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Moral choices, principles and values related to the human conduct. Is the balance between wrong or right, good or bad.

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We make our own choices.

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There are times when the right and wrong decisions are obvious, but what about the times where the outcome is less clear? Situations where, if nobody knew you made the wrong decision, you would benefit financially, emotionally, or otherwise. Ethics help us navigate the gray area between absolute right and morally wrong. They provide the structure that helps us make a decision we can be proud of. For me personally, ethics are the rules that society must adhere to.

Descartes may have said "I think, therefore I am" but it is not only thinking that makes mankind sentient, it's the ability to think and act ethically. Without ethics, society would be reduced to the type of animal behaviour that is seen in nature. Hunt, kill, feed, fornicate. When mankind started to think about the outcome of their action, or inaction, ethics were born. Mankind demonstrates its difference from the rest of the animal kingdom by being imaginative enough to follow a concept through the various possible outcomes, and then deciding on the action that best suits the personal beliefs of the person in question.

There are many schools of thought to help us make our ethical choices. Epicurus believed if everyone is honest, prudent, and employs justice when dealing with others, they would be free from retribution from society. Basically, if everyone is good, everything will be good. John Stuart Mills held a variation on this belief, but felt it was more pure to remove the pleasure for oneself. Mills Utilitarianism provides a world where our rewards are not considered in our actions. For Mills, a mantra of "I will cut, you can choose" ensures that everyone gets a fair slice of the pie.

Immanuel Kant had a different idea about ethics. Kant saw everything as black or white, and mankind has a "duty without exception." This view affords no wiggle room on any decision. If the outcome is bad in any way, then it is ethically wrong. W.D. Ross provided a more lenient view of Kant's philosophy. By providing "self-evident duties" Ross helps us navigate the gray areas of the map by providing guidelines for us to follow. Ross starts with "First - do no harm" but then juxtaposes this with the second rule of "Make amends if you do harm." By allowing for violations of the first rule, Ross allows mankind to make the decisions that suit their personal beliefs.

The argument against the previous philosophies is they are based on people, society, having an inherent understanding of what is good or bad. John Rawls developed a theory of justice that creates a "veil of ignorance." By framing the ethical question in a way that the asker doesn't know if they will benefit or be the victim within the equation, a true answer will develop. The understanding is that if you don't know if you will benefit or suffer from the decision, you will create a more "fair" outcome for either party.

Just like humanity, ethical situations are evolving. Decisions that were considered ethical ten years ago are reevaluated because society has decided the original decision was not the correct one. We need to continue to explore the decisions from our past and determine if the answer we came up with is still acceptable today. Ethics are not static, but if we are consistent in our application of the above philosophies, we can ensure that we are able to carefully evaluate our decisions and further progress in our march away from our past mentality of hunt, kill, feed, and fornicate.

- Jason

What are ethics - and why do you think they're important within the world of business today?

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There are times when the right and wrong decisions are obvious, but what about the times where the outcome is less clear? Situations where, if nobody knew you made the wrong decision, you would benefit financially, emotionally, or otherwise. Ethics help us navigate the gray area between absolute right and morally wrong.

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Why ethics are important in today's society?

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Why ethics are important in today's society?

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Ethics plays a critical role in shaping the individuals behaviors within a society. It help us to identify what is right and wrong to do in a society, it is a standard that helps to create an harmonious and conforming environment.

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Morals are the social, religious or personal standards of right and wrong.
Ethics are the rules or standards that govern the conduct of members of a particular group or profession.

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Is the qualifications of begin honest and having strong moral principles.

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Positive feeling or action shown towards someone or something that is considered important.

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Proper conduct.

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Principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong.

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Things that we believe are important in the way we live and work. It determines our priorities.

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Something that is you job or duty to deal with

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Being trustworthy, loyal, fair and sincere.

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Pepsi Pulls Ad Accused of Trivializing Black Lives Matter (Published 2017)

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The beverage company apologized for an ad featuring Kendall Jenner giving a smiling officer a soda at a protest.

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Each day roughly 120 million people walk into a workplace somewhere in the United States. Within the past year, almost half of these workers personally witnessed some form of ethical misconduct, according to a recent survey conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based Ethics Resource Center (ERC).

We are not talking about workers being privy to the CFO committing fraud. More likely, it's someone who lied to a supervisor or handed in a false expense report. Listed below, according to the ERC study, are the five most frequently observed unethical behaviors in the U.S. workplace.
1. Misusing company time
Whether it is covering for someone who shows up late or altering a time sheet, misusing company time tops the list. This category includes knowing that one of your co-workers is conducting personal business on company time. By "personal business" the survey recognizes the difference between making cold calls to advance your freelance business and calling your spouse to find out how your sick child is doing.
2. Abusive behavior
Too many workplaces are filled with managers and supervisors who use their position and power to mistreat or disrespect others. Unfortunately, unless the situation you're in involves race, gender or ethnic origin, there is often no legal protection against abusive behavior in the workplace. To learn more, check out the Workplace Bullying Institute.
3. Employee theft
According to a recent study by Jack L. Hayes International, one out of every 40 employees in 2012 was caught stealing from their employer. Even more startling is that these employees steal on average 5.5 times more than shoplifters ($715 vs $129). Employee fraud is also on the uptick, whether its check tampering, not recording sales in order to skim, or manipulating expense reimbursements. Ethical alert: The FBI recently reported that employee theft is the fasting growing crime in the U.S. today.
4. Lying to employees
The fastest way to lose the trust of your employees is to lie to them, yet employers do it all the time. One of out every five employees report that their manager or supervisor has lied to them within the past year.
5. Violating company internet policies
Cyberslackers. Cyberloafers. These are terms used to identify people who surf the Web when they should be working. It's a huge, multi-billion-dollar problem for companies. A survey conducted recently by Salary.com found that everyday at least 64 percent of employees visit websites that have nothing to do with their work. Who would have thought that checking your Facebook page is becoming an ethical issue?

