The Study of Ethics

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The Study of Ethics

• Ethics The discipline of dealing with what is
  good and bad and with moral duty and obligation.
• Process of determining what is and is not a
  reasonable standard of moral conduct.
• Process of problem-solving to resolve situations
  in which there is actual or potential harm to an
  individual or group (physical, mental or
  economical).

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A Process for Ethical Decision Making

• What are the Facts?
• What are the Ethical Issues?
• What are the Alternatives?
• Who are the Primary Stakeholders?
• What are the Ethics of the Alternatives?
• What Action should be Taken?

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What are the Facts?
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What Are the Ethical Issues?

• Ethical issues are points of debate or questions
  about what ought to be done with respect to a
  given situation.
• Ethical issues can arise at the individual,
  organizational, and systemic levels.

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Who are the Primary Stakeholders?

• A stakeholder is anyone impacted to a significant
  degree by the selection of an alternative and who
  is felt to have a legitimate claim to having his
  or her interests considered by the decision
  makers in the situation.

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What are the Alternatives?
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What are the Ethics of the Alternatives?

• Utilitarianism Examines the net welfare
  produced for all stakeholders.
• Rights/Duties Emphasizes the rights and duties
  of stakeholders.
• Justice Focuses on fair processes and an
  equitable distribution of the benefits and
  burdens imposed by an action on stakeholders.

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Utilitarianism

• Emphasizes the consequences of actions and the
  net welfare produced for all stakeholders.
• A stakeholder is anyone impacted to a significant
  degree by the selection of an alternative and who
  is felt to have a legitimate claim to having his
  or her interests considered by the decision
  makers in the situation.
• Determine the costs and benefits of each
  alternative for each primary stakeholder.
• Select the alternative that produces the greatest
  good for the greatest number of stakeholders.

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Moral Rights Duties

• Emphasizes the rights and duties of stakeholders.
• Moral rights are important, normative,
  justifiable claims or entitlements (Richard
  DeGeorge, 1995).
• Determine what moral rights each stakeholder has
  and what duties are owed to stakeholders.
• Choose the alternative that best respects the
  rights and duties of the stakeholders. Where
  conflicts arise, the rights and duties of
  stakeholders must be assessed as to their
  relative importance.

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Justice

• Focuses on fair processes and an equitable
  distribution of the benefits and burdens imposed
  by an action on stakeholders.
• Examine the fairness of processes and procedures
  as applied to stakeholders and the equity of
  distributive outcomes for stakeholders.
• Select the alternative that is procedurally just
  and that fairly distributes burdens and benefits
  among stakeholders.

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Ethics Matrix
Utilitarianism
Rights/ Duties
Justice
Alternative 1
Stakeholder
Alternative 2
Stakeholder
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What Actions should be Taken?

• Consider the steps and tasks necessary to
  implement ones chosen alternative.
• What individual or organizational constraints
  might need to be taken into account?