Fundamentals of Ethics - Research Paper Example

Fundamentals of Ethics Ethics involves the study of methods and doctrines that are applied to differentiate righteousfrom evil and right from the wrong actions. Ethics is integral to communities, and it is essential to scholars, because it helps people to understand, why an act is better than another. It ensures that there is order in social life, by offering humanity some ground for agreement, and comprehending some principles, or rules of systems. Ethics also entails that ethical conduct and moral procedures, from the past and current ones are astutely assessed and criticized as well as seek to exhibit to people the value true worth of life. Ethics assumes that people are rationale beings, and they are free. These assumptions are critical since they affect the level of people’s moral responsibility. Ethics involves two objects, which are physical or nonphysical. In the physical object involves the doer of an action while nonphysical object consists of the act being performed by the doer. Moral acts of human are viewed as being official ethical objects, because they comprise moral values. Therefore, in each decision that man makes, either in business or government, we are always subjected to approach such issues, if they are moral judgments, or whether they are objective. Ethics entails individuals to express insights in aspects of reality, instead of sheer feelings, requirements, decisions, or conventions among others. The aspect of ethics is based on theorizing it as an issue of free and intelligent decision that seeks the intelligent fit for what is right and acceptable in society. Ethics is founded on a set of ethical and moral principles. These principles are binding to all businesses and governments and must be seriously observed. The ethical values override all human rationalism, weakness, ego and personal errors. The government and business employers are integral in ensuring that the ethical aspects of society are upheld. There are numerous values that have spurred successful corporations to the peak of the business world, as they have managed to withstand the time test, and enhanced the development of such organizations. Ethics entails that businesses should be honest in their operations, toward their customers and surrounding community. Honest businesses are always observant of set legal laws and accountable to their mission. However, dishonest businesses are locked in continuous scandals that have not only split their reputation but as well led to critics questioning their ethical relevance. By partaking in highest ethical standards businesses is entailed to embrace integrity and which enables them to connote their strength and stability. Businesses that exhibit integrity indicate completeness as well as soundness in a person’s temperament and that of their organization. Similarly, companies that exhibit responsibility are considered to be ethical. Those that take accountability and responsibility for their actions, helped to maximize, on respect and cohesion, in society. Responsible businesses do not blame others, claim victimhood or pass the buck and refuse to take responsibility of what they have caused. Actions indicate the ability for one to be responsible both in little and massive things; thus ensuring that ethical values are maintained (Menzel, p.21). Ethics also entails businesses to provide quality products to their customers. Quality entails more than producing the best product but should comprise every aspect of the organization’s activities. Businesses that offer quality have a profound sense of self-respect, pride in achievement, and thoughtfulness that influences all things. Ethic is exhibited when businesses communicate professionalism and quality. Furthermore, ethics requires businesses to be trustworthy and respectful in their operations. Trust helps companies, to attain customer confidence, in their product and business, and it becomes exceedingly hard for a business to get it back, once it is lost. Conversely, respect is considered to be above feelings as it entails exhibiting of honor, value and reverence. It requires businesses to respect enacted laws, community and even competitors. It is also ethical for companies to promote leadership and corporate citizenship. Companies should exhibit their ethical qualities in leadership by offering an example that other will follow in the community as well as globally. Leadership is shown right from managerial and executive positions within the business and outside. The businesses, are also needed by the ethical principles, to offer safe working conditions, secure environment and become role models in society; thus promoting corporate citizenship (Menzel 45). American legal system impacts on business ethics What is morally right can come into conflict with what is approved by law in the US judicial system. Ethical dilemmas surface when provisions of the judicial system comply with what the law entails in a situation that is viewed as being morally wrong. Ethics laws are fundamental in governing the morality of a society. They position the parameters for businesses and government dealings. The judicial process members are liable to interpreting written laws and deciding on what they deem to be right or what moral choice to make. The American Bar Association formed a model in the judicial procedure that enacted laws called the code of professional responsibility. Based on these provisions all the law practitioners are required to observe these mandates and they are punished if they operate outside the legal ethics code. Furthermore, the code of professional responsibility was enacted to cover penalizing rules, principles and ethical considerations (Ferrell, John and Linda, 20). The American legal system in fluencies businesses because it provides the laws in which businesses operate. All businesses in American are under the rules of the America government that guide the nation. These laws range from the criminal laws, environmental, business and international laws. Therefore, the legal system in most cases is in the centre on how businesses are run, starting from the license application requirement laws to social responsibility laws (Menzel 45). Furthermore, the legal system determines businesses obligations to employees and in other cases customers. The labor laws are enacted to oversee the wellbeing of employees, while the legal system ensures that customers are not exploited by businesses, through policies such as price controls. Thus, they ensure that businesses are adhering to social responsibility requirements. The legal system also influences businesses as it governs how contracts with suppliers, distributors, as well as retailers are executed. They entail that this is undertaken in a genuine and transparent manner. Additionally the lawful system is influential in the safety of products, and the liability, which the businesses have in regard to damages that are outcomes of products (Ferrell, John and Linda 19). Moreover, the US legal laws oversee the reporting of the financial outcomes to shareholders, taxes payment and public, business filings. This entails transparency and accountability among the nation’s businesses. The legal system in the US is everywhere in businesses. This is a significant thing as it ensures that there is no chaos or lack of confidence, which would probably arise if these measures were not enacted. Effects of Ethical Decision Making In Business and Government Ethics has always had an influence on the decisions made by individuals and even governments. This is because laws are usually based on ethics that guide society. It is, therefore, difficult to separate