Ethical Decision Making

“The problems of philosophy involve questions in which

we are all (or should all be) deeply interested at the
most basic level. They are important to us as we make
decisions about what to believe, and how to be critical of
our own naively held beliefs. Philosophical investigation
may help us to determine what kinds of choices we
should make, and what kind of person to be. It may help
us to understand and justify our belief (or disbelief) in
God. It may help us to form a rational life plan, and to
better understand our own motives and fears.
Philosophical questions are important to us as we try to
understand what we are and to determine our place in
the scheme of things. And they are important to us as
we try to choose right actions in a complicated and
difficult world, and to find meaning in our lives. These
are not trivial projects.”
Identifying Ethics: Principles of ethics should
provide us guidance as we make choices in a
complicated world. Ideally, an account of ethics
should help us to identify moral principles and
morally relevant features of the choices we face.
Identifying Ethics: Principles of ethics should
provide us guidance as we make choices in a
complicated world. Ideally, an account of ethics
should help us to identify moral principles and
morally relevant features of the choices we face.
• Moral issues greet us each morning in the newspaper,
confront us in the memos on our desks, nag us from
our children's soccer fields, and bid us good night on
the evening news.
• We are bombarded daily with questions about the
justice of our foreign policy, the morality of medical
technologies that can prolong our lives, the rights of
the homeless, the fairness of our children's teachers
to the diverse students in their classrooms.
• Dealing with these moral issues is often perplexing.
How, exactly, should we think through an ethical
issue? What questions should we ask? What factors
should we consider?
• The first step in analyzing moral issues is obvious but
not always easy: Get the facts. Some moral issues
create controversies simply because we do not bother
to check the facts. This first step, although obvious, is
also among the most important and the most
frequently overlooked.

• This problem caries us to ethical dilemma.

Sometimes, some people behave unethically …

• Individual factors
• Situational factors

Scientists studying organizational behavior are

interested in how the external workplace (barrels)
influence behavior, as well as individual
processes (apples).
 Influences on ethical behavior
Apples Good Bad

Barrels

Good people behave Bad people behave

Good ethically in an ethical unethically in any
environment setting

Good people forced to Bad people influence

Bad behave unethically by organization to
external forces become an unethical
environment
Ethical Dilemma
Ethical Dilemma

An ethical dilemma is a situation that will often

involve an apparent conflict between moral
imperatives, in which to obey one would result
in transgressing another.

Ethical dilemma occurs when an individual

must choose between two unfavorable
alternatives “e.g. assisted suicide”
• A difficulty in which one is presented with two equally
good (or equally bad) options and the correct decision
is not immediately apparent.
• The definition of ethical dilemma is a choice between
two options, both of which will bring a negative result
based on society and personal guidelines.
• An example of an ethical dilemma is choosing
between hitting a deer that has run in front of your car
or swerving into oncoming traffic to avoid it.
Ethical Dilemmas are usually described in terms of
right or wrong, duty or obligation, rights or
responsibilities, and good or bad.
Ethical dilemmas are commonly identified by the
question,” What should be done?”
• Personal ethical dilemmas are part of everyday life in
the realm of business management. Business
professionals are often faced with difficult situations
that demand challenging decisions.
• These situations often involve problems that confront
and involve moral and ethical behavior within the
business.
• Wrong decisions on the behalf of business
management
professionals may spell disaster for the careers of
these individuals as well as for the business itself.
• Personal ethical dilemmas confronted by business
management professionals include being offered gifts,
compromising quality, lowering the quality of
communication with co-workers and management, as
well as with clients, and the abuse of power along with
the transparency and openness of information
(Rutland, 2002).
 Decision Making Process
• Given the fact that ethical dilemmas may not always be
readily resolved through the use of codes of ethics, it
might be useful to have a framework in which to analyze
and make ethical decisions. The following ethical decison-
making model comes from the work of Corey et al. (1998).
•
• Step 1: Identify the problem.
Step 2: Identify the potential issues involved.
Step 3: Review relevant ethical guidelines.
Step 4: Know relevant laws and regulations.
Step 5: Obtain Consultation.
Step 6: Consider possible and probable courses of
action.
Step 7: List the consequences of the probable
courses of action.
Step 8: Decide on what appears to be the best course
of action.
1 Recognizing a Problem & Define theproblem
2 Identify the underlying principles, legislation
and policies
3 Identify and consider the options
4 Choosing a Solution
5 Implementation
6 Evaluating the Solution
Define the problem

• What is difficult about the situation?

• What other factors are involved (e.g. whole of
government policy)?
• Who else is involved and what are their points
of view on the matter? Is there a need to work
cooperatively?
• What effect does your behavior have on them?
 Identifying the principles

• Do your personal interests conflict, or reasonably

appear to conflict, with the public interest?
• What are your duties as a public sector employee?
• Does the Code of Conduct require you to behave in
a certain way?
• Is there a relevant guideline, determination or
policy?
• Are there any legal implications? Where necessary,
seek legal advice.
 Consider the options

• List all alternative options. For each option apply risk

management principles to identify the impact on
different stakeholders, the legal implications and the
relevant principles of the Code of Conduct.
• For decisions that could have a large impact, or if you
are still unsure as to the preferred action, get a
second opinion from an independent, trusted person.
• Where necessary, seek advice from manager,
organization's human resources unit or Ethics advisor,
or other agencies.
Choosing a solution

• What would your family or chief executive say

if your actions were reported on the front page
of a newspaper?
• How will this decision be viewed by future
generations?
• Would you be happy if this action was
performed on you?
 Implementation
• Create a detailed, step-by-step plan for
implementing the solutions you choose (Who will
do what, when, how?)
• This should include a means of evaluating the
solutions effectiveness by following ways.
 Evaluating the solution
• This is done after the solution has been
implemented and involves comparing the results
of what happened to what you expected to
happen.
• In addition, you would want to consider what you
might do differently if the situation were to occur
again.
 Making Ethical Decisions

Responsible ethical reasoning is rational and

systematic. It should be based on ethical principles and
codes rather than on emotions, intuition, fixed policies,
or precedent (that is, an earlier similar occurrence).
 Types of problems and
decisions
Structured Problems
• Involve goals that clear.
• Are familiar (have occurred before).
• Are easily and completely defined—information
about the problem is available and complete.
Programmed Decision
• A repetitive decision that can be handled by a
routine approach.
 Problems and decisions
Unstructured Problems
• Problems that are new or unusual and for which
information is ambiguous or incomplete.
• Problems that will require custom-made solutions.
Non-programmed Decisions
• Decisions that are unique and nonrecurring.
• Decisions that generate unique responses.
• GOOD LUCK