Terms Flashcards
Deontology
Actions judged by the motives and intentions of the actor
Identifying Moral and Ethical Situations
A. Involves interests/values of others B. Involves my interests/values C. Requires my judgment D. Requires my action/inaction E. Decision affects my lives and the lives of others
Teleology
action judged by its likelihood of achieving good and proper results
Relativism
all actions are judged in relation to time, place and circumstances; there are no objective standards of right and wrong
Virtue Ethics
development of a righteous character is the standard; a virtuous person will act in a morally righteous way
Ethical Egoism
the argument that, to be a moral person, you should do what’s in your best interests; you may weigh considerations of others in your choices as long as the eventual choice serves your self-interest
Ethical Altruism
putting the interests of others ahead of your own without regard for any benefit you may receive as a result; conversely, some would say there’s alway a payback, even if it’s only feeling virtuous; but what about giving your life for another? you won’t be around to enjoy the feelings
Positive Law
a rule from a superior to an inferior that the inferior habitually obeys, with sanctions imposed if the rule is broken
Jurisprudence
examines the values or ethics associated with positive law
Ethic of Justice
there should be rules and equity; due process
Ethic of Power
government must be empowered to enforce the laws and bring order
Ethic of Custom
long-standing custom reflects what is known and observed by most people over time
Ethic of Norms of Conduct
how most people act; it can be above or below positive law
Ethic of Civilization
we restrain our base impulses and move to a higher level of civilization
Ethic of Utility
promoting the greatest good for the greatest number; utilitarianism
Beneficiance
doing good deeds; it may conflict with utilitarianism
Success
a social value; defined within a particular society, involving comparisons with others as “doing well” according to a person’s own goals; it summarizes the whole of the good life
Hedonism
life in pursuit of pleasure
Theory X
assumes that people are basically lazy and dislike work, and so must be tempted with rewards and punishments
Theory Y
assumes people want to work and want to assume responsibilities
Theory Z
motivation comes from being part of a group in a supportive institution; a theory of participation
Communitarianism
the need for community values binds us as a multicultural society
Puritan Ethic
emphasizes hard work, abstaining from excessive pleasures and balancing success with humanity; hard work, wealth and success are proof of a person’s good character
Asceticism
the wholesale rejection of the values of wealth and success; most powerfully preached by those who have succeeded and renounced the vanity of ambition and success, rather than cynically by those who have failed or chosen not to compete
John Calvin (1509-64)
began change in Christian philosophy that secular wealth was not opposed to, but rather a sign of, a person’s eventual salvation
Adam Smith
published The Wealth of Nations in 1776 said that individuals, left to themselves to pursue their own economic interests will ultimately benefit not only to themselves but society as a whole; an “invisible hand” would guide apparently chaotic individualism to collective good; idea of “the market.”
“Freedom of the Market” is not possible unless these other freedoms exist…
freedom of speech, assembly, association and the freedom to pursue our own material happiness
Regulation
exists to protect the market and to guarantee the conditions within which an industry can thrive and survive, and to protect the public good and to provide safeguards for consumers; there must be rules to protect the integrity of “the game.”
Corporate Culture
the conceptual foundation on which a company builds and the self-image from which all else begins; includes the clientele of the corporation, the kinds of pressures within the organization, and the openness and mutual concern of both peers and superiors
Corporate Codes of Ethics
general sense of values and identity shared by virtually everyone in a corporation; should be an explicit expression of a set of values that has in fact governed a company and its employees for some time, as opposed to an attempt to persuade or threaten employees into compliance with a set of principles which do not play a significant role in the day-to-day behavior of its employees; it should not be just a hypocritical attempt at PR
Business Practices
established systems of behavior within the business world, an industry or a given company
Obvious Rules
- don’t intentionally lose money 2. there can be corporate philanthropy, but within rules of practice 3. practices establish size of salarie, dividends paid, benefits, etc. 4. contracts must be honored 5. quality control must be observed 6. procedures must be followed … If these aren’t honored, “the game” will fall apart.
