Essay On Ethics

What Does Ethics Mean? Essay
Ethically Speaking
Years ago, sociologist Raymond Baumhart was researching ethics; he asked a test group of business
people, "What does ethics mean to you?" The group had several different answers:
"Ethics has to do with my religious beliefs."
"Ethics has to do with what my feelings tell me is right or wrong."
"Being ethical is doing what the law requires."
"Ethics consist of the standards of behavior our society accepts."
"I don't know what the word means."
The answers of the test group may be representative of how most Americans would respond to this
question on ethics. The truth is, most people in general don't understand ethics, or their view is
limited at best.
Ethics is a term that most people find boring and many misunderstand. Ethics is a branch of
philosophy that arranges, defends, and recommends concepts of acceptable and unacceptable
conduct. Deriving from the Ancient Greek word "ethos", translated means habit or custom.
"Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all." – Aristotle
Ethics asks two basic questions:
1. "What is the best way for people to live?"
2. "What actions are right and what actions are wrong for every possible circumstance?"
Ethics involves human morality as it defines concepts of pairs such as good and evil, right and
wrong, justice and crime, and virtue and vice. There are three major areas within ethics: Meta,
Normative, and Applied.
1. Meta: Theoretical meaning and
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Ethics in Research Essay
Ethics in Research
Research is one of the most successful means of obtaining a wide variety of information concerning
limited or broad topics. However, abundant as this information may be, it is important to maintain an
ethical outlook to all research topics. As research and its subsequent experimentations advance in
light of new generations, the idea of ethics becomes a more prominent issue. Researchers must be
aware of the conflicts that their research may bring about. They must know how to address their
findings in a moral way appealing to the pro and cons. Researchers can not simply accumulate data.
Coupled with data is the process of analysis, where researchers manipulate their findings...show more
content...
According to the National Institute of Health, stem cells are unique cells created from embryos for
infertility purposes usually through the process of in vitro fertilization (Institute on Health). Stems
cells have two important characteristics that differentiate them from other types of cells. One is that
they are unspecialized cells that rejuvenate themselves through cell division. The other is that, under
certain conditions, they can be induced to become certain specialized cells (Institute on Health).
For certain people this is life saving news. Now that cells can be specialized under these
unspecialized stem cells, a patient can receive new heart cells for a diseased heart or many other life
threatening diseases (Institute on Health). This information can be used in a variety of useful ways,
but is it morally right to create embryos only to destroy them? Are these potential humans that could
help them world in some other way? This is the perspective of many people fighting against
stem–cell research. These activists claim that stem–cell research plays against the will of God.
Moreover, if stem cell research is legalized world–wide, who is to say that people will use it only to
benefit the curing of disease? Is it possible that people will become careless and more susceptible to
disease only to receive stem cells to

Essay on Ethics
Ethics by definition is a set of rules or standards that govern the conduct of a person or members of a
group. Ethics involves learning what is right or wrong, and doing the right thing. The controversy:
doing the right thing based on a moral principle or doing the right thing based on the situation. Doing
the right thing does not always mean the same thing to different people, ultimately; it is up to the
individual.
Business ethics is knowing what is right or wrong in the workplace and doing what is right. Doing
what is right, is not just the obvious "be good," "don't lie," etc., in times of stress, these values are
overlooked. With all the scandals showing up in the press, business ethics has come under scrutiny.
Did these companies have...show more content...
Within six months, they had recaptured 95% of its market share. "Unfortunately, the courses that
might teach students to be mindful of consequences and consider the perspectives of multiple
stakeholders are hardly considered mainstream in management education today. Courses on ethics,
corporate responsibility, business/public policy, stakeholder relationships, and other "soft" subjects
are typically given short shrift in favor of applied analytical tools and techniques, conceptual
models and measures of profitability." To avoid a repeat of the corporate scandals that have
plagued us for the last five years, it is important to study how business schools are teaching
tomorrow's leaders. Focus must be on the integrity of the individual, the company and society.
Managers and leaders need to have alternatives to a profit–based style of management.
The blame cannot be placed wholly on the faculty of the businesses schools. Some students disregard
the importance of classes on corporate social responsibility. Often, once enrolled in a business
program, students seem to lose the idealism they may have brought to the course. Even if they
manage to graduate with their idealism in place, many students enter the business world thinking
they cannot change the corporate attitude.
Businesses themselves need to lead a charge for a rebirth of ethical business practices. There are
companies out there, Johnson & Johnson,

