INFLUENCES ON ETHICAL DECISION MAKING

There are three major influences that have an impact on an employees decision making in business his personal moral standards, his workplace ethics and culture, and the nature of the issue concerned.

Personal Values and Ethical Decision Making

For an individual to be considered as an ethical decision maker, he needs to build and develop certain values. The Josephson Institute of Ethics proposed the following Six Pillars of Character: 1.Trustworthiness 2.Respect 3.Responsibility 4.Fairness 5.Caring and 6.Citizenship

Corporate Values and Ethical Decision Making

A corporate culture can be defined as a set of values, beliefs, goals, norms and ways of solving problems that an organizations employees share and live up with in their work environment. It involves certain prescriptions of behaviour the organizations employees are expected to follow.

A FRAMEWORK OF ETHICAL DECISION MAKING

Michael Josephson has components of good choices: constructed the following

1. Take Choices Seriously 2. Good Decisions are both Ethical and Effective 3. Discernment and Discipline

The Process of Making good Ethical Decisions

The process one has to follow to make good ethical decisions is: 1.Recognise and identify the kind of ethical issue you need to resolve Recognise the ethical issue, seek answers to questions such as the nature of the issue, the conflict it has raised and how the decision would impact the larger community.

The Process of Making good Ethical Decisions (Contd.)

2. Pause and Think Pause for sometime on the ethical issue; think ahead,
reflect on the consequences that are likely to follow.

The Process of Making good Ethical Decisions (Contd.)

3. Make Sure of Your Goals Be clear on goals, both short-term and long-term, weigh options clearly

The Process of Making good Ethical Decisions (Contd.) 4. Get Your Facts Right

Gather all facts concerning the issue

Verify the uncertain facts Get additional information

The Process of Making good Ethical Decisions (Contd.)

5.Evaluate choices from Different Ethical Perspectives

Make a list of options that attempts to accomplish the goal. Test each option against various ethical perspectives such as rights, justice, virtue or common good Find out which option will produce the most good and do the least harm to others.

The Process of Making good Ethical Decisions (Contd.) 6. Consider the Consequences

Ensure that there is no unethical option

See that your option is consistent with all core ethical values

Analyze the possible consequences of each of the options for each stakeholder
Ensure that the end result causes more good than any harm

THE PROCESS OF MAKING GOOD ETHICAL DECISIONS (Contd.)

6. Consider the Consequences

Identify the stakeholders who are likely to be impacted by the decision Find out what important stakes individuals and groups have, in the outcome Find out whether some individuals have a greater stake because they have a special need or because we have special obligations to them.

The Process of Making good Ethical Decisions (Contd.)

7.Make a Decision
Prepare a criteria derived from the facts gathered. Create a decision criterion including the financial outcome, if any. Rate the appropriate action against your list of criteria. Talk to a person whose judgment you respect.

The Process of Making good Ethical Decisions (Contd.) 8. Act, then Reflect on the Decision Later

Implement the decision

Evaluate the consequences.