Ethical Perspective Paper

Ethical Perspective Paper

Introduction

In this paper, I will be discussing the four ethical perspectives 1) Character/Virtue

2) Obligation/Deontology 3) Results/Utilitarianism 4) Equity/relativism. I will also be discussing my own results from the Ethics Awareness Inventory. What are my Ethical Perspective and Ethical Style?

Character/Virtue

What does character/virtue focus on? Character/virtue focuses on having a good principle of moral. An individual that has a good moral of principal has a strong behavior and belief in being honest. People who base their ethical perspective on charter "look for evidence of virtue in people, including such traits as honor, justice, and benevolence, believing that a virtue is not just an abstract principle."(The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management, 2003).By being a person that has an excellent character the individual can make a good ethical decision even in circumstances that can be difficult. What is a strong persons characteristic? The following are the characteristics of a strong individual honesty, wisdom, and integrity. According to The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management (2003) an individuals who does not have a strong character will not be able to make ethical decisions. Social inequality can contribute to the lack of ethical values. Individuals that are categorized in this perspective value integrity of the group. Character perspective believes that ethics can depend on the individuals ability to make a moral decision.

Obligation/ Deontology

The obligation/deontology perspective believes that decisions are based on the loyalty and responsibility of the person. In this category standards are set in the workplace, in the society, and in how the individual was raised. An individual that is characterized in this group focuses on the intent not the results of the situation. The important principles in obligation perspectives are: Freedom of the individuals, human dignity, and respect to others. In this perspective the individuals believe that everyone needs to be treated as a human being instead of a way to accomplish a task. The people in this perspective want the best for individuals. The end results are less important than the growth and expression. If the person does not growth then the individual does not make ethical decisions.

Results/ Utilitarianism

An individual that looks at the consequences and results of his or her actions analyzes which decision is the most important to him or her. Ethical decisions are based on what is the most beneficial to the individual. The individual needs to make sure he or she follows through with actions he or she started to be viewed as an ethical person. This "goodness" can be measured, in part, by the level of satisfaction expressed by the majority of the persons who make up our society" (Williams Institute of Ethics and Management, 2003). If the group disagrees with the results conflicts arise and changes needs to be discussed amongst the group. One the group agrees on the decision changes is made. The group is expected to look out for the best interest of the individual’s by weighing the trade offs. The ethical perspective based on results enjoys making improvements to the environment in order for people to enjoy learning and working together (Williams Institute of Ethics and Management, 2003). Decision made will not make all members of the group happy.

Equity/ Relativism

What is Equity perspective? Equity perspective is the lack of human judgment and knowledge of a situation. Individual’s that are considered to be in this category uses the experiences he or she has learned from day to day to make ethical decisions. Decisions are judged based solely on practical consequences of the actions to follow. Each situation is judged separately from a practical and objective point of view (Williams Institute of Ethics and Management, 2003). Individuals that are in the