My Personal Ethics Essay
According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, ethics is defined as "moral principles that
govern a person's or group's behavior." Therefore, in an ideal world, ethics should play the ultimate
role when making a decision. If ethics are the principles which guides one's behavior then, ideally,
all decisions should be made entirely based on ethics. Unfortunately, such is not always the case.
A few problems arise when one tries to make an ethical decision, especially as a leader. First, ethics
may mean different things to different people. For example, my religious and spiritual beliefs are
the foundation for what I deem ethical. However, for someone else, ethics might be based on laws
or their own personal understanding of what is...show more content...
Recognizing that not all decisions are ethical, one's moral principles acts as a guide for their
behavior and decision making. Therefore, ethics do (and should) play a major role in decision
making.
As previously mentioned, my religious and spiritual beliefs shape my personal ethics. I grew up
in a very Christian family (one grandfather was a pastor and the other is a deacon), so from a
young age, I was instilled with a belief in God and His teachings, according to the Bible. As I get
older, I am learning that a spiritual journey and relationship with God is one that is personal and
cannot be easily taught or given by others. Therefore, I will admit that as I continue on my
personal journey with God, my personal ethics are still being developed and shaped. Some
behaviors that I may have thought were acceptable in the past, I no longer view the same. For
example, I have a lot of passion for the organizations I am involved with, especially S.M.A.R.T,
which is great as a leader. It is my passion which keeps me dedicated to the organization. However,
because of this passion, when things are not going as I want them to, it might cause me to
communicate in a way that is considered disrespectful to others. Either my tone, the loudness of my
voice, or the things that I say have made others feel disrespected. Personally, I find disrespecting
others to be unethical. Although I may not consciously decide to disrespect them, it is a result of my
behavior. While, at one point, I

Ethics in Psychology Essay
Ethics in Psychology Our country was founded on certain moral principles. The moral principles
which guide our lives are referred to as ethics. These ethics have an impact on how we interact
with the world around us and shape our personalities; this happens even if we do not realize their
immediate impact. It is for this very reason that ethics in psychological research became necessary.
"One may also define ethics as a method, procedure, or perspective for deciding how to act and for
analyzing complex problems and issues" (Resnik, 2011). We are expected to behave or be treated a
particular way in society, therefore we should be granted certain ethical treatments in regards to
research. Human Participants According to the American...show more content...
Animal Subjects This is a sensitive issue area in regards to research. There are many types of
research that just are not feasible to do with human subjects; therefore the justification for
non–human animals come into the experiment. Even though there are many benefits to using
animals, many animal rights groups maintain strong opposition to using animals for research. This
is why the APA has developed the Committee on Animal Research and Ethics (CARE). It is the
responsibility of CARE to audit that all ethics regarding animal usage is followed ("Committee on
animal," 2014). Due to the sensitivity of testing on animals the APA has developed very strict
standards regarding usage of animals as subjects. They range from justification, housing of said
animal, acquisition, and procedures. These requirements outline absolute necessity in order to
reduce the unnecessary usage of animals in testing. Therapy relationships with clients. The
psychologist to patient relationship during therapy is a crucial aspect. It is within ethical guidelines
that the psychologist clearly establish his role whether it be with an individual, group, or family
therapist. These roles need to be understood for the variety of issues that may arise; one of which is
the disclosure of information. Psychologists, for obvious reasons, are not to have sexual
relationships with patients or former patients within a

