Ethical Perspective Paper

Essay by arualUniversity, Bachelor'sA-, August 2009

download word file, 4 pages 4.3

A question that many individuals ask themselves is, "What should I do?" Understanding a person's ethical perspective lies in the ability to make and justify personal ethical decisions. Ethics are the foundation of character. Ethical perspectives are the foundation for individual belief systems and have been categorized into four principles. Most people do not stay in each category throughout their lives, they move from one category to another as they change throughout life. The key to understanding ethics is to understand: what does one believe, why does one believe it, and how does one act upon those beliefs.

This paper will explain the four ethical principles known as CORE, describe this writer's personal ethical perspective as described by the University of Phoenix Ethical Awareness Inventory and discuss issues that this writer is likely to face in addressing ethical dilemmas in the workplace.

Ethical PerspectivesThe Ethics Awareness Inventory is a means of assisting individuals in developing awareness and understanding the CORE principles that are used in making ethical decisions.

The first letter of each key perspective spells CORE, which stand for: Character/Virtue, Obligation/Deontology, Results/Utilitarianism, and Equity/Relativism (The Williams Institute for Ethics and Management, 2003).

Character/VirtueWhat it is good to be, rather than what it is good to do. "Moral correctness is determined by character, motive, and core values. Emotions, attitudes, interests, and expectations are only a few aspects of virtuous ethics. Acts and decisions are selected based upon one's view of the person we ought to be rather than focusing on the specific actions that should be taken. If a person acts in a way that is not thoughtless, reckless, or impulsive, then they view their act as morally substantiated because a person with good character would never intentionally hurt or disrespect others" (University of Phoenix, 2008, ¶ 7).