Business Ethics Chapter Five

Opportunity

the conditions in a organization that limit or permit ethical or unethical behavior immediate job context - where someone works, whom they work with, and the nature of the work

Ethical Issue Intensity

Ethical Awareness - the ability to perceive whether a situation or decision has an ethical dimension. Ethical Issue Intensity - the relevance or importance of an event or decision in the eyes of the individual, work/group, and/or organization. Moral Intensity - individuals' perceptions of social pressure and the harm they believe their decisions will have on others.

Factors of Framework for Ethical Decision Making

Ethical Issue Intensity Individual Factors Organizational Factors Opportunity

Normative Approach

how organizational decision makers should approach an issue.

Individual Factors

People base their decisions on their own values and principles of right and wrong. Individuals are also affected by organizations or social forces in the their own actions. Research shows that the following individual factors affect ethical awareness: gender, education, work experience, nationality, age, and locus of control Locus of Control External - going with the flow, events in life are brought upon us by uncontrollable forces Internal - control the events in their lives through their own skills and effort.

Organization Factors

The outcome of this learning process depends on the strength of the personal values, the opportunities to behave unethically, and the exposure to others who behave ethically or unethically. Corporate Culture - a set of values, norms, and artifacts, including ways of solving problems that members (employees) of an organization share Ethical Culture - reflects the integrity of decisions made and is a function of many factors, including corporate policies, top management's, leadership on ethical issues, the influence of coworkers, and the opportunity for unethical behavior Significant Others - those who have influence in a work group Obedience to Authority - the willingness of a worker to follow instructions of boss whether ethical or not.