UNIVERSITY OF ZIMBABWE

SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOURAL

SCIENCES

SDLS LECTURE NOTES

ETHICS
2 February 2023

SITHOLE DM
 ETHICS
DEFINITIONS
• Ethics is based on well-founded standards of right and wrong that
prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights,
obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues
• The word ethics is derived from a Greek word ‘ethos’ meaning
character. It is a branch of knowledge that governs right and wrong
conducts and behaviours of an individual, profession, group or
organizations
• Principles of conduct governing an individual or a group
• A set of moral principles , a theory or system of moral values
 BRANCHES OF ETHICS
Basically, there are four branches of ethics namely

1. Normative
2. Descriptive/ Comparative
3. Meta ethics
4. Applied ethics
 Normative Ethics
• Normative ethics deals with standards or norms by which we can
judge human actions to be right or wrong
• Normative ethics is also called prescriptive ethics because it rests on
the principles which determine whether an action is right or wrong
• It deals with the criteria of what is morally right or wrong. For
example, if someone murders a person, everyone will agree that it is
wrong. The question is why is it wrong to murder someone?
• The golden rule of normative ethics is: doing to others as we want
them to do to us
 Normative ethics
Task 1.
1. Identify six normative ethics that help your community to function
well?
2. Discuss with clear examples how your society deals with cases of
violation of normative ethics?
3. In your family, which prescriptive ethics are passed-on from one
generation to another?
4. Discuss with clear examples the assumption that societal normative
values are eroded in our modern society?
 Descriptive/ Comparative Ethics)
• This philosophy of ethics deals with what people actually believe or
made to believe to be right or wrong and accordingly holds up the
human actions acceptable or not acceptable or punishable under a
custom or law
• Also called comparative ethics because it compares ethics in past and
present situations and ethics of different societies
Descriptive /Comparative Ethics
Task 2
1. Discuss the acceptability, applicability and practicability of parricide
(killing of aged parents) in your culture
2. What are your views towards feticide (the act of killing a fetus or
causing abortion)
3. Discuss the concept of polyandry (marriage of a woman to two or more men at a time)
4. What are the ethical views of your society
towards polygamy?
 Meta Ethics
• Meta-ethics is a branch of analytic philosophy that explores the status,
foundations, and scope of moral values, properties, and words
• Meta-ethics focuses on what morality itself is
• Meta-ethics seeks to find out what it really means to say something is
good or bad
 Applied Ethics
• Applied ethics is the problem-solving branch of moral philosophy
• It uses the insights derived from meta-ethics and the general principles
and rules of normative ethics in addressing specific ethical issues and
cases in a professional, disciplinary or practical field
• Applied ethics is the vital link between theory and practice, the real
test of ethical decision-making. Applied ethics often requires not only
theoretical analysis but also practical and feasible solutions
Applied Ethics
Task 3
1. Discuss ethical considerations towards euthanasia (painless killing
of a patient suffering from an incurable disease or in an irreversible
coma
Work Ethics
Definition of Work ethic
• Is a set of standards of behavior and beliefs regarding what is and is not
acceptable to do at work
• This refers to an organizational code of conduct
Examples of Core Values of Work Ethics
• Professionalism
• Discipline
• Positive attitude
• Punctuality and good time management
Core Values of Work Ethics continued

• Character
• Communication
• Cooperation
• Organizational skills
• Productivity
• Respect
• Teamwork
• Honesty/ dependability /accountability/ transparency
• Cleanliness
Task 4.
Identify and discuss at least ten advantages of working as a team
Core Values of Work Ethics continued
• Trustworthiness
• Confidentiality
• Objectivity
• Obedience to the law
• Loyalty
Core Values of Work Ethics continued
• Reliability
• Dedication
• Rational thinking
• Respect for others
• Respect for diversity
• Cooperation
• Gender sensitivity
Office Ethics
• Ethics in the office is defined as the moral code that guides the
behavior of employees with respect to what is right and wrong in
regard to conduct and decision making
• Office ethics may vary from office to office but all focus on upholding
the integrity of the organization
Examples of Office Ethics
• Adhere to appropriate organizational dress code
• Be customer driven
• Respect company property
Office Ethics continue
• Adhere to company laws
• Discuss issues with company management
• Keep sensitive information private
• Do not eat during working hours
• Don’t ignore office phone calls
• Greet clients as soon as they walk into the office
• Never argue /exchange words with a client
Unethical Behaviour at Workplace
The following are unethical behavior in the office
• Lying
• Misusing company time (coming to work late/taking longer breaks/
vending during working hours/ moving from office to office sniffing
for social vibes)
• Faking sickness
• Speaking ill against your organization
• Stealing company property
• Acting in a way that reduces company productivity
Unethical behavior at workplace
Stealing
Unethical behavior at workplace
fighting
Unethical Behavior at Workplace
Task. 5
1. Identify and discuss with clear examples the various forms of
unethical behaviors that have recently hit your organization. Which
actions do you recommend to end unethical behaviors in your company?
Unethical behavior at workplace
(Sleeping on duty)
End of Lecture