WGU D072 – Understanding Ethics and Leadership in Business Success | Verified study set with Complete solutions | 2026 Updates | 100% correct

lOMoAR cPSD| 61371432




WGU D072 – Understanding Ethics and Leadership in Business
Success | Verified study set with Complete solutions | 2026
Updates | 100% correct



D072 – Success In Business
Common Ethical Issues
• Definitions o Ethics: Philosophy that looks at all aspects of human behavior
 Personal ethics are those that influence my daily decisions
(honesty, integrity, respect, etc.)
 Organizational ethics are the values and standards that influence a
company’s decisions, such as corporate governance and sustainability
• Values vs. Morals vs. Ethics o V: Core beliefs that guide behavior; distinguish
right from wrong; shape our personalities; if they are shared in a community
those are then called morals; value success so you work late; value friendship
so you help them
 Stable, enduring goals or principles that are important to the
individual at their core
• I value hard work; I value loyalty; I value family
 Most important to an individual; honesty, integrity, trustworthiness
 Unique characteristics is that they are stable and enduring beliefs that
last a lifetime
 Foundation for person’s ethics o M: Rules derived from core values
that guide actions; can be individual or shared; honesty, loyalty,
respect
 Rules that people develop and live by (based on cultural norms and
beliefs)
• I think drug use is immoral; I think divorce is immoral
 Moral dilemma: When our morals conflict with each other; do bad
thing for good reason
 Morals can be more subjective
 Morals: A system of beliefs that emerge out of their values and norms;
things your parents taught you
• Be a good sport; help someone up, etc.
o E: Rules of right and wrong in society (less personal than morals); do no harm; lawyers
defend clients; etc. broader terms
 Ethics is essentially our morals and values in action

, lOMoAR cPSD| 61371432




 People will judge by our behaviors
• Ethics vs. Law o Ethical companies tend to outperform peers in the long run
o Laws tend to protect one party from another; personal ethics can help fill
the void
 Things that are legal are not always ethical
 Laws are not always perfect – they can result in negative outcomes sometimes
 We must rely on ethics to arrive at the right outcomes
o Many actions are gray and may be legal-unethical or illegal-ethical
dilemmas
o Conflicts of interest: personal interests conflict with the interests of
the business, producing biased or unethical outcomes
o Examples
 Ethical legal: Physical treating sick patient
 Ethical illegal: Speeding to get to hospital
 Unethical legal: Child labor in 3rd world
 Unethical illegal: Stealing phone
• Ethics & Organizations o SOX – aims to improve corporate disclosures;
executives must certify disclosure docs, and empower auditors
 Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) provides orgs guidance to stay in
compliance with accounting activities o Leadership must establish an ethical tone for an
organization o Organizational ethics: principles that guide what is right vs wrong in an
organization
o 4 levels where issues can be encountered
 Societal
 Stakeholder
 Internal
 Personal
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) o Dates back to the 1920s -> more
responsibility than just making profits o Elective decisions by a company to
help society; aim to improve society and the environment while still pursing
profits and maximizing shareholder value
o Lots of stakeholders may be involved:
 Community members
 Employees
 Customers
 Shareholders
 Suppliers
 Government
o Social Entrepreneurship: Using business innovation to address
social/environmental issues
o Value of CSR
 Build trust with shareholders by creating positive PR and
upholding high ethical standards