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UNITbONE
INTRODUCTIONbTObBUSINESSbETHICSb
LESSONbONE
ETHICS
1.1bWhatbisbEthics?
Definedbfrombthebsourcebofbthebwordbthebtermb"ethics"bisbderivedbfrombthebGreekbwordb"ethos"ba
ndbLatinbwordb“Ethicus”bwhichbmeansbcustomborbcharacterbreferringbtobcharacterborbcustomsborb
acceptedbbehaviours.
Ethicsbcanbbebdefinedbasbabprinciplebofbconductbgoverningbanbindividualborbabgroup.bFrombthisbd
efinitionbwebcanbnoticebfewbpowerbwordsbasbprinciple,bconduct,bgovernanceb&bindividualsba
ndbgroups.
Thebwholebpurposebinbhavingbethicsbisbtobtheboverallbbenefitbofbindividualsbandbgroups.bThesebt
wobarebthebcornerbstonesbofbanybsociety.bSocietybisbabmakingbofbthebeffortsbofbindividualsbasbwell
asbgroups.bHumansbhavebabpredominantbcharacterbofbexpressingbthemselvesbasb abpersonbofboneb
b
ownbandbpartbofbabcertainbgroup.bThebgroupbcanbtakebabformbofbreligious,bethnicity,bnationality,bl
anguagebandbtheblike.bThebmajorbpointbinbherebisbthebideabofbunderstandingbethicsbaimsbtobworkbb
othbatbthebpersonalbandbgroupblevelbwhenbdealingbwithbhumans.
Conductbisbthebwaybhumansbbehave.bPsychologicalbstudiesbhavebrevealedbthebfactbthatbhumansbb
ehavebasbindividualbandbgroupblevel.bSomebpeoplebactbinbonebwaybbeingbalonebwhilebtheybactbdif
ferentlybwhenbwithbpeopleborbabcertainbgroup.bActionsbdefinebwhobabpersonbisbandbentailbconseq
uences.bForbinstancebthebactbofbabstudentbmissingbclassbconsecutivelybwillbendbupbwithbabresultbofb
nobgradebonbthebcoursebhebwasbabsent.bNGbinbthisbcontextbisbthebresultbofbconductbofbabstudentbwh
obmissedbtoobmuchbclass.bWebshallbthenbunderstandbconductbtobmeanbthebwaybonebexpressbhimse
lf,bthebbehaviourbhebisbassociatedbwith,bthebactionbhebisbindulgebin.
Governancebrefersbtobthebprocessbofbcontrollingbandbshapingbhowbabcertainbactionbshallbbebcarrie
dbabout.bThebgovernorbisbonebwithbresponsibilitybthatbchaosbisbcontrolledbandbstabilitybisbreigned
.bWhenbethicsbisbdefinedbasbabsubjectbofbgovernancebitbisbtobmeanbthatbtob abcertainbextentbitbwillbs
eebwhetherbabbehaviourborbactionbofbhumansbisbinblinebwithbcertainbexpectedbstandardsbwhichbwe
referredbinbthebtermbprinciples.
b
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Principlesbarebthebguidelines,bstandards,brulesbthatbenablebusbjudgebthebconductbofbhumans.bInbor
derbtobcategorizebdifferentbconductsbasbacceptableborbnotbtherebmustbbebabcertainbcriteriabinbplace
whichbwillbenablebusbcomparebthebconductbunderbscrutiny.bInbthebabsencebofbclearbbenchbmarksb
b
governancebcannotbbebcontemplated.
Hencebethicsbbybsettingbcertainbstandardsbandbexpectingbindividualsbandbgroupsbtobstickbtobthemb
triesbtobgovernbhowbpeoplebconductbthemselvesbinbtheirbdaybtobdaybendeavours.
