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Applying Business Ethics

Learning Module

Abstract

A detailed examination of business ethics, designed as a learning tool for SUNY Oswego School of Business students. The learning module briefly discusses some of the history and theory of ethics with an emphasis on the importance of ethics being taught. Much of the learning module concerns itself with taking learners step-by-step through a Guideline for Ethical Reasoning to prepare students for analyzing ethical conflict.

Keywords

ethics, reasoning, conflict, Socrates, Rest

Note. Reprinted from "In demand: Business ethics courses", by Hazelhurst, J.(2019, October 16). Retrieved from https://poetsandquants.com/2019/10/16/in-demand-business-ethics-courses/?pq-category=business-school-news&pq-category-2=elective-courses

This learning module aims to help educate undergraduate college students who are also business majors about ethics in organizations. While the concepts of this learning module will be universal and apply to all students in general and to business majors in particular, there is a specific audience for which this learning module has been created. The SUNY Oswego School of Business works in cooperation with the University's School of Media, Communication, and the Arts to provide ethics training to its various business school majors in conjunction with a course titled Strategic Communication for Business.

This course material has been developed by the school of business and provided to faculty in the Communication Studies Department in order for those students to learn a brief historical context of ethics as well as a systematic process for evaluating ethical conflicts and making informed decisions about them. This course material is being presented in the enhanced format of a learning module so that these students can be exposed to this important knowledge in a more engaging and interactive fashion and so they can demonstrate their understanding of the key concepts of the material in a more meaningful way. The hope will be that this learning module can be used to introduce ethics to all students taking the course and then eventually making this course available to other educators interested in this approach to business ethics.

I have been teaching this course for three years now and have wanted to make this portion of the course come more alive for my students, who are often taking one of their first college courses. I believe this learning module will prove to be a valuable tool to both effectively provide this knowledge to students generally away from the classroom as well as elevate the learning experience for these students. I am also hopeful this will lead to developing other learning modules for this course that can be distributed to these students, and that this learning module might prove to be useful to other educators seeking an innovating and effective method for teaching business ethics.

Breakdown of Course Content

The learning module contains a total of 8 updates, 6 of which contain learning content. Updates 1 and 8 are for a pre- and post-course survey used to assess student understanding of the topic before and after completing learning module content. These are not graded, but completing them factors positively in a learner's assessment total.

Note: Reprinted from "Ethics", by Kumar, A.J. (2017, September 14). Retrieved from http://ajkumar.com/build-media-company-like-oprah-ellen-martha-stewart/ethics/

In all six of the content-based updates, learners will be creating their own updates using multi-media content as a way of demonstrating their understanding of concepts that are presented. Learners will also provide feedback to each learning module update as well as to the updates of fellow learners. Specific instructions for each learning module update will be found below.

Update 2

Update 2 begins the learning module content with some background information about ethics. Learners will be exposed to Socrates and some of his views on ethics. A video will add some perspective to the famous Socrates quote, "The unexamined life is not worth living." Learners will also be presented with some of the views of psychologist James Rest, who did decades of research and scholarship into moral reasoning. Learners are presented with a group of concepts promoted by Rest for teaching ethics that include the development of a "decision model" or process of reasoning, which will be introduced in Update 4. Learners will also watch a second video that presents one of Rest's most famous theories regarding maintaining norms.

Note. Retrieved from "Business ethics is most improved CSR value" (2018, October 1). Retrieved from https://www.industryweek.com/leadership/business-ethics-most-improved-csr-value

In Update 2, learning activities will include presenting learners with questions that will seek analysis about Socrates and his beliefs as well as comparing the views of Socrates to those of James Rest. Learners will be asked to complete an update using questions about Socrates as well as one on questions about James Rest. In addition, learners will be asked to respond to the learning module update on the benefits of studying Socrates and Rest and how their views connect to today's organizations. Specific instructions for teachers can be found in the learning module update, in the "For the Teacher" area.

Update 3

Update 3 further explores the idea of ethics by eliminating a number of concepts that are often considered part of ethics but in reality, are not. The update provides a rationale for why feelings, religion, the law, cultural norms, and science don't explain ethics. Learners will watch the first of several videos over the entire learning module from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas, who provide a vast amount of content on business ethics, including over 130 videos. This first video provides some valuable context on how moral emotions can impact ethical reasoning - sometimes for good, but oftentimes not. 

Note. Reprinted from "Ethics unwrapped" (n.d.). Retrieved from https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/

Learners will be asked to complete two of their own updates from Update 3. The first involves questions surrounding the various concepts that are not ethics and how learners understand their perceived connection to ethics. The second concerns the Moral Emotions video and a number of the concepts discussed in it. Finally, learners will be asked to respond to Update 3 with a response to a question about how limiting the scope of ethics helps to better understand ethics. Specific instructions for teachers can be found opposite the learning module update, in the "For the Teacher" area.

Update 4

Update 4 expands on the notion from James Rest in Update 2 that a process for ethical reasoning is useful in the teaching of ethics. A 6-step Guideline for Ethical Reasoning is presented to learners along with images like the one below that offer slightly different but similar approaches to an ethical reasoning process. Learners will also watch a video that describes another similar approach to an ethical reasoning guideline.

Note. Reprinted from "Ethical decision-making" (2019, March 11). Retrieved December 1, 2019 from https://serc.carleton.edu/geoethics/Decision-Making

Students will create another two updates of their own from Update 4 content. The first asks learners to examine the 6-step guideline used in this learning module and consider it both on its own merits as well as contrasting it with similar images in the update. The second update looks for learners to respond to the video with questions about the way the video discusses ethical standards and the use of case studies.  Specific instructions for teachers can be found opposite the learning module update, in the "For the Teacher" area.

Update 5

In Update 5, the breakdown of the Guideline for Ethical Reasoning begins with its first two steps - what kind of conflict is present, and establishing the relevant facts. Learners will watch five "Ethics Unwrapped" videos from UT's McCombs School of Business, each describing an ethical conflict - appropriation and attribution, conflict of interest, framing, conformity bias, and representation as a way to introduce these common conflicts to learners as examples. Next, learners will consider establishing relative facts by determining a number of different criteria, such as type of conflict, type of domain, along with "who, what, when, where, why, how" questions. Conflict types are introduced by a video explaining the difference between cognitive and affective conflicts. 

Note: Reprinted from "Reflection 6: Ethical conflict and creative middle ways" (2012, November 22). Retrieved from https://eoinhanrahan.wordpress.com/2012/11/22/reflection-6-ethical-conflict-and-creative-middle-ways/

Learners will again create two of their own updates based on three different feedback opportunities in Update 5.  The first potential update concerns the first step in the Guideline for Ethical Reasoning - the kind of conflict is present. Learners will be asked to choose 3 of the 5 "Ethics Unwrapped" videos and explain each using examples for each.  In the second, learners will respond to questions about the search for relevant knowledge of the ethical conflict, like understanding the difference between cognitive and affective conflicts and domain differences. The third potential update asks learners about the "who, what, when, where, why, how" questioning process - specifically to what stakeholders are and whether to delay a decision due to missing information.  Learners will also be asked to respond to Update 5 by considering a scenario where one of the five types of conflict described in the "Ethics Unwrapped" videos would apply and then explaining the best decision for the conflict based on what the learner knows about ethics in the moment. Specific instructions for teachers can be found opposite the learning module update, in the "For the Teacher" area.

Update 6

Update 6 takes learners farther into the Guideline for Ethical Reasoning, where alternative decisions and outcomes are established. Learners are exposed to the possibility that an ethical conflict may have three or more possible outcomes and that help determining the outcomes and final decision could be benefitted by some help. Learners also watch four different videos that help to explain four common ethical reasoning philosophies - utilitarianism, Kantian, Rawlsian, and Virtue-Ethical. 

Note. Reprinted from "Percussion deconstruction" (2015, July 25). Retrieved from http://percussiondeconstruction.blogspot.com/2015/07/making-choices.html

Learners will be presented with two sets of instructions for creating their own updates from Update 6 content. The first asks learners to describe an ethical conflict that has or could have three or more possible outcomes, with an explanation as to why that is possible. In the second update, learners will be asked to choose two of the four ethical reasoning philosophies and describe them using examples. Learners will also be asked to respond to Update 5 by considering an ethical conflict with 2 opposing alternatives that can both be considered valid and how a decision could be made favoring one over the other when both have positive and negative aspects. Specific instructions for teachers can be found opposite the learning module update, in the "For the Teacher" area.

