Business ethics and law 215 notes
Monday and Wednesday 10:50-12:05
Lecture #1: 9/4:
● When something ethical goes wrong for a company, such as the United Airlines
incident from a few years back, people will remember it, and popularize the incident,
mainly via social media, and because of this, it can seriously hurt the company
● Check blackboard consistently, look through stuff on blackboard later today, and read
through readings and take notes from them
● We are going to have final group presentations at the end of the semester. We will be
assigned groups for these presentations next class.
● The Parable of the Sadhu: Individual ethics are different than group ethics. Group
ethics pertain to behaviors done together, while individual ethics relate to choices that
someone makes for themselves.
● (Continued) Organizations need to have a mutual understanding of their ethical
standards, and unethical practices, and be able to work together to achieve the
standards they want by using them.
● Ethics are shared values and agreed upon processes
● People will talk about certain things, such as disliking a certain aspect of a company,
and even though they are not phrasing it in this specific way, most times they are
talking about the fact that they disagree with something that the company does
ethically.
● Organizational behavior has a lot to do with ethics, in terms of people working with
one another, in a system
● A true ethical dilemma requires a decision between two hard choices
● People’s responses to an ethical dilemma will depend on the setting that they are in.
● Being able to understand the company's values and goals, before going full force into
it, is important
● Personal values play a decent part in company culture, and therefore the ethics of the
business as well
● Should your driverless car hit a pedestrian to save your life: Automated cars, (self
driving cars), are an example of a machine that is forced with an ethical decision
when it has to choose whether to save the passenger, or pedestrian. This topic brings
up a lot of ethical questions, as well as questions about the capability of machines to
the extent that people want.
● A lot of ethical issues, such as the self driving car one, can take a very long time to
figure out and solve
● Applying Utilitarianism: Are Insider Trading and the bailout of GM ethical?:
● Consequentialism is a theory in ethics about ethical choices
● Deontology is a system that proposes that an action should be judged based on the
action alone, not based on the consequences of the action
● Logos, pathos, and ethos, all play a part in ethics as well
,● Act consequentialism vs. rule consequentialism: Act consequentialism reviews each
act on its own, and determines which act will produce the greatest number of
outcomes. Rule consequentialism looks at the morally action to be done, in order to
get to the desired outcome
● To a certain degree, everyone has to act in their own self interest in some way
● Consequentialism, is somewhat measurable, because every action has one
consequence or another
● Undesirable consequences could be the result of missing steps during the processes,
or going too fast during the process
● Utilitarianism can justify making certain decisions that violate human rights if it is for
the good of a large number of people, instead of one or a few people
● Utilitarianism attempts to answer the question: “what decision is right,” by answering
how many people are able to benefit from it.
● For using utilitarianism ideas in real life, people have to understand who is involved
(majorly), the consequences of their actions and involvement. Government has to
worry about the large majority of people, and what it will do for them
● Tax payers, government, employer, employees, stakeholders, and corporate of the
company will all be involved with the consequences and the utilitarian ideas of the
company.
● For society as a whole, insider trading, within a system means trading information to
the market
● Consequentialism and utilitarianism are often used in decision making. Considering
consequences before executing actions, are often used for people, so that they are able
to get a picture of might result from their actions
● Where is the Line Between Ethical and Legal?: Just because a business practice is
legal, does not mean it is ethical. In some instances this will give one person power to
make choices even if they are not looking out for the benefit of the public.
● CEO’s are tasked with having to work to keep the company as profitable as possible,
while also keeping high ethical standards for their employees and customers.
● In business, sometimes it is the smartest to know the game, and play it at the very
edge
● Corporate ethics can’t be reduced to compliance: Companies are forced to balance
productivity with compliance. Increasing the number of rules that are in place is one
effective way that a company is able to do this.
● Instead of creating values within a company, leaders of companies should focus on
having conversations between people at all levels of the company, to try to establish
common ground.
● Where is the Line?: Working conditions and manageable hours for people, so that
they are not overworked, or overly tired every single day is important. Employers
cannot expect people to be interested in working for them if they are treated what they
see as unfairly.
