Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
3-1
Major Purposes of Part Three
Part Three focuses on three important subjects—leadership
character, the role of values, and ethics at work.
Part Three Objectives
After completing Part Three, your students should be able to
better understand:
• How the character of the leader influences the behavior of followers;
• The importance of ethics;
• The levels and stages of moral development;
• Situational influences on the leadership process; and
• The ethical climates of organizations—profit maximizing, trusteeship, and
quality of life management.
PART THREE—The Importance of Ethics
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
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NOTES AND ANECDOTES
Religious Roots
Table 3.1 presents the percentages of the world’s population whose ethics have religious roots—
Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, etc.
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
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TABLE 3.1: RELIGIOUS POPULATION OF THE WORLD, 1998* (IN THOUSANDS)
Statistics of the world’s religions are only very rough approximations. Aside from Christianity,
few religions, if any, attempt to keep statistical records; and even Protestants and Catholics
employ different methods of counting members. All persons of whatever age who have received
baptism in the Catholic Church are counted as members, while in most Protestant Churches only
those who “join” the church are numbered. The compiling of statistics is further complicated by
the fact that in China one may be at the same time a Confucian, a Taoist, and a Buddhist. In
Japan, one may be both a Buddhist and a Shintoist.
Religion
Total
Percent
distri-
bution
Africa
Asia
Total
Religious
Population
5,929,839
100.0%
778,484
3,588,877
Christians
1,943,038
32.8%
356,277
283,734
Affiliated
Christians
1,835,352
31.0%
323,782
275,836
Roman
Catholics
1,026,501
17.3%
114,316
106,399
Protestants
316,445
5.3%
74,436
43,998
Orthodox
213,743
3.6%
33,660
15,232
Anglicans
63,748
1.1%
27,957
856
Other
Christians
373,832
6.3%
74,853
143,080
Unaffiliated
Christians
107,686
1.8%
32,495
7,898
Atheists
149,913
2.5%
420
121,451
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
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TABLE 3.1: RELIGIOUS POPULATION OF THE WORLD, 1998* [IN THOUSANDS]
(continued)
Baha’is
6,764
0.1%
1,695
3,260
Buddhists
353,794
6.0%
138
348,806
Confucians
6,241
0.1%
⎯
6,207
Chinese Folk
Religionists 2
379,162
6.4%
33
377,795
Ethnic
Religionists
248,565
4.2%
97,200
148,189
Hindus
761,689
12.8%
2,411
755,500
Jains
3,922
0.1%
65
3,850
Jews
14,111
0.2%
230
4,139
Mandeans
38
⎯
⎯
38
Muslims
1,164,622
19.6%
315,000
812,000
New
Religionists3
100,144
1.7%
27
98,548
Nonreligious4
759,655
12.8%
4,863
600,822
Other
Religionists
1,001
0.0%
68
11
Shintoists
2,789
0.0%
⎯
2,727
Sikhs
22,332
0.4%
53
21,531
Spiritists
11,785
0.2%
3
⎯
Zoroastrians
274
⎯
1
269
NOTES: ⎯ Represents or rounds to zero. *Latest data available.
1. Includes Russia.
2. Followers of traditional Chinese religion.
3. Followers of Asiatic 20th-century New Religions, New Religious movements, radical new crisis religions, and non-
Christian syncretistic mass religions.
4. Persons professing no religion, nonbelievers, agnostics, freethinkers, and dereligionized secularists indifferent to all
religions.
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
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NOTES AND ANECDOTES
The Secular Tradition
Aristotle was one of the first and perhaps most influential of all people to shape the ethics of
Western civilization from a secular orientation. He believed that every type of animal has a
common essence or nature, and that human beings are essentially, or by nature, rational. He
viewed rationality as the central and most significant trait distinguishing humankind from other
creatures. Further, Aristotle taught that the good person is the one who lives most rationally and
whose moral judgments and social conduct are born of contemplation and reason, in contrast to
spontaneity and emotionality. Today, when we address a moral dilemma by saying, “Let us use
reason; let us use logic; let us think rationally about this,” we are being ethical in the Aristotelian,
secular tradition.
Aristotle taught an ethical doctrine of the “golden mean,” or of “moderation.” He believed it
was good to seek balance between too much and too little, and that the result would be
moderation, the ethical ideal. Aristotle believed the following elements were required to live a
whole human life characterized by maximum living.
