Professional Ethics Lecture Just ethics for everybody to learn and get his morals straight.pptx

Professional ethics

1. Professional Ethics Dr. Rizwana Rasheed

2. Ethics/ Moral Ethikos (in Greek) derived from ethos A branch of Philosophy that critically examines the moral beliefs and moral standards; studies what makes human actions good & bad or right & wrong

3. Moral Morals are the welfare principles enunciated by the wise people, based on their experience and wisdom. Morality is concerned with principles and practices of morals such as: a) What should or should not to be done in a given situation? b) What is right or wrong about the handling of a situation? c) What is good or bad about the people, policies, and ideals involved?

4. VALUES A value is defined as a principle that promotes well-being or prevents harm. Evolution of Human Values: The human values evolve because of the following factors: The impact of norms of the society on the fulfilment of the individual’s needs or desires. Developed or modified by one’s own awareness, choice, and judgment in fulfilling the needs. By the teachings and practice of Preceptors (Gurus) or Saviors or religious leaders. Fostered or modified by social leaders, rulers of kingdom, and by law (government)

5. Professional Ethics P rofessional ethics is a field of applied ethics concerned with moral issues that impact professionals. Professional ethics, is a set of ethical standards and values a practicing professional is required to follow. It sets the standards for professional practice, and is only learned in a professional school or while practicing one’s own profession.

6. Who is a Professional? Professionals who comprise a given profession also tend to have certain defining attributes and requirements. Medical doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc. find themselves in situations in which their decisions and actions can have significant social effects, and have roles and responsibilities that exceed those of ordinary individuals. Sometimes these roles and responsibilities differentiate professionals from others.

7. WHY PROFESSIONAL ETHICS? To understand the moral values that have to guide the profession, Resolve the moral issues in the profession, and (c) Justify the moral judgment concerning the profession. (d) Makes us realize the consequences of our actions

8. Objectives of Professional Ethics The prime objective is to increase one’s ability to deal effectively with moral complexity in managerial practice. The objectives of the study on Professional Ethics are: Improvement of the cognitive skills 1. Moral awareness (proficiency in recognizing moral problems) 2. Cogent moral reasoning (comprehending, assessing different views) 3. Moral coherence (forming consistent viewpoints based on facts) 4. Moral imagination (searching beyond obvious the alternative responses to issues and being receptive to creative solutions) 5. Moral communication, to express and support one’s views to others.

9. (B) To act in morally desirable ways, towards moral commitment and responsible conduct 1. Moral reasonableness i.e., willing and able to be morally responsible. 2. Respect for persons, which means showing concern for the well-being of others, besides oneself. 3. Tolerance of diversity i.e., respect for ethnic and religious differences, and acceptance of reasonable differences in moral perspectives. 4. Moral hope i.e., believes in using rational dialogue for resolving moral conflicts. 5. Integrity, which means moral integrity, and integrating one’s professional life and personal convictions.

10. Professional Codes A professional code of conduct is  a document that explains to employees how they are expected to act on behalf of their company . A code of conduct can include elements like the values of the business, disciplinary steps, and responsibilities.

11. Strengths of Professional Codes Codes inspire the members of a profession to behave ethically.. Codes guide the members of a profession in ethical choices. Codes educate the members of a profession about their professional obligations. Codes inform the public about the nature and roles of the profession. Codes enhance the profession in the eyes of the public.

12. VARIETY OF MORAL ISSUES Why and how do moral issues (problems) arise in a profession or why do people behave unethically? Resource Crunch: Due to pressure, through time limits, Availability of money or budgetary constraints, Technology decay or uselessness.

13. 2. Opportunity: Double standards or behaviour of the employers towards the employees and the public. (b) Management projecting their own interests more than that of their employees. (c) Emphasis on results and gains at the expense of the employees. (d) Management by objectives, without focus on empowerment and improvement of the infrastructure.

