friend and lover to meet up for nights of intimacy or private talks. Mr. Kilpatrick illustrated adultery, disrespect to the people of Detroit and shame and humility to himself. In spite of all of that, Mr. Kilpatrick still have not learned his lesson by incurring new criminal charges with tax evasion with the federal government. A personal code of ethics is the heart of who a person is and his or her views. It's created on the rules and regulations an individual uses...
Words: 659 - Pages: 3
...Ethics and Moral Issues in Business BIS/216 September 14, 2011 Many businesses today have several issues to deal with on a daily. In this paper the subject to discuss is the differences between ethical and moral issues in business. Also discuss the differences on personal ethics and business ethics. Businesses have to be careful about dealing with the issues concerning moral and ethical dilemmas. Today’s businesses cannot afford any legal mishaps or wrong doings against the company. An ethical issue is the philosophical analysis of human morality and conduct. Moral issues are potential issues that help or harm anyone. The differences between these two issues are ethical deals with codified standards of behavior in a company, and a moral issue deals with actions right and fair. The website cfagbata.com said “companies are now realizing the importance of ethics in business that is crucial for them to succeed” (cfagbata, 2011, p. 1). Companies have to be very careful not to cross the lines between these two issues. The issues can cause confusion and disorder within the workplace if the business does not handle the issues properly. Personal ethics and business ethics are frequently foundation on the societies’ ideals and actions. The difference is one is personal dealing with that individual with the issue instead of the whole company itself. The business ethic is dealing with the company who issues or concerns became a problem within the workplace or environment...
Words: 592 - Pages: 3
...Applying Moral Philosophies to Business Ethics Moral philosophies - present guidelines for determining how conflicts in human interests are to be settled and for optimizing mutual benefit of people living together in groups. --There is no one correct way to resolve ethical issues in business. -- Each type of philosophy has a distinct basis for deciding whether a particular action is right or wrong. -- Ethics issues analyzed using different philosophical theories generally have the same appropriate outcome. Role Morality — people have a moral responsibility to fulfill their role in the organization Do employees have a moral responsibility to “do their jobs?” What are their responsibilities? Do employers have a moral responsibility to “do their jobs?” What are their responsibilities? How do employers handle conflicts in the different roles they perform? What if your superior wants you to carry out some responsibility, and your workgroup thinks this is unfair? What if some personal role conflicts with a work role? (Others roles include: student, parent, child, organization member, etc.) Moral Philosophy Perspectives 1. Teleology — egoism - enlightened egoism - utilitarianism 2. Deontology 3. Relativist Perspective 4. Virtue Ethics I. Teleology — consequences (consequentialist theories) egoism — right behavior is based on good consequences for the individual enlightened egoism — some basic “rules”...
Words: 1277 - Pages: 6
...Nova Southeastern University H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business & Entrepreneurship Assignment for Course: | MGT 5012: 21st Management Practices | Submitted to: | Dr. Bahaudin G. Mujtaba | Submitted by: | Kandis D. Gaines | | N01408070 | | 5800 Lake Pointe Village Cir #617 Orlando Fl 32822 | | 386-316-1449 | | | Date of Submission: December 8, 2013 Title of Assignment: Final Term Paper: Business Ethics and the Moral Foundation of Effective Leadership CERTIFICATION OF AUTHORSHIP: I certify that I am the author of this paper and that any assistance I received in its preparation is fully acknowledged and disclosed in the paper. I have also cited any sources from which I used data, ideas or words, either quoted directly or paraphrased. I also certify that this paper was prepared by me specifically for this course. Student's Signature: _____Kandis D. Gaines_________________________ ***************************************************************** Instructor's Grade on Assignment: Instructor's Comments: Business Ethics and the Moral Foundation of Effective Leadership Introduction In the global business spectrum, ethics play a huge role within any form of business where key ethical principles such as morals, values, and judgment determine the overall success and direction of the company. Managers and entrepreneurs who make moral determinations behind ethics build trust and create positive relationships with their employees, consumers...
