ETHICS

PROF. Z. LEWIS

ENGLISH 2311

DEFINITION

Ethics are systems of moral, social, or cultural values that govern the conduct of an individual or community.

For some, acting ethically is simply doing the right thing.

Unfortunately, knowing the right thing to do is sometimes hard, depending on the situation.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Every decision you make has an ethical dimension, even if it isn’t immediately apparent.

We sometimes find ourselves with an “ethical dilemma” that needs more consideration.

An ethical dilemma offers a choice among two or more unsatisfactory courses of action.

We have to think long and hard about which choice is the most ethical.

EXAMPLE

I took out a student loan to go to college. I don’t have to pay the money back until after I graduate.

I graduated, and got a decent job paying a good amount of money.

It’s time to start paying on the student loan. Should I:

a) Tell the Dept. of Education that I am not working and cannot start making payments?

b) Lie about the amount of money I earn so that my payments can be lower?

c) Suck it up; pay the loan?

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Always remember that actions have consequences. If you chose C, good for you. You may have been tempted to choose A or B, but what if you decide to run for Mayor of the City of Wherever You Live? What if you are asked, at some point in your life, whether you ever lied on a federal government document?

How will you feel if that lie you told comes back to haunt you?

WHY DO PEOPLE ACT UNETHICALLY?

Fear of failure

Desire to survive

Pressure from others

Bad decisions

CATEGORIES OF ETHICS

Personal

Social

Conservation

PERSONAL ETHICS

Right vs. wrong

Influence by family, culture (who you hang with; tv) , faith (who you hang with; church)

SOCIAL ETHICS

Social ethics require you to think more globally about the consequences of your or your company’s actions. Social ethics can be broken down into four categories:

Rights-Fundamental freedoms innate to humans or granted by a nation to its citizens.

Justice-Laws that govern a society.

Utility-Interests of the majority should outweigh the interests of the few.

Care-Tolerance and compassion should take precedence over rigid, absolute rules.

CONSERVATION ETHICS

Aldo Leopold, one of America’s prominent naturalists, suggested that humans should recognize that they are part of a community of interdependent parts, including soils, waters, plants, and animals. It’s not just about us; what are we doing to protect the environment? What are we doing that hurts the environment?

RESOLVING ETHICAL DILEMMAS-5 ??? TO ASK

Do any laws or rules govern my decision?

Is there a corporate of professional code of ethics?

Are there any historical records to learn from?

What do my colleagues think?

What would moral leaders do?

RESOLVING ETHICAL DILEMMAS-5W-1H VERSION

Who will be hurt by my decision? Who will be helped?

What will be the result if I make the wrong decision?

When will the results of my decision be made evident?

Where can I turn for help with making this decision?

Why am I making this decision? Is it to benefit me at someone else’s expense?

How will I look myself in the mirror if I make the wrong decision?

ETHICS IN THE WORKPLACE

Copyright Law (music, information, images)

Trademarks (symbol, word, or phrase)

Patents (inventors of machines, processes, products) (Example, Samsung)

Information Sharing (HIPPA)

Proprietary Information (work product)

ASK FOR PERMISSION

Students may use some materials under the “fair use clause” of the Copyright Act, but the use may still be limited.

YOUR MISSION

You will review the Case Study on page 40 of your textbook (Installing a Medical Waste Incinerator)

Perform research on the Internet about medical waste.

Decide whether you are for or against installation of the Medical Waste Incinerator in Blue Park, and write down the urls for the research you performed so that you can show these to your team members.

When you come to class, you will assemble into groups of 4 to discuss whether or not you would recommend installing the Medical Waste Incinerator in Blue Park.

Write a memo to Duane Jackson advising him of your recommendation, and provide support for your position.

HOW DO WE BEGIN?

You will begin by stating the SPAM (subject, purpose, main point) in your first paragraph.

You will begin your second paragraph by stating: In order to make our recommendation, we have examined the rhetorical situation. Next, in the same paragraph, you will answer all of the 5W-1H questions.

The third paragraph should present your argument either for or against the Medical Waste Incinerator Plant.

The final paragraph is your TRA(y) (thank the reader, restate the purpose, anticipate a future action. Your very last sentence will provide contact information.

HOUSEKEEPING

The “From” section of your memo should list the names of all of your team members.

The memo will be addressed to Duane Jackson; not to me.

Do not begin the memo with a salutation, because salutations are usually reserved for letters, which are more formal.

Do not “sign” your memo.

Make sure you spell-check your memo before submitting it to the dropbox.

FINALLY

After you have written your memo (one memo for the whole team), each of you will save it to your flash drive. You will also prepare your own individual memo, and save that to your flash drive as well. This will show that you have engaged with the assignment prior to meeting with your group. I may ask you to show me your individual memo, so do not be surprised.

One member from each team will post the memo to the dropbox provided in the ASSIGNMENTS folder on Angel.

QUESTIONS???