Update 7

Update 7 is the final content update in this learning module. Students will explore how to choose from available alternatives in order to make a decision, how that decision might have drawbacks and disadvantages, the possibilities of making a decision that pleases opposing advocates, and how to explain a good ethical business decision's negative outcomes to those affected by it.

Note: Reprinted from "Don't judge a decision by outcome alone," by Miker, S. (2019, March 13). Retrieved from https://www.scottmiker.com/improving-systems-and-habits/2019/3/13/dont-judge-a-decision-by-outcome-alone

Learners will need o complete just one update from their own in Update 7. Learners will asked to consider a scenario where a good ethical business decision is made that still results in negative outcomes for some stakeholders, and explain how you would communicate the negative outcomes to have the least negative reaction. Learners also will need to respond to Update 7 by explaining their interpretation of the concept that a bad outcome doesns't necessarily mean a bad decision by offering an example of a situation that would apply. Specific instructions for teachers can be found opposite the learning module update, in the "For the Teacher" area.

Also, at the end of Update 7, learners will receive instructions for completing a comprehensive project based on what they have learned so far. They will be asked to create what is called an "Ethical Moment" presentation, which is typically an oral presentation done in my class. Learners will need to apply concepts found in all six Guideline for Ethical Reasoning steps.

Scholarly Connections to Learning Module

This learning module establishes a connection to the study of E-Learning Ecologies by way of the need for the material in this learning module to be presented in a format that encourages multimodal meaning. A big part of the content offered to students as part of this business ethics unit is a website from the University of Texas called 'Ethics Unwrapped," The site provides a wealth of ethics content that help students better understand ethical concepts and make better ethical decisions. But the content is broad-based and isn't organized ideally for use in this setting. By creating this learning module, I can use the ideal multimedia resources from "Ethics Unwrapped" like YouTube videos and place them in key places in the curriculum where they will have the most impact.

Note. Reprinted from "James Rest" (2018, August 24). Retrieved from https://alchetron.com/James-Rest#james-rest-e2248027-4ba8-4118-a234-f864fa618d2-resize-750.png

This learning module also connects to scholarship by way of the work of James Rest (pictured above), who has written and researched moral judgment and reasoning and whose work helps to provide a sound theoretical foundation for the study of business ethics. Much of what Rest studied about how people reason ethically and the importance of education in developing ethical reasoning is incorporated into the content of this learning module.

Intended Learning Outcomes

This learning module takes a fairly granular look at business ethics, based on content that was developed by SUNY Oswego's School of Business for teaching their students about the basics of business ethics. While that content is fairly comprehensive, this learning module has gone into significant detail to help learners better understand the various aspects of what ethics is and how to make good business ethical decisions. The learning module was developed with this goal and to address certain specific learning outcomes. Teachers should review the material in this section in order to confirm the understanding of what the learning module seeks to accomplish.

Note. Reprinted from "Why ethics and law are not the same thing", by Tsahurido, E. (2015, April 1). Retrieved from https://www.intheblack.com/articles/2015/04/01/why-ethics-and-law-are-not-the-same-thing

These intended learning outcomes are broken down into five categories: who the target learners are, what curriculum standard or standards are satisfied by this learning module, what the specific outcomes or goals of the learning module are, what materials or supplies are required to complete the learning module, and what is the expected time commitment required to complete all the updates and their associated activities.

Target learners

This learning module has been created with college students in mind, but any high school learner ought to be able to understand the material. This content was originally conceived for use for undergraduate college students, and the goal for the School of Business at SUNY Oswego is that this material should be taught as soon as possible to their students. Incoming freshman are now encouraged to take the course that includes this ethics content as soon as possible, preferably in their first semester. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to assume that a high school senior would be able to understand this module content.

 

Note: Reprinted from "Record ethnic minority students at Oxford", by Coughlan, S., 2019 June 6. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/education-48541423

Such learners, be they college or high school-age, should be able to successfully comprehend the reading and participate in the learning activities found in each update. While I wouldn't necessarily think high school and college students could participate in this learning module together, I think it's possible that some high school seniors would be able to interact with college learners.

Curriculum Standard

This learning module is not designed to satisfy any state-mandated curriculum standard. It was created specifically for higher education use so that college learners can gain useful and necessary knowledge about ethics and a process for making business ethical decisions.

Note: Reprinted from "District curriculum standards", n.d. Retrieved from http://hayward.k12.wi.us/teaching_and_learning/district_curriculum_standards

While it is considered appropriate for perhaps a class of high school seniors, care should be taken that the learning content conforms to the appropriate state public school standards.

Intended Outcomes

Throughout each of the six content-focused learning modules, there are specific learning objectives provided to learners and teachers. In each module, those learning objectives are met through learning content and activities. 

Note: Reprinted from "Writing student learning outcomes", n.d. Retrieved https://assessment.provost.wisc.edu/student-learning-outcomes/writing-student-learning-outcomes/

The overall outcomes desired for learners from this learning module are:

  • To have a working knowledge about ethics based on both ancient and modern scholars
  • Recognize why the narrowing of the concept of ethics is done by knowing what ethics is not as well as what ethics is 
  •  Understand and apply the Guideline for Ethical Reasoning as a powerful tool in making good ethical business decisions
  • The ability to ask "who, what, when, where, why, how" questions to better understand the relevant facts of an ethical conflict
  • Knowing the four ethical reasoning philosophies of utilitarian, Kantian, Rawlsian, and Virtue-Ethical so these frameworks will aid learners in understanding ethical conflict alternatives
  • Understanding the process of decision making in such a way that good ethical business decisions can be made that often mitigate negative outcomes by remedies or even convergence such that the decision is acceptable by advocates of all decision alternatives

Supplies Needed

Learners should only need a computer and high-speed Internet connection in order to complete the work involved in this learning module. All self-contained activities will require learners to access information and media content from Internet sources and participate in discussions with other learning module participants within the Scholar learning environment.

Note: Reprinted from "How to save money on school supplies this summer break", by Cox, J., n.d. Retrieved from https://www.teachhub.com/how-save-money-school-supplies-summer-break

Teachers who offer this learning module to learners in a face-to-face environment are encouraged to supplement the media content found here with any examples teachers find appropriate. 

Time Required to Complete

For the student, this learning module was designed to be completed with little in the way of external educator supervision. While someone will need to act as an administrator for the learning community in order to manage the learning module activity, it is not required to have educator involvement in a face-to-face classroom environment or by way of a more involved online presence. While it might be ideal in terms of scheduling to plan for a week to complete each of the Updates 2 through 7, I do not think it is necessary. In fact, it might be more useful for the learner to complete these updates in a consecutive fashion. So, the metrics described below are for learners who are only involved in working through the online content and participating in online learning activities.

Note: Reprinted from "Airline website usability: British Airways soars ahead", n.d. Retrieved from https://www.loop11.com/search/people/page/9/

It's expected that the average learner could complete each update (including update creation and all comments) based on the following schedule:

  • Update 1 - 15 minutes
  • Update 2 - 1.5 hours
  • Update 3 - 1.5 hours
  • Update 4 - 1.5 hours
  • Update 5 - 2.5 hours
  • Update 6 - 2.5 hours
  • Update 7 - 1 hour
  • Update 8 - 15 minutes

It is possible that a high school student who was participating in a college-level community might need more time in order to craft discussion posts that were of comparable quality to the other participants. The peer-reviewed project is expected to take learners 3-4 additional hours to complete beyond the learning module content and activities. All told, learners should expect this learning module to require somewhere between 14 and 18 hours, depending on the student and the environment.

Update 1: Introduction and Pre-Course Survey

For the Learner

Note. Retrieved from "Business ethics is most improved CSR value" (2018, October 1). Retrieved from https://www.industryweek.com/leadership/business-ethics-most-improved-csr-value

Welcome to this learning module for Applying Business Ethics! Here you will find a step-by-step process where  some key concepts of business ethics will be presented, with opportunities for you to provide feedback to display your understanding of the concepts presented here as well as to share and respond with fellow classmates in your journey into what ethics means and how to make better ethical decisions in an increasingly complex environment that often provides easy answers but few solutions.

