Ethics

Ethics Simulation Paper Intro The purpose Ethics Game simulation was to aid in recognizing ethical dilemmas. The game also attempted to teach a way to make ethical decisions effectively by presenting issues or ethical dilemmas that may happen in the business world. The program closed by presenting a scenario that tests communication skills. Ethics Simulation Experience The ethics game forced me to make real world ethical decisions as an operations analyst of a hypothetical company. The focus was on making an ethical decision about a product that had contamination that met FDA standards but was below the internal standards of the company. Identifying the problem was easy enough but the problem was determining what actions to take. The simulation forced me to examine my core values. Does a religious affiliation make a difference in the nature of the ethical issues it confronts' (Heller, 2003) My Christian or religious beliefs made me want to choose automatically to recall all the products and prevent harm to any consumers. I learned through the simulation that this should not be a first option because the decision does not enable the consumer to make an informed decision. Some decisions are difficult because they trigger us emotionally. They involve conflicts of interest, yielding to undesirable realities, or possibly pain and suffering for the deciders or for others. (Brenner, 2007) The other thing that was on my mind was how my supervisors would react to my decision. Initially, because it was a simulation I did not think about this aspect. After thinking of my family’s well being and job security I must say that my initial decision would not have been made that abruptly because of the external factors. We worry about accusations of vendetta, revenge, favoritism or corruption, even as struggle to find an ethical path. (Brenner) The simulation presented opportunities to communicate with team members and demonstrates how ethical decisions other stakeholders within the company. Once the whole picture of the company’s stakeholder was involved, my decisions became more complicated and made me take in the considerations of what could be the other team member’s ethical thinking process. I ended up choosing an option that enable me to keep my core values intact and satisfy the stakeholders, which was to ensure the consumers were well informed so that they could make the decision if they wanted to take the risk of purchasing the product. My Ethical View of the world In today’s diverse society ethics are under a microscope. It seems that every other day new headline stories expose ethical problems. Many businesses have been focusing on establishing or increasing their internal culture awareness and good ethical decision making by initiating and administering courses on a routine basis. Ethics and compliance programs in corporate environments are most effective when management understands why such programs are essential and are prepared to provide leadership in implementation. (Perry, 2007) Many agree that the answer is not teaching employees right or wrong but to aid them in understanding ethics so that they can make better decisions. The fact is that individuals have different views on the same issue. In order to make a well informed ethical decision for the stakeholders an individual must understand lenses, meaning the tunnel vision others use. Closing In closing the goal was not to choose the correct answer because in life often presents more than one suitable answer. The goal was to get an individual to visualize the magnitude of ethical decisions and to understand that every choice made has consequences. I learned through the game that I mostly identify with the utilitarian theory because I like actions that result in the most good and least harm. The game was very challenging and made me realize that in the work environment, an individual must understand ethics and be able to perform without bias in order to be successful in today’s society. References Heller, J. C. (2003, January). Does Religious Affiliation Matter' Retrieved August 26, 2009, from http://www.parkridgecenter.org/Page1206.html Brenner, R. (2007, November 21). Difficult Decisions. Retrieved August 25, 2009, from http://www.chacocanyon.com/pointlookout/071121.shtml Brenner, R. (2007, November 21). Difficult Decisions. Retrieved August 25, 2009, from http://www.chacocanyon.com/pointlookout/071121.shtml Perry, D. L., Ph.D. (2007, May 14). Why Teach Business Ethics' Retrieved August 27, 2009, from http://www.aacsb.edu/resource_centers/EthicsEdu/ov-whyteach.asp