What is Business Ethics?

Summary

The script delves into the concept of ethics, distinguishing between personal and business ethics. It emphasizes the importance of adhering to a moral code in the workplace, where ethics are more rigidly defined by societal, legal, and employer standards. The video encourages viewers to reflect on their ethical behavior, contemplate the nature of ethics, and understand their professional responsibilities. It highlights the need for employees to act with integrity, respect, and cooperation, and to seek guidance when faced with ethical dilemmas, ultimately aiming for ethical success in their professional lives.

Takeaways

• 🤔 Ethics are the fundamental moral principles that guide our behavior, emphasizing the distinction between right and wrong.
• 🧠 The origin of our ethics can be attributed to a combination of nature and nurture, influencing our conscience and self-awareness.
• 🤝 Business ethics expand upon personal ethics by incorporating societal, legal, and professional standards within a workplace context.
• 🚫 In the workplace, ethics are more rigidly defined and enforced compared to personal life, with clear consequences for unethical behavior.
• 🏢 Business ethics require adherence to rules, laws, and company policies, demanding a higher standard of conduct than in personal settings.
• 💼 Employees are expected to give their best effort, work cooperatively, and prioritize company interests over personal gain.
• 🤝 Respect for people and property is a core expectation in the workplace, reflecting the ethical standards employers uphold.
• 🔍 Professionals are expected to approach ethical dilemmas with fairness, respect, and a commitment to seeking the truth.
• 👥 It's crucial for professionals to seek assistance and guidance when faced with ethical questions or concerns.
• 🌟 Maintaining professionalism, even in challenging situations, is key to ethical success and integrity in the workplace.

Q & A

What does the term 'ethics' generally refer to?

Ethics refers to the basic moral ground rules by which we live our lives, focusing on right and wrong behavior with a preference for choosing right over wrong.

How do nature and nurture influence our ethics?

The script suggests that we all have ethics, which are influenced by both nature and nurture. These include our innate conscience and self-awareness, as well as learned societal norms and values.

Is ethics considered to be situational or absolute?

The script poses this as an important question to contemplate, suggesting that ethics can be both situational and absolute, depending on the context and individual perspectives.

What is the difference between general ethics and business ethics?

While general ethics pertains to personal moral codes, business ethics refers to the standards and practices in the workplace, including societal, legal, and employer-defined standards.

Why is business ethics often more rigid than personal ethics?

Business ethics is more rigid because it is clearly defined by employers and involves legal standards, societal norms, and the need for consistency and fairness in the workplace.

What are some examples of how personal behaviors might differ from acceptable workplace behaviors?

In the workplace, behaviors such as flirtatiousness can be considered harassment, lateness is not acceptable, borrowing without permission is stealing, and saying whatever one feels is not appropriate.

What are the ethical expectations in the workplace?

Workplace ethical expectations include abiding by the law, knowing right from wrong, giving one's best effort, cooperating honestly, looking out for the company's interests, and showing respect for people and property.

How can one's professional perspective on ethics help in the workplace?

A professional perspective on ethics involves being fair, unbiased, respectful, and seeking assistance when needed. It helps in maintaining professionalism and ethical conduct in the workplace.

Why is it important to feel comfortable asking for help with ethical concerns at work?

Feeling comfortable asking for help with ethical concerns is important because it allows for the resolution of issues before they escalate and promotes a culture of ethical accountability and support.

What does it mean to maintain professionalism in the face of ethical challenges?

Maintaining professionalism in the face of ethical challenges means adhering to ethical standards and behaving in a manner consistent with one's professional role, regardless of the situation.

How can understanding one's ethical expectations and professional perspective contribute to ethical success at work?

Understanding ethical expectations and professional perspective provides a framework for making ethical decisions and behaving appropriately in the workplace, which is key to ethical success.

Outlines

00:00

📜 Ethics in General

This paragraph introduces the concept of ethics, emphasizing its importance in personal and professional life. Ethics are described as the fundamental moral rules that guide our behavior, distinguishing between right and wrong. It questions the origin of one's ethics, whether it's nature, nurture, or a combination of both. The paragraph also prompts self-reflection on personal ethics and the nature of ethics as situational or absolute. It transitions into a discussion on business ethics, highlighting the difference between personal and professional ethical standards.

Keywords

💡Ethics

Ethics refers to the moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity. In the context of the video, ethics is the foundation for determining right from wrong and is crucial for personal and professional conduct. The script emphasizes that ethics are not just personal but are also defined and enforced within a workplace setting.

💡Moral Ground Rules

Moral ground rules are the fundamental guidelines that dictate acceptable behavior in society. The video script uses this term to illustrate the basic ethical standards that individuals are expected to follow. These rules form the basis of ethical decision-making and are integral to the script's discussion on personal and business ethics.

💡Nature vs. Nurture

This concept refers to the debate over whether certain aspects of behavior are innate (nature) or acquired through experiences (nurture). The script briefly touches on this idea when questioning where one's ethics come from, suggesting that both genetic and environmental factors may influence an individual's ethical stance.

💡Business Ethics

Business ethics specifically pertains to the standards and practices that guide behavior in a professional setting. The video script explains that business ethics encompass societal, moral, and legal standards, and are often more rigid than personal ethics. It highlights the importance of adhering to these standards within the workplace.