Ethicsbisb alsob definedb asbabstudybofbmorality.b Moralsb arebthebcharactersboneb isb describedb with.bIt
isblinkedbwithbthebbehaviourbonebisbassociated.bWebwillbhavebabvastb discussionbonbthebnotionsbo
b
fbmoralitybinbthebcomingblessons.bForbthisbintroductorybpartbjustbknowbethicsbisbabsubjectbconcern
edbwithbthebdetailbstudiesbofbmoralsborbcharactersbofbhumansbinborderbtobassessbthebbehaviourban
dbcategorizebitbasbrightbandbwrong.bThisbisbthebreasonbwhybethicsbisbsaidbtobbebabdisciplinebthatbst
udiesbmoralbstandards.bThebmeasurementbandbpointbofbreferencebforbabrightbbehaviourborbcharact
erbisbsetbbybethics.bTobthebextentbofbethicsbconcernbinb developingbstandardsbitbhasbbeenbdefinedba
sbabsciencebofbconduct.bAsbyouballbknowbsciencebisbabtermbwebemploybforbknowledgebthatbcanbbeb
provedbempirically.bAlthoughbthebconductbofbabpersonbcanbseemb tob beb ab thingb ofb abstractb and
b outb ofb theb quantitativeb discussionsb andb parametersb ofbsciencebasblongbasbethicsbstrivesbtobsetb
anbacceptedbpointbofbstandardbregardingbhowbpeoplebshouldbbehavebandbwhatbtheybshallbdobandb
don’tbaddedbthebendbresultbofbbuildingbabwell-
b functioningbsociety,bitbisbproperbtobdefinebethicsbasbabscience.
Historybofbknowledgebtellsbusbthatbethicsbcomebasbonebbranchbofbphilosophy.bWhenborganizedbk
nowledgebsurfacebitselfbinbformbofbacademiabinbancientbGreekbthebgeneralbeffortbbybwisebmenbtob
enablebsocietybenlightenbitselfbwasbstructuredbinbtobdifferentbschoolsb underbthebgeneralbthemebofb
philosophy.bThebtermbphilosophybisbequatedbwithbablovebofbknowledge.bOfbthisblovebEthicsbbrea
ksbinbtobabclassbofbitsbownbspecializingbonbthebdiscoursebofbrightbandbwrongbactions.bBybbasingbac
ceptedbsocietalbnormsbasbtobhowbpeoplebbehavebandbwhatbonebisballowedbtobdoborbnotbitbquestions
thebpropernessborbnotbofbacceptedbmoralbstandards.bSeenbinbthisbangelbthebdebatebofbwhatbisbthebr
b
ightbactionbisbstillbonebthatbhasn’tbseenbthebsignedbandbsealedbfatebofbconsensusbamongbscholarbm
akingbethicalbdiscoursebforeverbanew.bAsbbranchbofbphilosophybethicsbisbdefinedbasbabsystematicb
studybofbselectivebchoice,bstandardsbofbrightbandbwrongbbybwhichbitbmaybultimatelybbebdirected.b
Thebtermbselectivebchoicebisbindicativebofbthebendbresultbethicsb desires.b Afterb anb exhaustiveb pres
entationb ofb theb differentb choicesb ab personb shouldb takebinbabsituationbitbisbexpectedbonebwillbbebdir
ectedbtowardsbthebethicalbchoices.
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OnebmustbnotbconfusebDescriptivebethicsbfrombNormativebethicsbinbdefiningbEthics.bDescriptive
ethicsbisbnotbconsideredbethicsbperbsebasbthebprimarybmotivebisbsimplyblistingbdownbhowbpeoplebb
b
ehavebinbdifferentbcircumstances.bThebfailurebtobbebcriticalbofbactionsbandbthebfailurebinbdirecting
peoplebtobactbinbabcertainbmannerbisbgenerallybtakenbasbabweaknessbofbdescriptivebethics.bTobtheb
b
contrarybnormativebethicsbdealsbwithbthebquestionbofbwhatboughtbtobbe.bItbsetsbstandardsbandbnor
msbforbthebgroupbunderbinvestigationbbybgoingbbeyondbordinarybmoralbquestionbofbwhetherbabcer
tainbactionbisbrightborbwrong.bAlthoughbethicsbcanbbebapproachedbinbbothbdescriptivebandbnormat
ivebwaybtheboverwhelmingbmajoritybofbethicalbcoursesbarebshapedbinbnormativebapproaches.bThi
sbisbalsobthebcasebforbourbbusinessbethicsbcourse.bYoubwillbbebwellbversedbwithbthebunderstanding
ofbthisbdistinctionboncebyoubstartbtobindulgebtobthebdifferentblessonsbatbhand.
b
Questions
✓ Whatbarebthebmajorbwords/phrasesbusedbinbdefiningbethics?
✓ Whatbisbthebmeaningborbideabbehindbthesebmajorbwords?
✓ Findb threeb otherb definitionsb ofb ethicsb andb compareb andb contrastb sameb withb theb onebp
rovidedbinbtheseblesson?
