This document discusses concepts related to professional ethics in engineering. It begins by defining key terms like morals, ethics, virtues, and vices. It then discusses the importance of concepts like integrity, work ethic, service learning, civic virtue, respect for others, living peacefully, caring, sharing, honesty, courage, valuing time, cooperation, commitment, empathy, self-confidence, and character. It also introduces yoga and meditation for stress management. The document provides information on ethical decision making and different approaches to ethics. Overall, it serves as an introduction to important human values and professional ethics.

1. GE6075 PROFESSIONAL ETHICS IN
ENGINEERING
Unit 1
Dr Gnanasekaran Thangavel
Professor and Head
Faculty of Information Technology
R M K College of Engineering and
Technology

2. UNIT I HUMAN VALUES
Morals, values and Ethics – Integrity – Work ethic –
Service learning – Civic virtue – Respect for others
– Living peacefully – Caring – Sharing – Honesty –
Courage – Valuing time – Cooperation –
Commitment – Empathy – Self confidence –
Character – Spirituality – Introduction to Yoga and
meditation for professional excellence and stress
management.
2 Dr Gnanasekaran Thangavel 9/19/2016

3. 9/19/2016Dr Gnanasekaran Thangavel3
Ethics Defined
 Moral codes are the rules that establish the
boundaries of generally accepted behavior.
 Morality refers to social conventions about right and
wrong human conduct.
 Ethics are beliefs regarding right and wrong behavior.
 Virtues are habits that incline us to do what is
acceptable.
 Vices are habits that incline us to do what is
unacceptable.
 Value System is the complex scheme of moral values

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The Importance of Integrity
Integrity is used to refer to people who act in
ways that are consistent with their own code of
principles.
You often reflect on your principles when you
consider what you “ought” to do in different
situations.

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Ethics in the Business World
Globalization of organizations has created a complex
business world.
Risk is the likelihood of a negative event times the
impact of the event.

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Why Business Ethics are Important
Protect the organization and its employees from legal
action.
Create an organization that operates consistently.
Produce good business.
Avoid unfavorable publicity.
Gain the goodwill of the community.

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Code of Conduct
 A guide that highlights an organization’s key ethical
issues and identifies the overarching values and
principles that are important to the organization and
that can help in decision making.
 The code of conduct helps ensure that employees:
 Abide by the law.
 Follow necessary regulations.
 Behave in an ethical manner.

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Ethical Decision Making
1. Get the facts.
2. Identify the stakeholders and their positions.
3. Consider the consequences of your decision.
4. Weigh various guidelines and principles (Virtue,
Utilitarian, Fairness, Common Good).
5. Develop and evaluate options.
6. Review your decision.
7. Evaluate the results of your decision.

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Four Common Approaches Used in Ethical
Decision-Making
Approach to
Dealing with Moral
Issues
Principle
Virtue Approach The ethical choice is the one that best
reflects moral virtues in ourselves and our
community.Utilitarian Approach The ethical choice is the one that produces
the greatest excess of benefits over harm.
Fairness Approach The ethical choice is the one that treats
everyone the same and does not show
favoritism or discrimination.Common Good
Approach
The ethical choice is the one that advances
the common good.

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Ethics in Information Technology
The increased use of information technology has raised
many ethical issues for today’s IT professional.
Licensing of IT professionals
Internet communication
Intellectual property
Employee/employer issues

11. Work ethic
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Work ethic is a set of values based on hard work and diligence. It
is also a belief in the moral benefit of work and its ability to
enhance character. A work ethic may include being reliable,
having initiative, or pursuing new skills.
Workers exhibiting a good work ethic in theory should be selected
for better positions, more responsibility and ultimately promotion.
Workers who fail to exhibit a good work ethic may be regarded as
failing to provide fair value for the wage the employer is paying
them and should not be promoted or placed in positions of greater
responsibility.
Work ethic is not just hard work but also a set of accompanying
virtues, whose crucial role in the development and sustaining of
free markets.

12. What Is Service-Learning?
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Service-Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that
integrates meaningful community service with instruction
and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach
civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.

