Ethical Journey Paper Example

An individual has a past that is meant to be a learning stick to ensure there is a sign of progress in life. Ethics comes from learning how the society functions are then mimicking the best possible ideas (Graziadei, 2017). A narrative illustrates how the journey of an individual has been led while being transformed into an upright individual. The ethical journey is a learning curve that each is represented on a personal level (CampbellJones, CampbellJones & Lindsey, 2014). Business ethics refers to the moral responsibility and relationship between a consumer and a business at different social and economic levels. Therefore it can be demonstrated by the relationship between the employees and the business. Ethical employees adhere to the codes of conduct of the business while unethical ones do not. Over the world, demand for morally upright behavior has risen.

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An ethical egoist is a person who is concerned with the consequences of their actions, and mainly how those consequences affect them at an individual level and not the great whole. The utilitarian viewpoint is very similar in that it is concerned with the consequences of actions, but it differs from ethical egoism in that it is more concerned with the effect on all parties concerned (Thiroux, J.P. &Krasemann, K.W., 2012). There are specific events and choices in my life which I can attribute to either utilitarianism or ethical egoism, so I was therefore not inclined towards either one. It seems that the situation would dictate my course of action, and that does not seem odd to me at all. I never realized this before as I never really gave it that much thought, but it does make a lot of sense. I then started to question why I was so narrow-minded when it came to issues not directly involving me - issues which plague society. If I could see the gray area when it came to my own choices and issues, then why was I not able to see this gray area elsewhere?

At the age of six during my initial year of joining a primary school, my parents were responsible for providing relevant knowledge through communication and disciplining whenever an offense is committed. In understanding the world, the process of imparting knowledge became a learning experience through trial and error in which several cases of indiscipline was witnessed.

While growing up into adolescence, the society would offer lessons as parents were rarely into constant watch since I was considered a grownup who understands responsibility. Mistakes were common, and the desire to influence or being noticed made me stand out in the society among peers. The desire for nice things in the society made me seek for money through nefarious ways to impress friends. The idea never went down in a good way as my lessons were learned when I got caught by my parents taking their money without permission. It was a serious lecture, and I decided to reform for the best part of my life to lead an honest life free from scandals. The ethical path has been a journey that has included endurance to get the best results for the actions taken. If it were not for the past, then the society could not have shaped me for whom I am. The consequences taught me as an individual the benefits of ethics and vital need of integrity (Alwi, Ali & Nguyen, 2017).

The other incident that remains vivid in my head happened in March 1996. I was working a summer job at a retail store. I accidentally turn over a box containing plates and wine glasses, which were all damaged. The supervisor came in moments later and asked about it, I admitted to the accident and was fired. The consequence, in this case, was losing my job that had eagerly waited. Later in June 2000, I was playing basketball with my neighboring rivals; I intentionally made a wrong call in the final stages of the game. My team won the game as a result of the intentionally wrong call.

In February 2018, the hospital where I work was preparing to go through an accreditation process. We had to move some equipment for use from one department to my department. Where they wanted to place this equipment was not ideal or safe according to international standards. I opposed the move to the intended location and suggested another location for this equipment. Finally, after long meetings and planning, they took my suggestions. During the accreditation exercise, the surveyors were pleased with where the equipment placed. However, because of my opposition to the management regarding the initial plan, my contract was almost denied a renewal. They, however, renewed my contract for one year instead of two. This is a consequence I suffered that should be considered unfortunate. Throughout this course, we discussed many scenarios in which ethics played a vital role. It was therefore clear to me that the knowledge I gained from this course has a practical application to everyday life, for both me and society in general.

Every decision we make can affect others around us. While we cannot foresee all of the consequences, we must do our best to consider as many of the possibilities as we can. Sometimes, we act based on instinct or emotion. Those decisions can have severely detrimental repercussions which we failed to consider. A key example would be our Unit 7 discussion and project regarding an imaginary company named ExtremeNet and an employee named Allen Lopez. Allen was upset regarding the actions of his supervisors. He felt there was discrimination taking place and tried to voice his opinion. He was ignored and decided to create a satirical website which discussed a company very similar to ExtremeNet.

Conclusion

In conclusion, integrity is necessary to individual life'. Society conforms to what standards it has allowed being practiced as ethics. It is in nature of parents and society at large to influence how children practice their behavior. I always tried to think things through before taking action. While I did do that for the most part, I didn't truly consider everything. More specifically, I only considered the consequences of my actions. I don't believe that I considered the ethical and moral implications of my decisions. I can now firmly state that I do consider the consequences as well as the ethicality of my decisions. I see myself as being more level-headed and logical. I also believe that I am making better decisions today than I would have made before taking this class. This does not mean that I will always be morally correct in everything that I do - I am only human, after all, and bound to make mistakes. Still, this class has helped me to gain a better understanding of not only ethics and morals, but of myself as well. I feel that I will also be able to gain a better understanding of others and their ways of thinking due to the knowledge I have gained from this class. In my pursuit of a degree in Psychology, I believe this to be a very important skill.

Bibliography

Alwi, S. F. S., Ali, S. M., & Nguyen, B. 2017. The importance of ethics in branding: Mediating effects of ethical branding on company reputation and brand loyalty. Business Ethics Quarterly, 27(3), 393-422.

Graziadei, D. 2017. Towards an ethics of intercultural misunderstandings. Literatura in Etika, 40, 109-122.

Lurie, Y. 2006. Tracking the meaning of life: A philosophical journey. Columbia: University of Missouri Press.

Thiroux, J.P. &Krasemann, K.W. 2012. Ethics: theory and practice (11th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

CampbellJones, F., CampbellJones, B., & Lindsey, R. B. 2014. Cultural proficiency journey: Moving beyond ethical barriers toward profound school change.