Erin Vince
Due Date: March 27, 2014
Business Ethics- Second Essay
Dr. Lutz
Virtues vs. Values
Business Ethics can be conducted by viewing the study with two different
ideas. A person can preform their job by basing business decisions through a
standpoint of virtues or they can decide on business decisions by using particular
values. An arising question that is typically asked in the professional world; is it
better to understand business ethics in terms of virtues or in terms of values?
Understanding the difference between virtues and values can help oneself
better acquire knowledge as to how they must conduct leadership in the corporate
world. One must also have an even deeper understanding of what business ethics is.
After being able to distinguish between virtues and values then a person can fully
have the knowledge of the question that arises.
In many cases people believe that they use their values to conduct business,
however what they are using to guide them are their virtues. Even though it is seen
as a religious teaching, the virtues are taught when people are younger. It is the
norm to be taught manners and how to treat one another correctly. When we all
leaned virtues as a child we subconsciously tap into that idea when making
decisions at work that can then affect a large amount of people. “Our feelings,
motives and decisions are actually powerfully influenced by our past experiences,
stored in the pre-conscious and instincts from the unconscious.”1 Business is
conducted based on human behavior and human choice. Business ethics is the
representation of this.
Before human behavior can have an affect with decision-making, one must
have a grasp on what business ethics are. The understanding of business ethics is
best described in Peter F. Drucker’s article.
“There is only one ethics, one set of rules of morality, one code, that of
individual behavior in which the same rules apply to everyone alike. The only
difference between what is ethically right and ethically wrong behavior
which traditional moralist, almost without exception, would accept-would
indeed insist on- are differences grounded in social or cultural mores, and
then only in respect to “venial” offences. That is, the way things are done
rather than the substance of behavior.”2
Understanding this statement can help guide one to make a decision onto how they
should conduct their leadership decisions in the business environment. One must
question if they are to follow a path of virtues to lead in business or values?
The understanding of the meaning of virtue and value is immensely impactful
for forming a standpoint onto which ideal to conduct business by. “Most virtue
ethics theories take their inspiration from Aristotle who declared that a virtuous
person is someone who has ideal character traits.”3 A person who is seen as
“virtuous” has characteristics of moral virtues such as justices, fortitude and
McLeod, Saul. Unconscious Mind. 2009.
DRUCKER, PETER F. "What is "business ethics"?" THE PUBLIC INTEREST 18-36.
3 Virtue Ethics. http://www.iep.utm.edu/virtue/.
1
2
temperance. However, a value is explained as “the principles we use to define that
which is right, good and just.”4 Some of these principles include accountability and
patience, but the list can go on. These are ideas onto how employees should conduct
themselves and how they perceive their self-image in the business. One can infer
that a person must understand business ethics in terms of virtues.
A person with moral virtues in a business sense can be seen as a great leader.
Nonetheless, by applying virtues into business ethics it can lead to some difficulty.
Many people, especially of higher status, have a hard time trying to make sure they
can lead their company in the correct direction while trying to be a virtuous person.
People are faced with these implications everyday. It is a manner of how one has
adapted their mindset to these situations.
Looking into past experiences of people in a line of work who conducted
decisions by values. The issue was of nuclear weapons and the Vietnam War.
Political men and women were faced with a serious problem as to ending the war.
They had to come up with a way to do so. These people thought about what they
needed to do and the outcome was to bomb Japan. The military stated they used
their values to make a conclusion and argue what they did was ethically correct.
After a statement was released the article from Germain Grisez stated “the word
“values” here is used in a technical sense, familiar to readers of works on nuclear
deterrence, to refer to persons and property as distinct from military forces.”5
Meaning that their values were skewed to how they saw was fit to end the war. If
4
Navran, Frank J. Defining Values, Morals, and Ethics.
5
Grisez, Germain. he Moral Implications of a Nuclear Deterrent.
this was a decision made based on moral virtues many people would not be dead or
severely harmed by the nuclear blasts. The people who decided that using nuclear
weapons was a just idea were not conducting business ethics in the perfect sense.
They only used values that best fit for the military and the United State government.
Consideration of all aspects of how it can affect others was not debated.
If the outcome of the war were to have been conducted differently by using
the virtues the Politicians would have to consider the three moral virtues. First
being justice it “regulates man in relations with his fellow-men. It disposes us to
respect the rights of others, to give each man his due.” Temperance, which
“restrains the undue impulse of concupiscence for sensible pleasure.” Thirdly,
fortitude that “removes from the will those obstacles arising from the difficulties of
doing what reason requires.” 6 Just these three virtues can help lead a decision to
better outcomes. It is based on character when a person conducts oneself. Virtues
are able to portray a better self and show better leadership.
A value is based on how a person sees it’s fit for a company. The virtues are
based on characteristics that determine a better ethical person. In doing so when
business ethics is seen through the view of virtues it is better in terms of how
careers are conducted. It maybe a hard transition to become a more virtuous
person, but in doing so a company can better benefit from that adaption.
6
Virtues. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15472a.htm.
Bibliography
Dobson, John. "Applying virtue ethics to business: The agent-based approach."
Electronic Journal of Business Ethics and Organization Studies 12, no. 2.
DRUCKER, PETER F. "What is "business ethics"?" THE PUBLIC INTEREST 18-36.
Grisez, Germain. he Moral Implications of a Nuclear Deterrent.
http://www.catholicpeacefellowship.org/nextpage.asp?m=2571.
Juurikkala, Oskari. "Likeness to the Divinity? Virtues and Charismatic Leadership."
Electronic Journal of Business Ethics and Organization Studies 17, no. 2
(2012): 4-15.
McLeod, Saul. Unconscious Mind. 2009.
http://www.simplypsychology.org/unconscious-mind.html.
Navran, Frank J. Defining Values, Morals, and Ethics.
http://www.navran.com/article-values-morals-ethics.html.
Virtue Ethics. http://www.iep.utm.edu/virtue/.
Virtues. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15472a.htm.