The good news from the ERC study is that most American workers and employers do the right thing. The survey reveals that most of us follow our company's ethical standards of behavior, and we are willing to report wrongdoing when we see it (unless it's the company's Internet use policy). But for those of us who track ethical behavior in the workplace, there are some troublesome trends in the ERC survey. The percentage of employees who experienced some form of retaliation for reporting non-ethical behavior climbed from 15 percent to 22 percent. Confidence in the ethics of senior leaders declined from 68 percent to 62 percent. When it comes to the ethical workplace, we may be on a downward shift.

What do you think? Can companies do more to create an ethical culture that goes beyond mere compliance? Email me with your own perspective.

Dr. Arthur J. Schwartz is executive director of the Oskin Leadership Institute at Widener University. He is widely-known for his research on the nature of courage and is editor of the forthcoming book Developing Ethical Leaders. Are you facing an ethical dilemma in the workplace and need sound, moral guidance? Email Dr. Schwartz at aschwartz@widener.edu. Your situation may be featured in a future installment of The Ethical Workplace. Your identity, and that of your employer, will not be revealed in the column, and will be held in the strictest confidence.

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The 5 most common unethical behaviors in the workplace - Philadelphia Business Journal

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Each day roughly 120 million people walk into a workplace somewhere in the United States. Within the past year, almost half of these workers personally witnessed some form of ethical misconduct, according to a recent survey conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based Ethics Resource Center (ERC).

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Advantages of have ethics in a business.

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Advantages of have ethics in a business.

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The Advantages of Ethical Behavior in Business

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Ethical people are those who recognize the difference between right and wrong and consistently strive to set an example of good conduct. In a business setting, being ethical means applying principles ...

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The ruling party Zanu-PF on Wednesday set up an ad hoc committee to deal with wanton increases of prices of basic commodities witnessed in the past three months. The committee chaired by the party's Second Secretary and Vice President General Constantino Guvheya Chiwenga (retired) has been asked to deal decisively with unscrupulous business people.

Prices of most basic commodities have more than doubled since November mainly due to speculation and profiteering among producers and retailers. President Emmerson Mnangagwa has deplored profiteering tendencies by retailers that are randomly hiking prices of basic commodities and warned that Government would not hesitate to deal severely with such people.

A survey conducted in Bulawayo recently confirmed that most retailers and wholesalers had increased prices of basic commodities and the situation is the same in other cities and towns. What is clear is that these retailers and wholesalers are just after profiteering.

What has worsened the plight of consumers is that some of the retailers are not accepting swipe, Ecocash and telegraphic bank transfers yet Government is encouraging the use of plastic money. The country is facing a critical shortage of cash and the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has said the solution to the cash crisis is for people to embrace the use of plastic money.

The retail shops that are refusing the use of plastic money and demanding cash are therefore going against the grain and must urgently be whipped into line. What is even more frightening is the fact that some shops are not just demanding cash but are demanding to be paid in United States dollars yet Government adopted the use of different currencies in 2009 and also introduced bond notes.

The shops that are demanding cash payments are hiding behind shortage of swipe machines but the truth is that most of these shops never applied for the machines. Prices of school uniforms also shot through the roof ahead of the start of the new school term on Tuesday.

The Zanu-PF Politburo which set up the committee chaired by Vice President Chiwenga, said it had come up with various strategies to curtail the price hikes madness. The party said it was aware of individuals that want to cause confusion and inflict economic pain on the people.

Government should punish severely a few businesses that are colluding on hiking prices in order to send a very clear message that unethical business conduct is not allowed.

This trend whereby businesses make super profits by exploiting consumers through charging exorbitant prices should be stopped forthwith. Businesspeople should be sensitive to the plight of consumers most of whom cannot afford basics.

We want at this juncture to commend Zanu-PF for responding to the people's pleas. We probably need "Operation Restore Normalcy in the Market Place".

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EDITORIAL COMMENT: Unethical business practices should be stopped forthwith

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The ruling party Zanu-PF on Wednesday set up an ad hoc committee to deal with wanton increases of prices of basic commodities witnessed in the past three months. The committee chaired by the party's Second Secretary and Vice President General Constantino Guvheya Chiwenga (retired) has been asked to deal decisively with unscrupulous business people.

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Examples of Employees Who Use Good Ethics in the Workplace

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Examples of Employees Who Use Good Ethics in the Workplace. You and your colleagues provide a direct reflection of your company. Your combined behaviors represent the company’s culture. An ethical corporate culture promotes a strong, positive brand image, builds customer loyalty and can benefit the company…