This learning module will first help you understand the concept of ethics, by first providing some insight about what it means, and then to better isolate that concept by also defining what it is not. Next, your business ethics journey will take you through the five steps that make up our "Roadmap for Ethical Reasoning," which includes:

  • Identifying types of conflict
  • Establishing relevant facts
  • Establishing and evaluating alternative actions
  • Making a choice and then acting on it
  • Reflecting on the choice and making repairs if necessary

Finally, this learning module will help you to determine how you can move beyond these theoretical guidelines and into the world of practical realities, where making good ethical business decisions are never easy but are always good business.

Before you move on to Update 2 and the beginning of the learning content in the module, please take a moment to complete this brief survey that will help to assess what knowledge of ethics you have right now.  You won't be graded on the result, but completing it will have a positive effect on your final assessment. Thank you!

For the Teacher

This update simply establishes a pre-course knowledge base for the teacher. Learners are asked to complete the survey in order to assess their knowledge of ethics. Please encourage all learners to complete the survey. They aren't graded on it, but completing it will have a positive impact on their final assessment of this module. The questions for the pre-course survey are attached below, with the correct answers bolded.

Pre-Course Survey

 

Update 2: Some Background on Ethics

For the Learner

Note. Reprinted from "Socrates and moral knowledge", by Critchley, P. (2010, September 12). Retrieved from http://pcritchley2.wixsite.com/beingandplace/single-post/2010/09/13/Socrates-and-Moral-Knowledge

Welcome to this first lesson on business ethics! These lessons are broken up into "updates" that will be shared with you in order for you to experience the knowledge from each part of this learning module. You will have the option to either complete all of the updates at one time if you wish or complete them one at a time. We begin with Update 2, which will give you a historical and theoretical perspective of ethics. Here are the key concepts you ought to be able to understand by the end of this update:

  • The significance of Socrates as one of the earliest known philosophers to consider ethics
  • How the views of Socrates ("the unexamined life is not worth living") relate to current thinking on ethics
  • The steps James Rest considers to be important in the teaching of ethical reasoning

Within each "update," you will find text, images, and videos arranged to help you better understand each part of this learning module. You will also find italicized text that provides you with important information about the update as well as tasks you will be asked to complete. Please be sure you read and understand this information in order to complete the work required during each updat

During and/or after your completion of this update, compose two (2) community updates based on your reaction to the feedback requests in this update. In addition, you will need to comment on this update once you finish the reading and videos. Your updates should reflect your thinking and experiences and be at least 150 words long. Any comments you make to learner's updates should be at least 50 words long. Responses to other learner's update comments should be at least 25 words long.

Ethics is a broad subject, encompassing many disciplines within the context of the way human beings ought to think and act.  Perhaps the earliest philosopher to consider ethics and its importance was Socrates, whose ideas only survived because his student Plato thought to write them down (Socrates). Socrates believed ethics was simply knowing what we ought to do, and that such knowledge can be taught. In other words, Socrates didn't believe we are inherently ethical, and that the behaviors that make human beings ethical can be learned. The video below helps to understand how Socrates considered the meaning of ethics from his famous quote, "the unexamined life is not worth living." 

Media embedded November 22, 2019

Wireless Philosophy (2017 November 10). The examined life: Know thyself #1 [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/Ccwmn5T3-54

Take some time and reflect on the following questions. Write a response that is based on what you believe - you shouldn't have to do any research to come up with your answers. Create a new community update with your responses. View other learners' responses and comment on at least one of them.

  1. Why do you think Socrates and his philosophies continue to be relevant today?
  2. What significance is there to the fact that Socrates actually wrote nothing of his beliefs and that it is only because of his student Plato that we know of Socrates at all?
  3. What is your interpretation of the famous quote "The unexamined life is not worth living?"

Are the views of Socrates ones that other scholars subscribe? Psychologist James Rest has studied moral judgment and ethics for decades and has found that deliberate educational attempts that influence a person's awareness of moral problems and that can influence someone's reasoning or judgment have been effective (Schlaefli, Rest, & Thoma, 1985). Rest (1982) also developed an outline for teaching ethics that includes these concepts:

  • Raise ethical issues through case studies
  • Develop and teach a process of reasoning - a decision model that can be used with the examples
  • Develop moral imagination
  • Engage in an iterative process of applying reasoning to particular situations
  • As a teacher (or student), be a role model for what is taught
  • If possible, provide experience-based examples (internships) so students can "practice" moral reasoning before getting a job

This video provides some background to Rest's ethical and moral development approach.

Media embedded November 22, 2019

Sophie (2013, May 15). Rest's neo-Kohlbergian approach to moral development [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/1T4O2jTZQBk

While we won't spend more time examining Rest and his ideas about moral development, what we can take from his research is that there is a definite practical approach to the study of ethics, which is useful for our purposes of trying to better understand how ethics applies to business.

Take some time and reflect on the following questions. Write a response that is based on what you believe - you shouldn't do any research to come up with your answers. Create a new community update with your responses. View other learners' responses and comment on at least one of them.

  1. In what ways do James Rest and his views on ethics compare with those of Socrates? In what ways do you think they differ?
  2. How do you think Rest's outline for teaching ethics matches up to today's world? How might you alter Rest's outline to make it more relatable or impactful now?
  3. How has what you have learned about ethics changed your views about the way you consider the actions you take and your views on your own behavior?

Please respond to the question below with a comment on this update. Please react to at least one other student's comment.

Comment: Explain what you think about how studying Socrates and James Rest and their views will benefit your understanding of business ethics. How do their views connect with the challenges of 21st-century organizations? How do you think you will be able to apply them in your own experiences?

 

For the Teacher

Update 2 begins the study of applying business ethics by looking back at the beginnings of ethical philosophy and connecting ancient Greek thinking to psychologist James Rest and his views on ethics education. As will be the case in other updates, the learning direction for this content is provided by SUNY Oswego's School of Business. These are the key concepts learners are expected to know at the end of this update:

  • The significance of Socrates as one of the earliest known philosophers to consider ethics
  • How the views of Socrates ("the unexamined life is not worth living") relate to current thinking on ethics
  • The steps James Rest considers to be important in the teaching of ethical reasoning

During this update, learners will be presented with several learning activities, 

  • At least one comment will be posted to another learner's community update for each set of update questions
  • One comment will be posted to Update 2
  • At least one reaction will be made to another learner's comment from Update 2.

The first community update will be created by responding to the following questions regarding Socrates derived from the text and embedded video.

  • Why do you think Socrates and his philosophies continue to be relevant today?
  • What significance is there to the fact that Socrates actually wrote nothing of his beliefs and that it is only because of his student Plato that we know of Socrates at all?
  • What is your interpretation of the famous quote "The unexamined life is not worth living?"

The second community update will be created by responding to the following questions regarding James Rest derived from the text and embedded video.

  • In what ways do James Rest and his views on ethics compare with those of Socrates? In what ways do you think they differ?
  • How do you think Rest's outline for teaching ethics matches up to today's world? How might you alter Rest's outline to make it more relatable or impactful now?
  • How has what you have learned about ethics changed your views about the way you consider the actions you take and your views on your own behavior?

Finally, learners will create a comment for this update based on this question:

Explain what you think about how studying Socrates and James Rest and their views will benefit your understanding of business ethics. How do their views connect with the challenges of 21st-century organizations? How do you think you will be able to apply them in your own experiences?

It is hoped that these learning activities will help learners reinforce update concepts. This update may be the first time some of these learners will be exposed to ancient thinkers like Socrates, so a more detailed discussion about him might be in order. You may wish to show the following video to learners as part of the discussion. Note: this video is also in their online content and can be used as part of the work they will do in this update.

Media embedded December 7, 2019

Wireless Philosophy (2017 November 10). The examined life: Know thyself #1 [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/Ccwmn5T3-54

Additional learning activities that you might consider could include ways of connecting views of Socrates and Rest to modern situations. 

Update 3: What Ethics is (is What Ethics is Not)

For the Learner

In Update 3, we'll help to better define what ethics is by determining what it is not. As you will discover, there are a great many misconceptions about ethics. Hopefully, you won't have any when this update is complete!  By then, it's expected you should be able to understand and explain:

  • Why there are concepts that are commonly believed to be examples of ethics but aren't
  • The reasons for the confusion between what is and isn't ethics
  • How moral emotions confuse the understanding of ethics

Please compose two (2) community updates based on your reaction to the feedback requests in this update. In addition, you will need to comment on this update once you finish the reading and videos. Your updates should reflect your thinking and experiences and be at least 150 words long. Any comments you make should be at least 50 words long. Responses to other learner's update comments should be at least 25 words long.