Essay on Ethics Case Study
Ethics Case Study
Ethical business behavior can be defined by business leadership. "Generally speaking, an action or
choice can be considered ethically correct if it's honest, fair, supports a beneficial outcome for both
parties, and generally enables the overall corporate image and vision" (Definition of Ethics, 2002). In
the following we will discuss how economic pressures on China, Jamaica, and America play a role
in the ethical decision–making for financial, environmental, and cultural issues.
Economic Pressures of China and Jamaica China
1.Rapid growth of the Chinese economy
2.Emerging into major power status
3.The need to reconcile Confucian and Communist heritage with demands of 21st century business
4.Fueled interest...show more content...
Based on the study of an auto parts contractor facing bankruptcy if its buyer finds out that a part it
sold is defective, 69.4% of China stated the company had a responsibility to the public and only 4.1%
citing that causing injury or death are too great to remain silent. "Countries are using utilitarian
approaches and are selecting the issues they will support based upon country/economic necessities
rather than upon ethical concerns alone" (Fok, 2005).
Positive and Normative Economics "Positive economics focuses on cause–and–effect relationships,
avoids judgment, tries to establish scientific statements about economic behavior, and deals with
what the economy is actually like" (McConnell, 2005, p. 11). The studies done are a reflection of
positive economics. A hypothesis was formed, data was collected, and a conclusion was drawn
based on scientific tests. "Normative economics incorporates value judgments about what the
economy should be like or what particular policy actions should be recommended to achieve a
desirable goal" (McConnell, 2005, p. 11). Because of Jamaica's low level of uncertainty avoidance,
it embraces change and has a willingness to change whatever related systems have to change for the
reforms to be effective.
The Effect of Market Efficiency, Economizing, and the Market System on Ethical Issues "Market
Efficiency entitles operating at an optimal point where the marginal benefit of each good is equal to
its marginal

Essay on Virtue Ethics
Virtue, when I hear that word I think of value and morality and only good people can be virtuous.
When I hear the word ethics I think of good versus evil, wrong and right. Now when the two are put
together you get virtue ethics. You may wonder what can virtue ethics possibly mean. It's just two
words put together to form some type of fancy theory. Well this paper will discussvirtue ethics and
the philosophy behind it.
Virtue ethics is a theory that focuses on character development and what virtues one should obtain
to be who they are supposed to be, as oppose to actions. An example of virtue ethics would be
someone who is patient, kind, loving, generous, temperance, courage and flourishing as oppose to a
person who lies, cheats, and...show more content...
Moral relativism explains a point that when it comes to morals, right or wrong, people have their
own opinion. Not everyone will think something is bad and not everyone will think something is
good. The difference between moral relativism and virtue ethics is that actions do not matter. It is
the type of person you are on the inside. Who you are on the inside will help you make righteous
decisions, regardless of the circumstances. "An ethics focused on virtue encourages us to develop
the good traits and get rid of the bad ones (Mackinnon)."
Virtue ethics was written by a Greek philosopher names Aristotle. Aristotle believed that every
human's goal was happiness. Some philosophers argued that happiness only came from following
a set of rules, while Aristotle argued that the best way to have happiness is to cultivate a virtuous
character. The two kinds of virtues he recognized were moral virtue and intellectual virtue. The
virtue that should be focused on to develop a virtuous character is moral virtue. According to
Aristotle, while we are born with a capacity to be virtuous, being virtuous is like a skill that we
need to learn and practice to be good at. The key element to being virtuous is being able to find the
mean or right amount of our various emotions, dispositions, and actions. Aristotle wrote: "Anybody
can become angry– that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at
the right time and for

