Ethical Behavior A Personal & Professional Matter

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Ethical Behavior A Personal Professional
Matter

• FCS 140
• Bradley University
• G. K. Randall, Ph.D.

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Ethics Doing the Right ThingJournal of Family
Consumer Sciences (2005) Volume 97(3)

• A core value of the American Association of
  Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) is that it
  Exemplifies integrity and ethical behavior.
• How do we uphold and perpetuate these values
  where we live, where we work, and within our
  families?

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OSU AD Andy Geiger said Maurice Clarett was
guilty of 14 violations of the
ethical-conduct bylaw.
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The Clarett Saga Is A Wake-Up Call for Us
AllBy Michael WilbonThursday, August 10, 2006

• Items found on the passenger seat of Maurice
  Clarett's SUV after an incident include a loaded
  assault rifle, a handgun and a bottle of vodka.

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(No Transcript)
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"An unwashable blemish on the whole scientific
community as well as our country"Chung
Un-chan, head of Seoul National University

• "I, as the president of the university, sincerely
  apologize to the public," Chung Un-chan, the head
  of the state-run Seoul National University, told
  a nationally televised news conference.
• The apology came a day after a university
  investigative panel confirmed that Hwang faked
  all of his human stem cell research, including
  his landmark 2004 claim in the journal Science
  that he cloned a human embryo and extracted stem
  cells from it.  

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Don McCabes Research on Cheating in
Colleges (www.academicintegrity.org) 75,000
students at 125 institutions over several
years 75 of students surveyed admitted to
at least one instance of serious cheating or
academic dishonesty on written
assignments (McCabe Drinan, 1999)
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What is Regarded as Cheating
Students Faculty Test copying and crib
notes 90 98 Plagiarism
91 98 Unauthorized collaboration 29 82 Writt
en cut and paste 55 79 Internet cut and
paste 56 81 Use of paper mills 91 98 44
of faculty say they have ignored cheating. 52
of students have never reported cheating to
anyone else.
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In the past year, engaged in cheating one to
three times

• Serious Test Cheating
• (copying, crib sheets, etc.) 23
• Serious Written Cheating
• (not ones paper, cut and paste
• from Internet, etc.) 50
• 3. Serious Cheating
• (items 1 and 2 combined) 56
• All Cheating (item 3 plus three
• lesser types of cheating, such as
• copying homework) 73

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The Trajectory Price of Unethical Behavior

• Students who engaged in dishonest behavior in
  college are more likely to engage in dishonest
  behavior in the future
• Students who cheated in college went on to engage
  in unethical business practices later in life
• American businesses lose more than 50 billion
  annually to employee-related crimes
• Humbarger, M. DeVaney, S. A. (2005).
• Journal of Family Consumer Sciences, 97,
  40-47.

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An Ethical Dilemma?(Arcus, 1999)

• Faculty have little or no preparation in ethics
  or ethics education
• While faculty members report that they have been
  raising ethical questions for years, they may be
  doing little more than raising questions. They
  may NOT be guiding student analysis and
  discussion.
• What is called ethics education in higher
  education, may in fact reflect a superficial
  approach to the topic

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Ethics as a Field of Study(Arcus, 1999)

• Ethics defined
• Philosophical inquiry into the principles of
  morality, of right and wrong conduct, of virtue
  and vice, and of good and evil as they relate to
  conduct
• Moral philosophy or philosophical thinking about
  morality, moral problems, and moral judgments

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Ethics Defined

• The domain of ethics is centrally concerned with
  human CHARACTER (the kind of people we are) and
  CONDUCT (how we relate to others)
• Three key questions comprise the focus of this
  domain
• 1. What is good or bad for humans?
• 2. What constitutes right or wrong conduct?
• 3. How ought we to live and treat others?

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ETHICS DEONTOLOGICAL TELEOLOGICAL THEORIES

• Deontology - branch of ethical theory dealing
  with duty (deon), moral obligation, and right
  action. Follow your duty and you behave morally.
• Also, with deontological systems, moral
  principles are divorced from their consequences.
  If you have a moral duty not to lie, then lying
  is ALWAYS WRONG.

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ETHICS DEONTOLOGICAL TELEOLOGICAL THEORIES

• Examples of Deontological Ethical Theories
• Divine Command moral ogbligations derived from
  a deitys prescribed rules/duties
• Duty Theories action is morally right if it is
  in accord with some list of duties/obligations
• Contractarianism or Contractualism action is
  morally right if in accordance with rules made by
  rationale moral agents as they enter into a
  social relationship/contract

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ETHICS DEONTOLOGICAL TELEOLOGICAL THEORIES

• Key questions asked of deontological ethical
  systems
• What is my moral duty?
• What are my moral obligations?
• How do I weigh one moral duty against another?

