3. Meaning of “Ethics”
“Rational, optimal and appropriate
decision, behavior and response on
the basis of commonly desired values,
preferences and expectations with effect of
rightness”
4. What is “Ethics”
Set of standards of conduct and moral
judgments to determine “rightness” and
“wrongness” in behaviour and action.
5.
6. Morality: Response to Externality
Goodness
or
Rightness
Proper
behaviour
Manner
Character
7. • Rules for ‘right’ and ‘wrong’
• ‘Should be’ or ‘should not be’
• Emotion and belief
Values
• External exposure
• Social description
• Personal description
• Response to society
Morality
• Internal exposure
• Driving principles
• Values and norms
• Drive and motivation
Ethics
8. Philosophy on Ethics
• Virtues: Justice, charity and generosity benefiting the person
and the society (Aristotle)
• State consequentialism: Evaluating the moral worth of an
action based on how much it contributes to the basic good of
a state.
• Utilitarianism: Conduct which produces the
greatest/maximum happiness or benefit to the greatest
number of people.
• Deontological theory: Ethics are central to morality - a
human duty - based on rational people’s respect for other
rational people.
• Hedonism: Maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain
9. Scope of “Ethics”
• Meta-ethics: About the theoretical meaning and reference of
moral propositions and how their truth values may be
determined
• Normative Ethics: Value for service, development, quality
outputs, productivity, competitiveness.
• Descriptive Ethics: Value-free approach to ethics like “ethical
codes”, common pattern of behaviour irrespective of real life
situations. Prescriptive rather than normative ethics.
• Applied ethics: How moral outcomes can be achieved in
specific situations
10. Scope of “Ethics”
• Value-free approach to
ethics like “ethical
codes”, common
pattern of behaviour
irrespective of real life
situations. Prescriptive
rather than normative
ethics.
• How moral
outcomes can
be achieved
in specific
situations
• Value for service,
development,
quality outputs,
productivity,
competitiveness.
• About the theoretical
meaning and reference
of moral propositions
and how their truth
values may be
determined
Meta
Ethics
Normative
Ethics
Descriptive
Ethics
Applied
Ethics
11. Basic Principles of Ethics
• Utility principle
• Rights principle
• Fairness principle: Impartiality and neutrality
• Social justice principle: Equity
• Professional competency principle
• Efficiency principle
• Accountability principle
12. Types of Ethics
• Ethics of Principled Conviction
• Asserts that intent is the most important factor.
• Good principles enforce ethical act.
• Ethics of Responsibility
• Outcome or consequence oriented ethics.
• Not dependent on high-minded principles.
13. • Values and intentions
• Good principles lead
to ethical behaviour
and actions
Principled
Ethics
• Consequentialism
• Result, impact and outcome
lead to ethical behaviour
• Accountability
Responsive
Ethics
14. Values and Morals: Complementarity
with Ethics
• Values are the rules by which we make decisions
about right and wrong, should and should not, good
or bad, feasible or infeasible, and so on.
• Morals have a greater social element to values and
tend to have a very broad acceptance. These are the
people’s fundamental beliefs and motivational basis
for ethical judgment in social condition.
15. Different Views on Ethical Behaviour
• Utilitarian View
Where moral behaviour is that which delivers the greatest good to the
greatest number of people.
• Individualism View
Where moral behaviour is that which is best for long-term self-interest.
• Moral-Rights View
Where moral behaviour is that which respects fundamental rights shared by
all human beings.
• Justice View
Where moral behaviour is that which is impartial, fair and equitable in treating
people. (Protective, distributive and procedural justice)
16. Particular Fields of Application in
Ethics
• Bioethics: Controversial ethics brought about by
advances in biotechnology like cloning, gene therapy,
genetic engineering
• Geo-ethics: Ethical management of relationship between
human and earth
• Service ethics: Effective service delivery with public
service motivation
• Relational ethics: Managing professional relationships
17. • Performance ethics: Delivery of standard and ethical
performance
• Political ethics: Political neutrality
• Developmental ethics: Right approach, priority and
allocation for development
• Innovation ethics: valuing innovation and creativity
18. Ethical Responsibility
Involves more than leading a decent, honest, truthful life.
And it involves something much more than making wise choices
when such choices suddenly, unexpectedly present themselves.
Our moral obligations must . . . include a willingness to engage
others in the difficult work of defining the crucial choices that confront
technological society .
