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TERESA COLLEGE
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L1A: Basic Concepts in Ethics

Introduction
This module focuses on the basic Concepts of Ethics. It covers
Meaning of Ethics, Importance of Ethics, Employees Ethics, Ethical
Culture, Benefits of Ethics in the Organization, Ethics Should be
Taught at School, Why Should Students Study Ethics? and Meaning
and Importance of Rules.

Student Learning Objectives (SLO)

 Discuss the importance of ethics in one’s everyday life
 Explain how ethical culture is attained in an organization
 Discuss the impact of teaching and studying ethics in schools
 Explain why there must be rules

Content
BASIC CONCEPTS IN ETHICS

With the aid of

Video Clip

Meaning of Ethics
The word ethics is derived from the word ethos - (Greek) ethos – which means
custom, habit, character, or disposition; It was derived from religion, philosophies and
cultures; It is a scientific study of moral judgment; The discipline concerned with what
is morally good and bad, right and wrong; Any system or theory of moral values or
principles; Consists fundamental issues of practical decision making and its major
concerns which include the nature of ultimate value and the standards by which
human actions can be judged right or wrong; A system of moral principles; and
Concerned with what is good for individuals and society and is also described as
moral philosophy.

Importance of Ethics
Ethics is a requirement for human life for it is our means of deciding a course of
action. As stipulated by BOMI International, ethics serve as a guide to moral daily
living and helps us judge whether our behavior can be justified. Ethical values (i.e.

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honesty, trustworthiness, responsibility) guide us along a pathway to deal more
effectively with ethical dilemmas by eliminating those behaviors that do not conform to
our sense of right and wrong – our best rational interests – without sacrificing others.

Ethics Should be Taught at School

According to Ramandeep Kaur, a fundamental part of personality that defines
behavior and the way person reacts or perceives things is ‘ethic’. Ethics like education
always remain with you as a very significant part of your character. Ethics is a Greek
word that means character or manners. But unfortunately, it is collapsing in each and
every sphere of life, so teaching this fundamental way of life is the need of an hour.
Unethical practices may lead to major disasters. Increasing crime forced us to think if
we are left with any moral values and ethics. There is no industry that is untouched by
unethical practices. So, it is highly important to teach the importance of ethics.
Deteriorating value system laid further stress on this.
It is the responsibility of parents and teachers to impart and transmit ethical
value to children and students. It is important to teach ethics at schools and even at
college level to create better citizens and society. Ethical values do not allow you to
act violently and unethically. Crime against women, theft, and other immoral issues in
a society can easily be tackled by imparting ethical values.
Some people claim that ethics cannot be taught so making these a part of
curricula is not practical. Even one of the editorials on the topic in the Wall Street
Journal stated that “ethics courses are useless because ethics can’t be taught”. In
addition to this there are no rules and standard definition of the concept. What is right
for you may not be the same for another person. Cultural, religious, spiritual and
many such factors make ethics and these obviously differ from person to person and
community to community.
But students must be taught ethics and their importance. Students should
participate in moral building activities. This should not be taught like science or math
but should be taught in interactive and innovative sessions. Student level involvement
and interaction can make this a very interesting issue. Schools can organize group
discussions with experts, it can be taught in the form of story, or rhyme or act can be
presented to clarify the concept of ethic. Aga Khan has recently suggested that ethics
should be taught along with other subjects. A young mind is like clean slate so
teaching ethics at such a tender age would be highly beneficial.
As per experts person crosses three levels in ethical and moral development.
There is a preconventional level in which right and wrong of a person is guided by an
authority figure like father, teacher etc. (in case of young kids). Then is the
conventional level when right and wrong is based on the group loyalty level (in case of
teenagers). The most desired is the postconventional level when no one can influence
you but your decision is based on universal ideas. The outcome would appeal to a
reasonable person.
I personally feel that ethics should be taught in schools for the complete development.
Only a person with ethical value can contribute to the positive development of the
society as well as nation.

Why Should Students Study Ethics?

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One reason to study ethics is that ethics is inescapable. It is difficult, if not
impossible, to imagine a society in which there are no codes of conduct, ways of
assessing what is desirable or healthy and undesirable or unhealthy. Even if such
codes are thought of as mere means of survival, there will still be implicit
commitments to what is good or bad: food and water (in proportion) is good for
persons, deprivation of either will lead to damage and dissolution. If you do not study
ethics, chances are you will have no opportunity to carefully reflect on the values that
shape your life, no chance to think about whether the values in your society are wise
or foolish, no chance to expand your awareness of the values of other persons.
The study of ethics should also lead one to develop skills in articulating your own
values, to provide others with reasons for your actions and give you the means of
questioning the values of others.

