CHAPTER 3 The Role of Ethics A. Introduction ‘Ay a head of the Mapiia-Makati Editorial Service Committee, the most mentioned term, 1 believe, that we encounter every time we proofread the feasibility study papers of our students is quality. I observed that quality is used in the sense of superlative definitions. Students tend tw associate the word with being the “best,” the “finest,” the “most outstanding,” the “highest level,” ete. B. Understanding the Concept of Quality Associating quality with superlative definitions sound good to the ear, but it is not especially ‘useful because it relies too heavily on the experience, mood, and perception of the evaluator. It looks too vague for me. Checking the papers of our HRM graduating students, I can cite an ‘example that [learned from them. “Finest” for the gourmet might well be pheasant under the ° Scanned with CamScannerso HEYWALDO f PADIUR son, Yor the production lev! employee on stmived hedge, “Finest” cond foe 0 1” Fo ure, theer could be pd end bad phewsnt and good and bad pot roast, bur exiniouert = percentions wil wary as wel A goed definition should consi of words that are unsverad” “ ‘onions. thee ecorme sibe platform for all user and can be easly measured A woe! womb of papers being edited would give che traditional definition of quater eovfecrame te tonto The dfinkion “compliance with standards” permits us to view qua”= ‘edie rome economics. Going back t0 our example, pheasant under the glass may cost mover~ ‘thas gx rar, tt eth rey be quay if the standards at each tevel are met consistensy. Tie “eombrmanee we suanierds”Aeiviton f qui assumes thatthe market level has been weet: Aetent en ther the standart appropiate for that market level are well-documenned amet commenianed, Asteting Wt sre correc in out market judgment, consistent delivery of cm andes wil ease socces That, in esence,f guaity, C. What are the Benchmarks for Total Quality Control? ft was i 1989, doring the 64% Amu International ‘Goongres of the Armericen Society for Quality Control, ‘when Or. Armand Feigesburs introduced the ten ‘eactimatia fo: tol quality control, ‘Qualys company wie ‘uly i what he cetomer says itis. ‘Quality and cos are inseparable, Qeaicy is wey of managing, Quality inves hot the individual and temwork Quai and anovaton ar metal dependent. Quali isan ethic. Quality isvolves constant improvemert. Quality isthe mos cost-efctive and least cpital-intensve route to productivity. 10. Quality is implemented with the total systematic integration of customers and ‘suppliers. kc was éo July of {990 at an international conference sponsored by the Institute for Moral Re— armament in Cau, Switzerland that fill week was dedicated to “Quality and Ethics in Today's ‘orkd.” There were more than 600 persons from 32 countries who attended the conference. ‘These delegates represented « wide variety of profesions, The importance of ethics in the SOA ORR Scanned with CamScannermRNA MAL, D. Tine Fawe~Step Test for Exhics Samper her atemncmes oeNe ot aertmering the tellvermng qemnterr eer decte igat? 2 eta i? (Trem ti deomsoe ae amon? « s | Be exon gal” Toere ace times that a choice which seems ethical isin conflict wich the low rercaample. wisiong San Francia, USA for the first time in 1982, read in the newspaper dhe \Glonsoar sremude about drorton were turned around primarily by those persons who belsev=d ‘etbicdlr unt morally dat aborson is wrong. They broke the law by sit-ins, protests, and \parnoning entrances to cberion clinics. Protesters were apprehended by the police. [ realzzed ‘the thr more ome apprecizns che aced for ethics and morality, the more ready one is to break ‘he lew i force todo sa, rather than sacrifice one's self-esteem or belief. Gifts to builtins ‘meqpecmor anf unile-the-wble pevafls sor gaining business are legal in every sense of the wot i thr eccan fils there a sense of justice involved? Management is responsible for managine ag tar hes wor pesshie wm provide for the common good of owners, customers, and emplovess. (Gur tailinew promaw minorities or women simply because of prejudice is wnfair. It is clear ‘tht cor CEO oa peracaier company cannot promote an employee because they graduates (Gam te sane schol or they belong to the same fraternity, or he is one of his godchildren, or Scanned with CamScannerRUSINESS ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY © 99 the ty the son of Nis best friend. Ii the same way, a company President cannot promote an ‘eenptoyee becawve he is an