Values and Ethical Decision Making

Values and Ethical Decision Making Personal values and organizational values are very similar. Both are beliefs or missions used to aid in the decision making process. The difference in the two is in the title; personal values are on a personal level and can vary throughout an organization. The organizational values are built into the culture of the company and should emphasize the mission statement. Values are so central to individuals’ personality and cognitive structure (as cited in Pitts and Woodside, 1991) that “they influence every facet of human behavior” (as cited in Rokeach, 1973, p. 24) – attitudes, decisions, moral judgments, evaluations, and social action. “Values are, thus, prime drivers of personal, social, and professional choices” (Saur & Khuntia, 2010, p. 443). With a concern to ethical decision making, personal and organizational values play a vital role in the decision making process. The topic of ethics itself is catching the attention of businesses and their leaders all around the globe (Rottig, Koufteros, & Umphress, 2011). Everyone wants to make and enforce sound ethical decisions because nobody wants to be the next WorldCom, Tyco, Enron, CitiBank (Japan), Arthur Anderson, Merrill Lynch, or Adelphia. This paper will discuss a fictional organization’s mission and background. The results from an ethical perspective self-assessment will lead up to cogitation between an individual and company’s decision based on personal and organizational values. Organization Values and ethical decisions are intertwined at Patton-Fuller Community Hospital (PFCH) and are important to their success. The hospital, like many other organizations, identifies how it conducts business transactions and how it deals with people. Determinations or decisions within the hospital are established by accepted standards, which line up with PFCH’s purpose and mission and use to regulate the behavior of

References: Apollo Group, Inc. (2011). Patton-Fuller Community Hospital. PFCH-home. Retrieved from MGT/521- Management course website. Rottig, D., Koufteros, X., & Umphress, E. (2011). Formal infrastructure and ethical decision making: An empirical investigation and implications for supply management University of Phoenix. (2011). Week Three web link: Williams Institute Ethics Awareness Inventory Assessment