Making Ethical and Unethical Decisions
Introduction
In article seven, ‘How to Make Unethical Decisions,’ I read about how people choose to solve problems and make decisions. The highlighted problem associated, is that many people hastily make decisions without putting too much thought into them. Sometimes the use of ethical judgment can be put on the backburner and determining appropriate actions is heavily affected. It is important to analyze and understand commonly used unethical decision making practices, as well as look at appropriate guides that can assist in determining ethical actions.
Unsophisticated Decision Making Methods
The article touches on unsophisticated decision making tools and techniques. I think it is important to look at some of these examples and understand why they may even be used at all. Some of these practices include: flipping a coin; enee, meenie, minee, mo; and other popular methods like simply picking a number. (Sikula & Sikula, 2008) The truly shocking part is that people rely on these methods with more frequency than one would presume. Sikula & Sikula (2008) go on to elaborate on how people are “immobilized” by difficult decisions. “They procrastinate indefinitely, do nothing, and let the chips fall where they may.” I can relate to this observation as I, as I’m sure most have witnessed it first-hand and may have even participated in from time to time. One of the most dangerous decision making methods, is to rely on the past. Things in life are bound to change, it’s inevitable. As circumstances vary, doing things the same year after year is a sure path to failure, sooner than later. (Sikula & Sikula, 2008)
Justifying Your Choices
When you involve one’s personality or even ego, pointing out that their rationales may not be very rational, it can prove to be rather difficult. People can get very defensive and will view it as a personal attack. So, what are these commonly used choice rationales, you may ask? Some include common sense, gut reaction, self interest, or even
In article seven, ‘How to Make Unethical Decisions,’ I read about how people choose to solve problems and make decisions. The highlighted problem associated, is that many people hastily make decisions without putting too much thought into them. Sometimes the use of ethical judgment can be put on the backburner and determining appropriate actions is heavily affected. It is important to analyze and understand commonly used unethical decision making practices, as well as look at appropriate guides that can assist in determining ethical actions.
Unsophisticated Decision Making Methods
The article touches on unsophisticated decision making tools and techniques. I think it is important to look at some of these examples and understand why they may even be used at all. Some of these practices include: flipping a coin; enee, meenie, minee, mo; and other popular methods like simply picking a number. (Sikula & Sikula, 2008) The truly shocking part is that people rely on these methods with more frequency than one would presume. Sikula & Sikula (2008) go on to elaborate on how people are “immobilized” by difficult decisions. “They procrastinate indefinitely, do nothing, and let the chips fall where they may.” I can relate to this observation as I, as I’m sure most have witnessed it first-hand and may have even participated in from time to time. One of the most dangerous decision making methods, is to rely on the past. Things in life are bound to change, it’s inevitable. As circumstances vary, doing things the same year after year is a sure path to failure, sooner than later. (Sikula & Sikula, 2008)
Justifying Your Choices
When you involve one’s personality or even ego, pointing out that their rationales may not be very rational, it can prove to be rather difficult. People can get very defensive and will view it as a personal attack. So, what are these commonly used choice rationales, you may ask? Some include common sense, gut reaction, self interest, or even
References: Quinn, P. (1999). Divine command theory, published in Hugh Lafollette (Ed.). The Blackwell Guide to Ethical Theory. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. Sikula, A. & Sikula, J. (2008). How to make unethical decisions, published in Annual Editions: Business Ethics (Ed.10/11), pg.19