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AbstractEthical perspective plays an important role in business.

Impressions are based on perception and important decisions are made from these interactions. This paper will evaluate all four ethical perspectives including character/virtue, obligation/deontology, results/utilitarianism, and equity/relativism. My own personal ethical perspective will also be described and evaluated using results from the ethics awareness inventory from the Williams Institute. Character/VirtueThe character/virtue ethical perspective describes individuals who believe character is a most important characteristic. Moral values such as integrity, trustworthiness, and honesty are traits seen in those described in this category. People described with this character trait believe these characteristics strengthen the ability to make ethical decisions in business and away from the work environment. Strict compliance with rules is less important than behaving as a decent and caring individual. Along with moral character, the ethical perspective virtue is a philosophy that indicates wisdom and well being allow individuals to make ethical decisions. Virtue also stresses behavior in individuals in how actions should be made as opposed to the actions that take place. Wisdom plays an important part in the decision-making process mixing with morals for each individual situation. Obligation/ DeontologyThe obligation/deontology perspective describes those that are categorized this way that ethical decisions are based on the loyalty and responsibility of each individual. Intent over results is a main factor in this category. Treatment of individuals takes priority over task completion and results. Obligation based ethics in people described with this perspective feel respect and dignity towards others is an important trait. Other characteristics include justice, human rights, and fairness. Deontology stresses welfare of each individual is the primary factor in ethical decision making however, this mainly applies to the majority affected. The reasoning behind that factor is that no one decision can account for every individual. When conflict arises, some individuals are treated differently in order to come to a solution. Results/ UtilitarianismIndividuals categorized with results ethics believe that results of an individuals actions determine their ethical perspective. People with results ethics also believe that the majority should be satisfied. If the results create positives for the largest amount of people affected, that person is viewed as ethical. However, when results are less than satisfactory and have not been viewed as achieving overall good for society, those results are considered unimportant. The main goal for people with results ethics is to create a peasant environment which would provide improvement to society. The Utilitarianism perspective bases decision making for the good of the majority. Individuals characterized with utilitarianism traits believe consequences affect

individual motivation. Utilitarianism based ethics can be broken into two types: rule based and act based. Rule-based utilitarianism ethics involve principles that are used as a guide to decision making mainly which has the greatest effect on those involved. Act-based utilitarianism ethics takes gathered information in determining which solution will achieve the greatest good (for the majority). Equity/ RelativismEquity perspective ethics involves the use of past and present experiences to make ethical decisions. For every circumstance, practical and objective points of view are taken into consideration. People who are categorized with equity traits believe the decisions they make are not evaluated as wrong or right. People who are characterized with relativism perspective traits believe in no universal set of rules. Each individual is responsible for his or her morals and actions. When dealing with a variety of cultures, the relativism perspective states that each culture should be evaluated accordingly since they may have differing ethical beliefs. Ethics Awareness ProfileAfter taking the Ethical Awareness Inventory assessment, the profile most closely aligned with my personality was character. I tend to base my ethical perspective on what it is good to be rather than what it is good to do. If I am asked to judge a persons ethics, I would examine the character of the individual. I look for evidence of virtue (honor, integrity, justice) in people who are more important than actions. Compliance with rules does not guarantee that a person is ethically moral. In my opinion, compliance with rules may not be genuine and does not make anyone moral without consistently striving to be a morally good human being. My ethical style relies on the ability of individuals to make sound moral decisions. Complying with preset standards or principles of right and wrong is not enough to find solutions to complex ethical dilemmas. I tend to believe that exemplary character (honesty, wisdom, integrity) allows individuals to make better choices. Developing practical wisdom and sound judgment are also valuable in guiding decision making. I also believe that making tough decisions or following rules would me more difficult if individuals did not already possess strong character. Ethical DilemmasNot everyone in society has an equal opportunity to develop virtues. I may become a little frustrated when conversing with those who do not share the same values. I also believe that character development does not happen overnight but takes time to develop. This behavior may have been neglected for years and may need a re-building process.

Although compliance with rules is a positive, building or creating ethical behavior is not guaranteed. Ethical behavior may be less than sincere so continually striving to become a good person should be a highly-sought virtue. Decision making when disregarding ethical behavior is considered a negative reflection on the decision makers. I would rather not give concessions where integrity and honesty are devalued. Those who have never been guided in an ethical manner may never understand my own perspective. Many business dealings include unethical behavior which I prefer not to undertake. Although this may not suit the companys bottom line, making decisions based on my moral standards is more important. Integrity and honesty stand above unethical decision making. Ethical Dilemmas in my WorkplaceMany issues will arise when addressing ethical responsibility at my workplace. My main duty at work is a customer service position. I must solve computer problems as quickly as possible as well as present myself professionally with courtesy. Because I am instructed to treat every client and customer with respect, I am not allowed to respond to angry or combative personalities. My job is to become a calming influence and let the customer know that I will do everything possible to get order restored. However, receiving abuse is one of the common situations I face as service-oriented personnel. Although I do not always agree with this policy, I must adhere to the strict guidelines set by the job description. Another common ethical dilemma I may face at work is to report my effort honestly. While other personnel are misrepresenting the amount of work completed, my responsibility is to stay honest about the workload while striving to report my assignments accurately. One last dilemma is time abuse. Many employees clock in and out for them while showing up late and leaving early while handing in inaccurate time cards. It would be easy to get away with this behavior as well but I prefer to maintain integrity and stay within my moral framework. ConclusionThroughout the business world, different ethical perspectives are used. Individuals ethical perspectives affect sound judgment in decision making. These important decisions will have impact on employees and personnel. Facing situations will be inevitable while making critical decisions will need consideration of many aspects allowing for better choices. ReferencesEthics Awareness Inventory, The Williams Institute, Retrieved October 26, 2008 from: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/Vendors/TWI/EAI/

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