THE NATURE OF ETHICS 1. What is Ethics--as this word is used of a discipline or study?

Ethics: the study of right and wrong and how to tell the difference between them. Since "ethics" also means people's beliefs about right and wrong behavior, ethics can be defined as the study of ethics. Ethics is not, however,

the study of what people do or how people act. This is descriptive, not normative. Ethics is normative--about what ought to be, not what is so.

the study of what people say or think one ought to do. Ethics is an enquiry into the truth, not into what people believe is true.

2. How did "Ethics" as a study come about?

"Ethics" originates from a Greek word, "ethica," whose root is "ethos." "Ethos" eventually came to mean a persons "interior dwelling place," the "basic orientation or disposition of a person toward life." Ancient Greek philosophers, especially beginning with Socrates, became interested in this question about how how we should fashion our "ethos" in order to best succeed at life. This dimension of ethics is sometimes called "aretaic.".

The Ancient Romans translated the Greek word ethos as mos/moris, from which we get our English word "morality." The Latin word means "manners, customs or practices of a land or people." The Roman were much more practically minded than the Greeks, and their ethics tended to focus on principles or guidelines for living. The writings of Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius are two good examples of this. The dimension of ethics that focuses on rules for action is called "deontic."

Our ethics is not exclusively aretaic or deontic. We praise/blame persons and actions. Some philosophers who have theoretically tried to combine these two

approaches are the ancient Roman Cicero, the medieval philosopher Thomas Aquinas. 3. What can we expect to gain from an ethics class?

More clarity and better understanding about what is right and wrong, therefore, more confidence about our choices and about the reasoning process we use to defend our behavior

Understanding about other possible and legitimate ways to arrive at ethical answers; tolerance about different approaches

Understanding about some of the pitfalls involved in trying to differentiate right from wrong

Preparation for situations different from ones we usually encounter (in daily life, most people will reason analogically--in terms of like cases and answers which worked previously)

Ethical Dilemma Examples Ethical dilemmas, also known as a moral dilemmas, are situations in which there are two choices to be made, neither of which resolves the situation in an ethically acceptable fashion. In such cases, societal and personal ethical guidelines can provide no satisfactory outcome for the chooser. Ethical dilemmas assume that the chooser will abide by societal norms, such as codes of law or religious teachings, in order to make the choice ethically impossible. Ethical Dilemma Situations Personal Friendships Michael had several friends including Roger and Daniel. Roger has recently met and started dating a wonderful lady named Phyllis. He is convinced this is a long term relationship. Unknown to Roger, Michael observed them at a restaurant several days ago and realized Phyllis is the wife of his other friend Daniel.

Michael is deciding whether to tell Roger that Phyllis is married when he receives a call from Daniel. Daniel suspects his wife is having an affair and since they and Michael share many friends and contacts, he asks if Michael has heard anything regarding an affair. To whom does Michael owe greater friendship to in this situation? No matter who he tells, he is going to end up hurting one, if not both friends. Does he remain silent and hope his knowledge is never discovered? Societal Dilemmas An article on ListVerse compiled a list of Top 10 moral dilemmas and asked readers to consider what they would do in those situations. Here is an example of one of the Top 10 ethical dilemmas they proposed: A pregnant woman leading a group of people out of a cave on a coast is stuck in the mouth of that cave. In a short time high tide will be upon them, and unless she is unstuck, they will all be drowned except the woman, whose head is out of the cave. Fortunately, (or unfortunately,) someone has with him a stick of dynamite. There seems no way to get the pregnant woman loose without using the dynamite which will inevitably kill her; but if they do not use it everyone will drown. What should they do? The Institute for Global Ethics also proposed the following ethical dilemma to promote a global understanding of ethics and to promote ethical decision making: The mood at Baileyville High School is tense with anticipation. For the first time in many, many years, the varsity basketball team has made it to the state semifinals. The community is excited too, and everyone is making plans to attend the big event next Saturday night.Jeff, the varsity coach, has been waiting for years to field such a team. Speed, teamwork, balance: they've got it all. Only one more week to practice, he tells his team, and not a rule can be broken. Everyone must be at practice each night at the regularly scheduled time: No Exceptions.Brad and Mike are two of the team's starters. From their perspective, they're indispensable to the team, the guys who will bring victory to Baileyville. They decidewhy, no one will ever knowto show up an hour late to the next day's practice. 3