Note. Reprinted from "Why ethics and law are not the same thing", by Tsahurido, E. (2015, April 1). Retrieved from https://www.intheblack.com/articles/2015/04/01/why-ethics-and-law-are-not-the-same-thing

So far, we've established that ethics is about what we ought to do and that it is possible to learn the knowledge necessary to determine the way to be ethical. We also know that there is a practical approach to learning about ethics which includes studying examples, teaching a process of how to reason, and using an iterative practice (sort of a "wash/rinse/repeat" version of learning) of applying that reasoning process to various situations. So - we've got this, right? Well...maybe.  One of the often tricky things about ethics is that it gets confused with several different types of concepts. Let's try and sort those out now by considering what ethics is NOT:

Ethics is not the same thing as feelings. An individual’s feelings about what is right or wrong do not ensure an ethical decision. While some individuals will feel bad when they have done something wrong, others may not. Ethical decisions are often difficult precisely because the “wrong” decision feels more desirable.

Media embedded December 7, 2019

McCombs School of Business (2018, December 18). Ethics defined: Moral emotions [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/w87uqQdfKHg

Ethics isn't simply religion. However, most if not all religions do present a set of ethical standards. Many people are not religious, but ethics applies to everyone. This particular concept is a tricky one, since many people have strong religious beliefs that they feel are directly related to ethical behavior. They are right to believe as they do, but it's important to remember that any particular religion may not address all ethical matters - or all ethical questions you might have. It is best to avoid a confrontation with anyone who insists their religion provides all the answers where ethics are concerned.

Ethics is not merely following the law. A good system of law does incorporate many ethical standards, but the law can deviate from what is ethical. Law can become ethically corrupt, as some totalitarian regimes have made it. Law can be a function of power alone and designed to serve the interests of narrow groups. This video may help to better explain how ethics and law can become confused with one another.

Media embedded December 6, 2019

McCombs School of Business (2019, February 19). Concepts unwrapped: Legal rights and ethical responsibilities [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/9Zg4-hb4WYo

Ethics is not merely following culturally accepted norms. Remember that slavery was accepted in our culture (and mandated by state and federal laws) before the Civil War. But there may be times where we have to be sensitive to the norms of a different culture. Some theorists contend that as long as those norms do not violate our own fundamental principles, we should avoid imposing our own standards on other’s cultures. The following video is an interesting look at how culture is often at odds with organizational ethics.

Media embedded December 7, 2019

The Institute of Internal Auditors (2015, December 1). The effects of culture on organizational ethics [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/2F-oQAcCvN0

Science does not provide answers to ethical issues. Social and natural science can provide data to help us make better ethical choices. However, the answers come from ourselves and others that teach us about ethical behavior. Also, it's important to remember that just because something is scientifically or technologically possible, it may not be ethical to do it. The following video describes 5 different psychological experiments that would absolutely not be allowed to be done today, due to rules in place to protect the human subjects of scientific research.

Media embedded December 7, 2019

SciShow(2016, September 11). Five psychological experiments you couldn't do today [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/zZ3l1jgmYrY

Take some time and reflect on the following questions. Write a response that is based on what you believe - you shouldn't do any research to come up with your answers. Create a new community update with your responses. View other learners' responses and comment on at least one of them.

  1. The video on ethics and law suggests they are not the same. Why is it you think that they are different?
  2. Many religions have aspects that mirror our understanding of ethics, yet we know they aren't the same. What is it about religion (other than a belief in a higher power) that makes religion a separate concept?
  3. It's accepted by many that our culture defines our ethics. Why do you believe that is not the case? Under what circumstances do you think that cultural norms might affect ethics?

These are all good tests to help us better frame our understanding of ethics. One of the trickier parts of grasping what is and isn't ethics is how emotions get involved in the ethical decisions we make. This video provides some good insight into ethics and moral emotions.

Media embedded November 22, 2019

McCombs School of Business (2019, February 19). Concepts unwrapped - Moral emotions [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/C1Xtjg2GtJw

Take some time and reflect on the following questions. Write a response that is based on what you believe - you shouldn't do any research to come up with your answers. Create a new community update with your responses. View other learners' responses and comment on at least one of them.

  1. What role do you think moral emotions play in our understanding of ethics?
  2. Explain the role of "other-condemning" emotions in ethical conflicts.
  3. What's the difference between "other-condemning" and "other-suffering" emotions
  4. Explain and contrast the differences between any two of the concepts explored in the video

Understanding what a thing is not (as well as what it is) proves to be useful for our understanding of ethics. It is such a broad concept to begin with that it takes some time for us to cognitively process this knowledge. Helping to constrain ethics into exactly what it means ought to be more helpful for your understanding of it. Next, we will take what we know about ethics and try and apply it to different situations by way of a set of guidelines (not unlike those that James Rest proposed in Update 2 for the teaching of ethics).

Please respond to the question below with a comment on this update. Please react to at least one other student's comment.

Comment: We have learned about what is (and what is not) ethics, in an effort to try and frame the broad concept of ethics a little better. How has this framing helped you to better understand the idea of ethics? Use one of the above examples of "what ethics is not" to help explain your answer.

For the Teacher

In Update 3, the learner's understanding of ethics, which is likely pretty broad and a bit vague now, will be refined by providing some examples of what ethics is not. Confusion about how feelings, law, religion, culture, and science figure into ethics requires a narrowing of focus where ethics are concerned. As will be the case in other updates, the learning direction for this content is provided by SUNY Oswego's School of Business. Here are the specific learning outcomes for Update 3:

  • Why there are concepts that are commonly believed to be examples of ethics but actually aren't examples of ethics
  • The reasons for the confusion between what is and is not ethics
  • How moral emotions can confuse the understanding of ethics

During this update, learners will be presented with several learning activities:

  • Two community updates will be created, one for each set of feedback found in Update 3
  • At least one comment will be posted to another learner's community update for each set of update questions
  • One comment will be posted to the current learning module update and
  • At least one reaction will be made to another learner's comment.

The first community update will be created by responding to the following questions regarding what ethics is and is not:

  1. The image above suggests that ethics and law are not the same, Why is it you think that they are different?
  2. Many religions have aspects that mirror our understanding of ethics, yet we know they aren't the same. What is it about religion (other than a belief in a higher power) that makes religion a separate concept?
  3. It's accepted by many that our culture defines our ethics. Why do you believe that is not the case? Under what circumstances do you think that cultural norms might affect ethics?

The second community update will be created by responding to the following questions regarding the video on moral emotions:

  1. What role do you think moral emotions play in our understanding of ethics?
  2. Explain the role of "other-condemning" emotions in ethical conflicts.
  3. What's the difference between "other-condemning" and "other-suffering" emotions?
  4. Explain and contrast the differences between any two of the concepts explored in the video

Finally, learners will create a comment for Update 3 based on this question:

We have learned about what is (and what is not) ethics, in an effort to try and frame the broad concept of ethics a little better. How has this framing helped you to better understand the idea of ethics? Use one of the above examples of "what ethics is not" to help explain your answer.

It is hoped that these learning activities will help learners reinforce update concepts. Additional learning activities that you might consider could include reviewing the embedded videos that help explain ethics and feelings, ethics and the law, ethics and culture, and ethics and science. All these videos can be found in the learner content for Update 3. Note: there is no companion video for ethics and religion. That is because those videos that would best address the subject were from religious sources. I would leave the playing of any video on this topic to your discretion, since you are best able to know the appropriateness of such a video in your setting. A Google search of "Ethics and Religion" will yield a large number of possible videos.

Another topic for discussion is concepts in the "Concepts Unwrapped" video on moral emotion including "self-conscious," "other-condemning," "other-praising," and "other-suffering" emotions, along with "moral dumbfounding."

Media embedded December 7, 2019

McCombs School of Business (2019, February 19). Concepts unwrapped - Moral emotions [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/C1Xtjg2GtJw

This relatively short 7-minute video is very rich in terms of what is explained about these categories of moral emotions and what emotional responses they connect with. This video is also in the learner content for Update 3.

