Chapter 5: Business Ethics Flashcards
ethics and morals (used interchangeably) deal with standards of… (3)
right/wrong
fairness
justice
ethics
standards of conduct originating from an external source
morals
standards of conduct originating from within the individual
normative ethics
primary focus of this class; what should be occuring
normative ethics demands a more meaningful anchor than just…
“everyone is doing it”
conventional approach to business ethics
compare the business practice to norms of society, then decide: ethical or not
ethical decision → aligns with that of society
Gallup (2020) finds that __% of the public rates the ethics of business executives very high/high.
17
ethical relativism
picking and choosing what norms one wants to use based on what will either justify actions or maximize freedom
Morality is _____ to the norm’s of a culture. One action may be morally right in one society but wrong in another – there are no _____ _____
relative
universal standards
If ethical relativism is correct, there is no ________ _________ for resolving moral disputes or for _________ ________ among different societies
common framework
reaching agreement
The law reflects what society thinks are _______ __________ of conduct and behavior
minimal standards
immoral management
devoid of ethical principles and an active opposition to what is ethical; seeking corporate or personal gain; ends justify the means
moral management
conforms to the highest ethical standards of behavior
amoral management
being unaware or indifferent to questions of right or wrong
intentional amoral management
does not even consider ethical factors; believing business activity lies outside to which judgements apply
unintentional amoral management
casual or careless about ethics; don’t think what they’re doing has an ethical dimension
unconscious bias
may believe to be ethical, unknowingly allowing unconscious thought/bias to influence decisions
population hypothesis around management ethics models
distribution of 3 models approximate a normal curve, with the amoral group occupying the large middle part of the curve; moral and immoral occupying the tails
individual hypothesis around management ethics models
within the individual manager, these 3 models may operate at various times and under various circumstances
Kohlberg’s Levels of Moral Development
Level 1: Preconventional – avoid punishment and maximize rewards; self-interested; mostly children
Level 2: Conventional – greater maturity, beginning to consider others; making decisions based on societal norms
Level 3: Postconventional – few reach this stage; focus on humankind
Why people behave ethically depends on the level of moral development (Kohlberg) and your _____ of your _____.
source of your values
values
beliefs of individuals that motivate them to behave in a certain way
values deals with individual concepts of the ________ ______, ______, or ______ of certain ideas
relative worth
utility
importance
values shape ______
ethics