1) Health: physical and emotional well-being.
2) Wealth: absence of economic want or need.
3) Friendship: The love and admiration of worthy comrades.
4) Moral Virtue:
a. Justice—a clear sense of right and wrong.
b. Courage—bravery to uphold one’s convictions.
c. Moderation—the avoidance of harmful extremes.
d. Prudence—action tempered by caution.
5) Intellectual Virtue including:
a. Knowledge—breadth and depth of understanding the world.
b. Wisdom—good judgment based on reason.
6) Good Fortune: favorable luck and circumstances; she was born to caring parents.
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
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NOTES AND ANECDOTES
Watergate—Think of the importance of the three levels and six stages of morality in the
American political fiasco called the Watergate affair.
Late in the summer of 1972, as the presidential campaign swung into high gear, six
men were arrested after breaking into the headquarters of the Democratic National
Committee. Those headquarters were located in Washington, D.C., in a building complex
called the Watergate. The break-in, subsequent cover-up, and eventual investigation
became known as “the Watergate affair.”
The six burglars were soon convicted, but the true scope of the criminal conspiracy
remained hidden for some time. It was ultimately discovered that the burglars were acting
not on their own initiative, but under the direction of members of the Committee to
Re-elect the President (CREEP). This was revealed only after an elaborate attempt to
cover up the link, including extensive perjury on the part of highly placed officials in
CREEP and in the White House. These events caused an entire nation to stop and wonder
why intelligent, respected, and apparently “moral” men would condone and commit such
crimes.
There is no single, satisfying answer to this question. Different individuals had
different reasons for participating in the crimes of Watergate. But it may help to
recognize that these men were confronted with difficult moral dilemmas and to analyze
the decisions they made in terms of levels of morality.
Some of the men involved may have rationalized their participation in terms typical of
stages 1 and 2: they may have burglarized for the sake of money, and lied in order to
avoid punishment. Other participants in the Watergate affair may have exhibited moral
reasoning typical of stages 3 or 4. For instance, a CREEP official named Herbert Porter
testified at the Congressional Watergate hearings (1973) that he had committed perjury
because of group pressure.
The following is an excerpt of an exchange between Porter and Senator Howard
Baker:
Baker: At any time, did you ever think of saying, I do not think this is quite
right?
Porter: Yes I did.
Baker: What did you do about it?
Porter: I did not do anything about it.
Baker: Why didn’t you?
Porter: In all honesty, probably because of the fear of group pressure that would
ensue from not being a team player.
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
3-7
Porter’s reasoning is typical for individuals at stage 3, where right and wrong are
determined by group norms.
Other participants, like Jeb Stuart Magruder, the deputy director of CREEP, justified their
involvement in the Watergate crimes as being essential to “national security” and the preservation
of the social order. This sort of moral reasoning is typical of individuals at stage 4. At this stage,
if the system is seen as more basic than the rights of its individual members, it is being viewed
from a stage 4 perspective.
Finally, consider the moral arguments of Archibald Cox, the Harvard Law School professor
who served as Special Watergate Prosecutor until his dismissal by President Nixon. Cox argued
that, “The rights of speech, privacy, dignity, and other fundamental liberties . . . must be respected
by both government and private persons.” This emphasis on constitutional rights and
responsibilities is typical of individuals at stage 5.
In a survey of 370 college students conducted during the winter of 1973-1974, researchers
found support for the conclusion that attitudes about Watergate depend on a person’s stage of
moral reasoning. As a first step, each subject’s stage was determined by examining answers to
questions about moral dilemmas. Most of the subjects were at stage 3, 4, or 5. Next, the
relationship between those stages and attitudes toward Watergate was examined. In general, it
was found that subjects at stages 3 and 4 were more likely to approve of the acts of the Watergate
participants than subjects at stage 5. For example, approximately 48 percent of the subjects at
stage 3 and 23 percent of the subjects at stage 4 thought that Magruder was right to perjure
himself in order to cover up the break-ins; in contrast, only 5 percent of the subjects at stage 5
thought so.
Answer the following questions to help personalize the subject of levels of morality: at what
level of moral reasoning do you operate? Are you stage 1-2 (egocentric), 3-4
(community-oriented), or 5-6 (principled) in your response to ethical dilemmas at work, in your
community, and in your personal life? Think of the leaders you have respected. At what level of
morality do they operate?