Update 4: Who Has The Roadmap? Establishing a Guideline for Ethical Reasoning

For the Learner

Note: Reprinted from "Ethics", by Kumar, A.J. (2017, September 14). Retrieved from http://ajkumar.com/build-media-company-like-oprah-ellen-martha-stewart/ethics/

On to Update 4 and an examination of how we can take what we now know about ethics and use that knowledge in a practical way. By the end of this update, it's expected you will be able to understand and explain:

  • The steps involved in our Guideline for Ethical Reasoning
  • Why it's important to create such a "roadmap" for an ethical reasoning process
  • How the images and video that discuss ethical guidelines compare with the guideline we will use in this learning module

Please compose two (2) community updates based on your reaction to the feedback requests found in this update. In addition, you will need to comment on this update once you finish the reading and videos. Your updates should reflect your thinking and experiences and be at least 150 words long. Any comments you make should be at least 50 words long. Responses to other learner's update comments should be at least 25 words long.

Now that we have a bit of a baseline to help us determine the nature of ethics as well as a better idea of how it is framed in relation to other similar concepts, let's try to establish a process by which we can examine an ethical conflict in order to ultimately make the best possible decision we can make about this conflict. Such a process would involve a way to establish what is known about the conflict, what choices we might or ought to have to decide about the conflict, what the ultimate decision is, and how we might review and adjust that decision if necessary. Why is this necessary? As we have already determined, there are many factors that are rightly and wrongly associated with ethics that can impact and even cloud your decision about an ethical conflict. Even with what you have learned so far, it's not easy to sort out all the considerations that go into making the right ethical decision. Because of that, a step-by-step guideline will be very useful in taking what you know and factoring that information into each step to determine what you know and what you don't know about the situation that has brought on the ethical conflict.

The image at the beginning of the update has some important qualities that entail ethics, and you will see that they will all be found in some form in the process that we use.  Our Guideline for Ethical Reasoning is a step-by-step roadmap for us to navigate our way through the sometimes rocky path of deciding an ethical conflict.

  1. What kind of conflict is present?
  2. Establish the relevant facts
  3. What alternatives are available?
  4. Evaluate the alternative actions
  5. Choose an action
  6. Reflect and repair the action
Note. Reprinted from "Ethical decision-making" (2019, March 11). Retrieved December 1, 2019 from https://serc.carleton.edu/geoethics/Decision-Making

 

While The "Ethical Decision-Making Model" above is not an exact replica of our Guideline for Ethical Reasoning, it does include several key aspects, including knowing the facts, alternate choices, evaluating potential decisions, and making the best choice. It does not include defining the problem, although the "Decision Makers" element, which is not among our list, could easily function as knowledge that impacts the ultimate decision or choice. "Stakeholders" also doesn't appear but does make an appearance later in this learning module when you consider the relevant facts in an ethical conflict. However, this brief video does a great job of addressing our model. The video is IT-related and has seven steps instead of six, but you will see how well it does match up.

Media embedded December 7, 2019

DaphKimTine (2017, November 30). Seven steps of ethical decision making [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/8WttRdsVFX4

Take some time and reflect on the following questions. Write a response that is based on what you believe - you shouldn't do any research to come up with your answers. Create a new community update with your responses. View other learners' responses and comment on at least one of them.

  1. Explain in your own words how you think this guideline will help you make better ethical decisions. What are its benefits to you?
  2. Look at the order of the steps and consider the significance of where each step is found. How important is it that this guideline is followed in this order?
  3. Compare the two images in this update with the guideline above. Besides what has already been written here about them, what are the ways in which they are similar? How important do you think that is in your journey to make good ethical decisions?

This next short video provides some insight into what our roadmap above means for college students wrestling with ethical choices. In the video, Glover also alludes to a process that again is quite similar to the one we will analyze next in this learning module.

Media embedded November 24, 2019

IDEA (2016, October 18). Developing ethical reasoning and/or ethical decision making [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/Iwk8dGFn1tY

Take some time and reflect on the following questions. Write a response that is based on what you believe - you shouldn't do any research to come up with your answers. Create a new community update with your responses. View other learners' responses and comment on at least one of them.

  1. In the video, Glover refers to ethical standards for some other situations, such as health care. How do you think those ethical standards might compare to standards you would expect to find in your field of interest. 
  2. Glover also notes that such codes or ethical standards as is described for nurses are merely a way to help them make reasoned decisions about patient care. How do you think your reasoning might be similar to that of a nurse?
  3.  Glover talks about how case studies offer students an ideal way to examine various ethical issues and conflicts. How do you think examining case studies for ethical conflicts in business will help you make better ethical decisions?

So far, what you have seen is a summary of what our guidelines look like and how they compare with some other examples. Next is the first of three updates that will tackle all of these guideline steps in detail to break down how they work and how you can use them to make a better ethical decision.

Please respond to the question below with a comment on this update. Please react to at least one other student's comment.

In this update, you have been presented with several examples of ways to investigate ethical conflicts. Why is it important to have a variety of ways this can occur, rather than to have one standard that everyone is expected to follow?

For the Teacher

Update 4 presents the Guide for Ethical Reasoning to the learner as a "roadmap" for making ethical conflict decisions. Two images and a video depicting slightly different approaches to what makes up an approach to ethical reasoning are also introduced as a way to help the learner better understand how ethical reasoning occurs. The specific learning outcomes for Update 4 include:

  • The steps involved in our Guideline for Ethical Reasoning
  • Why it's important to create such a "roadmap" for an ethical reasoning process
  • How the images and video in this update that discuss ethical guidelines compare with the guideline we will use in this learning module

During this update, learners will be presented with several learning activities:

  • Two community updates will be created, one for each set of feedback found in Update 4
  • At least one comment will be posted to another learner's community update for each set of update questions
  • One comment will be posted to the current learning module update and
  • At least one reaction will be made to another learner's comment.

The first community update will be created by responding to the following questions regarding the Guideline for Ethical Reasoning:

  1. Explain in your own words how you think this guideline will help you make better ethical decisions. What are its benefits to you?
  2. Look at the order of the steps and consider the significance of where each step is found. How important is it that this guideline is followed in this order?
  3. Compare the two images in this update with the guideline above. Besides what has already been written here about them, what are the ways in which they are similar? How important do you think that is in your journey to make good ethical decisions?

The second community update will be created by responding to the following questions regarding Dr. Jake Glover's video on developing ethical reasoning:

  1. In the video, Glover refers to ethical standards for some other situations, such as health care. How do you think those ethical standards might compare to standards you would expect to find in your field of interest.
  2. Glover also notes that such codes or ethical standards as is described for nurses are merely a way to help them make reasoned decisions about patient care. How do you think your reasoning might be similar to that of a nurse?
  3. Glover talks about how case studies offer students an ideal way to examine various ethical issues and conflicts. How do you think examining case studies for ethical conflicts in business will help you make better ethical decisions?

Finally, learners will create a comment for Update 4 based on this question:

In this update, you have been presented with several examples of ways to investigate ethical conflicts. Why is it important to have a variety of ways this can occur, rather than to have one standard that everyone is expected to follow?

It is hoped that these learning activities will help learners reinforce update concepts. Additional learning activities that you might consider could include a discussion of the various examples of ethical reasoning presented with an eye to developing a similar but different set of guidelines.

You could also play the following video for your learners as a way to open a discussion on the ethical reasoning model. It is not an exact duplicate of the one learners will study, but it is very close and is also very short. This video is also included in the learner content for Update 4.

Media embedded December 7, 2019

DaphKimTine (2017, November 30). Seven steps of ethical decision making [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/8WttRdsVFX4

Update 5: Where to begin? With the Problem

For the Learner

Note: Reprinted from "Reflection 6: Ethical conflict and creative middle ways" (2012, November 22). Retrieved from https://eoinhanrahan.wordpress.com/2012/11/22/reflection-6-ethical-conflict-and-creative-middle-ways/

In Update 5, we begin digging into the Guideline for Ethical Reasoning in order to help better understand the steps that lead to making the best possible decision about an ethical conflict. In this update, steps 1 and 2 will be covered in detail. By the end of this update, it's expected that you will be able to understand and explain:

  • Three or more common ethical conflicts that you may encounter
  • The differences between cognitive and affective conflicts as well as between conflicts in single and multiple domains
  • How to use "who, what, when, where, why, how" questions to better determine the relevant facts of an ethical conflict

Please compose at least two (2) community updates based on your reaction to the feedback requests found in this update. In addition, you will need to comment on this update once you finish the reading and videos. Your updates should reflect your thinking and experiences and be at least 150 words long. Any comments you make should be at least 50 words long. Responses to other learner's update comments should be at least 25 words long.