, ● Power causes brain damage: Power can intoxicate and corrupt. Power can be a good
thing, but it can also be very harmful as well.
● People have to figure out their spots in life, and what works for them. Even if this
means taking time, and going through a process of decisions
● How (un)ethical are you?: Many people believe that they are ethical and objective,
whereas the reality is that we are not.
● People want to judge others based on merits, but instead, most of the time, judge
based on stereotypes
● Early associations that we make, often shape our thoughts and understandings of
different viewpoints later in our lives
● There are different types of implicit bias, such as economic and social
● People intuitively help others that are similar to them
● People are discriminated against for ethical reasons, simply because they are different
than the person making the decision
● Claiming too much credit can destabilize alliances in business
● Working hard is not enough, when one does not understand the ethical side of what
they are doing
● Managers have to develop strategies that will counteract their own biases, so that they
can develop processes to help themselves and others succeed
● Considering all of the factors present in the scenario is an important part in making
the most ethical decision possible
● Shaping, and making sure that one understands their environment is very important
● People have to continually manage how vigilant they are with making an ethical
decision, and continually understand how they can make ethical decisions in the
future as well
● A tale of two stories: An instance when my values conflicted with what I was
supposed to do a student team project. We were working on our final, and had kind of
put it off for a while, where we had something, but it wasn’t well done. I took the
initiative, and made a different version that was cleaner, and easier to understand. I
did not understand what my group mates had put on this presentation, so I wanted to
make one so that I would be able to clarify it for myself. I am satisfied with how the
situation turned out, not only did we change our project based on our ideas
collectively, but it also helped clarify what we needed to understand
● I think it would have made it easier to speak/act if I was more confident that my team
members had trusted me in the way that they did, when I revealed to them, that I had
made a different version
● Keeping your colleagues honest: when something happens within a company, where a
manager might be under fire, due to mismanaging it, and the result was an ethical
issue, the manager might be the first one to make excuses, and try to avoid the
consequences.
● Understanding and confronting problems are very important in being able to
understand how to best handle certain situations
Monday and Wednesday 10:50-12:05
Lecture #1: 9/4:
● When something ethical goes wrong for a company, such as the United Airlines
incident from a few years back, people will remember it, and popularize the incident,
mainly via social media, and because of this, it can seriously hurt the company
● Check blackboard consistently, look through stuff on blackboard later today, and read
through readings and take notes from them
● We are going to have final group presentations at the end of the semester. We will be
assigned groups for these presentations next class.
● The Parable of the Sadhu: Individual ethics are different than group ethics. Group
ethics pertain to behaviors done together, while individual ethics relate to choices that
someone makes for themselves.
● (Continued) Organizations need to have a mutual understanding of their ethical
standards, and unethical practices, and be able to work together to achieve the
standards they want by using them.
● Ethics are shared values and agreed upon processes
● People will talk about certain things, such as disliking a certain aspect of a company,
and even though they are not phrasing it in this specific way, most times they are
talking about the fact that they disagree with something that the company does
ethically.
● Organizational behavior has a lot to do with ethics, in terms of people working with
one another, in a system
● A true ethical dilemma requires a decision between two hard choices
● People’s responses to an ethical dilemma will depend on the setting that they are in.
● Being able to understand the company's values and goals, before going full force into
it, is important
● Personal values play a decent part in company culture, and therefore the ethics of the
business as well
● Should your driverless car hit a pedestrian to save your life: Automated cars, (self
driving cars), are an example of a machine that is forced with an ethical decision
when it has to choose whether to save the passenger, or pedestrian. This topic brings
up a lot of ethical questions, as well as questions about the capability of machines to
the extent that people want.