13. Differentiating Service-Learning from Other
Forms of Education
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 Experiential Learning: The knowledge and skills
acquired through life, work experience and study which
have not been formally attested through any
educational or professional certification.
 Internship: A work-related learning experience for
individuals who wish to develop hands on work
experience in a certain occupational field
 Practicum: A college course that is designed to give
students supervised practical application of a

14. Civic virtue
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 Civic virtue is the moral underpinning of how a citizen behaves and is
involved in society. It is a standard of righteous behavior in relation to a
citizens’ involvement in society.
 A individual may exhibit civic virtue by voting, volunteering and
organizing other community activities.
 Without an understanding of civic virtue, citizens are less likely to look
beyond their families, friends and economic interests.
 They are less likely to help others in the community, to volunteer their
time, to give to nonprofit organizations or to participate in group activity
that benefits society.
 Related ideas for civic virtue are citizenship, philanthropy, public good,
voluntarism and social capital.

15. Respect for others
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Respect is a feeling of admiration or deference toward a
person, group, ideal, or indeed almost any entity or
concept, as well as specific actions and conduct
representative of that esteem.
Whether between spouses, friends, coworkers, or business
acquaintances, if there is a history of mutual respect and
sincere gratitude, the people involved are generally happier
and more successful. We live in a world where there are
many differences between people, but with an open mind
and an appreciation of each person’s contributions to this
world, we strengthen our relationships and our community.

16. How to Show Respect
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 Listen it sounds easy, but listening–truly listening–can be one
of the hardest skills to master. If you want a person to know
you respect him or her, then tune into what that person is
saying. Look them in the eye and offer feedback when
necessary. Everyone appreciates the person who willing
listens to them and shows genuine interest in what they have
to say.
 Encourage If you’ve ever had a bad day, then you know the
power a little encouragement can have. We’ve all had
moments when we need someone to tell us, “don’t worry,
things will work out.” It might not seem like much at the time,
but that person will remember that you took the time and

17. How to Show Respect
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 Congratulate If someone does a great job, let them know about it. In fact, let
everyone know about it. Openly congratulate someone for a job well done,
especially if you’re a manager. Employees will work harder and happier
knowing their manager has a mutual respect for them and is willing to express
praise and gratitude when it’s deserved.
 Be Helpful If you find a friend or coworker in a jam, be willing to help them if at
possible. Not to say you should take on half their project, but offering some
advice or throwing in a bit of your time will mean a lot. If that friend or coworker
has helped you in the past, then returning the favor will be a nice way to show
both your respect and gratitude.
 Say Thank You I’m sure this one seems like common sense, but many people
just forget to say thank you or at least forget how to say it with sincerity. A thank
you can be as small as two words or as much as buying someone a gift;
nevertheless, if the action is not done with 100% sincerity then it is wasted.
Make sure people know you appreciate them and their actions. Simply saying

18. Living Peaceful
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Our principle of ‘Peaceful living’ centers on the ethical and sustainable
application of technologies which would aim to provide basic needs for
everyone without compromising the planet’s resources. Here are the steps
which can help you to discover your journey towards living in peace.
 Seek to love, not control others. ...
 Find Your Inner Peace. ...
 Moderate your convictions. ...
 Be tolerant. ...
 Be Peace. ...
 Reflection of thought. ...
 Seek forgiveness, not revenge. ...
 Live in joy.
 Be the change you wish to see in the World.

19. Caring
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Being caring allows you to have empathy for others and to live a life
based on affection, love, and compassion for the people around you.
Being caring means providing a listening ear, noticing when someone
needs help, and helping your community without asking for a reward. If
you want to know how to be more caring today, see Steps to get started.
 Be polite: You don't have to be overly formal to be polite. You just
have to be considerate of other people and make them feel
comfortable in your presence.
 Be affectionate: Actions really can speak louder than words
sometimes. Though telling a person you care can make a big
difference, sometimes giving that person a hug or putting your arm
around him or her can have that extra impact.
 Listen to people: When someone is talking to you, make eye contact,
put away your phone or other distractions, and don't interrupt the

20. Caring Steps to get started
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 Be more generous: Being generous, whether it's with your time or your
money, can go a long way in being a more caring person.
 Treat others like you want to be treated: If you want to be more caring,
then you have to be kind and thoughtful toward others, and think of how you
would feel if you were in their shoes.
 Be considerate of others: Being considerate is another major aspect of
being caring. If you want to be considerate, then you have to respect the
people around you, and to avoid making a nuisance of yourself.

