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MMDS3201: ETHICS

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Title: MMDS3201: ETHICS

1
MMDS3201 ETHICS

Professional practice
Lecturer Erik Champion
27 July 2006 W1 L1

2
Ethics Outline

What is it?
Judgments
Moral conflicts and moral reasoning
Types of Ethics
Business Ethics
Design Ethics

3
What is Ethics?

Business ethics the ethical conduct of a
business, the way business people should act,
principles that should govern the conduct of a
business...or this field of study.
Ethics is often confused with morality, the study
of what people believe is ethically correct or
valuable, not what they tend to innately believe
is ethically correct or valuable. (NB Hegel saw
ethics as customary norms, morality as a
reflection on these norms).
Shaw, William H. 2003. Ethics at work basic
readings in business ethics. New York Oxford
University Press.
Grace, Damian, and Stephen Cohen. 1998. Business
ethics Australian problems and cases. 2nd ed.
Melbourne Oxford University Press.

4
Ethics (ethos) and Morality (mores)

Holmes ethics is the study of morality e.g.
through moral philosophy (the pursuit of wisdom
in moral matters) as well as other methods
Related to teleology (ends and purposes).

5
Judgments

Normative judgments (norms or standards rather
than facts)
Value j deciding which is better.
Prescriptive j tells you what to do.
Moral j based on criteria to tell what is right
or wrong.
Which are these?
This is a red car.
This is a good car.
You havent paid me the money you owe me.
You ought to return the money you owe me.

6
Moral conflicts

Between morality and social beliefs.
Between morality and the law.
Between different moral obligations.

7
Moral reasoning

Top-down approach universal moral principles
applied to specific situations.
Bottom-up approach the first principle of moral
reasoning are the moral judgments we make.
Ethical defeat acts cannot be ethically
justified.
Reflective equilibrium when our moral judgments
of particular situations and our moral principles
are in harmony with each other.
Grace, Damian, and Stephen Cohen. 1998. Business
ethics Australian problems and cases. 2nd ed.
Melbourne Oxford University Press.

8
Moral Philosophy

AIMS
What are the criteria for rightness and
wrongness?
Are there basic rules or principles?
APPROACHES
Normative ethics (identify and explain the most
basic moral j about good or bad, right or wrong).
Applied ethics (what is right or wrong in
specific cases).

9
Types of Ethics (a selection)

Ethical and Psychological Egoism
Ethical and Cultural Relativism
Divine Command Theory
Natural Law Ethics
Consequentialism
Utilitarianism
Deontological ethics
Kantianism
Holmes, Robert L. 2003. Basic moral philosophy.
3rd ed. ed. Belmont, CA Wadsworth/Thomson.

10
Ethical / Psychological Egoism

One ought to always maximize ones own personal
good.
This is the opposite of utilitarianism. For
example, having friends are good, only because
they make you feel better.
A form of micro ethics.
Psychological egoism the claim that we are all
egoistically motivated in everything we do.

11
Cultural relativism

CR x is good if the majority of the society
approve of x.
Kohlberg believed CR developed from
punishment/obedience, rewards, parental approval,
social approval.
Problems
Unlike subjectivism, relies on social approval.
Moral diversity makes it hard to separate
cultures clearly and distinctly.
There are objective values.
Does not explain how to solve disputes between
cultures.

12
Divine Command Theory

Whatever an all-powerful, all-knowing, perfectly
good God (or gods) command is right (strong form)
or relevant (weak form).
This is deontological it is primarily
prescriptive rather than evaluative.
Circular problem God commands what is right
because it is right and what is right is right
because God commands it.

13
Natural Law Ethics

Live in accordance with nature.
Holds that morality is part of the natural order
of things.
Problem what is meant by nature, and how are
we supposed to act?

14
Consequentialism

Perform the act that will result in the best
consequences. Actions and behaviors are evaluated
according to the consequences of that behavior.
E.g. utilitarianism, by founder Jeremy Bentham
(1748-1832).
Axiological.

15
Utilitarianism

One ought always to maximize the general good.
The greatest balance of good over bad for the
greatest number of people is the most moral
option.
This is axiological it is primarily evaluative
rather than prescriptive.
How can this be measured?

16
Deontological ethics

Consequences never provide enough justification
by themselves for moral actions.
Contractarianism based on the rights or claims
of people when making moral judgments.
Kantian morality (and a sense of duty) is one of
the most famous examples.
Usually requires consistency, rationality, and
can be applied independently of the person making
the judgment.

17
Kantianism

We must try to act morally and for the right
reason (a moral duty is binding).
Categorical imperative Act only according to
that maxim by which you can at the same time will
that it should become a universal law.
In other words, one ought always to act on maxims
that can be universalized.

18
Moral theories ethics of conduct
deontological
axiological
strong
weak
consequentialist
non-conseq.
conseq.
macro
micro
non-conseq.
utilitarian
utilitarian
ethical egoism
ethics of virtue is not discussed here
19
Ethics of virtue

Early Greek philosophers
Plato (429-347 BC) a things virtue or
excellence allows it to perform its function
well, the souls virtue is justice, developed
through conduct (knowledge of the ideal good, and
wisdom, and courage).
Aristotle (384-322 BC) Intellectual virtues of
theoretical wisdom and practical wisdom.

