2.4 Moral ecologies in corporate governance  (Page 8/8)

Skill sets, personality traits, and kinds of moral expertise are discussed in detail by Huff et al., "Good computing: a pedagogically focused model of virtue in the practice of computer, parts 1 and 2." These are published in Information, communication and Ethics in Society , Emrald Group Publishing Limited, Vol. 6, numbers 3 and 4 in 2008.

What you will do ...

In this section, you will learn about this module’s activities and/or exercises. You will also find step by step instructions on how to carry them out.

Exercise 1: what we do when nobody is looking

• You will be asked either to defend or criticize the following position on the nature and function of punishment
• Entiendo que ser castigado es una manera de educar a la persona a cometió la falta y a la sociedad en general para que comprendan y entiendan que su conducta es una falta y afecta a la sociedad. En conclusión es una solución viable hasta el memento bastante efectiva siempre y cuando el castigo sea ejecutado de una manera prudente, saludable y dentro de lo que las leyes permiten.
• I understand that punishment educates both the individual at fault and society in general in order that they understand that their conduct is faulty and that it effects society. In conclusion, it is a viable solution and, up to the moment, sufficiently effective always and when the punishment is executed in a prudent and safe manner within what is permitted by the law.
• Restate this argument in your own words. (Try to shorten it by summarizing its key points.) Then discuss and clarify its key terms. Offer ethical and practical considerations in its defense.

Exercise 2: milgram and business

• Continuing with the task in part one, you will be asked to either defend or criticize the following position on the meaning that the results of the Milgram experiments have for business administration
• The Milgram experiments teach us that under the right conditions, anyone is capable of committing immoral activities. If a strong, dominant boss exists and has a weak, dependable employer, then the employer will out of necessity do whatever the boss wants.
• Many people are willing to commit immoral acts even though they know it is wrong if they know they are not being watched.
• It teaches us that many employees tend to do illegal works just because their managers ask them to so they assume they will be taking full responsibility for the situation even though it is unethical.

Exercise 3: commentary groups

• Your job is to evaluate the arguments made by the teams debating in parts one and two. Be sure to focus on the argument and not the content of the position. Listen to their statements.
• Do they base these on sound statements?
• What kind of ethical and practical principles (or values) do they use to make their case?
• Do their frame their position broadly or narrowly?

Exercise 4: closure groups

• After listening to the debate and commentary, recap what has happened and discuss whether there are any conclusions that can be drawn from this activity
• Do people agree or disagree about these 2 issues?
• If there is agreement, why does it exist?
• If there is disagreement, why does it exist?
• Is agreement possible? Why or why not?

Exercise 5

• Which moral ecology would you like to work in: finance-, customer, or quality-driven companies?
• Why? Specify your answer in terms of how the company allocates praise or blame, the centrality of moral concerns, the role given to professionals, the circumstances under which information is withheld, and the typical response to bad news.
• Why? What configuration of personality traits best fits within which moral ecology?

What did you learn?

This module was designed to help you visualize how to realize a moral career within three dominant moral ecologies. Apply these matters to yourself. Which moral ecology would be best for you? Of the two moral careers mentioned above, reformer and helper, which best fits your personality? Why? In other words, begin the process of visualizing and planning your own moral career.

Appendix

References

1. Davis, M. (1998) Thinking Like an Engineer: Studies in the Ethics of a Profession . Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press: 117-156.
2. Doris, J.M. (2002) Lack of Character: Personality and Moral Behavior . New York: Cambridge University Press.
3. Flanagan, O. (1991) Varieties of Moral Personality: Ethics and Psychological Realism . Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press: 293-314.
4. Harris, C.E., Pritchard, M.S., and Rabins, M.J. (1999) Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases, 2nd Ed . New Jersey: Wadsworth: 181-188.
5. Harman, G., 1999, “Moral Philosophy Meets Social Psychology: Virtue Ethics and the Fundamental Attribution Error,” Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, 99: 315–331.
6. Huff, C., Barnard, L. and Frey, W. (2008) "Good Computing: A Pedagogically focused model of virtue in the practice of computing, Parts 1 and 2," in The Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society . Vol. 6, numbers 3 and 4.
7. Jackall,R. (1983). "Moral Mazes: Bureaucracy and Managerial Work," in Harvard Business Review : Sept and Oct 1983.
8. Jackall, R. (1988) Moral Mazes: The World of Corporate Managers . Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
9. Mannix, E., and Neale, M.A. (2005) "What Differences Make a Difference?: The Promise and Reality of Diverse Teams in Organizations," in American Psychological Society , 6(2): 31-49.
10. Milgram, S. (1974) Obedience to Authority . New York: Harper Perennial.
11. Park, R. (1952). Human Communities: The City and Human Ecology , Free Press, Glencoe, IL.
12. Solomon, R.C. (2003) "Victims of Circumstances?: A Defense of Virtue Ethics in Business," in Business Ethics Quarterly . Volume 13, Issue 1: 43-62.
13. Zimbardo, P. (2008). The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil . New York: Random House.

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