Ethically Defensible Decision Making
Danaa Ross
Management 350
Robert (Mick) Collins
February 05, 2004
Thus far in class we have learned to increase our problem solving skills by using different critical thinking tools; however, we have not yet broached the subject of ethics. Here now, I will discuss how ethics and decisions blend together to blur the lines of fairness and profitability, in business, and in the workplace; only to make your everyday job all that more challenging. But before I launch into a discussion on "ethically defensible decisions", first I will explain the term. I will define the elements of an ethically defensible decision, and give examples of ethically defensible decisions you might encounter in your workplace.
After this is understood, I will describe to you a situation that occurred where the lines were blurred in my workplace, and I chose to use critical thinking to overcome the potential disaster. After the situation is clear, I will spend some time discussing ground rules, which are a part of ethical decision making, whether written or implied. Finally, I will summarize with implications of decision making.
The word ethics means different things to different people. Depending on where you grew up, who you were raised by, what kind of family life you had, what race you were, etc. etc. There have been many scholars who can argue that ethics is an essential part of who we are. People are attracted to others who have similar ethics that they themselves hold dear to their heart. They in return pass these ethics down to their offspring. What is unethical to one person can be perfectly acceptable to another. For this reason, it is difficult to agree on a definition of ethics. For the
References: Oxford English Dictionary Online, UOP Library, Retrieved February 3, 2004 from http://www.apollolibrary.com:2086/cgi/entry/00078469/00078469se2?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=ethics&edition=2e&first=1&max_to_show=10&hilite=00078469se2 The Josephson Institute, Retrieved February 4, 2004 from http://www.josephsoninstitute.org/MED/MED-intro+toc.htm