NOTES AND ANECDOTES
Ethics in the Work Setting
Ethics have been important in the work setting since at least 2700-2200 BC. During that period,
Egyptian labor was called forth by devotion to the Pharaoh. The people believed their king was a
god and thus deserving of a supreme offering of energies; to do right was to work in service to the
Pharaoh. The following is testimony to the early Egyptian’s concern for right conduct at work:
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
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On a rough tablet of chalk in the British a chief workman has written down the
names of his forty-three workmen and, by each name, the days of the month on
which the man failed to appear. Many were of exemplary industry, and rarely
missed a day throughout the year; less confidence could be placed in others, who
failed more than a fortnight [to appear].
Numberless are the excuses for the missing days, which the chief workman has
written down in red ink: the commonest is of course illness; in a few instances
we find lazy noted down; a few workmen are pious and “are sacrificing to the
god;” sometimes a slight indisposition of wife or daughter is considered a valid
reason for neglect of work.
NOTES AND ANECDOTES
Amasa Whitney’s factory rules, published in 1830, reflect the work ethics of nineteenth-century
America. Vestiges of this era can still be seen in work rules, time clocks, and management
attitudes in many work environments today. See Table 3.2.
TABLE 3.2: ETHICS AT WORK
RULES & REGULATIONS
To Be Observed By All Persons Employed In The Factory Of Amasa Whitney
FIRST: The Mill will be put into operation 10 minutes before sunrise at all seasons of the year.
The gate will be shut 10 minutes past sunset from the 20th of March to the 20th of September, at
30 minutes past 8 from the 20th of September to the 20th of March, Saturdays at sunset.
SECOND: It will be required of every person employed that they be in the room in which they
are employed at the time mentioned above for the mill to be in operation.
THIRD: Hands are not allowed to leave the factory in working hours without the consent of their
Overseer. If they do, they will be liable to have their time set off.
FOURTH: Anyone who by negligence or misconduct causes damage to the machinery, or
impedes the progress of the work, will be liable to make good the damage for the same.
FIFTH: Anyone employed for a certain length of time will be expected to make up their lost
time, if required, before they will be entitled to their pay.
SIXTH: Any person employed for no certain length of time will be required to give at least 4
weeks notice of their intention to leave (sickness excepted) or forfeit 4 weeks pay, unless by
particular agreement.
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
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TABLE 3.2: ETHICS AT WORK (continued)
SEVENTH: Anyone wishing to be absent any length of time must get permission of the
Overseer.
EIGHTH: All who have leave of absence for any length of time will be expected to return in that
time; and in case they do not return in that time and do not give satisfactory reason, they will be
liable to forfeit one week’s work or less, if they commence work again. If they do not, they will
be considered as one who leaves without giving any notice.
NINTH: Anything tending to impede the progress of manufacturing in working hours, such as
unnecessary conversation, reading, eating fruit, etc., must be avoided.
TENTH: While I shall endeavor to employ a judicious Overseer, the help will follow his
direction in all cases.
ELEVENTH: No smoking will be allowed in the factory, as it is considered very unsafe, and
particularly specified in the Insurance.
TWELFTH: In order to forward the work, job hands will follow the above regulations as well as
those otherwise employed.
THIRTEENTH: It is intended that the bell be rung 5 minutes before the gate is hoisted, so that all
persons may be ready to start their machines precisely at the time mentioned.
FOURTEENTH. All persons who cause damage to the machinery, break glass out of the
windows, etc., will immediately inform the Overseer of the same.
FIFTEENTH: The hands will take breakfast from the 1st of November to the last of March,
before going to work. They will take supper from the 1st of May to the last of August, 30 minutes
past 5 o’clock p.m., and from the 20th of September to the 20th of March, between sundown and
dark. 25 minutes will be allowed for breakfast, 30 minutes for dinner, and 25 minutes for supper,
and no more from the time the gate is shut till started again.
SIXTEENTH: The hands will leave the Factory so that the doors may be fastened within 10
minutes from the time of leaving off work.
NOTES AND ANECDOTES
Today, the U.S. government has numerous laws that reflect moral values and govern the actions
of organizations. Examples of major federal laws concerning employee relations are presented in
Table 3.3. Being familiar with these laws can help the leader in dealing with important work
issues.