indigenous people, or an iniividual with « disability, oF imply Aevame she 18 woman of somebody belonging to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community, These practices are enfair, ‘Dees the devisiom hart anyone? As the culling of legality, this teat ts difficult t0 apply Often. the application of utilitarian principles seems to provide a basis for the decisbon, 4, the “right” “decision is the one that results in the most “good” and “least” paio. Laying off five good people during 4 recession generated cutback s0 that 20 employees can remain ‘employed will minimize the ‘pain’ and maximize wd a the “good.” This same issue has an ethical eS component, What if all employees were asked to SS take a snail cut in salary? Were the 5 severed pay, and sufficient help finding different work? Or, did we terminate five higher-paid people who ‘were just short of qualifying for retirement? Sometimes, despite our greatest attemprs to be ‘ethical, we still hurt people, The question is whether we care 1 believe this was the type of pain experienced by our Dean, Dr. Jonathan Maceyan, with the full implementation of the K-12 Curriculum. Since no college students wook! be enrolling for ‘two years (2016-2018), we do not have enough teaching loads 1 be distributed among faculty members, The dilemma of who would be staying at the college level, who would be teaching st the Senior High School level, and who would be “retiring”, was a real concern. Throughout the ‘whole process of discernment, we have seen and felt the sincere interest of our Dean for all of us, We are truly thankful and fortunate to have him as our dean. Have 1 been honest wth the fied? Ie spo : unfortunate that we need the Department of oS ~the quality or fact of Trade and Industry to monitor and examine if being honest-uprighmness some toys or school supplies, for example, being sold at the Divisoria market are free from toxic and other harmful chemicals. Sometimes we are A 5 Dom dealt not truthful or honest with other people when eed we conduct business. And yet, honesty is the ccomerstone of ethics It is never “right” to lie, no matter what the circumstances, We must begin with this fundamental fact. There are situations in which the “tire white fe” hurts fewer Scanned with CamScannerSt * REYNALDO A PADILLA people, causes fewer proems, and does beer than telling the entire truth. It does no good “ “ttt smal chi that he or she is terminally iif the child is not prepared to handle ic. Nor oome* ‘it mocessariy serve any woeful parpose te tel employees that negotiations ere under wey 0 ==! ‘the property, or hat che manager is transferring to another property - at least mor until al ‘the consequences Save bees abenrtied and enalyned. Such everas can sometimes caase rent snriety end harm untess they are properly prewens=¢ However, he fact hatin stairs something rae short of the trath seems to be the be=" ‘cowrse does not, ir Hse, make dichonesty ethics! or open doors for misuse of truth fisinenn Appreaces is this musnner (ie. banesty isabways the right course) becomes a good and proper te Gor tics. Coon ep comscioce hive with this decision’ This situation is easy for Socrates for he claims tinat foe is abways accompanied by 1 ‘genins’ or familar pint whose voice advised him during c= critical mements of bis LK. This querioa i bet ane of the five tests. It is not the test, altiroug some view it as sack, ting the positon that as long as the decisios-maker can live wisi th Gecision ic mast be « correct eae. The ‘xy conscience only’ approach to ethics is too marrom- to scbysnine, and it often rests is « poor éecisina. The underpaid, overworked, stressed cut Ses clerk who embers » Sew thewwnd pesos t0 cover the hospitalization cost of his sci _encther ausy ll be able to ve with bis conscience ~ if that were the only test. Conscience is ot no be taken fight. is a critical west. in descussing the sources of ethical values (Chapter 2), we learned that ethics comes from experience, ndiare.acence, and region. The fat i that regardless of origin (whether ome ix ‘ian, American or Enropean) mast human beings have a sense of right. They do not always ‘fallow &, bat it is there. Throughoot history. all social systems have tried to make order owt of cad det wstaral matinct that bebeves the stracture is better for survival than unchecked individnainen. Regardhen, there isan inate sense that separate right from wrong, “ought" from. “ough wee” acd from bad, and nt foc exjos Scanned with CamScanner