Stealth Marketing
promoting goods or services without disclosing the relationship between the person doing the promoting and the business offering the goods or services
Roles
a practice creates roles for its participants (workers, managers, etc.); defined by the skills, responsibilities, duties and interrelations within the practice; the role usually precedes and survives the person
Roles of a Manager
- figurehead: ceremonious leader in public’s mind (Gates & Microsoft) 2. leader: who’s making decisions 3. liasion: ensures all parts of company know what others are doing 4. monitor: listens to outside forces 5. disseminator: communicates to organization 6. spokesman: speaks for company to the press 7. entreprenuer: thinks outside the box and looks for new opportunities 8. disturbance handler: everyone calms down by their presence 9. resource allocator: determines where $$ and resources go 10. negotiatior: finalizes every (or key) deals
Corporate Characters (Michael Maccoby)
- The Craftsman 2. The Jungle Fighter 3. The Company Man/Woman 4. The Gamesman 5. The Outlaw
The Craftsman
one of Maccoby’s corporate characters dedicated to quality, concerned with product and conscientious; does what they do best and does it right; can be the bedrock of ethics for a company
The Jungle Fighter
one of Maccoby’s corporate characters views life as a struggle for survival; sees others as competition or as obstacles to be surmounted; can be threats to ethics if not controlled because will do/say anything to end up on top
The Company Man/Woman
one of Maccoby’s corporate characters “organization” person whose identity is tied up with the company rather than the particular job he or she does; concern for well-being of others in the company and for the integrity and reputation of the company; the chief bulwark against ethical straying by a company
The Gamesman
one of Maccoby’s corporate characters interested in the challenge; new ideas and strategies are likely to come from this person; can be an excellent team player; as they mature they take on aspects of the Company Man/Woman; innately competitive but not cutthroat; often people consider this person an ideal CEO
The Outlaw
one of Maccoby’s corporate characters management may tolerate some who flaunt or break rules to shake up the culture
Responsibility
cornerstone of ethics; it is accountability, answerability, sometimes liability but also rewardability; most of the time responsibility is shared; those in authority may be even more responsible than those who actually performed the act
The “System Problem”
the whole become much more than the sum of its parts; the problem of accumulated pressure once a decision has been made and all employees have worked diligently toward the goal; the momentum becomes so great there is little to stop it; decisions, once implemented, cannot be turned quickly; goals, once agreed upon, cannot be immediately forgotten –> this is when the basic aim of business ethics becomes important
Game Theory
theory of policies and planning, and making rational decisions in the fact of the uncertainties and risks of the market; views business first as activity of individual participants rather than as a system or mechanism; it is an activity performed well or badly in search of certain payoffs and taking certain responsibilities – like a game
Zero-Sum Games
there must be a clear winner or loser; someone will take the market or the customer
Non-Zero-Sum Games
the amount to be won or lost is not always fixed, and it’s not just a matter of beating the opponent; wealth and markets can be created during the competition rather than existing as a condition of the game
Law of Supply and Demand
Adam Smith’s theory which serves as the self-controlling device of society, preventing the greedy from getting too much and the poor from becoming too poor; assures the adequate supply of consumer goods in society as well as an adequate supply of workers to produce them and capital to sponsor them
Rationality
getting what we want in the best possible way; rationality depends upon some agreed-upon framework of values concerning acceptable means to an end; do the ends justify the means?