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
3-10
TABLE 3.3: U.S. WORK LAWS CONCERNING EMPLOYEE RELATIONS –
FEDERAL LAW
1. U.S. Constitution: 1st, 5th, and 14th
Amendments
Prohibits deprivation of employment rights without due
process of law—federal, state and local governments.
2. Civil Rights Act of 1866 and 1870
Prohibits race discrimination in hiring, placement, and
continuation of employment for private employers, unions,
and employment agencies.
3. Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890
Used by anti-union employers to combat union economic
activity; still has some importance to union today.
4. Anti-Injunction Act of 1932 (Norris-Laguardia
Act)
Prohibits injunction against forms of collective action.
5. National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933
Section 7a addresses collective bargaining rights and
recognizes the right of workers to organize and bargain
collectively.
6. National Labor Relations Act of 1935
Reinforces the powers of the National Labor Relations Board
and promotes industrial peace through recognition of
employer-employee rights.
7. Labor Management Act of 1947 (Taft-Hartley
Act)
Provides regulation of labor relations issues including
prohibition of closed shop agreements, restriction of
secondary pressure by unions, and creation of the Federal
Mediation and Conciliation Service.
8. Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure
Act of 1959 (Landrum-Griffin)
Provides regulation of internal operations of unions and
defines fiduciary responsibility of officers.
9. Equal Pay Act of 1963
Prohibits sex differences in pay for equal work—private
employer.
10. Title VI, 1964 Civil Rights Act
Prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or
national origin—private employers; federal state, and local
governments, unions; and employment agencies.
11. Title VII, 1964 Civil Rights Act
Prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or
national origin—private employers; federal, state, and local
governments, unions; and employment agencies.
12. Executive Orders 11246 and 11375 (1965)
Prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or
national origin (affirmative action)—federal contractors and
subcontractors.
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
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TABLE 3.3: U.S. WORK LAWS CONCERNING EMPLOYEE RELATIONS⎯
FEDERAL LAW (continued)
13. Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 and
1975
Prohibits age discrimination against those between the ages of 40
and 65 years—all employers. Restricts mandatory retirement.
14. Title 1, 1968, Civil Rights Act
Prohibits interference with a person’s exercise of rights with respect
to race, religion, color, or national origin.
15. Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA-1970)
Established mandatory safety and health standards in organizations.
16. Postal Reorganization Act of 1970
Brought the U.S. Postal Service under the jurisdiction of the NLRB
for enforcement purposes.
17. Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Prohibits discrimination based on physical or mental disability
(affirmative action).
18. Employment Retirement Income Security Act of
1974 (ERISA)
Regulates private pension benefit plans.
19. Vietnam Era Veteran’s Readjustment Act of 1974.
Prohibits discrimination against disabled veterans and Vietnam era
veterans (affirmative action).
20. Healthcare Amendments of 1974
Expanded coverage of Taft-Hartley Act to include non-profit, private
health care facilities.
21. Privacy Act of 1974
Provides employees legal right to examine letters of reference
concerning them unless they waive the right.
22. Mandatory Retirement Act
Prohibits forced retirement before age 70.
23. Public Works Employment Acts of 1976 and 1977
Addresses Employment Issues in American Public Works.
24. Revised Guidelines on Employee Selection
Established specific rules on employment selection practices.
25. Civil Service Reform Act of 1978
Created regulatory structure for collective bargaining for federal
employees.
26. Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978
Prohibits employment discrimination against pregnant workers.
27. Job Training Partnership Act of 1982
Addresses need to develop employability of American workers.
28. Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
Prohibits knowingly employing illegal aliens.
29. Drug free Workplace Act of 1988
Established drug-free workplace requirements for federal
contractors.
30. Employee Polygraph Protection of 1988.
Established regulations on the use of polygraph technology and data.
31. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Prohibits discrimination against a qualified individual on the
basis of disability. Gives equal access to employment,
transportation, and buildings.
32. Civil Rights Act of 1991
Reaffirms Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act; reinstates
burden of proof by employer and allows for punitive and
compensatory damages.
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
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TABLE 3.3: U.S. WORK LAWS CONCERNING EMPLOYEE RELATIONS⎯
FEDERAL LAW (continued)
33. Job Training Partnership Act revisions 1992
and 1994
1992, Job Training Reform Amendments; 1999, School to
Work Opportunities Act.
34. Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
Addresses medical leave issues of employees. Allows
employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave with job guarantee
for childbirth, adoption, or family illness.
35. Gramm-Leach-Bliley Privacy Act of 2001
Privacy law dealing with collection and use of personal
information including sharing of nonpublic personal
information with third parties.
NOTES AND ANECDOTES
Employee Selection
A practical workplace and leadership issue with ethical and legal overtones is that of employee
selection. Two major rules to follow are: 1) Every question asked of a candidate should be job
related; and 2) Any general question asked should be asked of all candidates.
Prohibited information cannot be used to disqualify an applicant. Non-prohibited information
is information that relates to a bona fide occupational qualification. A bona fide occupational
qualification allows discrimination on the basis of religion, sex, or national origin where it is
reasonably necessary to normal operation of a particular enterprise.
Table 3.4 provides a list of topics or questions that can and cannot be asked.
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
3-13
TABLE 3.4: PREEMPLOYMENT INQUIRIES THAT CAN AND CANNOT BE ASKED
Name
Can Ask: Current legal name and whether the candidate has ever worked under a different name.
Cannot Ask: Maiden name or whether the person has changed his or her name.
Address
Can Ask: Current residence and length of residence.
Cannot Ask: If the candidate owns or rents his or her home, unless it is a bona fide occupational
qualification.
Age
Can Ask: If the candidate is between specific age groups, 21 to 70, to meet job specifications.
Can ask, if hired, can you furnish proof of age? For example, an employee must be 21 to serve
alcoholic beverages.
Cannot Ask: How old are you? Cannot ask to see a birth certificate. Do not ask an older person
how much longer they plan to work before retiring.
Sex
Can Ask: Only if sex is a bona fide occupational qualification.
Cannot Ask: If sex is not a bona fide occupational qualification. To be sure not to violate sexual
harassment laws, do not ask questions or make comments remotely considered flirtatious.
Marital and Family Status
Can Ask: If the candidate can meet the work schedule, and whether the candidate has activities,
responsibilities, or commitments that may hinder meeting attendance requirements. The same
question(s) should be asked of both sexes.
Cannot Ask: To select a marital status or any questions regarding children or other family issues.
National Origin, Citizenship, Race, or Color
Can Ask: If the candidate is legally eligible to work in the United States, and if this can be proven
if hired.
Cannot Ask: To identify national origin, citizenship, race or color (or that of parents and other
relatives).
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
3-14
TABLE 3.4: PREEMPLOYMENT INQUIRIES THAT CAN AND CANNOT BE ASKED
(continued)
Language
Can Ask: To list languages the candidate speaks and/or writes fluently. Candidates may be asked
if they speak and/or write a specific language if it is a bona fide occupational qualification.
Cannot Ask: The language spoken off the job, or how the applicant learned the language.
Convictions
Can Ask: If the candidate has been convicted of a felony and other information if the felony is job
related.
Cannot Ask: If the candidate has ever been arrested. Cannot ask for information regarding a
conviction that is not job related.
Height and Weight
Can Ask: If the candidate meets or exceeds bona fide occupational qualification height and/or
weight requirements, and if it can be proven if hired.
Cannot Ask: The candidate’s height or weight if it is not a bona fide occupational qualification.
Religion
Can Ask: If the candidate is of a specific religion when it is a bona fide organizational
qualification. Can ask if the candidate can meet the work schedules.
Cannot Ask: Religious preference, affiliations, or denominations.
Credit Ratings or Garnishments
Can Ask: If such financial information is a bona fide occupational qualification.
Cannot Ask: If such financial information is not a bona fide occupational qualification.
Education and Work Experience
Can Ask: For information on education and work experience that is job related.
Cannot Ask: For information on education and work experience that is not job related.