daily endeavors from ethics, in be it in business or governance. This is because both fields have codes that govern their functions, in order to ensure that the two entities are ethically guided, to prevent conflict with what is regarded as morally right in the society. Business is crucial in the society. This is because it facilitates for the exchange use of products among individuals and specialized services that are essential in the society. Therefore, the interaction between the community and business is imminent. It is, therefore, crucial that businesses adhere to the ethics that are employed in the community. Ethics in business is necessitated by the possibility of some individuals who are participating in business practices may take part in practices that are unethical (Halbert and Ingulli 28). To prevent this from happening, stakeholders in business have come up with guidelines that businesses should abide by when carrying out their mandate. Through this ethics code of conduct, the decision makers in n business base their decisions on this code. This results to business decision that are ethically acceptable in the society. Ethics ensure that the moral standards upheld in the society are observed. Some may argue that businesses are created only to realize profits. This may lead to businesses participating in unethical practices like hoarding of goods, to the use of child labor in their operations, among other numerous examples. This is evident in the labor laws, which lay out terms through which firms should recruit their staff. In addition, the production of substandard or harmful products is also regulated through the ethical codes set by the stakeholder (Halbert and Ingulli, p 168). This is evident with laws being set on standards of products being offered for consumption and the services availed by businesses. There are, moreover, acts in place to make certain that unethical practices like unmerited price hikes are controlled with price control acts. This act ensures that business only increase prices when the circumstances demands. When the decision makers in business follow ethics, they will first consider what is best for community based on their moral obligation set by the community. The employment of ethics in business decision making will, therefore, result in business practices that are agreeable with morality. This will do good to both the human resources and the population affected by the business. Governments are formed in order to create laws that govern the society. They play this crucial role in order to prevent the society from falling into anarchy, by putting in place guidelines on how the society should coexist and behave. It is, therefore, imperative that governments base their decisions on ethics. This is because ethics stand for what is morally right in the society. Ethical decision-making will result in the creation of laws that are just and stand for what is just for the civilization. This is crucial in ensuring that citizens are treated fairly during decision making in government. Ethical decision-making will break the social and economical barriers in governance. This is found in the bill of rights which ensure the rights of all individuals are respected regardless of their or social or economical backgrounds. Ethical decision-making will also result preventing vices like corruption. This will ensure that the community is governed better, with the interest of the community being considered as opposed to egocentric inclinations during governance. This will result in the formation of policies that will better the society. This is evident with the laws against corruption, which prohibit members of government participating in the offence. Ethics in decisions made by the government also ensures that governance has a humanistic approach. This will make it possible for governments to empathize with human situations during governance. This will make governments intervene in situations that require humanitarian interventions, for example, famine, epidemics among other social problems that may require government intervention. Ethics ensure governments are considerate on the state of the citizens in making certain that their grievances are addressed. Ethics also govern the members’ government from divulging private information of individuals. This is because the information may be sensitive in that it may have significant consequences on the country. Ethics prevent this in ensuring that the individuals respect the magnitude of the effects of this information if released. Ethics also gives guidelines on how public servants should carry themselves in the duties. This is through the formulation of policies that ensure that the government officials carry (Huberts, Maesschalck and Jurkiewicz 44). This ensures that government officials’ government officials carry themselves in as manner that is of acceptable decorum. This ensures that government officials avert scandals that are an impediment in service delivery. Ethics in governance also aids in preventing conflict of interest during governance, in that ethics clearly define roles, which in turn ensures that personal interests do not impede service delivery. Ethics in governance also ensures that government resources are not misappropriated. This helps the public avert losses that will result from these misappropriations. These misappropriations may be in terms of phone calls to use of government vehicles for private use. Ethics ensures that government officials are aware of the ethical implications of these actions, hence discouraging them from participating in such violations. It is, therefore, evident that ethics plays a key role in ensuring that governments and its officials follow ethical guidelines in their daily undertakings. This makes the institution of governance more efficient and effective in its mandate. Compare and Contrast Ethics with Law Requirements Ethics and law though they are interdependent in some situations, there are some instances where the two can be clearly defined. This is evident when ethics and the law requirements contrast in that what is morally acceptable, may not be recognized by law (Huberts, Maesschalck and Jurkiewicz 44). This is because the law and morality though are interdependent, are based on different scenarios. Laws are a set of rules formulated by governments to govern the behavior of individuals within its jurisdiction. Ethics, however, is less formal than law in that it is not written or recorded but is intrinsic in human beings. Ethics and law may also be on different sides in that something may be considered lawful, but it is unethical in the eyes of the public. This leads to controversy in the society since there is a disagreement amid the two. This is evident in sensitive matters like abortion, homosexuality among other topics. The laws in some regions have legalized these practices, while the society has not fully accepted the practice. The two are, however, similar, since they direct human behavior, by determining what is good and what is wrong. Works cited Ferrell, O C, John Fraedrich, and Linda Ferrell. Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases. Mason, OH: South-Western/Cengage Learning, 2012. Print. Halbert, Terry, and Elaine Ingulli. Law and Ethics in the Business Environment. Mason OH: South WesternEducational Publ, 2011. Print. Huberts, L W, Jeroen Maesschalck, and Carole L. Jurkiewicz. Ethics and Integrity of Governance: Perspectives Across Frontiers. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2008. Print. Menzel, Donald, C. Ethics Management for Public Administrators: Leading and Building Organizations of Integrity. M E Sharpe Inc, 2012. Print. Read More