Themes in Business Ethics

Ethical Decision Making

Ethical decisions made by individuals in organizations have real consequences for society. Considering the stakeholders impacted by organizational decisions is a key goal in educating students. It is also important for students to give students the tools they need to think through ethical issues that confront business managers on a regular basis. Ethical decision making frameworks have included consequentialist, deontological, and virtue ethics approaches. Students should be aware of the questions to ask and those who will be impacted by the decision. For example, Texas Instruments asks its employees to think about the questions on its Ethics Quick Test when faced “tough decisions.”

Management students also should be prepared to reflect on underlying values. An important part of the values clarification process involves prioritizing one’s values and being prepared to deal with values conflicts. Business students should learn how to confront unethical behavior, how to say “no” effectively to a request to behave unethically, and how to report unethical conduct internally and, if necessary, to outsiders. This “moral courage” is noticeably absent in most business ethics education programs.