Business Ethics - Chapter 1
Professional Codes of Ethics
the rules that are supposed to govern the conduct of members of a given profession (lies between etiquette and law)
Business Ethics
the study of what constitutes right and wrong (or good and bad) human conduct in a business context. Closely related moral questions arise in other organizational contexts.
Ethical Relativism
the theory that what is right is determined by what culture or society says is right
Groupthink
when pressure for unanimity within a highly cohesive group overwhelms its members' desire or ability to appraise the situation realistically and consider alternative courses of action
Invalid Argument
whose premises do not entail its conclusion
Valid Argument
whose premises logically entail is conclusion
Divine Command Theory
if something is wrong (like killing an innocent person for fun), then the only reason it is wrong is that God commands us not to do it
Bystander Apathy
in emergencies, we seem naturally to let the behavior of those around us dictate our response
Diffusion of Responsibility
inside an organization leads individuals to have a diluted or diminished sense of their own personal moral responsibilities
Our relationship with the law is best described by..?
To a significant extent, law codifies a society\'s customs, norms, and moral values
4 Types of Law
1) Statues 2) Administrative Regulations 3) Common Law 4) Constitutional Law
3 Things Moral Judgments Should Be
1) logical 2) based on facts 3) based on sound or defensible moral principles
Morality in the Broad Sense
Meaning not just the principles of conduct that we embrace but also the values, ideals, and aspirations that shape our lives
Criticisms of Ethical Relativism
Some societies tolerate or even encourage: Polygamy Stealing Slavery Cannibalism Ethical Relativism undermines any moral criticism of the practices of other societies and ignores the concept of moral progress
Organizational Norms
acceptable standard of behavior within an organization
Counterexample
an example that is consistent with the premises but is inconsistent with the conclusion
Moral Arguments
arguments whose conclusions are moral judgments
Good moral judgments should be logical and...?
based on facts and acceptable moral principles
Conformity
behavior in accordance with socially accepted conventions or standards
Administrative Regulations
boards or agencies whose functions include issuing detailed regulations covering certain kinds of conduct
The authors use the murder of Kitty Genovese to illustrate what?
bystander apathy
Morality and self-interest
can sometimes conflict
Moral Standards
concern behavior that seriously effect human well-being, takes priority over other standards, and depends on the adequacy of the reasons that support them
Morality in the Narrow Sense
concerns principles that do or should regulate peoples conduct and relations with others
Constitutional Law
court rulings on the requirements of the Constitution and the constitutionality of legislation
Ethics
deals with individual character and the moral rules that govern and limit our conduct. It investigates questions of right and wrong, duty and obligation, and moral responsibility.
The famous experiments by social psychologist Solomon Asch shows us what?
even temporary groups can pressure people to conform
Philosophical Discussion
generally involves the revision and modification of arguments; in this way progress is made in the analysis and resolution of moral and other issues
Argument
group of statements, one of which (called the conclusion) is claimed to follow from the others (called the premises).
Unsound Arguments
have at least one false premise or invalid reasoning
Sound Arguments
have true premises and valid reasoning
How did Aristotle view morality?
it's necessary for us to try to be virtuous or excellent human beings
Statutes
laws enacted by legislative bodies
Paradox of Hedonism
people who are exclusively concerned with their own interest tend to have less happy and less satisfying lives than those whose desires extend beyond themselves.
Common Law
the body of judge-made law that first developed in the English-speaking world centuries ago when there were few statutes
Etiquette
the norms of correct conduct in polite society or, more generally, to any special code of social behavior or courtesy. (observing the rules of etiquette does not make one moral)