Words: 4948 - Pages: 20
...Ethical and Moral Issues Gary L. MGT/216 May 26, 2011 Ethical and Moral Issues In this paper the writer will answer what is the relationship between ethical issues and moral issues, what are the differences between personal ethics and business ethics, and provide examples of common ethical problems in business for each of the previous questions. Ethics can be defined as first, “a set of moral principles or values,” and second, the principles, norms, and standards of conduct governing an individual or group. Now, the first definition can be portrayed as highly personal or relative and the second generally focuses on conduct. Morality, on the other hand, consists of rules of human behavior and specifies that certain actions are wrong or immoral and that others are right or moral. The moral point of view can be taken to evaluate human action. Some actions, such as murder, are recognized as being immoral. Others, such as helping one’s neighbor, are generally considered moral. The relationship between ethical and moral issues is essentially considering the difference between ethics and morals, morals define personal character, while ethics stress a social system in which those morals are applied, simply, to be considered ethical or unethical depends on what if any morals are compromised. Ethics can be observed from two different viewpoints, personal ethics (individual) and business ethics (group). Business ethics point to standards or codes of behavior expected by the...
Words: 549 - Pages: 3
...Ethical and Moral Issues in Business Ethical and Moral Issues in Business At first thought ethics and morals are the same meaning. However, they are completely different and have different meanings to different people. This paper will look at the differences between ethical issues and moral issues, the differences between personal and ethics and business ethics and provide examples of everyday ethical problems in the business world today. Ethical Issues and Moral Issues To understand the differences in ethical issues and moral issues, you must know the definition. Ethics is “ethics is a systematic attempt to make sense of our individual and social moral experience, in such a way as to determine the rules that ought to govern human conduct, the values worth pursuing, and the character traits deserving development in life.” (De George, 2010 p, 13). Moral “is approved by this society” according to De George, (2010) in Business Ethics. I work at the Boeing Company, our ethics policy does not allow for accepting business courtesies. This can create the perception of favorability, especially when concerning vendors and suppliers. However, there are cases when the employee can accept the gift and that is if it would only promote a successful working relationship and goodwill of Boeing interests. If not accepting a gift would harm the business relationship and create a cultural rift, then the employee is expected to accept the gift and to report and turn it in to...
Words: 748 - Pages: 3
...difference between ethical issues and moral issues. I will also explain the difference between personal ethics and business ethics. Then I will provide examples of common ethical problems in business for ethical issues, moral issues, personal ethics and business ethics. An ethical issue can be mirrored closely with a moral issue. According to Trevino and Nelson (2007), ethics can be defined as “a set of moral principles or values,” a definition that portrays ethics as highly personal and relative pg 13. Does that definition sound familiar? According to Merriam-Webster the definition of moral is “of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior: ethical”. An ethical issue has to be evaluated as a set of standards that most people deem as right or wrong however, a moral issue has more to do with the belief of an individual person of right or wrong. Ethical issues and moral issues are like walking a fine line therefore, making these issues differ is rather its personal or business. The term ethics can be described both in personal and business. Personal ethics is something that is a moral principle of a person’s belief. Ethics can be defined as “a set of moral principles or values,” a definition that portrays ethics as highly personal and relative (Trevino & Nelson, p. 13, 2007). This is based upon the personal ideals of what’s right or wrong. The choices that we make and the consequences behind them play a role in personal ethics. What are your personal values, morality...
Words: 595 - Pages: 3
...Business Ethics Education RES/351 Business Ethics Education The research that will be described in the paper that follows is about Business ethics education, exploring the question whether a course on the ethical decision-making in business could positively influence students, moral efficacy, moral meaningfulness, and moral courage. To investigate whether a graduate-level course in business ethics could influence students in the areas previous mentioned, a rigorous quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a treatment and control group was used. Findings revealed that students who took part in the business ethics treatment course, compared to the control group, experienced significant positive increase in all three areas. Ethics are norms or standards of behavior that guides moral choices about our behavior and our relationships with others. The goal of ethics in any place of business or in research is to see that no one is harmed, or suffers any consequences from job-related activities or research (Cooper, 2014,). There are two different approaches to ethics: a negative approach, or a positive approach. The negative approach will have a more narrow focus on enforceable rules, prohibited behaviors, and sanctions for misconduct, while a positive approach to ethics includes the promotion of positive morally praiseworthy ideals and behavior. MORAL EFFICACY The research here is to try and gain and understanding of the potential effect on business ethics education...
