Ethics in Hospitality Management

1
Ethics in Hospitality Management

• Chapter 17

2
Definition of Ethics

• A set of moral principles and values that we use
  to answer questions of right and wrong.
• The study of the general nature of morals and of
  the moral choices made by people in their
  relationships with others

3
Social Responsibility

• A set of generally accepted relationships,
  obligations, and duties between society's major
  institutions and the people

4
Six Kinds of Moral Reasoning

• Authority
• Deductive logic
• Sense experience
• Emotion
• Intuition
• Science

5
Ethical Standards of Business vs. Poker

• Business must be conducted according to rules
  (ethics) for everyone's protection, just as poker
  is conducted according to rules
• Poker is just a game, with the trivial goal of
  redistributing the wealth among a small group of
  players
• Business is essential to the well-being of
  society, with the important goal of promoting a
  good life for individuals and the nation as a
  whole

6
Business vs. Poker (cont)

• Therefore, because the stakes are so different
  and the number of players is so different (the
  stakes being higher in business and the "players"
  in the "game" of business being everyone in
  society), the rules or ethical standards for
  business must be higher than in poker

7
Honesty

• According to some philosophers, lying is never
  correct
• Lying takes away the freedom of others because it
  is manipulative
• Other philosophers say some lies are worse than
  others, and lying might be justified in some
  circumstances

8
Moral Viewpoints

• The Golden Rule vs. self-interest
• Deontology
• there are basic or universal ideals that should
  direct our thinking

9
Utilitarianism and Ethical Relativism

• Utilitarianism
• No universal ideals
• Ethical behavior consists of seeking the greatest
  good for the greatest number
• Ethical relativism
• No universal ideals
• Each situation must be judged in its situational
  or cultural context

10
Ethical Issues in Hospitality

• Environmental issues
• Discrimination
• Sexual harassment
• AIDS in the workplace
• Advertising claims
• Truth-in-menu laws

11
Code of Ethics

• Necessary so staff members know what the
  company's ethics are
• Stakeholder
• Anyone affected by the outcome of a given decision

12
Three Ethical Questions

• Is it legal?
• Is it balanced?
• How will it make me feel about myself?