Chapter 2 Bus Law

The following statement is true: 1) most people are honest the vast majority of the time 2) Even people who do not believe in God are more likely to behave honestly 3) most people are accurate when comparing themselves to others 4) people make their best ethical decisions when in a hurry

?

Kant's categorical imperative

An act is only ethical if it would be acceptable for everyone to do the same thing

Which of the following believed that the dignity of human beings must be respected and that the most ethical decisions are made out of a sense of obligation?

Immanuel Kant

the veil of ignorance theory

John Rawl asked us to consider what rules we would propose for society if we did not know how lucky we would be in life's lottery

Which of the following wrote the book Utilitarianism and believed that ethical actions should "generate the greatest good for the greatest number"?

John Stuart Mill

categorical imperative theory

Kant argued that you should not do something unless you would be willing to have everyone else do it too

moral relativism

a belief that a decision may be right even if it is not in keeping with one's own ethics standards

Moral universalism

a belief that some acts are always right or always wrong

Optimism bias

a belief that the outcome of an event will be more positive than the evidence warrants

the mere process of negotiating the price of a product reduces what

a person's sense of morality

Kantian Evasion or palter

a truthful statement that is nonetheless misleading

Kant believed that:

it is ethical to tell a lie if necessary to protect an innocent person from great harm

Research shows that people who think about the right rules for living are

less likely to do wrong

a correct decision is one that maximizes what and minimizes what

maximizes happiness and minimizes pain

critics of utilitarianism argue that it is very difficult to ______ utility accurately

measure

a focus on outcome can justify some

really terrible behavior

laws may criminalize acts that some feel are

right

Milton Friedman was a strong believer in the _______ model. He _______ argue that a corporate leader's sole obligation is to make money for the company's owners

shareholder; did

Deontological theory

such as Immanuel Kant believe that the ends do not justify the means. Rather, it is important to do the right thing, no matter the result

Utilitarian theory

such as John Stuart believe that the right decision maximizes overall happiness and minimizes overall pain

Moral relativism

the belief that it is right to be tolerant of different views and customs. A decision may be acceptable even if it is not in keeping with one's own ethics standards

Moral univeralism

the belief that some types of behavior are always right or always wrong, regardless of what others may think

Life prospects

the circumstances into which we are born

life principles

the rules by which you live your life

Veil of ignorance

the rules for society that we would propose if we did not know how lucky we would be in life's history

Ethics in business

there is an ongoing debate about whether managers should focus only on what is best for shareholders or whether they should consider the interests of other stakeholders as well

Giving voice to values (GVV)

to implement an ethics decision, use the information you derive from answering the following questions: 1) what are the main arguments you are trying to counter? what are the reasons and rationalizations you need to address? 2) what is at stake for the key parties, including those with whom you disagree? 3) what is your most powerful and persuasive response to the reasons and rationalization you need to address?

Ethical behavior builds

trust, which is important in all of our relationships

In making a decision that affects you, it is important to remember that you are

unlikely to be objective

When is it difficult to maintain good relationships?

while behaving unethically

laws may permit behavior that some feel is

wrong

Front page test

you ask yourself what you would do if your actions were going to be reported publicly

No matter what you say, every ethics decision you make illustrates

your actual Life Principles

what is the secret to long-term happiness?

having good relationships with a spouse, family, and friends

Ethics

how people should behave

Reacting to unethical behavior

1) loyalty 2) exit (either quiet or noisy) 3) voice

three practices that help us avoid ethics traps

1) slow down 2) do not trust your first instinct 3) remember your Life Principles

Why be ethical?

1) society as a whole benefits from ethical behavior 2) ethical behavior makes people happier 3) ethical behavior provides financial benefits

Deontological

From the Greek word for obligation, the duty to do the right thing, regardless of the result

Ethics traps

Money, competition, rationalization, we can't be objective about ourselves, conflicts of interest, conformity, following orders, euphemisms and reframing, lost in a crowd, short-term perspective, blind spots

Difference principle

Rawls' suggestion that society should reward behavior that provides the most benefit to the community as a whole

Moral licensing

after doing something ethical, many people then have a tendency to act unethically

corporate social responsibility

an organization's obligation to contribute positively to the world around it

Ethics decision

any choice about how a person should behave that is based on a sense of right and wrong

Many times in your life, you will what

be tempted to do something that you know in your heart of hearts is wrong

People are not objective when

comparing themselves to others

What does unethical behavior cause

financial harm

Although there is no ________ that ethical behavior pays in the short or long run, there is evidence that the ethical company is more ______ to win financially

guarantee; likely