Flow Charts

MORALITY

1) What is Ethics and Morals?

Ethics and morals relate to “right” and “wrong” conduct. Though they are sometimes used interchangeably, they are different: Ethics refer to rules provided by an external source, e.g., codes of conduct in workplaces or principles in religions. Morals refer to an individual’s own principles regarding right and wrong.

| Ethics | Morals |

What are they? | The rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group or culture. | Principles or habits with respect to right or wrong conduct. While morals also prescribe dos and don'ts, morality is ultimately a personal compass of right and wrong. |

Where do they come from? | Social system - External | Individual - Internal |

Why we do it? | Because society says it is the right thing to do. | Because we believe in something being right or wrong. |

Flexibility | Ethics are dependent on others for definition. They tend to be consistent within a certain context, but can vary between contexts. | Usually consistent, although can change if an individual’s beliefs change. |

Origin | Greek word "ethos" meaning"character" | Latin word "mos" meaning "custom" |

Acceptability | Ethics are governed by professional and legal guidelines within a particular time and place | Morality transcends cultural norms |

Conflicts Between Ethics and Morals

One professional example of ethics conflicting with morals is the work of a defense attorney. A lawyer’s morals may tell her that murder is reprehensible and that murderers should be punished, but her ethics as a professional lawyer, require her to defend her client to the best of her abilities, even if she knows that the client is guilty.

BUSINESS ETHICS

In any organization from top executive to bottom line employees, ethics is considered as everybody business. It is not just only achieving high level of economic performance but also to conduct business ethically. Different meaning is given to...