14. 3. Attitude: Poor attitude of the employees set in due to Low morale of the employees because of dissatisfaction and downsizing (b) Absence of grievance redressal mechanism (c) Lack of promotion or career development policies or denied promotions (d) Lack of transparency (e) Absence of recognition and reward system (f) Poor working environments.

15. Meta-ethics Normative Ethics Applied Ethics The Three Branches of Ethics

16. Study of the meaning of ethical terms & concept which forms the foundation of morality, the nature of ethical judgments, and the types of ethical arguments. Examples: - What is the meaning of (term) right? - Is morality objective? Testable? Meta-ethics

17. Study of what makes an action morally right/wrong or good/bad, what rule should one follow in order to a good person etc. Examples: -What should I do? What is right action to do? -How should I live my life? Normative Ethics

18. Application of moral principles and ethical theories to practical problem. Examples: - Do corporates have a responsibility towards environment? - Is it wrong to donate your body organ to save other life? Applied Ethics

19. Justice and Fairness

20. What is Justice?

21. Justice Theory A Theory of Justice holds that every individual has an equal right to basic liberties, and that they should have the right to opportunities and an equal chance as other individuals of similar ability The three principles that our justice system seeks to reflect are:  equality, fairness and access

22. Justice as Harmony A Just Society is one in which everyone fulfills their roles, so that society runs smoothly. JUSTICE AS MERIT - PLATO

23. Justice as Partiality Abilities, social status and achievements of People entitled them to different treatment and different positions in society. JUSTICE AS MERIT - ARISTOTLE

24. Strict Egalitarianism: All men are created equal. In a just society, every person will be given exactly equal shares of the society’s burdens and benefits. Benefits and Burdens benefits and burdens Benefits = wealth, goods, privilege & power Burdens= work & cost to be paid for development of society JUSTICE AS EQUALITY

25. Equality but is it justice???

26. The wealth the society produces belongs to everyone and so should be shared by everyone. Government ownership of all productive enterprises. “From each according to his ability to each according to his need.” Karl Marx JUSTICE BASED ON NEED AND ABILITY

27. Justice as fairness Three principles of justice; Equal Liberty Equal opportunity The difference principle JUSTICE BASED ON LIBERTY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ec577hwU_g8&list=PLH37By4v_fxl-VGRzq7R6yC4-uSihxAHK&index=12

28. Organizational Justice Organizational justice refers to  employee perceptions of fairness in the workplace . These perceptions can be classified into four categories: Procedural Justice Distributive Justice R etributive Justice Restorative Justice

29. Procedural justice  refers to the idea of fairness in the processes that resolve disputes and allocate resources. potential benefits of an emphasis on procedural justice Legitimacy builds trust and confidence in the police and acceptance of police authority. Legitimacy also enhances the publics' perception that police actions are morally correct and appropriate. If the community views their officers as being legitimate they are more likely to comply with the law.

30. Distributive Justice perceived fairness of how rewards and costs are shared by (distributed across) group members. For example, when some workers work more hours but receive the same pay, group members may feel that distributive justice has not occurred.

31. Restorative Justice A system of criminal justice that focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large. A restorative encounter has five interwoven elements:  meeting, narrative, emotion, understanding, and agreement.

32. R etributive justice R etributive justice, response to criminal behaviour that focuses on the punishment of law-breakers and the compensation of victims. In general, the severity of the punishment is proportionate to the seriousness of the crime.

33. Social Justice Social justice refers to a political and philosophical theory that focuses on the concept of fairness in relations between individuals in society and equal access to wealth, opportunities, and social privileges.

34. Political Justice Political justice refers to the use of the judicial process for the purpose of gaining (or upholding or enlarging) or limiting (or destroying) political power or influence. It may accompany or confirm political or military action, or it may be a substitute for such action.

