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Ethics And Ethics : Is It And What Does It Mean? Essay

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Ethics, what is it and what does it mean? The laymen term for ethics is simply defined as “ doing what is right” but, what does that mean? The meaning of “ ethics” is open to interpretation. What is right for one person may not be viewed as being right to another. Ethics has been termed by scholars in different ways. Rule –based ethics is popular among public and private entities alike. Mid to low level employees feel they are protected from wrong or nefarious dealings, if they follow the organizations rules. Rule-based ethics extends outward to following the rules ones’ culture and religion as well. The problem with rule-based ethics is acting legally is not always acting ethically. For example, playing on people’s emotions for personal gain or treating subordinates as a disposable object is not illegal but it is not necessarily ethical. Value-based ethics is governed by the assumption that people have a core set of values that he or she live by. If a person’s behavior matches their values this can be construed as living ethically. Segregation exposes the fundamental flaw in value-based ethics. To use a segregated bathroom at one time was illegal, to make a stand and use a segregated bathroom anyways is viewed as ethical. Situational ethics is employed on a daily basis whether its utilization is a conciseness or not. This form of ethics is employed on a situation-to-situation basis. We as human beings are faced with a plethora of decisions everyday; some are identical but

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