21. Sharing
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 Sharing is the joint use of a resource or space. In its narrow sense, it
refers to joint or alternating use of inherently finite goods, such as a
common pasture or a shared residence. It is also the process of
dividing and distributing.
 Apart from obvious instances, which we can observe in human
activity, we can also find many examples of this happening in nature.
 When an organism takes in nutrition or oxygen for instance, its
internal organs are designed to divide and distribute the energy
taken in, to supply parts of its body that need it. Flowers divide and
distribute their seeds.
 In a broader sense, it can also include free granting of use rights to
goods that can be treated as non rival goods, such as information

22. Honesty
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 Honesty refers to a facet of moral character and connotes
positive and virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness,
straightforwardness, including straightforwardness of conduct,
along with the absence of lying, cheating, theft, etc.
 Furthermore, honesty means being trustworthy, loyal, fair, and
sincere.
 Honesty is valued in many ethnic and religious cultures .
 "Honesty is the best policy" is a proverb of Benjamin Franklin;
 "Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom" proverb of
Thomas Jefferson.

23. Courage
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Courage (also called bravery, bravado or valour) is the
choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger,
uncertainty or intimidation. Physical courage is courage
in the face of physical pain, hardship, death or threat of
death, while moral courage is the ability to act rightly in
the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal,
discouragement, or personal loss.

24. Valuing Time
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 A first step in good time management is to understand the value of your
time.
 If you are employed by someone else, you need to understand how much
your employer is paying for your time, and how much profit he or she
expects to make from you.
 If you are working for yourself, you should have an idea of how much
income you want to bring in after tax. By working these figures back to an
hourly rate, this gives you an idea of the value of your time.
 By knowing the value of your time, you should be able to tell what tasks are
worthwhile to perform, and which tasks give a poor return. This helps you
cut away the low value jobs, or argue for help with them.
L

25. Cooperation
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 Cooperation is the process of groups of organisms working or acting together for
common or mutual benefit, as opposed to working in competition for selfish
benefit.
 Many animal and plant species cooperate both with other members of their own
species and with members of other species
Commitment
 Commitment is willingness to give your time and energy to something that
you believe in, or a promise or firm decision to do something.
Commitment means acceptance of the responsibilities and duties and
cooperation means help and assistance. By developing team commitment and
cooperation in a work team you are assisting the team to meet its goals and
objectives. Work teams that are committed and cooperative are more likely to
achieve the goals the business has set.

26. Empathy
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Empathy is the ability to mutually experience the
thoughts, emotions, and direct experience of others.
The ability to understand another person’s
circumstances, point of view, thoughts, and feelings is
empathy.
When experiencing empathy, you are able to
understand someone else’s internal experiences.

27. Self Confidence
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 Self-confidence relates to self-assuredness in one's
personal judgment, ability, power, etc., sometimes
manifested excessively. Being confident in yourself is
infectious if you present yourself well, others will want
to follow in your foot steps towards success.
 Promise yourself, no matter how difficult the problem
life throws at you, that you will try as hard as you can
to help yourself.
 You acknowledge that sometimes your efforts to help
yourself may not result in success, as often being

28. Character
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 Character traits are all the aspects of a person's behavior and attitudes
that make up that person's personality. Everyone has character traits,
both good and bad.
 Some character traits have to do with your underlying values or beliefs.
Some examples of these types of character traits include: Religious,
Honest, Loyal, Devoted, Loving, Kind, Sincere, Devoted, Ambitious,
Satisfied, Happy, Faithful, Patient, Determined, Persistent,
Adventurous, Homebody, Considerate, Cooperative, Cheerful,
Optimistic, Pessimistic, Funny.
 Some character traits can be bad, and you may not want these traits
associated with you. Some examples of these types of character traits
include: Dishonest, Disloyal, Unkind, Mean, Rude, Disrespectful,
Impatient, Greedy, Angry, Pessimistic, Repugnant, Cruel, Unmerciful,
Wicked, Obnoxious, Malicious, Grumpy, Quarrelsome, Caustic,
Selfish, Unforgiving

29. Character
9/19/2016Dr Gnanasekaran Thangavel29
 A leader or person who likes to be in charge may have the following
character traits: Domineering, Boorish, Persuasive, Ambitious, Bossy,
Disparaging, Picky, Sly, Cold-hearted, Rude, Self-centered,
Conceited
 Some character traits can be consciously developed, learned or
acquired. For example, character traits that you may consciously
choose to learn or adopt include: Educated or Informed
 Some character traits for children include: Playful, Zany, Active, Wild,
Silly, Affectionate, Funny, Rough, Talkative, Rowdy, Smart, Fidgety,
Shy, Lively, Submissive, Stubborn

30. Spirituality
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 Spirituality is the concept of an ultimate or an alleged immaterial
reality, an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of
his/her being; or the "deepest values and meanings by which people
live.
 Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation,
are intended to develop an individual's inner life. S
 Spiritual experiences can include being connected to a larger reality,
yielding a more comprehensive self; joining with other individuals or
the human community; with nature or the cosmos; or with the divine
realm.
 Spirituality is often experienced as a source of inspiration or
orientation in life. It can encompass belief in immaterial realities or
experiences of the immanent or transcendent nature of the world.