● A lot of ethical issues, such as the self driving car one, can take a very long time to
figure out and solve
● Applying Utilitarianism: Are Insider Trading and the bailout of GM ethical?:
● Consequentialism is a theory in ethics about ethical choices
● Deontology is a system that proposes that an action should be judged based on the
action alone, not based on the consequences of the action
● Logos, pathos, and ethos, all play a part in ethics as well
,● Act consequentialism vs. rule consequentialism: Act consequentialism reviews each
act on its own, and determines which act will produce the greatest number of
outcomes. Rule consequentialism looks at the morally action to be done, in order to
get to the desired outcome
● To a certain degree, everyone has to act in their own self interest in some way
● Consequentialism, is somewhat measurable, because every action has one
consequence or another
● Undesirable consequences could be the result of missing steps during the processes,
or going too fast during the process
● Utilitarianism can justify making certain decisions that violate human rights if it is for
the good of a large number of people, instead of one or a few people
● Utilitarianism attempts to answer the question: “what decision is right,” by answering
how many people are able to benefit from it.
● For using utilitarianism ideas in real life, people have to understand who is involved
(majorly), the consequences of their actions and involvement. Government has to
worry about the large majority of people, and what it will do for them
● Tax payers, government, employer, employees, stakeholders, and corporate of the
company will all be involved with the consequences and the utilitarian ideas of the
company.
● For society as a whole, insider trading, within a system means trading information to
the market
● Consequentialism and utilitarianism are often used in decision making. Considering
consequences before executing actions, are often used for people, so that they are able
to get a picture of might result from their actions
● Where is the Line Between Ethical and Legal?: Just because a business practice is
legal, does not mean it is ethical. In some instances this will give one person power to
make choices even if they are not looking out for the benefit of the public.
● CEO’s are tasked with having to work to keep the company as profitable as possible,
while also keeping high ethical standards for their employees and customers.
● In business, sometimes it is the smartest to know the game, and play it at the very
edge
● Corporate ethics can’t be reduced to compliance: Companies are forced to balance
productivity with compliance. Increasing the number of rules that are in place is one
effective way that a company is able to do this.
● Instead of creating values within a company, leaders of companies should focus on
having conversations between people at all levels of the company, to try to establish
common ground.
● Where is the Line?: Working conditions and manageable hours for people, so that
they are not overworked, or overly tired every single day is important. Employers
cannot expect people to be interested in working for them if they are treated what they
see as unfairly.
, ● Power causes brain damage: Power can intoxicate and corrupt. Power can be a good
thing, but it can also be very harmful as well.
● People have to figure out their spots in life, and what works for them. Even if this
means taking time, and going through a process of decisions
● How (un)ethical are you?: Many people believe that they are ethical and objective,
whereas the reality is that we are not.
● People want to judge others based on merits, but instead, most of the time, judge
based on stereotypes
● Early associations that we make, often shape our thoughts and understandings of
different viewpoints later in our lives
● There are different types of implicit bias, such as economic and social
● People intuitively help others that are similar to them
● People are discriminated against for ethical reasons, simply because they are different
than the person making the decision
● Claiming too much credit can destabilize alliances in business
● Working hard is not enough, when one does not understand the ethical side of what
they are doing
● Managers have to develop strategies that will counteract their own biases, so that they
can develop processes to help themselves and others succeed
● Considering all of the factors present in the scenario is an important part in making
the most ethical decision possible
● Shaping, and making sure that one understands their environment is very important
● People have to continually manage how vigilant they are with making an ethical
decision, and continually understand how they can make ethical decisions in the
future as well
● A tale of two stories: An instance when my values conflicted with what I was
supposed to do a student team project. We were working on our final, and had kind of
put it off for a while, where we had something, but it wasn’t well done. I took the
initiative, and made a different version that was cleaner, and easier to understand. I
did not understand what my group mates had put on this presentation, so I wanted to
make one so that I would be able to clarify it for myself. I am satisfied with how the
situation turned out, not only did we change our project based on our ideas
collectively, but it also helped clarify what we needed to understand
● I think it would have made it easier to speak/act if I was more confident that my team
members had trusted me in the way that they did, when I revealed to them, that I had
made a different version
● Keeping your colleagues honest: when something happens within a company, where a
manager might be under fire, due to mismanaging it, and the result was an ethical
issue, the manager might be the first one to make excuses, and try to avoid the
consequences.
● Understanding and confronting problems are very important in being able to
understand how to best handle certain situations
