Personal Ethics Development

Question

Need paper on personal ethics development that examines your personal ethical system & ground rules.Incorporate  terms found in UOP Material: Key Terms.Focus on the developmental aspect of your ethics rather than on a particular position on any issue.Define your underlying ethical system, its primary principles,the sources that helped shape your ethics such as people,institutions,events,etc.& the criteria & decision-making factors you have used to revise them.Discuss potential effect of your ethics on your performance or use of them in your workplace. Use a specific personal example.Explain why ethics are needed in an organization & how ethics are integrated into an organization to achieve its direction & goals. What effect does the application of these ethics have on individuals, organizations, and society.need 3 reference less than 5 years old.

Answer

Personal Ethics Development

Trevino & Nelson (2011) defines ethics as “the principles, norms, and standards of conduct” that guide people or organizations in their daily operations. Ethics lays down the expected conduct or behavior of individuals and organizations. It forms the basis upon which actions of individuals and organizations are judged either right or wrong. Personal ethics development is shaped by a multiplicity of factors which may either be internal or external. Some of the external forces include the community, laws and regulations, occupation, and among others. Internal influences include personal beliefs, life experiences, family influences, and among others. This paper will examine personal ethical system and ground rules that are a crucial component in personal ethics development.

The underlying ethical system that characterizes me is goal-based. A goal-based ethical system emphasizes on the final purpose. The goals may be localized or universal. A goal-based ethical system is hedged on the premise of consequences of an individual’s particular actions. The consequences of various actions forms the basis of determining their morality (Arnold, Beauchamp, & Bowie, 2013). A goal-based ethical system thus determines whether actions are morally right based on their outcomes or consequence. Individuals whose ethical system is goal-based seek to do good deeds through their actions and to avoid causing harm to others.

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A number of principles underpin the goal-based ethical system. The principle of intrinsic finality states that every individual has an inherent tendency to perform actions that are aimed at perfection of own nature. The principle of intrinsic finality is primary to an individual. The principle of extrinsic finality is also a critical component of goal-based ethical system. Extrinsic finality involves the need of individuals to contribute to the welfare or wellbeing of other beings. It involves realizing something which is does not pertain to the particular individual. The goal-based ethical system is also based on the principle of determination. This principle refers to an orientation or adaptation towards a particular end. The ethical system is also hinged on a directive principle of activity. Every individual bears this principle which guides him/her in various action. This gives a final cause to do good which stems from the nature of every individual. Lastly, the principle of finality underlies goal-based ethical system. In summary the principles are determination, perseverance, goal setting, integrity, honesty, hard work, and among others.

A number of sources have helped me in shaping the ethics. The most influential people that have helped in shaping my ethics are my parents. By being proactive, my parents greatly influenced my ethics. They often shared their expectations with me hence shaping my character in the process. My parents also set particular rules & boundaries, acted as role models, and most importantly provided helpful feedback. This helped me to develop good moral and ethical behaviors. Two institutions have been fundamental in shaping my ethics, that is, the church and school. The church greatly emphasizes on the values of hard work, patience, perseverance, kindness, love to all, and among others. These values have greatly influenced my ethics. The school also defines what is right or wrong by establishing a system of rules that guides all students (Ferrell, 2015). The school also inculcates certain values on students through the learning process. Various schools provide lessons on ethics while others aim at instilling positive values among youths.

Particular factors may elicit the need to revise personal ethics. One of the criteria I use in revising ethics is urgency of the matter at hand. This may arise if there is a greater need to revise ethics based on particular needs in the environment, for instance joining a new career such as the military forces. Another criteria is I use is compliance with the current laws and regulations. Laws and regulations may change legalizing particular actions which may previously be termed as unethical or illegal. For instance, the legalization of same-sex marriages requires people to respect gay couple rights including in the workplace. Changing culture is also a significant decision-making factor in revising ethics. As the society progresses, so does the culture undergo changes.

Ethical behavior have great impact on my job performance. One of the areas where ethics play a major role is in business decision making. Often, employees are confronted with ethical dilemmas where they have to make decisions (Ferrell, 2015). By relying on ethics, one is able to make the right decisions and avoid certain consequences such as civil suits. Ethics are important in improving corporate governance in an organization. Proper business ethics can help improve transparency, accountability, and fairness in the organization. This ensures that employees maintain a clean record and are not easily swayed in engaging in corrupt deals or other kind of misconduct. Ethics also helps me and other employees remain focused and committed in our work. Ethics promotes my organizational commitment and helps me remain focused in goal achievement. Ethics also helps me to develop and promote positive relationships with other employees. When conflicts arise, we can be able to solve them amicably. A specific example is when a person tries to issue a bribe so as to receive a favor, whether employee or client. Ethics will dictate that as an employee I should do the right thing. This helps avoid shortcuts which may have legal ramifications or lead to job loss.

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Ethics play a fundamental role in organizations. Employee ethics ensure that work is done while ensuring honesty and integrity. Ethical employees adhere to the outlined rules and regulations in the organization (Arnold, Beauchamp, & Bowie, 2013). Ethics helps in establishing and maintaining an organizational culture. This this by adhering to a uniform code of ethics both on the management and employee side. A positive corporate culture in an organization helps in improving the morale and performance of employees. Ethics are integrated into an organization by establishing a code of conduct that guides employees and management on every aspect in the running of the organization. The management is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that employees follow the established code of conduct while conduction their business.

The application of the ethics have significant effects on individuals, organizations, and society. Employees who apply ethics make decisions as per the best interests of fellow colleagues and other stakeholders such as clients. Such employees are able to control personal interests that may hamper them in service delivery to customers. Also, employees are able to build trust, maintain cohesiveness, and become better employees (Reilly, Sirgy, & Gorman, 2012). Application of the ethics enables organizations gain trust from clients, engage in fair dealings, observance of laws and regulations, and corporate social responsibility. The society benefits from having organizations that are based on sound moral values. For instance, such an organization produces quality products that are safe for use. Application of ethics also ensures that the organization have little negative impact on the environment and engage in corporate social responsibility which benefits the community.

References

Arnold, D. G., Beauchamp, T. L., & Bowie, N. E. (2013). Ethical theory and business. Boston:    Pearson Education.

Ferrell, O. C. (2015). Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making & Cases: Ferrell. Mason, OH:    South Western Educational Publishing.

Reilly, N. P., Sirgy, M. J., & Gorman, C. A. (2012). Work and quality of life: Ethical practices in             organizations. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.

Treviño, L. K., & Nelson, K. A. (2011). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

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