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Introduction to Yoga and meditation for professional
excellence and stress management

32. YOGA
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 Yoga is an ancient discipline designed to bring balance and
health to the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual
dimensions of the individual, when adopted as a way of life, yoga
improves physical, mental, intellectual, and spiritual health.
 Yoga offers an effective method of managing and reducing
stress, anxiety, and depression, and numerous studies
demonstrate the efficacy of yoga on mood-related disorders.
 Yoga is often depicted metaphorically as a tree and comprises
eight aspects, or limbs: yama (universal ethics), niyama
(individual ethics), asana (physical postures), pranayama (breath
control), pratyahara (control of the senses), dharana
(concentration), dyana (meditation), and samadhi (bliss).

33. Tree of Yoga
9/19/2016Dr Gnanasekaran Thangavel33
 When one thinks about Yoga today, the
first thing that comes to mind is the
physical practice of postures, or Asana.
 As described in Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras,
Asana is only 1 of the 8 limbs of Yoga.
 Applying the other 7 will not only
deepen our physical and spiritual
practice but also help take our yoga off
the mat and into our daily lives.
 To help better understand how the 8-
step path comes all together,
 BKS Iyengar’s representation of the
Tree of Yoga:

34. 9/19/2016Dr Gnanasekaran Thangavel34
1.Roots: Foundation for living honorably and clearly
Yama – a list of outward observances representing principles of ethical behavior
 Ahimsa – non harming, compassion for self and others
 Satya – truthfulness, being honest with ourselves and others
 Asteya – non-stealing, freeing oneself from the desire to have something that has
not earned or paid for
 Brahmacharya – wise and balanced use of energy
 Aparigraha – non-attachment, living with generosity of spirit and action
2.Trunk: Establishing a base of purity in one’s body and mind
Niyama – Inward personal observances that improve the self and surrounding
relations
 Sauca – cleanliness in one’s body, mind, and surroundings, treating our body as a
temple
 Santosha – practice of contentment, seeing the good in things, counting one’s
blessings

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3.Trunk: Establishing a base of purity in one’s body and mind
Niyama – Inward personal observances that improve the self
and surrounding relations
Sauca – cleanliness in one’s body, mind, and surroundings,
treating our body as a temple
Santosha – practice of contentment, seeing the good in things,
counting one’s blessings
Tapas – heat, energy of self-transformation to promote a
healthy mind, soul and body
Svadhyaya – study of texts and self study
Isvarapranidhana – letting go of ego, a feeling of being an
expression of the whole universe

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4.Branches: Strong and flexible to move with the wind of life
Asana – physical practice of yogic postures
5.Leaves: Drawing in life force through the exchange of breath
Pranayama – mastering the science of breath, breath control
6.Bark: Protecting the tree from outer elements and preventing its
essence from flowing outward
Pratyahara – turning awareness inward, sense withdrawal
7.Sap: Juice which carries the energy on this inward journey, links
the whole tree as one
Dharana – focused state of concentration, bringing the mind to a
single point of focus
8.Fruit: The essence of the tree
Samadhi – bliss, to feel unity, peace, freedom

37. The role of yoga in stress management
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 Hans Selye first introduced the term stress into life science. The term
stress is derived from the Latin word Stringere, which means “to be
drawn tight.”
 Stress is a complex, dynamic process of interaction between a person
and his or her life. Stress can affect one’s health, work performance,
social life, and the relationship with family members.
 Eminent behavioral scientist Stephen Robbins defines stress as that
which arises from an opportunity, demand, constraint, threat, or
challenge, when the outcomes of the event are important and
uncertain.
 Stress can also be defined as the harmful physical and emotional
responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match
the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker.

38. The role of yoga in stress management ….
9/19/2016Dr Gnanasekaran Thangavel38
 Job stress can lead to poor health and even injury. Hence we can say that
stress is a silent killer, and prolonged exposure to stress may exert harmful
effects on physical, psychological, and behavioral well-being of an
individual.
 According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 80%
of workers experience job stress.
 Kulkarni, in an article “Burnout” published in Indian Journal of Occupational
and Environmental Medicine, has said that the rapid change of the modern
working life is associated with increasing demands of learning new skills,
the need to adapt to new types of work, pressure of higher productivity and
quality of work, time pressure, and hectic jobs. These factors are increasing
stress among the workforce.