35. Economic Justice Economic justice denotes the non-discrimination between people on the basis of economic factors. It involves the elimination of glaring inequalities in wealth, income and property. A combination of social justice and economic justice denotes what is known as 'distributive justice

36. Rights and Responsibilities

37. Right A ‘right’ is a claim to have or do something that is justified on moral or legal grounds. OR A ‘right’ is a moral or legal entitlement to have or do something

38. Moral & Legal Rights Moral Rights Justified only on moral ground Are not supported by the law Legal Rights Justified on legal grounds (as well as moral grounds) Are supported by the law

39. WANTS, NEEDS & RIGHTS Some things are more important than others to help us thrive and reach our full potential. Let's think about what things we might want and need, and what we have a right to expect in our life

40. WANTS, NEEDS & RIGHTS

41. Underlying Values of Human Rights Some key underlying values of human rights are: Equality Respect Freedom Dignity Justice Golden rule: ‘treat others as you wish to be treated’ 41

42. Rights are: To vote the local or state government. To contest in the elections to the local or state government. 3. To seek a public welfare facility such as a school, hospital or a community hall or transport or communication facility, for the residents. 4. To establish a green and safe environment, pollution free, corruption free, and to follow ethical principles.

43. Rights presume Responsibility Your right becomes someone else’s responsibility and someone else’s right your responsibility Your right becomes your responsibility too Principle of ‘reciprocity’ 43

44. The duties are: 1. To pay taxes to the local government and state, in time. 2. To keep the surroundings clean and green. 3. Not to pollute the water, land, and air by following hygiene and proper garbage disposal. 4. To follow the road safety rules.

45. Activity for Discussion: 45 List five rights and five responsibilities which you have as a student of this Collage . List five rights and five responsibilities which you have as a Pakistani Citizen List five rights and five responsibilities which you have as a citizen of this world (Global Citizenship)

46. 46 You can make a difference by in this world by: Standing up for your rights Respecting rights of other human beings Fulfilling your responsibility

47. Employee Rights Professional Rights Basic Human Rights Contractual Rights: This include the rights to the institution due to the organizational policies or contracts, right to receive specified salary and annual increments and profit sharing. Non-contractual employee rights: These are the rights provided in common besides the contractual ones

48. Non-Contractual Rights includes 1 . Right to Privacy: It is the right to control the access to and use of employee personal information. 2. Right to choose outside activities: This is also interpreted as a right to personal privacy, means a right to have a private life outside the job. There are some situations when these Rights can be curbed. For example. When those activities lead to violation or found detrimental to the duties of their job. When the activities of the employees form a conflict or interest. When the interest of the employer is getting damaged

49. 3. Right to Due Process from Employer: It is the right to fair process or procedures in firing, demotion and in taking any disciplinary actions against the employees. 4. Right to Equal Opportunity —Non-discrimination Discrimination because of caste, sex, religion, creed, and language are regressive actions.

50. Profession and Professionalism

51. PROFESSION is defined as any occupation/job/vocation that requires advanced expertise (skills and knowledge), self-regulation and concentrated service to the public good. It brings a high status, socially and economically.

52. PROFESSIONALISM: It is the status of a professional which implies certain attitudes or typical qualities that are expected of a professional. It is defined as the services related to achieving the public good, in addition to the practices of the knowledge of moral ideals.

53. Characteristics of a Profession Extensive Training: Entry into the profession requires an extensive period of training of intellectual (competence) and moral (integrity) character. Knowledge and Skills: Knowledge and skills (competence) are necessary for the well-being of the society. Example; the knowledge, study, and research of the engineers are required for the safety of the air plane, for the technological advances and for national defence.

54. VIRTUES Virtues are positive and preferred values. Virtues are desirable attitudes or character traits, motives and emotions that enable us to be successful and to act in ways that develop our highest potential. Civic Virtues: Civic virtues are the moral duties and rights, as a citizen of the village or the country or an integral part of the society and environment. An individual may exhibit civic virtues by voting, volunteering, and organizing welfare groups and meetings.