The five ethical principles in students’ life (Goshen College)

1) Autonomy
2) Prevent Harm
3) Do Good
4) Justice
5) Fidelity

Employees Ethics

According to Erin Schreiner, the concept of ethics is a highly complex one. As

technology researcher and businessman Valdemar W. Stezer once said, "Ethics is
not definable... because it is not conscious; it involves not only our thinking, but also
our feeling." Ethics, or moral obligation, guide human decisions in many arenas,
including within the workplace. When an individual is acting as an employee, there
are certain ethical obligations he has towards his employer that should guide his
decision making and impact his actions.
 Job Completion
When employers perform certain checkups on employees, often completing
regular evaluations and other job-performance checks, managers cannot keep all
employees under watch at the same time. While some employees choose to put
less effort into their work when they are not being watched, they are ethically
compelled to give 100 percent effort to their job at all times.
 Honesty
Ethical employees are always honest, consistently giving truthful
information to their employers and, in doing so, helping the employer make
informed decisions. Remaining truthful without fail can present a challenge,
particularly when presenting a little white lie would help an individual advance
within her current position; however, honesty is not only the best policy, but it is
also the morally correct path on which all employees should remain.
 Money Usage
In the world of business, monetary transactions are highly common,

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presenting the opportunity for employees with unsavory motives to mis-allocate
funds. While the opportunity to cash in on some easy money is too tempting for
some workers to resist, ethical employees use money responsibly and in
alignment with company policy even when they know that a monetary misuse will
not be caught.
 Conflict of Interest
When an individual is an employee of more than one company
simultaneously, conflicts of interest can occur. Some companies specifically forbid
employees from working with competing companies or in another fashion that
could present a conflict of interest. Even when this prohibition is not in place,
employees with strong ethics should avoid these conflicts of interest. In doing so,
they can ensure that their relationship with their current company remains strong
and their reputations as business people remain unblemished.

On the other hand, Michael Josephson said that, employees also have moral
obligations, and they go beyond giving a full day’s work for a full day’s pay. Loyalty
goes both ways. Employees have moral duties to the organization, co-workers, and
customers. If an employer secretly looks for a replacement for an employee by
conducting interviews behind the employee’s back, most employees would consider
that an act of betrayal. “Why didn’t you tell me my job was at risk?” “Why didn’t you
tell me that you were unhappy with my work so I had a chance to improve?” Does the
employee owe the employer less? When an employee, without any notice to an
employer secretly looks for a new job, often covering up interviewing time with
deceptions or lies, is the conduct any less untrustworthy?
When an employer decides to let an employee go, it is generally thought that
the employer should give the employee ample notice or severance pay. But what of
the ethics of the employee who walks into the boss’ office and says, “I have an
opportunity I can’t turn down and they need me to start this Friday”? Because of the
disparity in power, many employees adopt a double standard that gives them more
leeway than they afford the employer. One aspect of this attitude draws on the
doubtful assertions of necessity. Another is the implicit belief that if an offer is too
good to refuse, there is no moral obligation to refuse. It doesn’t take much scrutiny to
see that these are self-serving rationalizations. The moral obligations of an employee
include loyalty, candor, caring and respect. The mismatch in economic strength
between the employer and the employee does not change that.
People of character take into account their moral obligations to their employer
before they interview for another job. If they know that their departure will jeopardize
the organization, co-workers, or customers they should make it clear at the job
interview that they are not available until they have provided a reasonable transition. If
we are not certain how much hardship departure may cause, the principle of respect
suggests that the parties most affected be given an opportunity to participate in a
discussion to suggest the least harmful alternative. Because the employee-employer
relationship operates in the context of business, there is a tendency to play by
different rules dictated by who has the leverage, and principles of expediency — what
you can get away with — rather than moral principle.

