PRESENTED BY CHINKI SARAWAGI REKHA DHANKANI

INTRODUCTION
The word ethics has been derived from the Greek word Ethos which means character or culture.
The Institute of Global Ethics defines ethics as Obedience to the unenforceable.

WHAT IS MEANT BY ETHICS ?

-consists of moral principles governing the right and wrong of human conduct. -Code of moral principles that guide the action of people and group. - Is about the principles of right and wrong accepted by individual or social groups .

Morality It refers to a person or groups standards of right and wrong or good and bad.It is just a function of what a particular society is going to believe.

Where Do Moral Standards Come From?

Our early upbringing. The behavior of those around us. The explicit (clear / open) and implicit standards of our

culture. Our own experiences . Our critical reflections on those experiences. Religion .

WHAT IS MEANT BY BUSINESS ETHICS?

BUSINESS ETHICS are the principles and standards that - Define acceptable conduct in the business. - Should underpin decision making .
the moral values which govern business behaviour and restrains companies from pursuing the interest of the shareholder at the expense of all other considerations.

WHAT GUIDES ARE DECISION MAKING ?

- Moral principles - Evaluate decisions on whether it is consistent with accepted moral principles - Utilitarianism - Looks at decisions from the perspective of who gains - What is good for the greatest number is right - The test is whether or not it is consistent with the greatest happiness of the greatest number? - Justice model - The test is does it distribute benefits and penalties in a fair and equitable way?

- Human rights - People have fundamental human rights and liberties - consent, privacy, conscience, free speech, fair treatment, life, safety - Decisions that violate human rights are unethical - Individualism - Is it in the individuals best interest? - This is the ethics of self interest - Spectrum of firms - It would be nave to believe that all business organisations behave in an ethical, moral way - We can classify firms in terms of their ethical stance in the following ways: - The amoral firm - Seeks to win at all costs - Anything is acceptable

EXERCISE :
How 'moral' do you think each of the following reasons is? What kind of reasons are those that are not moral?

I believe I shouldn't take someone else's things, because ... the Bible says I shouldn't.'' what would happen if everyone did that kind of thing?'' I might get caught and punished.'' I do not like my things being taken either.'' if I did, even if no one knew, I would be a thief.'' I would feel so bad afterwards.'' I was brought up that way.'' it would be a selfish thing to do.'' I don't need them.'' they need (or want) them as much as I do.''

CONCLUSION
Moral judgment, no less than scientific or historical knowledge, depends on a particular kind of justification. I can therefore recognise the opinion of another person as the result of a moral judgment they have made -- rather than as no more than a prejudice, or a mere expression of their feelings -- even if I do not agree with them. This is one way in which morality is objective, despite the obvious fact that we don't all agree in our moral judgments.

WHAT RELEVANCE DO ETHICS HAVE TO BUSINESS ?

Ethical values play an increasingly important role in business today. Firstly, companies do not operate in a vacuum, but are part of a society which expects a certain standard of behaviour from businesses. Companies require what is often called 'a license to operate'. In other words, they need the approval of society in order to continue doing business. People expect companies to look after their staff and tell customers the truth. They also increasingly expect companies to address their environmental impacts and make sure that the people who make their products are treated fairly, wherever the company operates.

Secondly, ethical values are relevant in providing guidance to staff in situations where the right thing to do is unclear. Employers can not take for granted that their staff understand what ethical standards are expected of them in carrying out their work on behalf of the company. Provision of guidance is therefore essential.

Case studyMarian, a top graduate from Loyola in Humanities, was hired by a major corporation into a management position. Marian finished the corporation's management training program top in her group, and is performing above the norm in her position. She is really enjoying her work. As a black woman she feels isolated, as there are no other black women managers and few women in her area. One night at a company party she heard a conversation between two of her male co-workers and their supervisor. They were complaining to him about Marian's lack of qualifications and her unpleasant personality. They cursed affirmative action regulations for making the hiring of Marian necessary . Marian is very upset and wants to quit.

QUESTIONS Should she? Are her co-workers correct in their evaluation? Should she confront the co-workers? Should she file a discrimination suit? Should she go to the supervisor? What else could she do?