55. George Washington embodied the civic virtues as indispensable for a self-governing administration. These virtues are divided into four categories: Civic Knowledge: Citizens must understand what the Constitution says about how the government is working, and what the government is supposed to do and what not to do. Self-Restraint: For citizens to live in a free society with limited government each citizen must be able to control or restrain himself; otherwise, we would need a police state

56. 3. Self-Assertion: Self-assertion means that citizens must be proud of their rights, and have the courage to stand up in public and defend their rights. 4. Self-reliant: citizens are free citizens in the sense that they are not dependent on others for their basic needs. They do not need a large provider-government, which has the potential to become an oppressive government, to meet those needs.

57. Approaches to Ethics Or Ethical Decision Making

58. Five Approaches The Utilitarian Approach The Fairness (or Justice) Approach The Right Approach The Virtue Approach The Common Good Approach

59. The Utilitarian Approach Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill (19 th century) To analyse an issue by using the utilitarian approach, I dentify the various courses of action available to us. Identify who will be affected by each action and what benefits or harms will be derived from each. We should choose the action that will produce the greatest benefits and the least harm. The ethical action is the one that provides the greatest good for the greatest number.

60. • Focuses on the consequences that actions or policies have on the well-being (“utility”) of all persons reasonably foreseen to be directly or indirectly • Keep in mind, that different people often identify benefits and harms differently. • The principle states: “Of any two actions, the most ethical one will produce the greatest balance of benefits over harms.”

61. The Fairness (or Justice) Approach Aristotle said, that “equals should be treated equally and unequal's unequally.” The basic moral question in this approach is: How fair is an action? Does it treat everyone in the same way, or does it show favouritism and discrimination? Favouritism gives benefits to some people without a justifiable reason for singling them out; discrimination imposes burdens on people who are no different from those on whom burdens are not imposed. Both favouritism and discrimination are unjust and wrong.

62. The approach Focuses on; H ow fairly or unfairly our actions distribute benefits and burdens among the members of a group. • Fairness requires consistency in the way people are treated. The principle states: “Treat people the same unless there are morally relevant differences between them.”

63. The Right Approach Immanuel Kant (18 th century), according to his philosophy what makes human beings different from mere things is that people have dignity based on their ability to choose freely what they will do with their lives, and they have a fundamental moral right to have these choices respected. In deciding whether an action is moral or immoral using this approach, then, we must ask, Does the action respect the moral rights of everyone? Actions are wrong to the extent that they violate the rights of individuals; the more serious the violation, the more wrongful the action.

64. The focus of this approach is on • Identifying certain interests or activities that our behaviour must respect, especially those areas of our lives that are of such value to us that they merit protection from others. • Each person has a fundamental right to be respected and treated as a free and equal rational person capable of making his or her own decisions. • This implies other rights (e.g., privacy free consent, freedom of conscience, etc.) that must be protected if a person is to have the freedom to direct his or her own life.

65. The principle states: “An action or policy is morally right only if those persons affected by the decision are not used merely as instruments for advancing some goal, but are fully informed and treated only as they have freely and knowingly consented to be treated.”

66. The Virtue Approach The virtue approach to ethics assumes that there are certain ideals toward which we should strive. These ideals provide for the full development of our humanity. In dealing with an ethical problem using the virtue approach, we might ask; What kind of person should I be? What will promote the development of character within myself? within my community? Etc.

67. The Focus of this approach is on; A ttitudes, dispositions, or character traits that enable us to be and to act in ways that develop our human potential. • Examples might be: honesty, courage, faithfulness, trustworthiness, integrity, etc. • Keep in mind, different communities may identify differing virtues. The principle states: “What is ethical is what develops moral virtues in ourselves and our communities.”

68. The Common Good Approach This approach to ethics assumes a society comprising individuals whose own good is linked to the good of the community. Community members are bound by the pursuit of common values and goals. This approach, we focus on ensuring that the social policies, social systems, institutions, and environments on which we depend are beneficial to all. Examples of goods common to all include affordable health care, effective public safety, peace among nations, a just legal system, and an unpolluted environment.