The image at the beginning of Update 5 describes what is often faced in an ethical conflict or dilemma: There are two sides that may be perceived as "right" and "wrong" but both sides feel as though their view or advocacy is the "right" one. So how can we ever decide what is "right" to do? In order for us to make the best possible decision when facing an ethical conflict, it's a good idea to better understand the kinds of ethical situations you may face.

The following videos describe some common ethical concepts you may face. They are from a website known as "Ethics Unwrapped," a collection of resources developed by the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas. Please watch these videos and consider how you feel about the situations that are described.

Media embedded November 25, 2019

McCombs School of Business (2019, February 19). Concepts unwrapped: Conflict of interest [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/aQpZnlWk9As

This video takes on appropriation (when someone uses a part of all of another person's work and does not credit the person's work) and attribution (the practice of "attributing" or acknowledging the work of someone else in your own work).

Media embedded November 25, 2019

The concept of conflict of interest arises when a person's interest in a thing comes in conflict with that person's duties or responsibilities in ways that could be harmful to others or society in general. A person who is in charge of regulating air pollution from factories has a conflict of interest if they also own a polluting factory.

Media embedded November 25, 2019

McCombs School of Business (2019, February 19). Concepts unwrapped: Framing [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/6fPQqqEoU3Y

Framing is when the way we consider or respond to a situation is affected by the way a particular situation is viewed or presented. When you are shopping for food that is gluten-free, is it automatically a good decision to buy bacon if the label says "gluten-free?"

Media embedded November 25, 2019

McCombs School of Business (2019, February 19). Concepts unwrapped: Conformity bias [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/h9McrEaovuM

Conformity bias is our tendency to adopt certain kinds of behavior based on the actions of others rather than based on our own independent judgment. What was it that our mothers said about "if everybody jumped off a cliff, would you jump off too?"

Media embedded November 25, 2019

McCombs School of Business (2019, February 19). Concepts unwrapped: Representation [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/LAkBqViYEK8

Representation is a media practice that can present an image of individuals or groups that reflects stereotypes or mistaken beliefs. For many years, people of color were portrayed in movies as servants or doing other types of menial labor. Representation can also have a positive effect, as in the movie Hidden Figures, where black women are portrayed as brilliant scientists and mathematicians.

These five videos are only a sample of the many possible ethical conflicts you may encounter. Visit the Ethics Unwrapped website to view other types of ethical conflicts.

Create a new community update based on at least 3 of the 5 embedded videos describing ethical conflicts. Provide examples using text, images, videos or any other content that shows your understanding of each type of conflict. View other learners' responses and comment on at least one of them.

Whatever situation you find yourself having to resolve, there are some other things to determine. If you are stuck in an interpersonal ethical situation, is the conflict cognitive or affective? The video below does a pretty good job of highlighting the differences between the two.

Media embedded November 27, 2019

Andy Kaufman (2016). Cognitive vs. affective conflict [video file]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/196784483

A cognitive conflict is one where there is a difference in how both sides think about a concept or situation. As the video mentions above, cognitive conflict can often be useful. On the other hand, an affective conflict is one in which emotions are involved. The way people feel about a particular issue can often complicate the conflict, or the emotions of the other person or persons is the conflict itself. 

Another consideration is the type of domain that originates from this conflict. A conflict between domains might be how your views are not aligned with your organization, like being put in the position of doing something for your employer that you see as wrong. A conflict within a single domain would be where you are in conflict with yourself, as in trying to find a satisfying work-life balance or when two members of an organization differ in a way that draws you into their conflict.

Take some time and reflect on the following questions. Write a response that is based on what you believe - you shouldn't do any research to come up with your answers. Create a new community update with your responses. View other learners' responses and comment on at least one of them.

  1. Why is it important to know the difference between cognitive and affective conflicts? How can the differences between the two types of interpersonal conflict play a role in making the right decision in an ethical conflict?
  2. What are some other examples of conflict between two or more domains?
  3. What are some other examples of conflict within a single domain?
Note. Reprinted from "Market research: Who, what, when, where, why and how" (2015, August 12). Retrieved from https://www.agweb.com/article/market-research-who-what-when-where-why-and-how-NAA-news-release

To understand the problem in an ethical conflict also means to understand the facts that make up that situation or conflict. It's important to determine what is known or at least what you know about it. So far, we hopefully know what type of conflict is involved. Like a reporter covering a story, you also want to ask these questions:

  • Who are the stakeholders? Stakeholders are all the people or entities that have a "stake" in the conflict. Even a single domain conflict within yourself may have stakeholders like loved ones, co-workers, neighbors, etc.
  • Where or what type of environment is the conflict in? Home, work, and the gym are just examples of the location that is involved.
  • When did this conflict arise? The date or day this conflict began may have some impact on resolving the matter.
  • How did or what are the ways in which the conflict was presented?
  • Why did this conflict arise?

You may not come with a significant answer for each of these questions, but it is important to ask others (or yourself) and use what information you have in order to make the best ethical decision. You also must consider what is not known. Is there missing information or evidence? Is there a way to learn more about this conflict? What about rumors, "alternative facts," and fake news? While you don't want to treat them as facts, it may be useful to consider what impact they might have on your ethical conflict. Can you wait to see if more information might be available, or would a delayed decision be a bad idea? Finally, be sure at all times to be critical when establishing these relevant facts. That doesn't mean to criticize them, but rather to be analytical in your examination of what you learn. Be certain of what you accept and what you reject.

Take some time and reflect on the following questions. Write a response that is based on what you believe - you shouldn't do any research to come up with your answers. Create a new community update with your responses. View other learners' responses and comment on at least one of them.

  1. You know the kinds of "who, what, when, where, why, how" questions to ask in order to gain relevant information. What kind of other information might you get about a particular ethical conflict by asking these questions?
  2. What are some of the stakeholders that might exist in any particular organization? List at least 5 stakeholders and explain the reason why each is included. Remember that stakeholders are any person or entity that has some kind of interest or "stake" in that organization. 
  3. How much importance should you attach to information that is missing? How much to rumors or fake news? How long should you wait to decide in order to seek these answers?

So, now we know a bit about what the problem or conflict might be and how to obtain as much relevant information as possible. Next, we'll delve into how to examine the possible alternatives to an ethical conflict and how to best evaluate them.

Please respond to the question below with a comment on this update. Please react to at least one other student's comment.

Consider one of the five ethical conflict videos in this update. Describe a scenario that would fit the definition of appropriation and attribution, conflict of interest, framing, conformity bias, or representation. Based on what you know now about ethical reasoning, what would be the best decision for the conflict you describe?

For the Teacher

In Update 5, the process of breaking down each of the 6 steps of the Guideline for Ethical Reasoning begins with a discussion of how to determine what kind of conflict is present and how to establish the relevant facts. The specific learning outcomes for Update 5 include:

  • Explain three or more common ethical conflicts that you may encounter
  • Describe the differences between cognitive and affective conflicts as well as between conflicts in single and multiple domains
  • Explain how to use "who, what, when, where, why, how" questions to better determine the relevant facts of an ethical conflict

During this update, learners will be presented with several learning activities:

  • At least two community updates will be created from the three sets of feedback found in Update 5
  • At least one comment will be posted to another learner's community update for each set of update questions
  • One comment will be posted to the current learning module update and
  • At least one reaction will be made to another learner's comment.

The first community update will be created by describing in some detail 3 of the 5 examples of ethical conflict provided in the Ethics Unwrapped videos, using various types of media to aid in the descriptions.

The second community update will be created by responding to the following questions regarding cognitive and affective interpersonal conflicts as well as conflicts involving single and multiple domains.

  1. Why is it important to know the difference between cognitive and affective conflicts? How can the differences between the two types of interpersonal conflict play a role in making the right decision in an ethical conflict?
  2. What are some other examples of conflict between two or more domains?
  3. What are some other examples of conflict within a single domain?

