Morals_N_Ethics

Ethical and Moral Issues in Business Patricia Baskerville Mgmt/216 June 2, 2011 Professor Donna Dougherty Ethical and Moral Issues in Business In our current economy, many conflicts arise between personal character and professional character. The reason for this occurrence is because people believe that ethics and morals have no place in the business world. In fact, ethics and morals not only have a position in the business world but both terms influence each other. Many people often ask what are the similarities and differences between ethical and moral issues. This article will elaborate on the differences of the ethical and moral issues. Another subject to discuss includes the differences between the personal and professional ethics. In addition, this article will provide examples of common ethical problems for both discussions. Furthermore, this article will change the viewpoint of ethics and morals in the workplace. The Differences between Ethical and Moral Issues According to WiseGeek (2011), Ethics and morality have many similarities and few differences. The difference between ethics and morals is that morals define personal character and ethics pressures a social system. Moral issues define character and ethics dictate the functioning of a social system. Ethics are position towards the request of morality. For instance, the police detective personal moral code is that rape is immoral and disgusting whereas the ethics command for the detective to pursue a conviction of the crime. National, social, and workplace ethics developed a foundation in accordance to the moral codes accepted and adhered to by members of each group. Furthermore, the difference between ethics and morality is a subtle boundary that differs between population and atmosphere (Para. 1-3). The Differences between Personal and Business Ethics According to Williams (2011), both personal and professional ethics similarities outweigh the differences. Personal ethics depends on a person’s background, association, and concern. Personal ethics influences are experiences people acquire during his or her development process that includes honesty, integrity, and values. Personal ethics may change as people experience and learn. For instance, if a person association or background is deceitful, then he or she may live potentially dangerous. In comparison, business ethics are the requirements or principles of the organization. Professional ethics is not irregular and may have legally required regulations. For instance, professional ethics for doctors is that he or she must follow the confidential ethical requirement (Para. 2-4). According to Williams (2011), personal ethics have limitations on responsibilities primarily because of the close association with people such as family or friends. Personal ethics may cause a person to put his or her values above the job values. For instance, if a person is religion based, the employment in pornography will dismay one’s own values. Personal ethics may determine the careers that people choose. Personal ethics guides a person’s overall behavior, whereas business ethics often provide instructions in taking action to certain situations. Professional ethics often include a more diverse and an extensive collection of responsibilities. Business ethics may require people to inform other’s of suspicious activity such as abandonment or abuse. For instance, if a child therapist suspects harmful activity with his or her client, the therapist must report the information with child services. Furthermore, both personal and professional ethics establishes a code of conduct that is of the normality of society (Para. 2-4). Conclusion Furthermore, many conflicts arise between personal character and professional character as a result of people believing that ethics and morals have no place in the business world. As stated previously, ethics and morals not only have a position in the business world but both terms influence each other. This article elaborated on the differences of the ethical and moral issues. Another subject to discuss included the differences between the personal and professional ethics. In addition, this article provided examples of common ethical problems for both discussions. Furthermore, this article changed the viewpoint of ethics and morals in the workplace. References Trevina, L. K., and Nelson, K.A., (2007). “Managing Business Ethics- Straight Talk about how to do it right.” (4th Edition) Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons Williams, E. (2011). Personal versus Professional Ethics E-HOW Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/info_7820090_personal-vs-professional-ethics.html WiseGeek. (2011) What is the Difference between Ethics and Morals' Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-ethics-a