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Ethical Culture
Culture is made up of all the different people that work for the organization,
which means that it’s going to differ based on population and geography. This could
mean that different locations will have different cultures. The linkage between culture
and compliance is that culture drives ethical behavior. Every employee you hire and
every organization you acquire will change your organization’s culture.
What different kinds of cultural systems could impact a company? It may
involve anything ranging from locations to languages, rituals, role models and other
informal mechanisms for building a culture. Yet even with subcultures in an
organization and throughout the world, the significant thing is to have some
overarching key themes of that culture. This involves being consistent with the core
values, integrity and ethical behavior.
A key indication of a strong ethical culture is having a “speak up” culture. This
leads to more formal cultural systems and processes, which also impact culture. This
is often determined by the hiring process: who you hire, how you train people and
what performance management systems are used throughout the employment
tenure. This also leads to the Fair Process Doctrine and whether it is consistently
applied within the culture. Finally, are you incentivizing the right kind of behavior
through measurement, compensation and recognition?
So, how can we hold employees throughout the organization accountable? It is
no longer just the responsibility of top management. While there still must be an
appropriate tone at the top, there should also be an appropriate “mood at the middle”
of an organization and “buzz at the bottom” of the company about compliance, ethics
and values. This is because employees are more influenced by their immediate
supervisor and their peers than a faceless CEO, even if that CEO is saying all the
right things and includes a heartfelt introduction page on your code of business
conduct.
No company aspires to be unethical, and most employees do not desire to
engage in illegal or criminal behavior, but if senior management does not interact with
and talk to employees, they will not know how their messages are being received.
It does not take long to see when there is a disconnect between what senior
management says and what the employees take away (hmmm… can anybody say
Wells Fargo?). It is often disconcerting how little top management really understands
their employees. Because of this, senior leaders do not know what messages their
workers are receiving, both verbal and non-verbal.

Guillem Casoliva-Cabana, CCEP-I, stated that ethical culture can be defined as

a set of experiences, assumptions, and expectations of managers and employees
about how the organization prevents them from behaving unethically and encourages
them to behave ethically, according to Muel Kaptein, a professor of business ethics
and integrity management at Rotterdam School of Management. Ethical culture is
also part of the ethical context that incorporates multiple components, including formal
and informal systems. Formal systems are the tangible organizational elements
pertaining to ethics that are purposefully designed and implemented (e.g., ethics

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programs), whereas informal systems are the unwritten policies, practices, and values
that are relevant to ethics (e.g., ethical culture or climate). Ethical culture is less
visible than the formal elements of ethics programs (e.g., code of ethics, helpline,
training), because it is rooted deeply within the organization and the mind-set of its
employees; therefore, it is more difficult to assess.

Benefits of Ethics in the Organization

(MSG – Management Study Guide)

Satisfying Basic Human Needs: Being fair, honest and ethical is one the basic
human needs. Every employee desires to be such himself and to work for an
organization that is fair and ethical in its practices.
 Creating Credibility: An organization that is believed to be driven by moral values
is respected in the society even by those who may have no information about the
working and the businesses or an organization. Infosys, for example is perceived
as an organization for good corporate governance and social responsibility
initiatives. This perception is held far and wide even by those who do not even
know what business the organization is into.
 Uniting People and Leadership: An organization driven by values is revered by
its employees also. They are the common thread that brings the employees and
the decision makers on a common platform. This goes a long way in aligning
behaviors within the organization towards achievement of one common goal or
mission.
 Improving Decision Making: A man’s destiny is the sum total of all the decisions
that he/she takes in course of his life. The same holds true for organizations.
Decisions are driven by values. For example, an organization that does not value
competition will be fierce in its operations aiming to wipe out its competitors and
establish a monopoly in the market.
 Long Term Gains: Organizations guided by ethics and values are profitable in the
long run, though in the short run they may seem to lose money. Tata group, one of
the largest business conglomerates in India was seen on the verge of decline at
the beginning of 1990’s, which soon turned out to be otherwise. The same
company’s Tata NANO car was predicted as a failure, and failed to do well but the
same is picking up fast now.
 Securing the Society: Often ethics succeeds law in safeguarding the society.
The law machinery is often found acting as a mute spectator, unable to save the
society and the environment. Technology, for example is growing at such a fast
pace that the by the time law comes up with a regulation we have a newer
technology with new threats replacing the older one. Lawyers and public interest
litigations may not help a great deal but ethics can.

Why Study Ethics?

 His understanding of moral problems will be widened, as he becomes
acquainted with the thoughts of other men upon problems of good and evil.,
justice and injustice, virtue and vice, the rights and duties of the individual and