Jeff is furious. They have deliberately disobeyed his orders. The rule says they should be suspended for one full week. If he follows the rule, Brad and Mike will not play in the semifinals. But the whole team is depending on them. What should he do? Harverford.edu also presents a series of dilemma called Kohlberg dilemmas as part of one of their psychology classes. These are named after Lawrence Kohlberg, who studied moral development and who proposed a theory that moral thinking goes in stages. Some examples of Kohlberg dilemmas presented to students at Haverford include the following: Joe is a fourteen-year-old boy who wanted to go to camp very much. His father promised him he could go if he saved up the money for it himself. So Joe worked hard at his paper route and saved up the forty dollars it cost to go to camp, and a little more besides. But just before camp was going to start, his father changed his mind. Some of his friends decided to go on a special fishing trip, and Joe's father was short of the money it would cost. So he told Joe to give him the money he had saved from the paper route. Joe didn't want to give up going to camp, so he thinks of refusing to give his father the money.In Europe, a woman was near death from a special kind of cancer. There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost him to make. He paid $400 for the radium and charged $4,000 for a small dose of the drug. The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money and tried every legal means, but he could only get together about $2,000, which is half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying, and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist said, "No, I discovered the drug and I'm going to make money from if." So, having tried every legal means, Heinz gets desperate and considers breaking into the man's store to steal the drug for his wife.Judy was a twelve-year-old girl. Her mother promised her that she could go to a special rock concert coming to their town if she saved up from baby-sitting and lunch money to buy a ticket to the concert. She managed to save up the fifteen dollars the ticket cost plus another five

dollars. But then her mother changed her mind and told Judy that she had to spend the money on new clothes for school. Judy was disappointed and decided to go to the concert anyway. She bought a ticket and told her mother that she had only been able to save five dollars. That Saturday she went to the performance and told her mother that she was spending the day with a friend. A week passed without her mother finding out. Judy then told her older sister, Louise, that she had gone to the performance and had lied to her mother about it. Louise wonders whether to tell their mother what Judy did. Information Access The advent of email in the business world surely has created new ground for moral dilemmas involving information access and privacy. Tony, a data analyst for a major casino, is working after normal business hours to finish an important project. He realizes that he is missing data that had been sent to his coworker Robert.Tony had inadvertently observed Robert typing his password several days ago and decides to log into Roberts computer and resend the data to himself. Upon doing so, Tony sees an open email regarding gambling bets Robert placed over the last several days with a local sports book. All employees of the casino are forbidden to engage in gambling activities to avoid any hint of conflict of interest. Tony knows he should report this but would have to admit to violating the companys information technology regulations by logging into Roberts computer. If he warns Robert to stop his betting, he would also have to reveal the source of his information. What does Tony do in this situation? Professional Life Versus Family Life Another example of an ethical dilemma involves professional ethics versus the best care of your child: Alan works in the claims department of a major hospital. Paperwork on a recent admission shows that a traumatic mugging caused the patient to require an adjustment in the medication she is prescribed to control anxiety and mood swings.Alan is struck

