Ethical and Moral Reasoning

Being ethical is a moral contract between an individual and the world. When it comes to personal growth, principle and integrity are the cornerstones of any ethical life. To lead an ethical life individuals must respect their own life and that of others (Newton, 1998). To be ethical is to deny dishonesty and live by a moral code not of obligation or necessity but because of a willingness to ensure that your respect for others is part of your daily life. When it comes to professional growth, individuals need to follow work ethics and embed ethical behavior into their company’s synergy within themselves. They also need to accept and embrace the standards and values of their professional life. In academic growth, individuals need to acquire virtues or moral habits that will help them achieve success in their education (Wood, 2021). Ethical principles are how whatever rules are applied to education are followed by someone. In general, cheating is seen to be unethical in most institutions.

I experience one major ethical dilemma at one point in my career when I worked as a service management consultant. I was hired by a small specialized division to assess their operational services and provide recommendations for improvements. In the course of doing that, I found that nepotism was rampant in this company and that they were engaged in some seriously questionable ethics about using products in-house and then selling them as new, and several other business practices. For myself the question was did I have an obligation to report this to the corporate offices. I might have decided to do that if I had any contacts there. I ultimately recommended discontinuing those practices as part of my service recommendations. I did not see much point in mentioning nepotism since it did not directly affect service and was not my business; it would have also made my recommendations unwelcomed. I did decline the offer to manage the service operation and declined later requests to consult.

The general education courses have significantly influenced my ethical values. From the courses, I now understand the reasons why different people do different things and think different ways should help one to be more tolerant of those differences. Seeing life from a perspective other than my own allows better communication setting the stage for better relationships and understanding (Kohlberg, 1975). The courses have also influenced my ethical values, by nurturing analysis and evaluation, critical thinking. Before getting a general education, I used to accept what I was told, to just accept moral traditions and conventions rather than seek moral validity. Now I can make my own decisions based on my ethical judgments and perceptions.

References

Kohlberg, L. (1975). Moral Education for a Society in Moral Transition. Educational Leadership. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Moral-Education-for-a-Society-in-Moral-Transition.-Kohlberg/2d3ca61129849afee57fa60624041f8a4997d64f?p2df

Newton, L. (1998). Doing Good and Avoiding Evil Part I. Principles and Reasoning. Hale Chair. https://www.rit.edu/%7Ew-ethics/resources/manuals/dgae1p7.html

Wood, J. (2021, February 11). Responsibilities of an Educated Person. HubPages. https://discover.hubpages.com/education/Responsibilities-of-an-educated-person