As engineers rise in the ranks of a company, they are eventually put in charge of some other employees. This includes the power to make decisions about hiring and firing of employees. In jobs for which an engineer will be hiring someone, safety is a large and recurring concern. Additionally, in the NSPE code of ethics, one of the main rules for engineers is that they only work on jobs within their field of expertise. This cannon introduces the concept that engineers have a moral responsibility to be good at their jobs. By broadening the scale of this rule, one could argue that employers have an ethical obligation to employ only competent engineers, and to fire any who are under-preforming. However, firing an employee will almost always cause …show more content…
Considering the application of the four cardinal virtues, prudence, temperance, justice, and courage, one can make a judgement of the action. The need for prudence dictates that one must spend time and thought considering what the proper course of action is. Firing someone cannot simply be a reaction to one bad performance. Prudence suggests that waiting to be sure that the employee is truly incompetent makes the resulting decision much more ethical. If there is doubt in the employee’s abilities, prudence dictates that the decisions of that employee should be reviewed so that mistakes do not make it back to the client, but it also dictates that the employee must not be fired on the spot. Courage does not apply particularly well to this situation; the person making the decision has little fear to confront. However, one must possess a measure of courage strong enough to allow him or her to go through with the decision to fire the poor performer if it is truly necessary. Temperance applies primarily when an employee makes one large mistake. A person possessing this virtue will not lose their composure and fire the employee immediately. Mistakes are a fact of life, so the employer must possess enough temperance, or restraint to see past the mistakes and determine if the employee is indeed incompetent enough to merit firing. Finally, one must apply the virtue of justice. In this case, justice is the …show more content…
However, they seem to agree that the employer should be harsher on engineers due to the fact that engineers have a larger impact on the health and safety of those around them. All of the theories agree that firing someone for a weak cause is ethically unacceptable, but they have different criteria for what a good cause would be. Utilitarianism dictates that one can fire someone if the bad outcomes that will result from their incompetence outweigh the personal devastation of losing a job. This would suggest that employers should be harsher on engineers, as engineering decisions tend to put more people at risk than non-engineering decisions. Duty ethics states that an employee should be fired if and only if they will cause the company to renege on their commitments. In this case, employers need not be any harder on engineers, as all job types contribute to the company’s ability to provide for a client. Virtue ethics relies on the employer’s sense of justice, resulting in essentially the same answer as utilitarianism; employers should be harsher on engineers because their mistakes can cause more
The NASW Code of Ethics associated on October 30, 1960 and amended on April 11, 1967 is intended to serve as a guide to the everyday professional conduct of social workers. The primary mission is to increase human well-being and to help meet the needs of all people. From reading about Social Work and hearing people talk about their jobs as a Social Worker, it is often challenging, yet a rewarding career. They are responsible for helping individuals, families, and groups of people cope with problems they are facing to improve their patients’ lives. Social Work staff should be trained, competent and qualified to deliver social services to those facing life crises. NASW believes that all social service agencies must adhere to accreditation standards, licensing laws, and other regulatory mechanisms that protect consumers and ensure quality service delivery. The mission of the social work profession is established deeply in a setoff core values. Social Workers support these values throughout their profession:
What are some the steps you should take when facing a problem that has no right answer?
An employee of ABC Company, Luke is in charge with a project of developing new purchased land. The company is planning to build an adult entertainment retail store which confidently lay near where his brother, Owen, lives. If the plans are announced to the public, the property of the surrounding neighborhood will drop significantly. What concerned Luke is that Owen just told him about the offer to sell his house at a decent price compared to the current real estate market. However, Owen is considering if he should wait for a couple year and sell his house later at a higher price as the estate value may increase.
Throughout your life, you’ll face tough decisions where you'll have to decide possibly against your ethical beliefs. Ethics don’t necessarily always have to involve law abiding. It’s rather about trusting your moral path and doing the right thing. Dori Meinert is the author of “Creating an Ethical Workplace” she explains the thought behind the never black or white decision making when it comes to businesses. Can businesses truly trust those individuals hired to steer their companies? It was mentioned that last year 41 percent of U.S. workers said they observed unethical or illegal misconduct on the job, according to the Ethics Resource Center's 2013 National Business Ethics Survey. Meinert’s article was not only eye-opening but very truthful since we’ve all been faced or witnessed unethical decision making. Once employees see individuals breaking the rules and regulations others will then think it's okay, which could result in employees leaving or major hoops for companies to jump through. When we tolerate misconduct we lower productivity and diminish the reputation of a company. Meinert mentioned that if
In the book, If Aristotle Ran General Motors, Tom Morris argues that the teachings of the ancients can and should be applied to today's corporation. His message is that the four virtues - truth, beauty, goodness, and unity - form the foundation of human excellence. Putting them into practice leads not only to self-fulfillment, but ultimately to an open, nurturing, and ethical workplace that is more productive and successful in the long-term. The purpose of this essay is to examine how Morris treats the system of ethics in relation to these four virtues.