Words: 827 - Pages: 4
...and Moral Issues in Business Barbara Douglass MGT/216 February 5, 2011 Brigitte Culberson-Austin Ethical and Moral Issues in Business Ethical and moral issues have been an issue since the dawn of civilization. It has never been more important than how business deals with these issues. Ethics and moral behavior is essential to any successful business and its environment. Morals and ethics are two separate entities, but depend on each other for successful decision making. Sometimes the line between morals and ethics can become blurred and making the right decision can be difficult and not as clear-cut as one would think. Understanding the differences between ethics and morals and moral and ethical behavior is relevant to decision making. Differences between Ethics and Morals Understanding the differences between ethics and morals may be difficult for some. At times they can be confused for one another. Morals values are standards of right and wrong. Morals are taught over our years of growing up. These could consist of right and wrong behavior when we are children or right and wrong sexual issues as teens and young adults. These are generally instilled on us by our parents or our religious beliefs. Ethics is applying our moral standards to our environment. Our decision to do something that we consider immoral may not be unethical and our decision to do something unethical is not necessarily immoral. Personal Ethics versus Business Ethics ...
Words: 624 - Pages: 3
...Ethical and Moral Issues in Business Ethics and morals are often used interchangeably, but they are not quite the same. Ethics can be applied personally or in the business world, and the processes in these two situations can be different. This essay will explore the difference between ethical and moral issues, and personal and business ethics. Examples will also be given to demonstrate these issues in the business world. Ethics and Morals Every person has different life experiences, and these life experiences work together to create individual personalities. The core values of a person are defined as his or her morals. But ethics and morals are often interchanged because they are so closely related. In actuality, ethics applies morals. Ethics tend to be more standardized in relation to social acceptance. Trevino and Nelson define ethics as “the principles, norms, and standards of conduct governing an individual or group” (Trevino & Nelson, 2007, Ch. 1). Morals act as a basis for ethical decisions. Personal morals will differ among people. For example, one person believes that eating meat is not morally right, but another person believes that eating meat is just a normal part of life and therefore morally acceptable. These are simply differences in moral values. This can be an important factor in business when hiring a new employee. Employers will want to make sure that a potential employee has a moral set that will be workable with the business’s ethics. Ethics are tied closely...
Words: 573 - Pages: 3
...issues and moral issues. A description of the differences between personal ethics and business ethics will be discussed. Also examples of common ethical problems in business for the ethical issues will be discussed in this paper. Differences between ethical issues and moral issues Morals issues pertain to personal character and focus on right and wrong. Ethics issues pertain to a social system in which those morals are applied. It is said that ethics issues are standard s or codes of behavior expected by the group to which an individual belongs. The two issues co-inside with each other and for there to be an ethical issues there are three main components that needs to be present. They are non-moral facts, concepts, and the moral, or ethical aspects. The difference will be moral deal with belief and involves a factual disagreement in belief. Moral issues do not involve a disagreement in attitude or in feeling. “Ethics involves the sphere of interpersonal, group, and community politics at the level of values—not just what can be achieved or how to achieve it, but more what should be sought, in the realm of social harmony and fairness. It is the complexity of the other side of individualism—other than taking care of oneself, what do we want our collective to do or refrain from doing? Ethics looks at our proper relations, our duties to each other, individually and collectively” (Blatner, 2006, para. 4). Differences between personal ethics and business ethics ...