39. IMPACT OF STRESS
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 One of the studies quoted that stress-related disorders evolve
gradually through four recognizable stages.
1.In the first, psychological changes such as anxiety, irritability,
and insomnia arise, due to over-stimulation of the sympathetic
nervous system.
2.In the second stage symptoms such as high blood pressure,
elevated heart rate, and increased intestinal motility surface.
3.In the third stage, a more profound physical or biochemical
imbalance sets in,
4.In the final fourth stage, irreversible symptoms that often
require surgical or long-term management appear.

40. IMPACT OF STRESS
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 Increased sympathetic activation and the release of stress
hormones, including adrenaline, lead to increases in heart
rate, blood pressure, breathing, body temperature, and muscle
tension.
 In contrast, the relaxation response has been proposed as an
antidote to stress; relaxation decreases heart rate, breathing,
body temperature, and muscle tension.
 Similar to stress in the workplace, college students are also
often impacted by stress. Academic stress can result from
many different imperative stressors, such as final grades, term
papers, examinations, and excessive homework. Stress has
exhibited a negative correlation with cognitive performance,

41. EFFECT OF YOGA IN STRESS …..
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 A growing body of research evidence supports the belief that certain yoga
techniques may improve physical and mental health through down-
regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the
sympathetic nervous system (SNS).
 The HPA axis and SNS are triggered as a response to a physical or
psychological demand (stressor), leading to a cascade of physiologic,
behavioral, and psychological effects, primarily as a result of the release of
cortisol and catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine).
 This response leads to the mobilization of energy needed to combat the
stressor through the classic fight-or-flight response.
 Over time, the constant state of hyper vigilance resulting from repeated
firing of the HPA axis and SNS can lead to dysregulation of the system, and
ultimately diseases such as obesity, diabetes, autoimmune disorders,
depression, substance abuse, and cardiovascular disease. Studies also
show that yoga decreases levels of salivary cortisol, blood glucose, as well
as plasma renin levels, and 24-hour urine norepinephrine and epinephrine

42. EFFECT OF YOGA IN STRESS
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 Yoga significantly decreases heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood
pressure.
 Studies suggest that yoga reverses the negative impact of stress on the
immune system by increasing levels of immunoglobulin A as well as natural
killer cells.
 Yoga has been found to decrease markers of inflammation such as high
sensitivity C-reactive protein as well as inflammatory cytokines such as
interleukin-6 and lymphocyte-1B. These studies suggest that yoga has an
immediate quieting effect on the SNS-HPA axis response to stress. While
the precise mechanism of action has not been determined, it has been
hypothesized that some yoga exercises cause a shift toward
parasympathetic nervous system dominance, possibly via direct vagal
stimulation. Shapiro et al noted significant reductions in low-frequency
heart rate variability (HRV)—a sign of sympathetic nervous system

43. EFFECT OF YOGA IN STRESS
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 Regardless of the pathophysiologic pathway, yoga has been shown to have
immediate psychological effects: decreasing anxiety and increasing
feelings of emotional, social, and spiritual well-being.
 Several literature reviews have been conducted that examined the impact
of yoga on specific health conditions, including cardiovascular disease,
metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cancer, and anxiety.
 Another study has shown improvement of mental health of both the young
and seniors by reducing stress through yoga. Yoga can be wisely applied in
welfare programs to improve the quality of life in all age groups.
 Yogic science includes yogasanas (postures), pranayama (breathing
practices), dhyana (meditation), and relaxation techniques which benefit
human beings at every level.

44. References
1. www.cosc.brocku.ca/~jradue/2p50/slides/chap01.ppt
2. https://www.gwu.edu/~rpsol/service-learning/.../Service-Learning%20PowerPoint.ppt
3. https://www.bastiansolutions.com/blog/index.php/2011/04/06/5-easy-ways-to-show-people-
respect-and-gratitude/
4. http://srecwarangal.ac.in/wp-content/uploads/peve-unit-1.pdf
5. http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Caring
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharing
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honesty
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Courage
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperation
10. http://examples.yourdictionary.com/character-trait-examples.html
11. http://benoityoga.com/tree-of-yoga/
12. http://mdcurrent.in/patients/role-yoga-stress-management/
44 Dr Gnanasekaran Thangavel 9/19/2016

45. Other presentations
http://www.slideshare.net/drgst/presentations
45 Dr Gnanasekaran Thangavel 9/19/2016

46. 46
Thank You
Questions and Comments?
Dr Gnanasekaran Thangavel 9/19/2016