Tutorial Week 1

ITECH 3203-7203 Professional Development

Topic
Introduction to Ethics

Topic Objectives
By the end of this topic you should be able to:

 Define key terms related to ethics

 Discuss at least 3 reasons for exploring ethics
 Identify your personal core values
 Given examples from popular culture identify the ethical dilemmas

Discussion Questions
1. Define the terms ethics and values. Indicate what they mean to you.
 Ethics: Ethics is all about the behaviour that is right and wrong practiced by a group of people.
For me Ethics is like as a rule implemented by a particular people that separates the good and
bad behaviour.
 Values: Values are the person behaviour about the good and bad behaviour. The way how the
people react on the particular behaviour is values for me.

2. Why do we need to study ethics? How is ethics important in the different roles we play in life? Refer to the
reading by Whitaker (2011) in your response.
 Studying ethics is very important in our daily life. In our daily life we perform various roles and
activities, for example if you are working in a certain company they have their code of ethics which
we need to follow. Ethics is also part of overall decision making and in life and work. Morals, rules,
cultures and motives these are the four things that we always follow in our daily life.
3. Study the following list of values and identify five values that best represent you as an individual. Share
your list with others in your group, and the class.

life compassion freedom dedication

creativity accountability work religion
humor cooperation trustworthiness advancement
loyalty wealth security recognition
beauty professionalism morality patience
spirituality success responsibility power
respect honesty empathy integrity
justice health love faith
helpfulness knowledge wisdom independence
(icarevalues.org, 2005)
 As a student the five values that best represent me as an individual are :
 Honesty
 Success
 Responsibility
 Patience
 Health

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Tutorial Week 1
ITECH 3203-7203 Professional Development

4. Classify your values into two lists. Indicate those that would be considered “ethical” and those that would
be considered “non ethical”. For example health and wealth would be considered non-ethical values and
integrity and honesty would be considered ethical values.
Ethical Non Ethical
Honesty Health
Success
Responsibility
Patience

5. Select the value you feel needs the most work, the one that you could improve upon the most, and
indicate why. Repeat for the value you believe is your strongest, the one you feel you possess most of the
time. Discuss these with others in your group.
 The value I feel needs the most work is Success. As being student you cannot get success if you do
not put your effort on the study. The main goal for the student which comes in the first priority will be
success, and that is I believed to be the strongest, you if you think and put the mindset I have to be
success then you can put your effort and give maximum time to the study so that later on you get
success.

6. Select one value from your list that represents your core value. Indicate why this is the most important to
you. Share this with your group and the class. Collate all the values from the class these will become part
of the ethical code for the course.
 Patience is one of the core value that I think most important. Because nothing can be achieved
straight away for that you need to have a patience. For example, you are hungry you need to get a
food for that you need to cook it for that you need to have a patience. Patience makes the people
happy, you are not rich now take patience work hard later it you will get success. So for me in order
to get success you need to have a patience. For me Success and Patience goes hand on hand.

7. Google one of the following names and write a short 50 word summary which describes the comments
regarding their ethics: a). Enron, b). President Bill Clinton and c). President Richard Nixon.
President Bill Clinton: President Bill Clinton was the 42nd president of the United States. His attempt
to fulfill a campaign promise to end discrimination against gay men and lesbians in the military was met
with criticism from conservatives and some military leaders—including Gen. Clinton had promised during
the campaign to institute a system of universal health insurance. Clinton’s initiatives in foreign
policy during his first term included a successful effort in September–October 1994 to reinstate Haitian
Pres.

8. Describe an ethical dilemma you have experienced in your own life and indicate how you dealt with it.
 While I was going to my work, I was already late I have to catch the train, I was running because I
can see the train coming in the station. I tapped my card and train was there they never stop for a
long, when I was running through the stairs, I saw an old woman on the stairs, her leg was not good,
she was disabled and running, I was sure that she is going to fall down, I was in dilemma what to do
or what not to do, should I help her, hold her hand to support her or should I run so that I don’t miss
the train, at that time I told her slowly I will stop the doors to be closed, I stand in the door and the
lady she come down slowly.

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