The Ethical Decision Making Process

Ethics shapes our attitudes towards the world, other people, and cultures and how we process right from wrong. I would love to believe that the world is made up of individuals that have a high level of integrity and pure ethical fibers; however, this is not the world in which we live in. Ethics or rather morals entail mechanisms that defend, systematize as well as recommended conceptions of right or wrong, good and bad. Interestingly, organizations have to develop ethical codes to ensure employees and employers understand the difference in doing right or wrong. It is no secret that ethics are an essential aspect of successfully running any organization or government, yet, countless corporations grow precipitously on unethical practices. Ethics

It is also difficult to maintain a standard decision-making process without interferences or breakdowns. The three fundamental sets of factors that can lead to ethical dissolution includes individual, organizational, and contextual factors. The individual factors are concerned with the personal background that can make one to value a particular approach (Florien, 2012). Though they are important, they are the last thing an organization considers in the decision-making process. As such, the corporation has the utmost decision when making choices. However, at times, individual aspects deter the decision-making process. Aspects such as culture, gender, education level, and personality among others, can affect the process (Jackson,

In this level, societal, organizational, and industry culture determine the decision-making process. The societal values shape the manner in which ethical decisions are made at both the organization and individual levels. On the other hand, the industry culture defines the ethical patterns of a particular organization. Though a company may be operating independently, the interactions within the industry set a pattern of certain behaviors that affects the individual and corporation ethics. For instance, intense competition may push an organization into making a morally wrong decision to heighten revenues and stay competitive. Organizational culture also shapes the ethical atmosphere of the company. Dissolution can also be caused by contextual factors. The situation affects; whether the individual or group realizes the component of the decision; the decision itself; and whether the group or individual carries out the unethical action (Jackson,