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
3-15
TABLE 3.5: THE GOLDEN RULE
JUDAISM
“WHAT IS HATEFUL TO YOU, DO NOT TO YOUR FELLOW MAN. THAT IS THE LAW:
ALL THE REST IS COMMENTARY”
HINDUISM
“THIS IS THE SUM OF DUTY: DO NAUGHT UNTO OTHERS WHICH WOULD CAUSE
YOU PAIN IF DONE TO YOU”
ISLAM
“NO ONE OF YOU IS A BELIEVER UNTIL HE DESIRES FOR HIS BROTHER THAT
WHICH HE DESIRES FOR HIMSELF”
ZORASTRAINISM
“THAT NATURE ONLY IS GOOD WHEN IT SHALL NOT DO UNTO ANOTHER
WHATEVER IS NOT GOOD FOR ITS OWN SELF”
CONFUCIANISM
“DO NOT UNTO OTHERS WHAT YOU WOULD NOT HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU”
JAINISM
“IN HAPPINESS AND SUFFERING, IN JOY AND GRIEF, WE SHOULD REGARD ALL
CREATURES AS WE REGARD OUR OWN SELF”
NATIVE AMERICNA
“RESPECT FOR ALL LIFE IS THE FOUNDATION”
SIKHISM
“DON’T CREATE ENMITY WITH ANYONE AS GOD IS WITHIN EVERYONE”
CHRISTIANITY
“ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER YE WOULD THAT THEY SHOULD DO TO YOU, DO YE
EVEN SO TO THEM”
BAHAI
“BLESSED IS HE WHO PREFERETH HIS BROTHER BEFORE HIMSELF”
BUDDHISM
“HURT NOT OTHERS IN WAYS THAT YOU YOUSELF WOULD FIND HURTFUL”
COMMON COURTESY
“TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD WANT TO BE TREATED”
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
3-16
TABLE 3.6: TEN COMMANDMENTS OF SUCCESS
1. Work Hard. Hard work is the best investment a person can make.
2. Study Hard. Knowledge enables one to work more intelligently and
effectively.
3. Have Initiative. Ruts often deepen into graves.
4. Love Your Work. Then you will find pleasure in mastering it.
5. Be Exact. Slipshod methods bring slipshod results.
6. Have the Spirit of Conquest. So you can successfully battle and overcome difficulties.
7. Cultivate Personality. Personality is to a person what fragrance is to the
flower.
8. Help and Share with Others. The real test of greatness lies in giving opportunity to
others.
9. Be Democratic. Unless you value people, you can never be a successful
leader of them.
10. In All Things Do Your Best. Do your best and you will have everything;
do less than your best and you will have done nothing.
TABLE 3.7: COMMUNICATING VALUES
When the leader says . . . the people hear . . . and the value or
behavior
that is promoted is . . .
Let me know if you run I don’t expect you to handle Helpfulness
into any problems. trouble alone.
How can we improve I value your opinion. Respect
the company?
You look like you need I care about your welfare. Consideration
a break.
I’m sorry you weren’t here. You are important. Self-worth
If that machine keeps breaking You can count on me to get Support
down, we’ll order a new one. what you need to do your job.
I really made a mistake on I admit it when I am wrong. Honesty
that one.
How can you prevent that You are mature enough to Trust
from happening again? correct your own errors.
Although your proposal was seen I thought highly enough of the Creativity
as too costly by top management, suggestion to send it upstairs.
they were impressed. Keep up the
good work.
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
3-17
NOTES AND ANECDOTES
MORAL DEVELOPMENT – HOW THE FIRE IS LIT
In all societies, a definition of good exists that dictates the appropriateness of moral
behavior and serves as the basis for the development of young people. Consider the
moral programming in the Girl Scout Promise and Law and the Boy Scout Laws:
The Girl Scout Promise
On my honor, I will try:
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
The Girl Scout Law
I will do my best:
to be honest
to be fair
to help where I am needed
to be cheerful
to be friendly and considerate
to be a sister to every Girl Scout
to respect authority
to use resources wisely
to protect and improve the world around me
to show respect for myself and others through my words and actions.
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
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The Boy Scout Laws
1. Trustworthy – A Scout’s honor is to be trusted. If he were
to violate his honor by telling a lie, or by cheating, or by
not doing exactly a given task when trusted on his honor,
he may be directed to hand over his Scout Badge.
2. Loyal – He is loyal to all to whom loyalty is due: his Scout
leader, his home and parents, and country.
3. Helpful – He must be prepared at any time to save a life,
help injured persons, and share the home duties. He must
do at least one “good turn” for somebody every day.
4. Friendly – He is a friend to all and a brother to every other
Scout.
5. Courteous – He is polite to all, especially to women,
children, and older people, and the weak and helpless. He
must not take pay for being helpful or courteous.
