Reflective Analyses of Ethical Principles and Applications Essay

Every day we are faced with certain situations that challenge us with how to act in an ethical manner. It can be human nature to feel unsure or conflicted with the correct moral choice. Some can say that one should know how to handle such dilemmas and others may say that there should be a reference of some sort to help guide through such conflicts. Sometimes we know the answers and sometimes we are unsure of how to handle certain situations. Most times we go through life wondering what we should do. As I become further educated on the different theories of ethics, I believe there are answers that are available in guiding one through an ethical dilemma and or judgment. I will discuss Vincent Ruggiero’s three basic criteria, Robert Kegan’s order of consciousness, the three schools of ethics and the correlation between all three.

1. What were the costs and benefits to stakeholders of the actions taken by Massey Energy and its managers?

Professors Bojan Borstner and Smiljana Gartner of the University of Maribor believe that ethical decision making through critical thinking is proven to be the best way for people to improve themselves as human beings. In fact, some ethics instructors want to teach their students how to project human nature itself, act in accordance with their moral beliefs, and use reasoning and thinking skills to analyze specific problems (Borstner 13). If these main class objectives could affect the curricula of educational institutions worldwide, a majority of students may have a better understanding of virtue, an expanded knowledge of human nature, and more effective communication skills for discussing any current issue. At any educational level, a typical ethics course requires students to enhance their persuasion skills by understanding and taking advanced steps to finding the right solutions to controversial issues. Reasoning skills are the most effective way to personally attain moral values because it enables people to view ethics as a critically reflective thinking process. It also helps individuals express their thoughts and reactions toward each ethical dilemma that they face in their lifetime, yet there are other steps beyond reasoning to successfully handle real-life situations. The most important of these steps are to use case studies and to interpersonally communicate often about the issues

1. From the learning material, identify a model for working through issues and dealing with ethical dilemmas.

One of the major responsibilities of nursing profession is to advocate for the patients safety and care, in this situation based on the Utilitarian theory the situation has to be brought to Andréa’s parents for better treatment and care. To analyze an issue using the utilitarian approach, first identify the course of action Second, ask who will be affected by each action and what benefits or harms will be derived from each. And third, choose the action that will produce the greatest benefits and the least harm. The ethical action is the one that provides the greatest good for the greatest number. By this approach in the given dilemma, the matter has to be brought to Andrea’s parent’s attention.

The applied ethical project I worked on was, should I speak up and encourage the other units in my housing complex that do not recycle to start recycling, or is it not my place to tell them what they should or should not do? I chose this project, because I currently live in a house that is split up in to five different units and I encountered this ethical issue on a daily basis, as I continued to see the other people from the other units throwing away items that were clearly recyclable. The common area has two large recycling cans outside, right beside the regular waste trash cans, so they have the means to recycle easily, yet the waste trash cans are overflowing and the recycling cans are nearly empty, other than what my husband and I recycle.

Ethics is a comprehension of the way of contentions emerging from good goals and how best we may manage those (Noble, 2007). Morals does not choose what is ethically right or wrong; rather it considers how we ought to act better in the light of our obligations and commitments as moral agents (Noble, 2007). We are all molded by our own encounters, recollections, feelings, and learning influencing our observations, thinking and judgment of individuals and circumstances. These elements contribute to a person’s worldview, professional philosophy, and moral compass- the ability to judge wrong and right and act accordingly. The purpose of this paper is to describe this author’s professional moral compass, which is coordinated by different inspirations, interests, and values.

1. From the learning material, identify a model for working through issues and dealing with ethical dilemmas.

Creating and defining my own ethical framework is essential in future success as a businessman, a leader, and a team player. As a business student, I have learned that it can be a very cut throat industry and in order to get ahead, at some point and ethical dilemma will undoubtedly be an obstacle I have to overcome. The way I handle these dilemmas can make or break my career; business ethics are a key part of earning and sustaining respect, trust, and a good rapport with both clients and competitors in your industry. Therefore a solid ethical framework is an important tool for me to have as a standard for handling these types of dilemmas so that I can grow successfully while staying true to myself and to

“ethical dilemmas are commonplace, complex, and require critical thinking skills that are honed through practice, and practice, and more practice. Airth-Kindree, N. M., & Kirk horn, L. C. (2016).

All employees (including the company executives) should be guided by moral principles and ethical values when making decisions (Balc & Simionescu, 2012). The ability of executives to make ethical decisions can be influenced by their cognitive bias (Zeni, Buckley, Mumford & Griffith, 2015). Utilitarianism is one of the frameworks that can be used to address ethical dilemmas. Utilitarianism holds that decision makers should take alternatives that maximize the happiness of the majority of the stakeholders (Choe & Min, 2011 and Marques, 2015). This presentation will discuss how the 8-step ethical decision making process can be applied when addressing a dilemma using the utilitarianism framework. The presentation will also guide the executives of Toyota on how to address the negative publicity associated with the production of cars with faulty acceleration system.

The word “ethics” comes from Greek ethikas meaning character. Today, we use ethics to describe the normative standard of behavior. The history of philosophical ethics has been broken up into five rational methods: Virtue, Traditional, Modern, and Post-Modern Ethics. Within these periods, the philosophy of ethics changed along with the changes being made within society.

One thing that has changed in my approach to ethics since the beginning of the semester is I am now adamant that it is impossible to arrive at a final answer to ethical questions. Learning about the different approaches to ethics has caused me to see that there can be more than one “right” solution to ethical dilemmas. Therefore, if an ethical question is raised, everyone will arrive at a different solution depending on which approach they take.

Ethical and unethical situations occur on a daily basis and are seen all around us. Being ethical requires one to take responsibility for their actions and doing what is right in any given circumstance. Every person has the power to dictate their actions on how they are going to handle any situation they are put in. I have experienced numerous amounts of situations that have tested my ethical behavior and actions. Throughout my experiences, I have realized that ethics has a great impact on many different aspects of life such as society, career, and personal life. Understanding the meaning of ethics allows me to grow as a person and to truly do what is right with any issue I am faced with.

Professional dilemma and value conflicts are challenges that can be apart of just about every professional job. There are sometimes many complicated and tough decisions that need to be made throughout the day that can be very exhausting and stressful. Each new challenge can be seen in one of two ways. They can be seen a barrier which blocks or deters them from a chosen end result or as learning tool that enables them to grow and move forward.