MgtS 4461 – Business and Society

Lesson plan: February 7, 2008

Two Approaches to Ethics

Goals of lesson:

These two chapters comprise the heart of the “theory” of the course. Chapter 4 introduces us to different philosophies of ethics – utilitarianism, deontological, and virtue theory. It is prescriptive in nature, considering how people “ought” to make decisions. Chapter 5 introduces us to psychological factors in (ethical) decision making. It is descriptive in nature, focusing on how people actually do make decisions. The goals for today’s class are:

• Students will understand, describe, and differentiate among the basic philosophies of ethics.
• Students will examine their own affinity to these models of moral philosophy.
• Students will understand the differences between prescriptive and descriptive analyses.
• Students will understand Kohlberg’s levels of cognitive moral development.
• Students will learn about the cognitive barriers to judgment and learn what their own blind spots are.

“A Prescriptive Approach to Ethics”

Q1: Thinking about ethical decision-making approaches:

1a. Which of the prescriptive approaches to ethical decision making (consequentialist, deontological, virtue) do you most ‘resonate’ with? Why? If you could only choose one of these to make ethical decisions, which would it be? Why? Talk in your groups about whether or not you shared the same answer. (Note that, as per normal, there’s no ‘right or wrong’ answer, just a well or poorly-argued answer.) Why did people have the same or different choices? What problems did you have reaching your own individual choices? Did talking in your group help clarify things? Why or why not?

1b. Why and how might the different prescriptive approaches to ethical decision making give people different answers? If you find that you’re confronted by different ethical choices arising from the different methods, how do you choose which is “right?” Why?

Q2: Putting the T&N model into practice:

2a. Think through the second short case on pages 119-120. First, simply decide what the “right choice” is. What is “the right choice?”

2b. Now, use Trevino & Nelson’s 8-step process. (You might want to write down your answers to each step.) How does your answer differ from the prior one? What has changed in your thinking?

“A Psychological Approach to Ethics”

Q3: Thinking about plagiarism: What’s the big issue?

3a. Read through the MgtS statement on plagiarism. (It’s available on-line.) Is there “anything new” in the document? What? Are we being nit-picky, or is there something there to be concerned about?

3b. Why do we make such a ‘big thing’ about plagiarism? Why is it an issue to academics? How might plagiarizing something actually hurt you in the ‘real world’?

3c. What are the moral and ethical dimensions of plagiarism? If you think about it in ethical term, why and how might your answer to the prior question change?

3d. What should you do if you find that a member of your group has plagiarized their part of a group assignment? What would you do if you’ve already submitted the assignment for grading? (You might want to use the T&N model to help you here.)

Q4: Thinking about Kohlberg’s scale of moral development:

4a. Describe each of the levels in Kohlberg’s scale. What are the salient characteristics of persons at each level? How are people distributed across the levels, and how might that distribution change with age?

4b. Think about where you are on Kohlberg’s scale. Now, assume that you’re dealing with someone who is one of your employees. How would your approach to that employee change if you believed they were operating at a lower (or higher) level than you? How might your boss treat you if she were operating at a lower (higher) level than you? How might these differences create friction in the workplace?

Q5: Thinking about cognitive barriers to good ethical judgment:

5. Of the list of cognitive barriers to good ethical judgment (script processing, simplifying consequences, self-focus, escalation of commitment, emotionalism), which are you personally most susceptible to, and why? What can you do to overcome this weakness?

Conclusions:

• There are three main prescriptive models of ethical decision-making: Utilitarianism, Deontological, and Virtue ethics. Many people are not “pure” adherents to one of these, but mix their thinking.
• People reside at a variety of levels of moral development. Understanding these levels may help you understand and resolve ethical conflict.
• People suffer from cognitive barriers that impede their ability to make ethical decisions (and decisions more broadly construed). Understanding your own personal cognitive barriers may help you make better decisions.