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of society.
 His critical faculties will be trained. He will know the reasons for his moral
convictions and also the reasons for the moral convictions of others.
 Will enable the person to understand better what his conscience is, how he
acquired it, how far he is likely to be able to trust of its deliverances with safety
and how he can improve it and make it more intelligent.
 His vocation in life, or his avocations, it can at least proffer some
considerations, from the standpoint of realization, self – sacrifice, and service,
that ought to help anyone in making such decisions.
 Ethics allows you to live an authentic life. An authentic and meaningful life
requires you to live with a sense of integrity. Integrity is making commitments
and sticking to them through thick and thin — no matter how much violating
them may benefit you. Having a firm character or set of principles to guide your
life and the choices you make is what ethics is all about.
 Ethics makes you more successful. You may think that ethics can hold you
back in all kinds of ways, but the truth is the opposite. Ethical people embody
traits that unethical people have to work at to fake — they’re honest,
trustworthy, loyal, and caring. As a result, ethical people are perfectly suited
not only for interpersonal relationships generally, but also more specifically for
the kinds of interactions that make for thriving business. Unethical people
generally don’t do so well at these things.
 Ethics allows you to cultivate inner peace. Lives that are lived ethically tend to
be calmer, more focused, and more productive than those that are lived
unethically. Most people can’t turn off their sympathy for other human beings.
Hurting people leaves scars on both the giver and the receiver. As a result,
unethical people have stormier internal lives because they have to work to
suppress their consciences and sympathies to deal with the ways they treat
others. When they fail to properly suppress their sympathies, the guilt and
shame that comes with harming or disrespecting one’s fellow human beings
takes deep root within them.
 Ethics provides for a stable society. When people live ethical lives, they tell the
truth, avoid harming others, and are generous. Working with such people is
easy. On the other hand, callous and insensitive people are distrusted, so it’s
difficult for them to be integrated well into social arrangements. A stable society
requires a lot of ethical people working together in highly coordinated ways. If
society were mostly composed of unethical people, it would quickly crumble.
 Ethics may help out in the afterlife. Some religious traditions believe ethics is
the key to something even greater than personal success and social stability:
eternal life. No one can be sure about an eternal life, but people of faith from
many different religions believe that good behavior in this life leads to rewards
in the next life.

Meaning of Rules
It is an accepted principle or instruction that states the way things are or should

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be done, and tells you what you are allowed or are not allowed to do
It is a regulation or bylaw governing procedure or controlling conduct (Miriam
Webster)
One of a set of explicit or understood regulations or principles governing
conduct or procedure within a particular area of activity. (Oxford English and Spanish
Dictionary)

Importance of Rules
All the rules and laws have the same purpose. They organized the relations
between individuals and the society to make it clear what is right and wrong and what
happens if someone breaks the rules. They are designed to ensure fairness, safety
and respect for other people's right. (BY ENGLISH PASSAGES)
In spite of the saying ‘Rules are made to be broken’, societies do not function
without rules. It is true that we often admire people who are mavericks. Perhaps we
envy them their willingness to break away from the norm. But rules serve a very
useful, indeed essential purpose: they act as guidelines so that we all know what to
expect from others, and how to conduct our lives.
Rules set boundaries, something that is essential for children to learn. They
have to understand what is acceptable behavior. But if we demand this of children, we
also have to expect that adults continue to follow the rules as much as possible;
otherwise we have anarchy. And society cannot function like this. Besides, even the
most liberal person would say that some things are unacceptable; without rules, we
have an ‘anything goes’ situation where people are going to be hurt and abused.
Rules help to organize society. They will vary from one society to another. One
country may conduct matters quite differently from another. But the rules of each one
help them to function. Those rules may be enshrined in law, or they may be
unspoken. They help to protect people. If people choose to break those rules, they
should also accept that there may be consequences. But we must always question
whether rules are just, and if they need to be changed. What was appropriate for a
society 100 years ago may no longer be relevant. If we do not review our rules from
time to time, we become stagnant. So, although it is important to have rules, they
should be subject to change – providing that the vulnerable are protected and nobody
else is harmed.

Claims:
“rules can change” - As a society, we have to evolve and improve.
“laws have to be respected “otherwise there is little point in them existing.

Assessment and Evaluation

Activity
Create a table with three columns. In the first column, list the rules imposed to you
by your parents/guardians. In the second column, put a check on the rules that you
obeyed and a cross mark with those that you failed. In the last column explain your

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side for such action. Take a photo of the activity and submit via LMS.

References
https://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/society/ethics-should-be-taught-at-schools-
right-or-wrong#:~:text=It%20is%20important%20to%20teach,to%20act%20violently
%20and%20unethically.&text=But%20students%20must%20be%20taught,participate
%20in%20moral%20building%20activities.

https://pages.stolaf.edu/ein/getting-started/why-study-ethics/

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/ethical-obligations-employee-12859.html

https://josephsononbusinessethics.com/2010/12/responsibilities-employer-employee-
relationship/

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/

https://www.scholaradvisor.com/essay-examples-for-college/rules-important/

Prepared: Checked: Approved:

Mr. Catalino L. Pormison Jr.
__________________ ______________
Mrs. Joy N. Reyes
Instructor / Instructress Department Head Dean

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