The third community update will be created by responding to the following questions regarding the use of "who, what, when, where, why, how" questions to determine relevant information.

  1. You know the kinds of "who, what, when, where, why, how" questions to ask in order to gain relevant information. What kind of other information might you get about a particular ethical conflict by asking these questions?
  2. What are some of the stakeholders that might exist in any particular organization? List at least 5 stakeholders and explain the reason why each is included. Remember that stakeholders are any person or entity that has some kind of interest or "stake" in that organization.
  3. How much importance should you attach to information that is missing? How much to rumors or fake news? How long should you wait to decide in order to seek these answers?

Finally, learners will create a comment for Update 5 based on this question:

Consider one of the five ethical conflict videos in this update. Describe a scenario that would fit the definition of appropriation, conflict of interest, framing, conformity bias, or representation. Based on what you know now about ethical reasoning, what would be the best decision for the conflict you describe?

It is hoped that these learning activities will help learners reinforce update concepts. Additional learning activities that you might consider could include a discussion about the five Ethics Unwrapped videos. Get learners to provide multiple examples of each kind. Learners could also be encouraged to try and rank these conflicts in order of significance, with a discussion to follow on whether any one of these conflicts is actually more significant than another.

Update 6: What to Choose? Examining the Alternatives

For the Learner

We're closing in on the finish line with Update 6, which dives into how to determine what alternatives might exist for an ethical conflict and how those alternatives can be evaluated. By the end of Update 6, it is expected that you will be able to understand and explain:

  • Why an ethical conflict might have three or more possible alternative outcomes
  • The ways in which you can get help to determine the various alternatives to an ethical conflict 
  • The four types of ethical reasoning philosophies described in the update

Please compose two (2) community updates based on your reaction to the feedback requests in this update. In addition, you will need to comment on this update once you finish the reading and videos. Your updates should reflect your thinking and experiences and be at least 150 words long. Any comments you make should be at least 50 words long. Responses to other learner's update comments should be at least 25 words long.

Note. Reprinted from "Percussion deconstruction" (2015, July 25). Retrieved from http://percussiondeconstruction.blogspot.com/2015/07/making-choices.html

Once you have all the facts you need (or all the facts you have time to consider), you must then consider what the various alternative choices are. Just as it was important to consider what information to use and what to discard, it's important to consider the options you have for deciding. Begin by asking yourself what the various possible choices might be. Typically, any ethical conflict will have at least two outcomes. Recall the beginning of Update 5 where you read that in virtually all ethical conflicts there is usually a "right" and a "wrong" point of view - from the perspective of someone who is advocating one or the other outcomes for the conflict. Each point of view often has validity for someone. It is merely the perception of "right" and "wrong" in which an ethical decision must be made.

Note. Reprinted from "Decision-making with multiple alternatives", by Churchland, A.K, Kiani, R., & Shadlen, M.N. (2008). Retrieved from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Decision-making-with-multiple-alternatives-Churchland-Kiani/b580d3fde5d6134dd4c9fe243ec1b2396ba8e913/figure/5https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Decision-making-with-multiple-alternatives-Churchland-Kiani/b580d3fde5d6134dd4c9fe243ec1b2396ba8e913/figure/5

However, consider the image above (you are not expected to explain it!). Some ethical conflicts may have multiple outcomes: Do A, do B, do both, or do neither. Each of the outcomes has its own set of consequences which you, the decider, must consider. How you determine what those outcomes are may require some help.What about asking for advice? It might be useful to get some personal or professional perspective on your situation.  You may also have to consider whether you need legal advice or even a legal opinion. But it is also possible that you alone may have to decide, based on a variety of proprietary and legal issues such as organizational or government secrecy. 

Create an update based on what you believe to be an ethical conflict that has three or more types of alternatives or outcomes. Explain why this conflict has multiple possible solutions, and use text, images, videos, and any other type of content to help describe these possible alternatives.

One of the ways in which you might be able to consider various alternatives is to examine your ethical situation from four different ethical philosophies or reasoning approaches - Utilitarian, Kantian, Rawlsian, and Virtue-Ethical.

Media embedded November 28, 2019

McCombs School of Business (2018, December 18). Ethics defined: Utilitarianism[video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/-FrZl22_79Q

As the video suggests, a utilitarian ethical philosophy suggests that an action is in service of the greater good. In short, your action should benefit the greatest number of people. Many people believe this philosophy is a justification for breaking the law, but they would be mistaken. A utilitarian must follow the law unless human lives are unquestioningly at risk. A utilitarian does not believe "anything goes" when considering the greater good. But what is constant is that the outcome is all that matters - your intent to do the right thing is irrelevant. So, if you tried to do the right thing but failed, utilitarian philosophy would say you failed. What you tried to do doesn't matter.

Media embedded November 28, 2019

The Audiopedia (2018, April 18). What is Katian ethics? What does Kantian ethics mean?[video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/_UXAspa1_7s

Perhaps an easy way to remember what Kantian ethical philosophy is about is to think of it as the opposite of utilitarianism. To a Kantian, intent is everything. As long as you did what you thought was right, a bad outcome isn't considered your fault. To a Kantian, it's all about how your decision would function as universal law. In other words, if you decide to lie to save your reputation, can you imagine a world where it was permissible for everyone to act the same way? Since I hope we can agree that would result in a pretty lousy world, it's clear such a decision would be bad.

Media embedded November 28, 2019

McCombs School of Business (2018, December 18). Ethics defined: Veil of ignorance[video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/qWSYpiE54cg

Rawlsian ethical philosophy is based on philosopher John Rawls, who developed his theory of a just liberal society in 1971 (Wenar, 2008). Rawls has a simple approach: if you put on a "veil of ignorance" and not consider how your life may turn out, will this decision benefit you if you are among the worst in society? In other words, if you, in fact, were someone who was at society's bottom rung, would you think your decision was a good one? While it's not complicated to understand, it isn't always easy to do.

Media embedded November 28, 2019

McCombs School of Business (2018, December 18). Ethics defined: Virtue ethics[video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/NMblKpkKYao

Virtue-Ethical philosophy is from ancient Greeks like Aristotle, who believe we should consider what kind of person would choose the action we consider. While it's not easy to do, since we have so many roles in our lives - students, roommates, children, friends, citizens - and defining boundaries for them can be difficult. But the virtue ethicist thinks all our roles should be in harmony with one another so virtues in one role or domain aren't vices in another role.

With these kinds of ethical frameworks as your guide, you hopefully can consider how various alternatives will impact your life and the lives of others. It is by no means easy to choose the best ethical path, but if you can be honest with yourself (which essentially all these approaches expect you to do), developing alternative choices will likely be much less difficult than you might imagine.

Create an update based on at least two of the four ethical reasoning philosophies. Describe each philosophical view with examples that explain how the particular philosophy works. Use text, images, videos and other types of content to help describe these reasoning philosophies.

It's decision time. Next in Update 7, you'll consider what to do once a decision is made, what the potential fallout might be, and how to handle the less-than-ideal outcomes of an overall good decision.

Please respond to the question below with a comment on this update. Please react to at least one other student's comment.

Consider a common type of ethical conflict where there are two alternatives and each of them is at least valid from an individual point of view. If each alternative has both positive and negative outcomes, how can you effectively choose one of them?

For the Teacher

Update 6 takes learners to where they must determine and examine the possible alternatives and outcomes of an ethical conflict. The specific learning outcomes for Update 6 are:

  • Why an ethical conflict might have three or more possible alternative outcomes
  • The ways in which you can get help to determine the various alternatives to an ethical conflict
  • The four types of ethical reasoning philosophies described in the update

During this update, learners will be presented with several learning activities:

  • At least two community updates will be created from the three sets of feedback found in Update 6
  • At least one comment will be posted to another learner's community update for each set of update questions
  • One comment will be posted to the current learning module update and
  • At least one reaction will be made to another learner's comment.

The first community update will be created by describing in some detail an ethical conflict containing at least three possible outcomes or alternatives, using various types of media to aid in the description.

The second community update will be created by describing in some detail at least 2 of the 4 different ethical reasoning philosophies, using various types of media to aid in the description.

