Comparative Ethics

Introduction and Alignment

Our society and world are quick to call those who hold to an absolute standard of ethical behavior intolerant and close minded, while our society calls for tolerance, acceptance, and relativism. Ethical behavior is seen as a personal value system. The textbook for this course is written from that perspective as well. It counsels you to adopt ethical pluralism when faced when an ethical decision and then to weigh the various frameworks to make what appears to be the best decision. This assignment will provide you with an example of how pluralism works, as well as letting you compare the results of that decision to one obtained using biblical principles. This information will better enable you to relate and manage those with differing cultural and ethical systems.

Upon completion of this assignment, you should be able to:

Examine the usefulness of specific ethical frameworks to decision making.

Resources

Textbook: Meeting the Ethical Challenges of Leadership
Textbook: Essentials of Business Ethics
File: Four Lens Model of Worldview Development.docx
File: Chapter 5.ppt

Background Information

For much of our history, decisions were judged as ethical based how well they conformed to religious values and principles. With the rise of secular humanism that started in the 19th century, academics began casting off religion-based frameworks in favor of other rational, intellectual-based systems (Geisler & Feinberg, 1980). Your textbook presents a number of these systems and provides a sense of the strengths and weaknesses of each. Since each system is acknowledged to have its own set of strengths and weaknesses, modern academic ethical decision making involves considering any situation from multiple perspectives, considering what each theory would suggest as the ethical action, and then making the decision that seems to be consistent with the majority of ethical frameworks (Rae & Wong, 2004). As a Christ-centered institution, Indiana Wesleyan University believes that the biblical ethical system is applicable, workable, and preferred to any of these other systems.

References

Geisler , N. L., & Feinberg, P. D. (1980). Introduction to philosophy: A Christian perspective.Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

Rae, S. B., & Wong, K. L. (1993). Beyond integrity: A Judeo-Christian approach to business ethics. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing Co.

Instructions

Download and review the PowerPoint presentation, Chapter 5.ppt.
Read Chapter 5 in Meeting the Ethical Challenges of Leadership. As you read, consider the various ethical frameworks that are presented. Think about some ethical challenge you have had in the past and then consider how each of the frameworks would have influenced your behavior in that situation.
Using each ethical perspective discussed in the textbook as well as the five biblical principles presented in the first workshop, consider the issue of outsourcing manufacturing work from your local community to a developing country.
Download the file Four Lens Model of Worldview Development.docx. Using the model, think of four words or phrases for each lens that describe the issue of outsourcing manufacturing work from your local community to a developing country. Write an 800- to 1000-word research paper in which you:
1. Evaluate the ethicality of outsourcing manufacturing work from your local community to a developing country.
  1. Select two ethical frameworks from the Johnson book for analysis from the various frameworks presented in both textbooks; in addition, use the five biblical principles presented in workshop one as a third framework
  2. Use each of the three frameworks to determine a position from the perspective of that framework. Provide a detailed evaluation that demonstrates clear, insightful critical thinking.
2. Determine a final position on the ethicality of outsourcing manufacturing work from your local community to a developing country based upon your review of the outcomes from each of the three individual outcomes. Defend your position. Provide a detailed evaluation that demonstrates clear, insightful critical thinking.
3. Evaluate the usefulness of having a predetermined ethical framework for coming to a conclusion. Provide a detailed evaluation that demonstrates clear, insightful critical thinking.
Support your positions with at least six references from scholarly sources.
Use proper spelling, grammar, and APA formatting for your analysis paper. (Note: cover pages, academic sources, reference pages, etc. do not count towards the word length requirement in your paper.)
When you have completed your assignment, save a copy for yourself and submit a copy to your instructor using the Dropbox by the end of the workshop (Turnitin will be enabled).

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Solution Preview

Comparative Ethics

In any society, any individual acts based on a set of principles, which determine whether whatever he is doing is morally right. Ethics are set ideologies and standards guided by the traditions and teachings that act as guiding lights to moral behavior- of what is right or wrong. They consequently help in making sure its followers lead a satisfying life shaped by the moral principles. Ethics include study of universally upheld social values such as gender equality, respect for human rights, abiding to legal frameworks, health and safety concerns, in addition to the natural environment conservation (Lacan, 2013). Perceptibly, comparative ethics focuses on peoples believes and perceptions about morality.

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