by the patients unusual last name and upon checking her employment information realizes she is one of his daughters grade school teachers. Alans daughter seems very happy in her school and he cannot violate patient confidentiality by informing the school of a teachers mental illness but he is not comfortable with a potentially unstable person in a position of influence and supervision over his eight year old daughter. Can Alan reconcile these issues in an ethical manner? Approaches to Business Social Responsibility You dont have to be a non profit to make a social impact. More and more, corporations large and small are practicing business social responsibility. Approaches to social responsibility go by many names: corporate social responsibility, corporate citizenship, the double bottom line, the triple bottom line, values-led business, and the blended value proposition. The point is that no matter what you call it, you want to have a higher return. Approaches to social responsibility vary. Determining which is right for your organization takes thought. Business social responsibility comes with major benefits but it has real costs. Only you can decide whats right for your company. However, by exploring the what, why and how of other businesses, you can make an informed decision for your own business. Leaders of values-driven organizations go beyond profits and balanced budgets to make the world a better place. Bound by shared idealism, you enjoy discussing best practices and new approaches to social responsibility. You find reassurance in knowing that youre not in this alone, that others are taking this journey to increased business social responsibility.

It is important to have a framework to categorize and evaluate approaches to social responsibility. The framework provided in Values-driven Business: How to Change the World, Make Money, and Have Fun by Ben Cohen and Mal Warwick simplifies complex business social responsibility concepts. Non profits can also be categorized using this system. Does your organization produce a product or service that improves the quality of life? Most non profits fall into this category whether the organization helps the homeless, provides medical care, or supports the arts and cultural institutions. Forprofit models also fall into this category, including:

New Leaf Paper, which develops and distributes environmentally superior printing and office papers.

Chez Panisse, which serves organically and locally grown food that is harvested in an ecologically sound manner by people who are take care of the land for future generations.

Kurzweil Educational Systems, which develops reading technology for people with learning difficulties and for those who are blind or visually impaired.

Does your organization invest its profits in social or environment causes? Foundations fit here. So, too, do:

Domini Social Investments, which manages funds for individual and institutional investors who want to integrate social and environmental standards into their investment decisions.

ShoreBank Corporation, which is America's first community-development and environmental bank holding company.

Other businesses donate to charities, including:

Newmans Own Newmans Own, which manufactures premium food and donates all its profit to non profits.

Peacekeeper Cause-Metics, a cosmetics company that gives all of its after-tax distributable profits to organizations that promote womens health advocacy or urgent human rights issues.

Does your organization operate in a socially responsible way? Approaches to social responsibility include valuing and treating employees well and fairly; sourcing ethical suppliers; minimizing harm to the environment; and being good neighbors. Three companies who personify this category are:

Clif Bar, which manufactures healthy and nutritious energy bars. Method, which produces environmentally-friendly cleaning products that are safe for every home and every body.

Patagonia, which provides outdoor clothing, apparel and gear for climbing, hiking, surfing, running and travel.

The truth is that all small businesses, including non profits, can act in a more socially responsible way. Small steps, when taken by many, can make a major social

impact. By examining the business social responsibility classification system in Values-driven Business, you can determine what matters most to you, and where and how you want to make a difference. Employees are the heart and soul of your organization. They produce the products and services that your organization offers. If you take good care of them, employee turnover will be lower, productivity will be higher , and fraud/theft will decline. if you dont take good care of your employees, its harder to recruit and hold on to good people, and morale is low. You express appreciation and show that you value your employees by paying fair wages; offering profit-sharing and stock options, if youre a for-profit; providing good health, retirement and maternity benefits; offering flex time; providing opportunities for advancement; and supporting, encouraging, and training your employees. You can use your purchasing practices to serve social purposes by upholding business social responsibility standards. The most common practices involve purchasing from disadvantaged suppliers or engaging in environmentally friendly purchasing. For example, one of many fair trade organizations, Caf Campesino, provides specialty coffees grown in socially and environmentally responsible ways, from democratically managed, small-scale farmer cooperatives in Mexico and Latin America. Socially responsible businesses are finding that their clients and customers are more loyal and forgiving when something goes wrong. Organizations can also use their methods of producing and delivering their goods to servea social purpose. Environmentally friendly production practices provide the most common example. For instance, Green Mountain Energy Company provides 500,000 customers with cleaner electricity from sources such as wind, solar, water, and cleanerburning natural gas. Energy producers that use renewable sources not only reduce pollution and its associated problems, but they also decrease our dependency on foreign oil as well as the need for drilling in environmentally sensitive areas.