Negotiation Process
- separate the people from the problem 2. recognize and understand your own position 3. recognize and understand the other person’s position 4. find shared interests
Conflicts of Interest
the result of difference between an individual’s values and those of the company, other people or society where they are basically quantitative and measurable on a single scale, they are resolvable through negotiation and compromise; true conflict arises where emotion comes into play we can resolve all conflicts between different values by establishing priorities - life and death issues take precedence over financial values - ethical values take precedence over aesthetic values - questions of integrity are more important than questions of personal interest
Prima Facie
priority which is accepted at face value except for cases in which there is an unusually strong counterclaim (ex: don’t need to honor contracts in war); something all of society can agree on
Morality
specific set of prima facie principles that we all accept without qualification (ex: Ten Commandments) –> but is this valid in dealing with different cultures or our evolving cultures
Moralities of Principles
simply a set of orders or laws to obey – the Ten Commandments; Immanuel Kant’s idea of the “categorical imperative,” an order or commandment without qualification; the authority may be external - from religion - or internal from our conscience
Goal-Oriented Morality
emphasis is on how people behave and how it fits into the practices of the community; the utility principle; the greatest good for the greatest number of people and the least pain for as many people as possible; “the best thing for the most people”
Responsibility (individuals at work)
set of duties and activities that constitute our jobs, our roles in the organization and our citizenship in society
Moral Responsibility
duties and obligations that are based on the rules and expectations of morality; they are shared by everyone in society
Legal Responsibility
requires a rule or statute that can be broken with a mechanism of the law to enforce or punish; responsibilities sometimes exist independently of the law
Corporate Responsibility
the people within the corporation have responsibilities; but corporations can be fined or punished; diffused blame sometimes comes together in the office of the person who is in charge of the corporation, though he or she may not be aware of the malfeasance, yet he or she has regulative responsibility corporation by its nature is a liability shield of stockholders, executives and managers; individuals usually pay by loss of job, demotion or career derailment
Contractual Obligations
the main obligation of a corporation is to make a profit for its shareholders; often conflicts with obligations to society, though social responsibility is growing
Consumer Responsibility
they vote with their dollars about the products that should be available and the social costs incurred
Stockholder Responsibility
responsible for evaluating their investments not only in terms of financial security and expected return but also in terms of the quality of product, how it treats its employees and the surrounding community and the environment; and ethical and political decision; the stockholder is still ultimately in charge
Corporate Social Responsibility
while it is the responsibility of a corporation to sell decent products at affordable prices, it is also the responsibility not to destroy the society it serves
Impact Social Responsibility
actual causal influence of an industry or a business on its surrounding community, the environment, the political situation or its own customers
Stakeholder Theory
defines a company’s duties and obligations to various groups by measuring direct and indirect impacts on employees, vendors, the community and the world; moved away from theory of contractual obligations
Noblesse Oblige
responsibility of those who have more to contribute more for the good of society
Paternalism
when a business steps in to donate and by encouraging a certain public policy or taste in the arts of charity thus takes away citizen’s own sense of responsibility and autonomy (ex: force employees to support a cause or via sponsorships of local events “guilting” people into supporting the company)
The “Silent Stakeholder”
the environment; we have responsibilities to future generations as well as to the earth itself
Ecocentrism
idea that the environment as a whole has a moral standing and we have an obligation to protect it, even if people neither benefit nor suffer from actions; the environment has inherent worth
Greenwashing
act of misleading consumers regarding environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service; exaggerating ‘green’ claims
Social Justice
idea of a fair and harmonious society; in an affluent society, everyone has the right to expect a decent life
Distributive Justice
fair distribution of the goods of society – everything that money can buy and some things it can’t buy; includes fair distribution of the hardships and responsibilities of society Is this the responsibility of business or government?
Entitlement Theory
ethics of capitalism; people have a right to what they legally earn, win or inherit; equality of the rules and procedures of the market make us equal, but there is no guarantee of equality of results
Cultural Differentiation
when two or more cultures interact and experience conflict because of their differences
Kinds of Cultural Differences
- language 2. body language 3. urgency and punctuality 4. etiquette 5. ethnocentrism: our way of doing things is best/right
Cultural Relativism
belief that there is no single standard of ethical behavior that applies to all people and cultures all of the time; contrasts with ethnocentrism
Ethical Levels (Towle and Hilgert)
- Illegal or Illicit Ethic 2. Legal Ethic 3. Pecuniary Ethic 4. Power Ethic 5. Situational Ethic 6. Professional Ethic 7. Judeo-Christian Ethic (Religious)
Illegal or Illicit Ethic
Self-interest will allow us to do whatever it takes, even if it is illegal, to accomplish our goals
Legal Ethic
do whatever is not against the law and utilize every loophole to accomplish your goals