Personal Ethics Essay
Personal Ethics
In today's world, individuals can make a single decision that can have a profoundly positive or
negative effect on their family, their employer, coworkers, a nation, and even on the entire world.
The life we lead reflects the strength of a single trait: our personal character. Personal ethics are
different for each person but for the most part, people want to be known as a good person, someone
who can be trusted, and he or she are concerned about his or her relationships and personal
reputations. As we go through this paper, we will focus on answering what are ethics, what are your
ethics, where do your ethics come from, and how do you manifest your ethics?
What are ethics?
Let us start off with the definition of...show more content...
Morals are the intrinsic beliefs developed from the value systems of how we 'should' behave in any
given situation. Ethics, on the other hand, are how we behave in the face of difficult situations
(Bottorff, 2005).
What are your ethics?
Now that we have defined ethics, we will take a look at what our ethics are. In reality, our ethical
behavior is at its best when intents, means, and ends, individually and collectively pursue a
greater good. For me personally, my ethics would be based on my behavior, how I handle
situations, can I be trusted, am I reliable and responsible? Does my behavior show that my
decisions are based on a greater good? Since I understand the fact that doing good is far better than
doing something bad, ethical thinking allows me to make decisions that will be right. Hopefully,
this behavior will present or leave a positive impression. For example, by displaying a positive
attitude, showing a willingness to help out, making sure my work is completed accurately and in a
timely manner, rather than producing work that is inaccurate and late, will let others know that they
can trust me, and count on me to be there to help out, on both a personal and professional level.
Where do your ethics come from?
Ethics has developed as people have reflected on the intentions and consequences of their acts. From
this reflection on the nature of human behavior, theories of conscience have developed, giving
direction to much ethical thinking. Each individual

Ethics: Ethics And Ethics
Ethics have been taught to us by our elders, who learned their wisdom from their elders and so on
throughout civilization. Lifestyles, social environments and BLANK have changed in one way or
another to fit each generation. My generation has been fortunate enough to not have the same harsh
racial oppression that Martin Luther King Jr. and so many others had to face. My ethical choices
and decisions seem minor in comparison to the many stories and articles I've had the pleasure of
reading this semester. Have you ever been given the opportunity to better yourself by hurting others
around you? Did you ever have a chance to do something that didn't have a direct consequence? You
are given options in life; You decide whether you will do the right...show more content...
I've worked multiple retail stores as well as in a deli. I've worked cash registers, stocked
merchandise, opened and closed departments and supervised other employees. While working in
so many different positions, I had started to notice little things I could have gotten away with
while at work. I also noticed things other employees were doing that were not to the same ethical
standard I hold for myself. I have had more than one opportunity to take money from a cash
register. I have also had many opportunities to take products I didn't purchase. While working in
the deli department of Safeway, I do my best to provide customers with food I would not mind
serving to my own family and friends. I was put in a very uncomfortable position during my
second week of work while in the deli department. I personally witnessed an employee, who has
worked for Safeway over fifteen years, take fried chicken out of our cold case and fry it for a second
time. I had only worked their two weeks but I knew that was unacceptable to serve to our
customers. I had the choice to pretend like I never saw it or bring it to our store managers attention.
I couldn't ignore it, so I informed my co–worker of what I witnessed and I went to our store manager
to address the unethical

Essay about Aristotle's Ethics
Aristotle's thoughts on ethics conclude that all humans must have a purpose in life in order to be
happy. I believe that some of the basics of his ideas still hold true today. This essay points out some
of those ideas.
It was Aristotle's belief that everything, including humans, had a telos or goal in life. The end result
or goal was said to be happiness or "eudaimonia". He explained that eudaimonia was different for
each person, and that each had a different idea of what it meant. Further, he said that people must do
things in moderation, but at the same time do enough. The theory, of "the golden mean of
moderation" was the basis to Aristotle's idea of the human telos and concluded that living a virtuous
life must be the same for all...show more content...
He said was also important to understand the acts performed towards virtue, because it directly
related to the character of the resulting morals. Aristotle felt that fear and pain influenced ethics, as
people would avoid that which he/she was scared of and/or that would cause pain. He believe
friendships to be vital in order to be a good person, and that it required "reciprocal and explicit
goodwill". Aristotle taught that friendships were uncommon, but could be achieved requiring time to
build familiarity and trust. He claimed that this perfect virtue must be achieved and maintained for
the lifetime.
Aristotle lists honor, pleasure, and wealth as the things believed to make humans happy. He
believed that because honor could be easily taken away it was superficial and that pleasure,
although enjoyable, was merely an "animal like quality". Wealth was described as a vehicle to
achieve greater status. The moderation of the three vices could be achieved but would not, in–itself
produce or guarantee eudaimonia. Instead, Aristotle was of the opinion that wisdom, courage,
temperance, and justice, would better lead person to happiness.
As one reads though the translations of Aristotle's thoughts, you begin to realize the complexity, yet
the common sense of his work. Modern day people have a goal in life, to achieve a certain amount
of success and to live life relatively happy. Most agree that to get to that goal, the populous must
conform and participate