According to Arries & Cur (2005), “the virtue ethics in nursing can be viewed as an approach of ethical deliberation about the moral character and dispositions of nurses as moral agents that enables them, as virtuous human beings, to fulfill their purpose and function as professional people.” The nurse exercises virtues of honesty, truthfulness, benevolence and moral courage to fulfill code of ethics and address ethical dilemmas. According to ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses and Interpretive statements (2015) “nurses are leaders who actively participate in assuring the responsible and appropriate use of interventions to optimize the health and well-being of those in their care. This includes acting to minimize unwarranted, unwanted, or unnecessary
When we discuss morality we know that it is a code of values that seem to guide our choices and actions. Choices and actions play a significant role in determining the purpose and course of a person’s life. In the case of “Jim and the Indians”, Jim faces a terrible dilemma to which any solution is morbid. On one hand, Jim can choose to ignore the captain’s suggestion and let the whole group of Indians be executed. Alternatively, he may decide upon sacrificing one Indian for the sake of saving the rest. Both options involve taking of person’s life. Regarding what should Jim do in this circumstance, there are two approaches according for Jim’s dilemma that should be examined. By looking into the Deontological moral theory and the moral theory of Consequentialism we can see what determines an action that is morally required.
Jeanne Lewis shows a measure of ethical tactics in her dealing with subordinates in her time with Staples. Lewis examines her situation before choosing her leadership style, and shows concern for the needs of the employees that she intends to influence. Overall, Lewis remains ethical in her behavior and in the tactics she uses to influence others.
Ethics is a branch of philosophy which seeks to address questions about morality; that is, about concepts such as good and bad, right and wrong, justice, and virtue. The NASW Code of Ethics is intended to serve as a guide to the everyday professional conduct of social workers. This Code includes four sections. The first Section, "Preamble," summarizes the social work profession 's mission and core values. The second section, "Purpose of the NASW Code of Ethics," provides an overview of the Code’s main functions and a brief guide for dealing with ethical issues or dilemmas in social work practice. The third section, "Ethical Principles," presents broad ethical principles, based on social work 's core values, which inform social work practice.
In dealing with a person’s livelihood, and often, sense of self, it is of no surprise that ethical issues regarding employment practices are of great concern. The issues of employment at will and due process contracts in the workplace are among the most widely contentious in the realm of employment. Employment at will is the doctrine that employment may be ended, by either party, for good, bad or no cause at all.1 Due process, on the other hand, is the employment practice in which a person may appeal a decision as a means of receiving an explanation and the opportunity to argue against it.2 Employment at will is the standard in the majority of private corporations today and is argued for relentlessly by freedom of contract enthusiasts, however, it is becoming ever more apparent that employment at will contracts reflect the old corporate maxim where the single bottom line, profit, is accented and the well being of other stakeholders, in this case the employee, are of little or no influence. Due process should be accepted as the prevalent employment system as it shelters employees from the hostile actions of the more powerful employer, provides a stable, bilateral contract between both parties and portrays the growing ethical concerns of society.
Every individual has certain values and ethics that he/she stands by. Values give us a sense of what is important while ethics gives us a sense of what is right and wrong. Together, these qualities help guide us through our everyday life: what actions to take and what decision to make. Sticking to ethical standards allows you to stay clear of trouble; therefore, strengthening people’s trust in you. In return, this leads to gaining people’s respect and cooperation, which may result in leadership responsibilities. Therefore, we believe that personal values and ethics will affect a person’s career success. However, there are times where individuals will make unethical choices--some situations might question your resolve. This can be caused by
Ethics in the Workplace "Ethics are personal and, at the same time, a very public display of your attitudes and beliefs. It is because of ethical beliefs that we humans may act differently in different situations" (University of Phoenix, 2007). Poor ethical choices in the workplace can truly hurt people. Poor ethics can damage their career, happiness, and quality of life. Not only can these actions hurt the individual who has made the bad choices, but also most often it hurts the innocent.
Virtue Ethics Virtue ethics is a theory used to make moral decisions. It does not rely on religion, society or culture; it only depends on the individuals themselves. The main philosopher of Virtue Ethics is Aristotle. The. His theory was originally introduced in ancient Greek.
As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality and justice.
Engineering ethics focuses on the behavior of the individual - the engineer, and the development of ethical standards governing their professional activities. Engineering ethics has always existed as a set of rules or a system that governs the behavior of an engineer. Among its main provisions, we can attribute such as the need to faithfully perform engineering work that would bring welfare and do not cause harm to people; be accountable for engineering professional activities; a good relationship ( customs and rules governing relations ) with other engineer, etc.