Ethics Essay

Have you ever been put into a situation where you have to pick an outcome that is hard to

face, like lying or telling the truth, even if it is wrong? The decision is hard to choose between

because you have standards to maintain, or in other words, ethics. I like to think that making an

ethical decision is similar to having the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other. The

angel represents your ethics and what you should do, but the devil is there talking you out of

making the right decision or not picking based on outside circumstances. Ethics are standards or

goals that are placed to try and hold companies and people to ways to act. These “Ethic Codes”

are set to ensure decisions are not based on greed or personal benefits. Without them, society can

not hold companies and others based on the decisions they make. Facing ethical choices can be

challenging, but decisions can be made knowing the correct ethics and standards.

When faced with an ethical dilemma, knowing the correct way to handle or pick the

solution may be hard. Obviously, specific parameters can sway the best option of choice, but

there may only be a direct solution in scenarios with these. When faced with these dilemmas, I

look at the outcomes and what comes with that decision. If the choice is fairly simple, I would go

with the solution that makes the most sense or helps out everyone. However, if the choices are

complex, I would pick the one that correlates with the code of ethics. I was raised to be mature

and respectful to everyone, and with potential ethical violations, I would be on the side that goes

against the people making the wrong moral choice. The code of ethics is there to maintain a good

reputation for companies, and if they go against that, they should be held accountable for their

actions. Just like in the Pinto article I read for the other ethics assignment, I believe legal action

should have taken place, or Ford should have come out and done something to protect their
customers. Without these standards to hold people accountable, they can get away with specific

actions they should not be allowed to.

The Pinto dilemma was the case where Ford tried to manufacture a cheaper car to sell and

mass produce them to make money. The issue arose when the Pintos were rear-ended; they were

susceptible to fires because the space between the frame and the gas tank was too small by

standard guidelines. Ford knew during crash testing that this was an issue, and instead of fixing

it, they signed off to put the Pintos into production. Looking at the six Virtue Ethics, Fidelity,

Responsibility, and Self-Discipline were the three that were violated the most. Ford company

was not faithful to their customers by releasing a car with issues for them to buy, especially

without warning them of the problems. Ford also did not take the correct responsibility when

they found out their new design was flawed, and by doing this harmed others. This also

corresponds with self-discipline because Ford knew of the issue beforehand and did not hold

themselves accountable for fixing it. They also stuck with this design for money purposes, and

by doing this, went against their standards. The other virtues did not quite fit, as they did nothing

for charity, the integrity was overshadowed by self-discipline since it was Ford, and then honesty

was violated. Still, I took the fidelity over it because Ford should have done better instead of

lying.

Ethics are created to hold people accountable for their actions and to set standards for

everyone to attempt to follow. Without these, people would take advantage of society to try and

get their own gain. These “guidelines” may help people make rational decisions, even when it

gets complicated. By teaching these principles, people will know what to look for in how others

act. Ethics should be followed in many situations to provide the best outcomes for everyone

involved.