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ETHICS DEONTOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES

• No answer to conflict between moral duties (e.g.,
  no lie and no harm)
• Only applicable to absolute principles/conclusions
  
• Which duties qualify as those all should follow,
  regardless of consequences?

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ETHICS DEONTOLOGICAL TELEOLOGICAL THEORIES

• Teleology branch of ethical theory whose focus
  is on the consequences or ends (telos) any
  action might produce. Thus, often referred to as
  consequentialist moral systems.
• In order to make a moral choice we must
  consider/know that will result. When making
  choices that result in correct consequences, we
  act morally.

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ETHICS DEONTOLOGICAL TELEOLOGICAL THEORIES

• What correct consequences are is often based
  upon what is most beneficial for humanity. They
  may promote human happiness, human pleasure,
  human satisfaction, human survival, or simply the
  general welfare of all humans.

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ETHICS DEONTOLOGICAL TELEOLOGICAL THEORIES

• Examples of Teleological Ethical Theories
• Ethical Egoism action is morally right if
  the consequences of that action are more
  favorable for the moral agent performing the
  action.
• Ethical Altruism action is morally right if
  the consequences of that action are more
  favorable to everyone except the moral agent.

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ETHICS DEONTOLOGICAL TELEOLOGICAL THEORIES

• Key questions asked by teleological ethical
  systems
• What will be the consequences of this action?
• What will be the consequences of inaction?
• How do I weigh the harm against the benefits of
  this action?

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ETHICS TELEOLOGICAL DIFFICULTIES

• It is virtually impossible to predetermine the
  full range of consequences any action will have.
• Often it is difficult to quantify moral
  equations how much good is necessary to
  outweigh some evil?
• Is this not simply the ends justify the means?
  Thus, torturing murdering an innocent child if
  it leads to curing cancer . . .

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Five Basic Ethical Principles by Thiroux (1986)

• Value of Life the preserving and protecting of
  life (self-defense war). Not life at all
  costs rather no life should be ended without
  very strong justification . . . Thus it is
  morally wrong to take peoples lives against
  their will without great rationale and it is also
  wrong to interfere with their death/dying against
  their will without similar justification.

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Five Basic Ethical Principles by Thiroux (1986)

• Goodness or Rightness humans should attempt
  three things 1) promote goodness over badness
  2) cause no harm or badness and 3) prevent
  badness or harm. Despite theoretical differences
  regarding good and right, a number of goods
  appear in common life, happiness, truth,
  knowledge, and freedom. Often, these are seen as
  essential to have a good life.

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Five Basic Ethical Principles by Thiroux (1986)

• Justice or Fairness because most do not
  live/act in isolation, peoples actions affect
  one or more others. Two aspects of justice
  include 1) treat others fairly and 2) distribute
  goodness and badness fairly. In order to be moral
  toward others it is not enough to try and be
  good and do right one must also attempt to
  distribute the benefits from being good and doing
  right.

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Five Basic Ethical Principles by Thiroux (1986)

• Truth-telling/honesty moral/ethical systems are
  relevant for all within the group to which the
  system applies. Thus, the systems are dependent
  upon agreement among those within the group to be
  truthful and honest. This allows meaningful
  communication and development of trust.
  Exceptions may be justified to this principle
  (i.e., lesser of two evils).

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Five Basic Ethical Principles by Thiroux
(1986)the first four are near absolutes but
the fifth provides for individual diversity

• Individual Freedom individuals have rights and
  personal autonomy in determining their own
  ethical character and conduct, albeit limited by
  the other four principles.
• Applying Hamms (1985) public/social morality and
  private/personal morality dichotomy allows for
  Principles 1-4 as public/social and Principle 5
  as private. Thus, personal morality must give way
  to social morality.

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Ethics, Ethical Behavior, Ethical
Reasoning(group activity)

• Follow your handout (key reference sources are
  listed at the bottom).
• Assign a group scribe who will list group
  members and record your thoughts (keep it simple
  ? ) using Group Worksheet provided.
• Choose an ethical dilemma work through the 6
  steps in
• 3. Ethical Reasoning Determining the Right
  Things

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Ethical Behavior A Personal Professional
Matter

• Sow a thought and reap an action
• Sow an action and reap a habit
• Sow a habit and reap a character
• Sow a character and reap a destiny!
• What will my legacy be?
• (personally professionally)