6. Kind – He is a friend to animals. He will not kill or hurt
any living creature needlessly, but will strive to save and
protect all harmless life.
7. Obedient – He obeys his parents, Scoutmaster, Patrol
Leader, and all other duly constituted authorities.
8. Cheerful – He smiles whenever he can. His obedience to
orders is prompt and cheery. He never shirks or grumbles
at hardships.
9. Thrifty – He does not wantonly destroy property. He
works faithfully, wastes nothing, and makes the best use of
his opportunities. He saves his money so that he may pay
his own way, be generous to those in need, and helpful to
worthy projects. He may work for pay, but must not
receive tips for courtesies or “Good Turns.”
10. Brave—He has the courage to face danger in spite of
fear, and to stand up for the right against the coaxing
of friends or the jeers or threats of enemies, and defeat
does not down him.
11. Clean—He keeps clean in body and thought, stands for
clean speech, clean sport, clean habits, and travels with
a clean crowd.
12. Reverent—He is reverent toward God. He is faithful
in his religious duties, and respects the convictions of
others in matters of custom and religion.
Part 03 – The Importance of Ethics
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NOTES AND ANECDOTES
PERSONAL VALUES
In a sense, personal values are the glasses through which we view the world. People are
always making ethical decisions as they see things personally and the way they believe
things should be.
The Foxhole
A sergeant said of a soldier in a foxhole: “Never mind him, as long as we
can save the squad.”
The lieutenant said of the squad: “Never mind them, as long as we can
save the platoon.”
The captain said of the platoon: “The platoon doesn’t matter as long as we
can save the company.
The colonel said of the company: “Never mind the company, as long as
we can save the regiment.
The brigadier was interested only in saving the brigade, while the general
wanted only to save the army.
“The army doesn’t matter,” said the leader of the nation, “as long as we
can save the country.”
“The country doesn’t matter,” said the mother of the soldier in the foxhole,
as long as my son comes home safely.”
CASE
Locks versus Lives
The first of May, the administrator of the State Mental Hospital learned that keys to security
wards for dangerous criminals had been lost or stolen when he received an early morning
telephone call from the night administrator of the hospital. Since duplicate keys were available in
the hospital safe, the administrator, Mr. Jackson, knew that loss of the keys would not interfere
with the routine functioning of the hospital. But he decided to call a general staff meeting the
next morning to consider the problem.
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At the meeting, Mr. Jackson explained the problem of the missing keys and asked for
suggestions on what to do. The assistant administrator suggested that the matter be kept
confidential among the staff since public knowledge could lead to damaging publicity and
possibly to an investigation by higher officials in the Department of Health and Rehabilitative
Services.
The head of security for the hospital reported that only two keys were missing and that,
although he could not yet determine if the keys had been stolen or lost, he thought they probably
had been stolen. He emphasized that the missing keys were “master keys” that could open the
doors to all the security wards where the most dangerous criminals were housed. In his opinion,
immediate replacement of the locks on those doors was required.
The director of accounting estimated the cost of replacing the locks at over $10,000. He
reminded the meeting that the operating costs of the hospital already exceeded its operating
budget by about 10 percent due to unexpected inflation and other unforeseen expenses, and that
an emergency request for a supplemental budget appropriation to cover the deficit had been sent
to the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services the previous week. In sum, he
concluded, no funds were available in the budget for replacing the locks, and an additional
request for $10,000 might jeopardize the request for supplementary operating funds that had
already been submitted. Besides, since it was early May, the hospital would begin operating
under the budget for the next fiscal year in approximately sixty days. The locks could then be
replaced and the costs charged against the new budget. Another staff member reasoned aloud that
if the keys had been lost, any person finding them would not likely know of their purpose, and
that if the keys had been stolen they probably would never be used in any unauthorized
way.
Mr. Jackson thanked the staff members for their contributions, ended the meeting, and faced
the decision. He reflected upon the fact that behind the doors of the security wards were
convicted first-degree murderers and sexual psychopaths, among others. He also remembered his
impeccable thirteen-year record as an efficient and effective hospital administrator.
As Mr. Jackson continued his deliberations, the thought occurred to him that perhaps the most
important action would be to find and place the blame on the person who was responsible for the
disappearance of the two keys. Moreover, security procedures might need reviewing. Mr.
Jackson could not clearly see how best to proceed.