💡Societal Standards

Societal standards are the norms and expectations that a society has regarding acceptable behavior. In the script, these standards are mentioned as part of what constitutes business ethics, emphasizing that what is ethical in a business context is often influenced by what is considered acceptable by society at large.

💡Legal Standards

Legal standards are the rules and regulations set by law that must be followed. The video script points out that business ethics include adherence to legal standards, indicating that what is legal is a fundamental part of what is ethical in a business environment.

💡Professional Perspective

A professional perspective refers to the approach and behavior expected of someone in a professional setting. The script encourages viewers to adopt a professional perspective on ethics, which involves being fair, respectful, and cooperative, and to act in the best interest of the company and its stakeholders.

💡Ethical Expectations

Ethical expectations are the behaviors and conduct that are anticipated from individuals in a particular context, such as the workplace. The video script outlines specific ethical expectations in a business setting, such as abiding by the law, giving one's best effort, and respecting people and property.

💡Respect for People and Property

This phrase encapsulates the idea of treating individuals and their possessions with dignity and care. The script includes this as part of the ethical expectations in the workplace, suggesting that an ethical professional respects not only colleagues and customers but also the company's assets.

💡Seeking Assistance

Seeking assistance implies the act of reaching out to others for help or guidance, especially in situations involving ethical dilemmas. The video script encourages professionals to feel comfortable asking for help when they encounter ethical questions or concerns, promoting a culture of support and learning.

💡Maintaining Professionalism

Maintaining professionalism means consistently adhering to the standards of conduct expected in a professional environment. The script emphasizes the importance of maintaining this level of conduct, regardless of circumstances, as a key aspect of ethical success in the workplace.

Highlights

Ethics are the basic moral ground rules by which we live our lives.

Ethics involve choosing right behavior over wrong.

Ethics can be influenced by nature, nurture, or both.

Everyone has a conscience and self-awareness that helps discern right from wrong.

Business ethics refers to the standards and practices in the workplace setting.

Business ethics includes societal standards, ethical standards, and legal standards.

Business ethics is often more rigid than in personal areas.

In the workplace, behaviors that are acceptable personally may be unethical or illegal.

Employers define ethics in the workplace clearly and they are not subjective.

In the workplace, you are expected to abide by the law and company rules.

Employees should give their best effort for the company.

Work cooperatively and honestly with customers and co-workers.

Look out for the company's interests, not just your own.

Show respect for people and property in the workplace.

Changing from personal to professional ethics requires a change in perspective.

As a professional, you are expected to behave in a professional manner at all times.

Professionals should be fair, unbiased, and respectful in their words and actions.

A professional listens to others and seeks to understand the facts.

It's important to seek assistance when facing ethical questions or concerns.

Maintain professionalism no matter what happens.

Understanding your ethical expectations is key to ethical success at work.

Transcripts

okay let's get started by talking about

ethics in general

what is ethics if you're like most

people

you don't really spend much time

thinking about the philosophy of it

but once in a while it's a critical

exercise that you need to go through

in order to clarify your values and

principles

especially with regard to the workplace

so

ethics are the basic moral ground rules

by which we live

our lives ethics is about right and

wrong behavior with the

preference to choose right over wrong so

here's a good question where did you get

your ethics

was it nature nurture or both

i mean we all have ethics you can't be

devoid of

it we all have a conscience and

self-awareness

that helps us know right from wrong do

you consider yourself to be ethical

how do you know is ethics situational

or absolute these are all very important

questions that you need to sit down once

in a while

and contemplate now let's move on to

business ethics

what is that and how is it any different

from plain

ordinary ethics well business ethics

refers to the standards and practices in

the workplace setting

business ethics includes societal

standards of right and wrong

business ethical standards and

circumstances and finally

legal standards wow it sounds a lot more

complicated than just thinking about

your personal moral code

here is the warning business ethics is

often more rigid

than in personal areas you may be

flirtatious in your personal life

but at work it will be harassment at

work you can't decide which rules are

worthy of following

you can show up late for personal

appointments but not for work

you can't just borrow things from others

at work

any borrowing without permission is

considered stealing

and of course you can't just say

whatever you feel like saying

in the workplace you need to understand

that ethics in the workplace

is not subjective but is clearly defined

by your employer

so now let's talk about what your

ethical expectations are

at work in the workplace you are

expected to play by the rules

abide by the law be knowledgeable of

right and wrong

give your best effort for the company

work cooperatively

and honestly with customers and

co-workers to look out for the company's

interests

and not your own and to show respect for

people

and property this is what an ethical

person does

and this is exactly what your employer

expects from you

although at times it may be difficult it

is expected that these things are done

automatically without prodding or

training

for most of us changing from thinking

about ethics as it applies to our

personal life to our professional life

requires a change in perspective think

of this as your

professional perspective on the topic of

ethics

you are a professional regardless of

what your job is

you are expected at all times to behave

in the professional manner

as such you need to consider your

professional perspectives

that is you are fair and unbiased

you show respect in your words and your

actions

at all times a professional listens to

others

and gets the facts straight a

professional

does not go it alone but seeks

assistance

it is important that if you have ethical

questions or concerns

you feel comfortable going to someone

else and asking for help

and finally you maintain your

professionalism

no matter what happens understanding

your ethical expectations

and then seeing how your professional

perspective helps you meet them

is the starting point for ethical

success at work