Ethics In The Workplace Essay
Ethics in the Workplace
What is ethics? Is ethics an ability that grows in us from a child or does our parents teaches us
ethics? According to dictionary.com, states that the word ethics means, "the code of good conducts
for an individual or group." Ethics also means, simply stated, that ethics refers to standards of
behavior that tell us how human beings ought to act in the many situations in which they find
themselves–as friends, parents, children, citizens, businesspeople, teachers, professionals, and so on.
There are many characteristics of ethics. There are good and bad ethics. But when sociologist
Raymond Baumhart ask business people "What does ethics means to you?" According to him, the
replies he received were: "ethics has...show more content...
What does workplace ethics and ethics in general have to do with each other.
Workplace Ethics is a subject that we have all heard of. In fact, the subject of Ethics in general is
something that most people are familiar with, and what is commonly understood about ethics is
there are ethics and then there are workplace ethics. What most people don't realize, however, is
that there is no such thing as workplace ethics; ethics are the same, (or, should be) whether in the
workplace or in your personal life.
Ethics are about making choices that may not always feel good or seem like they benefit you, but
are the "right" choices to make. They are the choices that are examples of "model citizens" and
examples of the golden rules. We've all heard the golden rules: Don't hurt, don't steal, don't lie, or
one of the most famous: "Do unto others as you would have them done unto you." "These are not
just catchy phrases; these are words of wisdom that any productive member of society should
strive to live by. In our personal lives, most people try to do exactly that." ( Wallace, 1985) Ethics
are thought of by many people as something that is related to the private side of life and not to the
business side. In

Ethics in Science Essay
What do you think of when you hear or see the word "science"; test tubes, Einstein, Space?
Science is "generally taken as meaning either (a) the exact sciences, such as chemistry, physics,
etc., or (b) a method of thought which obtains verifiable results by reasoning logically from
observed fact" (Orwell). Scientists are those who study science by scientific method. These "men of
science", which Orwell describes as "a biologist, and astronomer, perhaps a psychologist or a
mathematician", "work by means of induction and deduction, and that by the help of these
operations, they, in a sort of sense, wring from Nature certain other things, which are called natural
laws, and causes, and that out of these, by some cunning skill of their own,...show more content...
This undoubtedly demonstrations the pros and cons of inventions made through science. There
are people who abuse medicine, and other creations from science, for numerous different reasons.
Things like guns and nuclear weapons were formed to protect, but with the downside of killing
others. With all of this this being said, should there be a limit to things we make? More
importantly, does science have an ethical responsibility to humanity? I think to answer that
question, we need to start with deciding if scientists have an ethical responsibility to humanity. As
the saying goes, with knowledge comes power and with power comes responsibility. However,
there can be no limitation on the knowledge obtained from science. Instead, we must limit what
arises from knowledge and power. What are some responsibilities of scientists and the rest of the
population? Well, to start on the broadest sense, science should only be used for the absolute
necessary improvement of humanity. It is our ethical responsibility to not take advantage of
science to further the advancement of military power, as we have done with the creation of atomic
and nuclear bombs. Is it responsible to use science for fame, fortune and glory? No, and it is not
acceptable, but it is common for people to do so. If, for some reason, we had the option to save 80%
of endangered wildlife through scientific means, but with the consequence of harming the
atmosphere, would it be ethical to continue on? We would have

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