20
Business Ethics

covers the whole spectrum of interactions
between firms, individuals, industries, society
and the state.
A decision-making process.
Professionals have clients and shareholders who
have expectations.
Codes (say, medicine) are designed not to treat
people as means to an end.
Ethical theory must be put into practice.
Business can create its own code or have it
imposed by a government.
Grace, Damian, and Stephen Cohen. 1998. Business
ethics Australian problems and cases. 2nd ed.
Melbourne Oxford University Press.

21
Software Engineering Code of Ethics and
Professional Practice

http//onlineethics.org/codes/
Version 5.1 2002 (Appendix C, Ethics in
Information Technology by George Reynolds).
8 principles for ethical tensions.
Who is affected?
Who to respect?
How to present ethical decisions?
Have you considered consequences for the least
advantaged?
Are the acts are worthy of an ideal professional?

22
Typical Business Ethics Problems

Public and private ethics
Stakeholders rights
Marketing and advertising ethics
Institutional ethics
International ethics
Equal opportunity
The Environment
Whistle blowing

23
Why Ethics in Design?

Navigating remarkably conflicting values is one
of the central problems of design.
Caroline Whitbeck in Ethics in Engineering
Practice and Research argues that ethics is
traditionally regarded as judging something that
has already been done. But the bigger challenge
and what ethics should be is about the way to
act. And that is a problem of design devising
ethical courses of action.
Design itself is ethics. It is all about what is
the right thing to do, and not just technically.
Everything that is made is an argument about how
we should live our lives. The world is filled
with competing objects that are arguing amongst
themselves for our attention. "Live my way! Live
my way!"
Deciding where and how to employ the art of
design is an ethical issue.
http//www.odannyboy.com/blog/cmu/archives/000776.
html

24
Aims of Design Ethics

Expertise
Accessibility.
Consumer labelling and information.
Ecology and sustainability.
Professional Values
Consumer culture.
Corporate power.
Globalisation of trade.
Designers role in the wider world
Solving larger problems.
Integrating expertise
Political involvement.

25
Levels of Design Ethics

Day to day professional behaviour.
Expected or required professional behaviour.
A framework of moral principles and obligations
in life.
Perkins, Shel. 2006. Talent Is Not Enough
Business Secrets For Designers, Chapter 19. CA
New Riders Press.

26
Ethics in Cyberspace

Our acts are constrained by
Laws (Cyberspace require special ones?)
Social norms (flaming).
The market (popular websites).
Architecture (physical constraints become
software constraints).
Spinello, Richard A. 2006. Cyberethics morality
and law in cyberspace. 3rd ed. ed. Sudbury,
Mass. Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

27
Ethical Issues in Cyberspace

ISSUES
Privacy work checks email or a website keeps and
sells information about you.
Free speech (anonymous or inflammatory) or
government controls.
Freedom of choice versus protection of rights of
minors (Childrens Online Protection Act).
Automating Control content updating or filtering
software, govt. control, control by code,
blocking software.
Intellectual property.
Metatag deception.

28
Harmful But Prevalent Behaviour

May not be unethical considering
If you refrain, you or those you care about or
are responsible for, suffer.
If you dont refrain, the global level of harm
doesnt increase significantly.
If you continue, it wont promote more or
increased harmful behaviour.
If you refrain, that wont make others reconsider
their harmful behaviour.
OPTIONAL If you refrain (publicly), it
encourages others to engage in even more harmful
behaviour.
Ronald Green, When is Everyones doing it a
moral justification? Business Ethics Quarterly 1
(January 1991), pp. 7593, or Mellahi, Kamel,
and Wood, Geoffrey. 2003. The Ethical Business
Challenges and Controversies. New York Palgrave
Macmillan.

29
Ethics in Australia

Employment discrimination 1994 BHP.
Workplace discrimination 1993, TNT.
Pregnancy discrimination 1991, Beaurepaire
Tyres.
Maternity leave.
Glass ceiling.
Sexual harassment 1989, K-Mart.
Disability 1990, HIV case, Complete Table.
Grace, Damian, and Stephen Cohen. 1998. Business
ethics Australian problems and cases. 2nd ed.
Melbourne Oxford University Press. See
especially chapter 6.

30
References

Holmes, Robert L. 2003. Basic moral philosophy.
3rd ed. ed. Belmont, CA Wadsworth/Thomson.
Gensler, Henry J. 1998. Ethics a contemporary
introduction. Routledge.
Grace, Damian, and Stephen Cohen. 1998. Business
ethics Australian problems and cases. 2nd ed.
Melbourne Oxford University Press.
Mellahi, Kamel, and Wood, Geoffrey. 2003. The
Ethical Business Challenges and Controversies.
New York Palgrave Macmillan.
Perkins, Shel. 2006. Talent Is Not Enough
Business Secrets For Designers, Chapter 19. CA
New Riders Press.
Reynolds, George W. 2003. Ethics in information
technology. Boston, Mass. Thomson Course
Technology, (see Appendix C for Code of Ethics).
Shaw, William H. 2003. Ethics at work basic
readings in business ethics. New York Oxford
University Press.
Spinello, Richard A. 2006. Cyberethics morality
and law in cyberspace. 3rd ed. ed. Sudbury,
Mass. Jones and Bartlett Publishers.