Ethical perspectives and styles vary among individuals. All types of ethical decisions, personal and business, are based on individual ethical perspectives and styles. The four prominent categories of ethical philosophy consist of character/virtue, obligation/deontology, results/utilitarianism, and equity/relativism. These ethical perspectives, when assessed correctly, can provide insight into general views and approaches used in making personal and business decisions. Character, obligation, results, and equity ethical perspectives and styles have a major impact on organizational decisions. Individuals and groups in a business environment are required to make solid ethical decisions that impact the entire organization; therefore, it is imperative to have a clear understanding of ethical perspectives, styles, and behaviors. Based on the ethics awareness inventory my ethical perspective is most likely to be based on obligation and is least likely to be based on equity. All of these ethical perspectives, styles, and associated frustrations will be discussed in the following.
Based on my ethical perspective profile I tend to base most of my ethical decisions on obligation, which is to do what is morally right. Obligation perspective is about making decisions based on moral duty and what is believed to be appropriate under any circumstances. Rather than focusing on the results I look into the intent behind individual actions and the actions of others. My ethical principles must be appropriate under any circumstances, respectful of human dignity, and committed to promoting individual freedom and autonomy. I believe that human beings have an intrinsic value and that all individuals should be able to make their own choices. Having the ability to make individual choices is the single most important aspect of the decision making process. There are some frustrating ethical dilemmas that I face, such as; what I consider to be the right