Emotion/Action Vice: Deficiency
Giving money Stinginess
Fear Rashness
Anger Inirascibility
Seeking pleasure Insensibility
Virtue: Mean (“Middle”) Vice: Excess
Generosity Prodigality
Courage Cowardice
Mildness Irascibility
Moderation Self-Indulgence
Virtue ethics can be used to determine the rightness or wrongness of an action by relating the choice to admirable character traits:
An act or choice is morally right if, in carrying out the act, one exercises, exhibits or develops a morally virtuous character. It is morally wrong to the extent that by making the choice or doing the act one exercises, exhibits or develops a morally vicious character.
To apply virtue ethics to a given case one should discuss which character traits (virtues, vices, intermediate states) are relevant and reflect on the kind of actions, attitudes, and feelings go along with them. It is not enough to say “This action expresses virtue”, you must say which virtue (generosity, appropriate compassion) and be prepared to say why.
B) Look at the scheme given above and explain the difference between 1) stinginess and prodigality;
Rashness and cowardice; 3) inirascibility and irascibility; 4) insensibility and self-indulgence. Highlight it with the help of the episodes and situations based on your personal experience.
c) Refer back to the text and prove that:
1) The admirable character traits are called virtues.
2) There is difference between vice: deficiency and vice: excess.
D) Discuss with your partner what you would add to or change in the information given in the text.
XI. a) Read the text and find the following information in the text:
1) Why is it important to teach and to know ethical business culture?
2) What does it mean to act ethically in everyday business life?
Text 2. Vice and Virtue in Everyday Business Life
We all (hopefully) mastered some “essential skills” at the beginning of our education. They include:
- Don’t take things that aren’t yours
- Play fair
- Don’t hit people
- Clean up your own mess
- Put things back where you found them
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- Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody
- Take a nap every afternoon
- Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you
- Flush
Treating other people decently on a daily basis may not guarantee making the right decision when the heat is on, but at least a habit of caring about one’s acquaintances would be well-established. Such a habit would pre-install a panoply of developed cognitive skills and emotional sensitivities to assist moral decision-making when facing the tough cases.
There are some kinds of actions and attitudes to which we should attend in everyday business life.
One way of thinking about being a professional is to set out goals or standards of excellence related to (1) the quality of one’s work, (2) self-discipline, and (3) the treatment of others. Two of these goals are illustrated by forms of action which help to meet them and by activities which detract from them.
Self-control and respect for oneself
Self-controlled individuals know themselves, know their limits, and seek help when things get out of control in their lives. They work to establish a pattern of self-discipline which allows for productivity and satisfaction through regulating and addressing self-destructive and obsessive tendencies. By maintaining a kind of balance in their lives, they are happier and, in general, easier to work with.
Acting ethically:
*maintaining a set of personal standards of excellence
*keeping cool, but focused
*knowing yourself and your limits
*delegating when necessary or helpful
*keeping a schedule others can rely upon
*taking a day off when needed
*resisting compulsive or obsessive fascinations
*blending flexibility with reliable structure
*getting help when things are getting out of control
To be avoided
*”getting off” on others (even when they seem to deserve it
*sexual harassment (inflicting your sexual desires on others who aren’t interested)
*relying upon intimidation to make up for a sense of powerlessness
*spending the workday cruising the porno, sports, or gambling web-sites
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*being a workaholic (and expecting others to do likewise)
*working at a speed you know is too fast
*looking good by making others look bad
*being a sleaze, a whiner, a slacker, a missing person
*inflicting your dissatisfaction with your present job upon everyone else.
Respecting others
Professionals treat other people as if they really mattered, rather than as tools, or mere opportunities for profit, labor, or resume-building. Imaginatively placing themselves on the receiving end of their actions, they create a climate of respect and dignity which allows everyone a meaningful measure of satisfaction and success. Professionals cleverly devise a strategy for consistently meeting their goals which allows others to do so also, with a minimum of bloodletting.
Acting ethically:
*keeping appointments and being punctual
*maintaining good records for those who will follow after you
*reading your email, returning calls, and passing on messages
*returning what you borrow (pens, files, catalogues)
*maintaining an agenda when you lead a meeting
*refilling the coffee pot, the copy machine, the company car
*giving recognition to others for their ideas, work (sharing the spotlight)
*exercising patience with others’ occasional bad days
*taking the blame for mistakes you made
*respecting others’ private lives, personal preferences, and eccentricities
*speaking up when a blatant injustice is being done to another
To be avoided
*making others waste their time as they wait for youto show up or be ready
*demanding a quid pro duo for promotions, job security, or just doing your job
*requiring excessive overtime of subordinates
*relying upon force and coercion to get the job done
*using others’ ideas without giving credit
*finding entertainment in others’ conflicts
*shifting the blame, always finding a scapegoat, demonizing
*upbraiding a subordinate or colleague in public
*always taking, never reciprocating
*allowing others to “stew” as they await your next action
In conclusion, our authentic moral intuitions (and our commitments to them) are developed and acted out in the manner by which we treat our fellow employees, supervisors, underlings, customers and suppliers in daily situations. If we don’t learn to treat our co-workers with dignity, respect, and kindness, this reduces the prospects for ethical decision-making when big money is at stake. Or, even if we do act ethically in the larger sphere – perhaps out of fear of legal consequences – there is a strange kind of hypocrisy and schizophrenia in projecting a public image of being a “good guy” while maintaining a workplace behind the scenes which is little better than a hell-hole. Such hypocrisy is not unknown, but perhaps we can do more to eliminate it by giving heed to the ethics of everyday business life.
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(Dr. Douglas Chismar)
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