1.2. OBJECTIVESbOFbETHICS
Bybnowbyoubhavebalreadybspottedbthebcorebobjectivesbbehindbthebstudybofbethicsbfrombthebdefinit
ionsbprovided.bInborderbtobbuildbupbonbthatbfoundationbletsblistbdownbthebbasicbobjectivesbofbethic
albstudy.
1. Definebthebgreatestbgoodbforbhumansbandbestablishbabstandard-
bTheb“goodb life’’bwasbthebquestionbtobwhomballbgreatbphilosophersbofbthebworldbtriedbtob
providebanbanswerbfor.bThebgreatestbgoodbtowardsbwhichballbhumansbgearbtheirbenergybw
ithbthebhopebofbcreatingbabworldbjustbforballbmustbbebidentifiedbinborderbtobsetbstandardsbth
atbcanbenablebpeoplebachievebthem.bAbclosebevaluationbofbethicalbtheoriesbendbupbinbtelli
ngbpeoplebhowbtobbehavebinborderbtobcreatebthebutopiabofbourbrealbworld.
2. Establishbnormsbofbbehaviour-
bstandardsbofbethicsbtendbtobendbupbbeingbnormsbofbconduct.bItbisbthebobjectivebofbethicalbt
heoriesbtobshapebhowbpeoplebbehavebandbsetbthisbstandardsbasbthebnormalbofbdaybtobdaybli
fe.
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3. Assessingbhumanbbehaviourbasbmoralbandbimmoral-
bthebstandardsbarebinbplacebtobjudgebbehavioursbasbrightbandbwrong.bEthicsbestablishesbthe
bfineblinebthatbhelpsbusbidentifybabcertainbactbasbproperbandbmoralborbunacceptablebandbim
moral.
4. Prescriptionsbofbmoralbbehavioursbinbdo’sbandbdon’ts-
bthebnormativebnaturebofbethicsbisbmanifestedbasbitbclaimsbtoborderbpeoplebengagebinbcertai
nbactsbandbcallbpeoplebtobrefrainbfrombcertainbtypesbofbbehaviours.bThebdo’sbarebthosebbeh
avioursbwithbthebsetbnormbandbstandardbsobmoralbandbencouragebwhilebthebdon’tsbarebthos
ebwhichbwillbgobcontrarybtobthebgreatestbgoodbhencebimmoralbandbonebtobavoidborbnotbeng
agebwith.
5. Expressingbopinionbonbhumanbconduct-
bethicsbisbabdevicebforbholdingbopinionbonbactionsbofbpeoplebbasedbonblogicbandbscientificb
analysisbratherbthanbabmerebpersonalbbiasborbpreference.
Generallybtheboverallbaimbofbethicsbisbthebdevelopmentbofbabmoralbstandardbwhichbarebre
asonable,bcarefullybthoughtbofbandbwithbjustificationsbwhichbarebtobbebappliedbinbdaybtobd
ayblifebdecisionsbofbhumans.
DanielbCallahanbinbanbarticlebthatbdiscussesbcoursesbinbbusinessbethicsbhavebsingledboutbfi
vebcorebaimsbinbanbethicalbcourse.bBorrowingbhisbtermsbatbthebendbofbthisbparticularbcours
ebst.maryanbbusinessbstudentsbarebexpectedbto
❖ Stimulatebyourbmoralbimagination-
btobstartbthinkingbaboutbrightbandbwrongbactionbinbabmorebconsistentbway
❖ Recognizebethicalbissues-
btobidentifybthebcorebethicalbissuesbraisedbinbthebbusinessbenvironment
❖ Elicitbyourbsensebofbmoralbobligation-
btobmotivateboneselfbinbconsideringbthebmoralbobligationbwheneverbsuchbisbinbque
stion
❖ Developbyourbanalyticalbskills-
btobgrowbinbthebanalysisbprocessbbybworkingbonbbothbhypotheticalbandbrealbbusine
ssbcasesbwithbmoralbquestion
❖ Toleratebandbreducebdisagreementsbandbambiguities-
bbybappreciatingbthebvariousbethicalbtheoriesbinbplacebtobbebopenbforbabthoroughbd
iscoursebonbmoralitybthanbbebjudgemental.
Questions
✓ Statebthebbasicbobjectivesbofbthebstudybofbethicsbinbabparagraph?
4b|bPb ab gb e