69. The approach • Presents a vision of society as a community whose members are joined in a shared pursuit of values and goals they hold in common. • The community is comprised of individuals whose own good is inextricably bound to the good of the whole.

70. The principle states: “What is ethical? and what advances the common good?.” Five Corresponding Questions to Consider Which of the available options treats people with more dignity and respect?  2. Does any one of the available options do more good than harm? Or can we at least try to do more good than harm with our choice? 3. Which of the available options develops virtues most effectively? 4. Is any one of the available options more fair and just? Are we treating each party the same unless there is some relevant moral reason to treat one differently?  5. Does any one of the available options make our community better as a result?

71. Culture Relativism Cultural relativism is the principle of regarding and valuing the practices of a culture from the point of view of that culture and to avoid making hasty judgments.

72. Cultural Relativism challenges our ordinary belief in the objectivity and universality of moral truths. It says in effect that there is no such thing as a universal truth or ethical standard that can be applied. Refutes ethnocentrism; y our own code of ethics offers nothing special and is no better than that of another culture.

73. Claims of Cultural Relativism Different societies have different moral codes. There is no objective standard that can be used to judge one societal code better than another. The moral code of our own society has no special status; it is merely one among many. There is no "universal truth" in ethics; that is, there are no moral truths that hold for all peoples at all times.

74. The moral code of a society determines what is right within that society; that is, if the moral code of a society says that a certain action is right, then that action is right, at least within that society. It is mere arrogance for us to try to judge the conduct of other peoples. We should adopt an attitude of tolerance toward the practices of other cultures

75. What if Cultural Relativism is true? We cannot claim that any culture is inferior. But we also cannot criticize the cultural practices of other people. We can decide if an action is right by asking the standards of that society. But we cannot claim that such standards can be improved. We can’t even make that claim on our own culture. There is no such thing as moral progress.

76. Why the reluctance to criticize Cultural Relativism? Not wanting to “interfere” in the social customs of other people; “We need to be tolerant of other cultures ”We do not want to express contempt for other cultures.

77. Cultural Relativism and Ethics Ethical Theory: Relativism Relativism: the general philosophical theory that states that there are no firm criteria for judging one individual’s or one culture’s set of moral values, principles, and guidelines of ethical conduct as better than or more rational or superior to any other. Ethical Absolutism/Universalism: the general philosophical theory that states that there is a single moral principle (or single set of related moral principles) in terms of which all cultural and all individual values are to be judged.

78. Varieties of Relativism Descriptive Cultural Relativism: Different cultures do in fact have different beliefs and values about how to judge particular actions. Normative Ethical Relativism: Ethical values and beliefs are relative to a particular culture or society and cannot be judged outside that culture. Each culture’s values are “right” for that culture. Individual Relativism (“Subjectivism”): Ethical values are relative to each unique individual. Whatever an individual designates as the “right” values just are the “right” values in virtue of having been so designated.

79. Ethical Relativism and Ethical Subjectivism Relativism is the claim that knowledge, truth and morality exist in relation to culture or society and that there are no universal truths while, S ubjectivism is the claim that knowledge is merely subjective and that there is no external or objective truth.

80. Ethical Relativism and Ethical Objectivism Moral Objectivism holds that there are objective, universal moral principles that are valid for all people. Louis Pojman proposes one such moral principle that he believes is binding upon all human beings: Example “It is morally wrong to torture people just for the fun of it.

81. Pojman proposes a number of other moral principles, such as: Do not kill innocent people. Do not cause unnecessary pain or suffering. Do not lie or deceive. Do not steal or cheat. Keep your promises and honor your contracts. Do not deprive another person of his or her freedom. Do justice, treating people as they deserve to be treated. Help other people, especially when the cost is minimal.