Words: 555 - Pages: 3
...Business Ethics Beverley Sullivan Introduction to Management and Leadership Walden University February 13, 2015 Introduction Business Ethics is a crucial aspect of any organization, and all successful organizations should adhere to business ethics. Business Ethics emphasizes that organizations adhere to the moral and ethical principles when undertaking day to day operations. I will define ethics and look at what are our moral beliefs. Explain the purpose of ethics and ethics in business, highlight ethical dilemmas, and provide an example of unethical practices involving government officials. Business Ethics Definitions The word ethics is derived from the Greek word Ethos and has a number of meanings. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary gives several definitions of ethics, including a set of moral principles or values. One example describe the word as a theory or system of moral values or the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group. If one looks at the purpose of ethics/morality and the common conception of the purpose of business one can make a reasonably good case that business ethics is an oxymoron. The argument would run along the following lines. To the extent that business and the market in which it flourishes is driven by an unconstrained pursuit of self-interest. Without ethics, business could not function since it requires a great deal of trust and integrity. Duska, R. F. (2007). Business Ethics is the moral analysis...
Words: 1504 - Pages: 7
...Ethical and Moral Issues in Business Ethics and morals go hand-in-hand in workplaces and organizations should be concerned about ethics and morals. Businesses that operate ethically and morally depend on how the managers, and employees behave, how they interact with each, and with customers. In this paper the difference between ethical issues and moral issues, differences between personal ethics and business ethics, and examples of common ethical problems in business will be discussed. Differences between ethical issues and moral issues Ethics and morals may seem the same but there is a difference. Ethical issues define the code used by a group or society of people. The ethics that people adhere to uses external factors, such as society, peer group, profession, and religion, and may change if any of the influencing factors changes ( Trevino & Nelson, 2007). For example, in England fox hunting was an ethical tradition until a legislation was put into place because of the protest of the evil nature of fox hunting and became unethical. Ethics are well defined and laid down; for example, professionals such as doctors and lawyers knows the ethics of their professions. A doctor will not divulge or discuss his or her patients medical history with anyone but the patient unless given authority by the patient or required by law. Also a lawyer will not compromise his or her client’s interest. Moral issues focus on the right and wrong and do not change. For example, it will always...
Words: 756 - Pages: 4
...Ethical and Moral Issues in Business Steven Colon MGT/216 August 16, 2011 Mike Moreno Abstract In the following paper one will know about what an ethical issue is and a moral issue is, and examples of an ethical and moral issue. One will also learn about personal ethics and business ethics and how they are similar, but different. Ethical and Moral Issues in Business People have always questioned whether ethical issues and moral issues are the same, or if personal ethics, and business ethics are different. In this paper one will be able to see the differences between ethical and moral issues, the differences between personal ethics and business ethics while reading about real-world examples of common ethical problems in businesses for each of the above. Ethical Issues Many people believe that ethical issues and moral issues are the same thing, but in reality they are not. “our definition of ethics—the principles, norms, and standards of conduct governing an individual or group—focuses on conduct” (Trevino, & Nelson, (2007), p. 13). An ethical issue will require an individual or organization to make a decision between alternatives that must be weighed as an ethical or unethical decision. An unethical situation would be someone sacrificing people’s safety to obtain the completion of an assigned objective. Moral Issues “When we speak of morality, we refer to our judgments of right and wrong, and good and bad” (DeGeorge, (2010), p. 24). Moral issues...
Words: 644 - Pages: 3
...Morals and Ethics in Society Kalob Lisk Rasmussen College Author Note This paper is being submitted on July 14, 2016, for Thomas Santangelo’s B406 Business Law and Ethical Behavior course. Morals and Ethics in Society Morals and ethics in society play major roles in our lives and our work environments and I am more than happy to write this research paper to help explain the similarities and its key differences. And this research paper will also include where both morals and ethics derived from and what can cause both of these. How can ethics or morals affect the work atmosphere and even outside of work. And with ethics and morals the key difference is that ethics comes from the social system and can be an external factor, while morals can be derived from the individual and is an internal factor. Ethics can be linked back to the Greek word “ethos” (Diffen, 2016) meaning “character”. And according to Merriam-Webster the full definition of ethos “The distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature, or guiding beliefs of a person, group or institution”. (Merriam-Webster, 2016) Ethical behavior can be motivated by self-interest, or some intuitive sense of right and wrong and this can stem from our social system which I briefly describe in the first paragraph is an external factor. And consequently there is no clear-cut blueprint of ethics that you can use to project your business’ reputation and well-being of your employees and customers (Small Business, 2016)...
Words: 1023 - Pages: 5