Finally, learners will create a comment for Update 6 based on this question:

Consider a common type of ethical conflict where there are two alternatives and each of them is at least valid from an individual point of view. If each alternative has both positive and negative outcomes, how can you effectively choose one of them?

It is hoped that these learning activities will help learners reinforce update concepts. Additional learning activities that you might consider could include a discussion about utilitarian ethics. 

Media embedded November 30, 2019

BBC Radio 4 (2014, November 18). The trolley problem [video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/bOpf6KcWYyw

This is one of the most famous examples of utilitarian philosophy: issacrificing one life to save the lives of many others the best possible outcome? While this video uses a somewhat lighthearted approach to explain the conflict, it is and has been a long-debated dilemma. Show the video to your learners and have them debate why one scenario is better than another - or if it's even possible to debate it.

Update 7: Lessons Learned? How to Reflect (and maybe Repair)

For the Learner

We're finally at Update 7 - time to make a decision. In this update, you'll get some perspective on what happens when a decision is made and what some of the outcomes of that decision might be. By the end of this update, it's expected that you can understand and explain:

  • How to consider the implications of your decision
  • Whether a particular decision might be acceptable under different interpretations of "right" and "wrong"
  • What to do when an overall good ethical decision still results in some negative outcomes

Please compose one (1) community update based on your reaction to the feedback request in this update. In addition, you will need to comment on this update once you finish the reading and videos. Your update should reflect your thinking and experiences and be at least 150 words long. Any comments you make should be at least 50 words long. Responses to other learner's update comments should be at least 25 words long.​

Note: Reprinted from "Don't judge a decision by outcome alone," by Miker, S. (2019, March 13). Retrieved from https://www.scottmiker.com/improving-systems-and-habits/2019/3/13/dont-judge-a-decision-by-outcome-alone

It's decision time - you've developed two or possibly more alternatives and now you must choose. When making the final decision, here's some things to consider:

  • Ask yourself what the drawbacks of each alternative are, and if reparative action is applicable to some of these drawbacks.
  • A course of action may have certain disadvantages, but perhaps these can be remedied through future efforts.
  • Moreover, try to achieve a convergence - in other words, try to find a course of action that is acceptable under each possible interpretation of morality (this will happen far more often than we think, though perhaps less than we would like).
  • Finally, make sure you implement your action with the greatest amount of care and delicacy possible. This is often what makes all the difference - for example, while layoffs may be necessary, consider very carefully how to deliver the news and the actions you can take to cushion the blow.

As you consider what the best outcome is, reflecting again on the four ethical philosophies might be useful in which decision is best. Once the decision is made and implemented, reflect on the outcome of the decision. As the image above suggests, bad outcomes don't necessarily mean bad decisions. Look at how the situation turned out, what you have learned (good or bad) from the experience and how you might act differently in a similar situation in the future, and be mindful of managing whatever fallout might follow your decision and what potential new ethical conflicts might arise.

Create an update that considers a type of business ethical decision that is right for the business but still results in one or more negative outcomes for the business's stakeholders (other than layoffs). Explain the conflict and the decision as well as the approach you would use to explain the decision to those for whom it will have negative impacts. Use text, images, videos and any other type of content to aid in explaining your actions.

In addition, please respond to the question below with a comment on this update. Please react to at least one other student's comment.

Consider the image at the top of Update 7 - that a bad outcome doesn't necessarily mean a bad decision. Explain how you interpret that statement. Provide an example of such a situation and why the above statement would apply. 

 

 

You are being asked to complete a project based on the "Ethical Moment" concept, where an ethical conflict is described as well as the arguments on both sides of the conflict. For this project, you will take that process a bit further in order to demonstrate how you understand the ethical reasoning guideline presented in this learning module.

 

Your "Ethical Moment" work should provide a solid explanation of the ethical situation or conflict. Describe the type of conflict involved - if it is interpersonal, explain whether it is cognitive or affective, and if it affects only a single domain or multiple practical domains. Provide a detailed explanation. Answer the "who, what, when, where, why, how" questions about what is known regarding the conflict as well as what is not known (if possible). Discuss the possible alternatives for a decision and use one or more of the ethical reasoning philosophies (utilitarian, Kantian, Rawlsian, virtue-ethical) as a basis for why the alternatives have been chosen. Finally, describe what you believe to be the best ethical decision as well as what the negative outcomes might be for this decision and how those outcomes might be handled. Here are the other specs to include in your work:

  • Your project should be at least 1000 words
  • Include at least 2 images and 1 embedded video that relate to the ethical conflict or the process of determining a solution
  • Include at least one peer-reviewed source to provide academic context to your project
  • Be sure to properly cite all sources in a "References" section as well citing those sources as they appear in your project.
  • Follow the rubric established in the Feedback tab of the Creator tool as a guideline for completing your work.

For the Teacher

Update 7 is all about the decision - how to make it, how to consider the various outcomes of the decision, and how to deal with negative consequences of an otherwise positive ethical business decision. The learning outcomes for Update 7 include:

  • How to consider the implications of your decision
  • Whether a particular decision might be acceptable under different interpretations of "right" and "wrong"
  • What to do when an overall good ethical decision still results in some negative outcomes

During this update, learners will be presented with several learning activities:

  • A community update will be created from the feedback request found in this update
  • At least one comment will be posted to another learner's community update for each set of update questions
  • One comment will be posted to the current learning module update and
  • At least one reaction will be made to another learner's comment.

The one community update created will describe a good ethical business decision that has negative outcomes (other than layoffs) for one or more stakeholders. Various types of media should be used to aid in the description.

Finally, learners will create a comment for Update 7 based on this question:

Consider the image at the top of Update 7 - that a bad outcome doesn't necessarily mean a bad decision. Explain how you interpret that statement. Provide an example of such a situation and why the above statement would apply.

It is hoped that these learning activities will help learners reinforce update concepts. Additional learning activities that you might consider could include a discussion about the "lessons learned" aspect of the decision process, when the entire process is evaluated to determine what should be repeated and how different actions might have resulted in a better overall outcome.

In this update, learners are provided with instructions to complete their work project, known as an "Ethical Moment" presentation. In the class I teach where this learning module content was developed, this has been a brief oral presentation followed by a class discussion. In this learning module, learners will go into much depth in examining each of the six steps in the Guideline for Ethical Reasoning process. Learners will review and be reviewed by their peers using a rubric, which is attached below.

"Ethical Moment" work project rubric

 

Update 8: Post-Course Survey

For the Learner

That's the end! Thanks for sticking around to the finish. Now, there's one more teeny thing you need to take care of before you can "stick a fork in it!" Please complete the post-course survey. While you won't be graded on your answers, your overall assessment will be positively affected by completing it.

For the Teacher

This is the final step in the learning module - the learners' completion of the post-test survey. Please make sure that learners don't complete this until they have gone through the entire learning module. Thank you.

Attached below is the post-test survey. Correct answers are bolded.

Post-Course Survey

 

Assessment and Evaluation

The method for assessing and evaluating learners in this learning module can be entirely accomplished via the Scholar Analytics tool. This method is particularly ideal if this learning module is to be taken by learners as an online-only course with no or minimal teacher involvement. The tool will measure a number of metrics associated with this learning module, including:

The minimum number of community updates expected (2 updates per learning module update plus 1 for Update 7 for a total of 11)
The minimum number of learner comments expected on other learners' updates (2 comments per learner update per learning module update, for a total of 4 comments per learning module update 2-6 plus 2 comments for Update 7, for a grand total of 22 comments)
The minimum number of learner comments expected that are posted to each learning module update (1 comment per update for a total of 6 comments)
The minimum number of reactions expected to other learner's update comments (1 reaction per learning module update for a total of 6 reactions)

In addition, the Analytics tool will monitor the various stages of completion of the work project, including the draft, assigned reviews completed, work revision completed, and a final evaluation by the teacher or another administrator of the learning community.

The learning module content is weighted according to the following percentages:

Creative work project - 28%
Learner updates - 3% per update for a total of 36%
Learner comments - 1% per comment for a total of 36%

In terms of letter grade associated with the Analytics "theta" score calculation, it is generally understood that a score of 80 is considered a superior achievement. You can calculate other letter grade scores based on this.

Ultimately, as the administrator of this learning community, you can determine how learners will be assessed and evaluated. Be mindful that the Analytics output will be visible to learners, and that they should be advised of any alternative evaluation method you intend to employ.

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