19. Ethical Standards
• Professional responsibility and competence
• Learning and professional development
• Contribution to institutional development
• Responsibility towards societal issues of
transformation
20. Benefits of Ethical Management of
Profession
• Social responsiveness
• Transparency and accountability
• Standardized performance and reputation
• Performance and service culture
• Sustainability
• Attraction and retention of competent human resource
• Customer support
• Orientation to reform and improvements
• Social legitimacy
• Teamwork and productivity
21. Basic Principles
• Clear ethical standards
• Legal framework: Adequate and appropriate
• Ethical guidance for public servants
• Knowledge of rights, obligations and consequences to public servants
• Political reinforcement to public service ethics
• Public scrutiny and transparency of decision making process
• Guidelines for interaction between public and private sectors
• Policy, institution, systems and methods for promoting ethics
• Adequate and appropriate accountability mechanisms
• Appropriate sanction against non-compliance and unethical behaviour
22. Who are Professionals
• Expert power
• Harmonized ‘knowledge’ and ‘wisdom’
• Use of expertise responsibly: integrity
• Marked as professionals: Legitimacy
• Delivering capacity for professional results
• Culture of performance, development, reform
• Professional networking capacity: knowledge synergy
23. Professional Ethics
• Personal, organizational and corporate standards of
behaviour expected of professionals
• Making rational judgments, application of skill,
knowledge and competency for service excellence
• Professional neutrality, impartiality and fairness
24. Professional Ethics
• Principles that guide the actions and decisions
of professionals, and determine if they are
good or bad, or right or wrong, or rational or
irrational, or just or unjust.
• Professional capability for securing social,
technical and professional legitimacy of
decisions and actions.
• Instrument for ensuring social accountability
and responsiveness.
26. Occupational Ethics
“Among the universal ethical values are
honesty, integrity, promise-keeping, fidelity,
fairness, respect for others, responsible
citizenship, pursuit of excellence and
accountability.”
- Michael Josephson
27. Understanding Professional Ethics
• Professional ethics is the field of
applied ethics and system of moral
principles that apply the practice of
certain profession or occupation.
• The field examines and sets the
obligations by professionals to society,
to the client, and to the profession.
28. Determinants of Occupational
Ethics
• Ethical considerations to public,
clients, profession
• Fulfilment of professional
standards of performance
• Contribution to development of
profession
29. Ethical Principles for Profession
• Professionals shall hold paramount the safety, health
and welfare of the public and shall strive to comply
with the principles of sustainable development in the
performance of their professional duties.
• Professionals shall perform services only in areas of
their competence.
• Professionals shall issue public statements only in an
objective and truthful manner.
30. • Professionals shall act in professional matters for each employer
or client as faithful agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts
of interest.
• Professionals shall build their professional reputation on the
merit of their services and shall not compete unfairly with
others.
• Professionals shall act in such a manner as to uphold and
enhance the honor, integrity, and dignity of the engineering
profession and shall act with zero-tolerance for bribery, fraud,
and corruption.
• Professionals shall continue their professional development
throughout their careers, and shall provide opportunities for the
professional development of those engineers under their
supervision.
31. Factors Affecting Managerial Ethics in a
Profession
• The Professional as a Person
• Personal capability
• Family influences
• Religious values
• Personal standards and needs
• Dynamics of Profession
• Professional values
• Institutionalization of profession
• Standards of profession
• The Employing Organization
• Policies and strategies
• Codes of conduct
• Behaviour of leaders
• Behaviour of peers and subordinates
• The External Environment
• Global system
• Governance
• Norms and values of society
• Ethical climate of profession
32. Challenges to Managerial Ethics
• Socio-cultural challenges
• Social values and norms
• Level of empowerment
• Strategic and Structural challenges
• Political and bureaucratic capabilities
• Rationality vs populism
• Profit vs service
• Transparency vs secrecy
• Accountability dilemma: people vs managerial leadership
• Managerial capability
33. Challenges....continued
• Systemic and Methodological challenges
• Performance management
• Professionalism vs political consideration
• Social vs financial consideration
• Technological applications
• Behavioural challenges
• Compliance to ethical values and norms
• Political capability and commitment
• Managerial behaviour
• Group dynamics
• Risk factor
• Conflict of interest
• Ethical dilemmas
• Role conflict
34. Ethical Problems in a Profession
• Position vs rank
• Expertise vs authority
• Political organizing
• “Groupthink” syndrome
• Organized anarchism
• Capability for generating intellectual resources
• Issues of research orientation
• Social and political support
35. Improving Professional Ethics
• Philosophical base
• Selection of “good people”
• Cultural improvements
• Codes of ethics and management rules
• Leadership competency
• Goal-orientation and objectivity
• Participative management
• Independent social audits and monitoring
• Formal protective mechanisms for persons acting
ethically: Whistleblower protection
37. Value Based Management: Basis for
Ethics
• Drive value for key stakeholders
• Focus your business on what counts - relentlessly
• Facilitate deployment of strategy and management
philosophy
• Establish accountability at all levels
