Business Ethics
BES401: BUSINESS ETHICS & SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
WEEK I - INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS Definition of ethics
Ethics is the discipline dealing with what is good or bad, or what is right or wrong or specifically with moral duty and obligation.
Ethics has been defined as “inquiry into the nature and grounds of morality where the term morality is taken to mean moral judgment, standards and rules of conduct.
It has also been called the study and philosophy of human conduct with an emphasis on the determination of right and wrong”.
The American Heritage dictionary offers this definition of ethics as “the study of the general moral choices, moral philosophy and the rules or standards governing the conduct of members of a profession”.
Ethics could also be described as the study of how our decisions affect other people or as the study of people’s rights and duties and the rules that people apply in making decisions. In business we cannot avoid ethical issues just like in other areas of our lives.
Ethics involves learning what is right or wrong, and then doing the right thing but “the right thing” is not nearly as straightforward as conveyed in a great deal of business ethics literature. Most ethical dilemmas in the workplace are not simply a matter of “Should Bob steal from Jack?” or “Should Jack lie to his boss?’ (Many ethicists assert there’s always a right thing to do based on moral principle, and others believe the right thing to do depend on the situation – ultimately it’s up to the individual.) Many philosophers consider ethics to be the “science of conduct.” Ethics includes the fundamental ground rules by which we live our lives.
Values which guide how we ought to behave are considered moral values, e.g., values such as respect, honesty, fairness, responsibility etc. Statements around how these values are applied are sometimes called moral or ethical principles.
Business Ethics
Business ethics also called managerial ethics is the application of
WEEK I - INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS Definition of ethics
Ethics is the discipline dealing with what is good or bad, or what is right or wrong or specifically with moral duty and obligation.
Ethics has been defined as “inquiry into the nature and grounds of morality where the term morality is taken to mean moral judgment, standards and rules of conduct.
It has also been called the study and philosophy of human conduct with an emphasis on the determination of right and wrong”.
The American Heritage dictionary offers this definition of ethics as “the study of the general moral choices, moral philosophy and the rules or standards governing the conduct of members of a profession”.
Ethics could also be described as the study of how our decisions affect other people or as the study of people’s rights and duties and the rules that people apply in making decisions. In business we cannot avoid ethical issues just like in other areas of our lives.
Ethics involves learning what is right or wrong, and then doing the right thing but “the right thing” is not nearly as straightforward as conveyed in a great deal of business ethics literature. Most ethical dilemmas in the workplace are not simply a matter of “Should Bob steal from Jack?” or “Should Jack lie to his boss?’ (Many ethicists assert there’s always a right thing to do based on moral principle, and others believe the right thing to do depend on the situation – ultimately it’s up to the individual.) Many philosophers consider ethics to be the “science of conduct.” Ethics includes the fundamental ground rules by which we live our lives.
Values which guide how we ought to behave are considered moral values, e.g., values such as respect, honesty, fairness, responsibility etc. Statements around how these values are applied are sometimes called moral or ethical principles.
Business Ethics
Business ethics also called managerial ethics is the application of