Business Ethics:
Transcending Requirements
through Moral Leadership
------Chapter # 11 – Becoming Moral
CHAPTER # 11 – Becoming Moral
I – The Moral Person
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Attributes of the Moral Person
Conflict
Balance
Dual System of Ethics
Why Be Moral?
The Moral Business Manager
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
II – Summary of Philosophical
Ethics
1. Reason
6. The Social Good
and the
Community
3. Certainty in Ethics
7. The making of
and Morals
Morality
4. Ethical Strategy
8. Self Interest
5. Function of
9. Balance
Ethical Order
2. Moral Education
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
I – The Moral Person
Attributes of the Moral Person
Intelligence
Intelligence is an
important virtue for the
moral person.
The rational, intelligent
person carefully weighs
the arguments, makes
rational calculations,
provides reasons for a
decision.
Strives for the correct
answer, is not afraid to
make and correct
mistakes, and relies on
thinking and reasoning
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Self Control
Is willing to act on
results of ethical
deliberation
Strongly adheres to
moral rules and
standards
Possesses the
character to follow the
“order” of his/her
intelligence
Demonstrates selfcontrol and selfdiscipline
Integrity
Honorable, trustworthy and
loyal to him/herself.
Adheres to the rules of
conduct
Committed to the rules of
legal and moral
laws.
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Veracity
States their beliefs
Is faithful to others
Freedom
Keeps their promise
Meets personal expectations
Disdains authoritarianism
Cherishes the freedom to
pursue intellectual,
practical, and moral
excellence
Justice
Treats others with dignity and respect
Judges others on their merit
Is open and unbiased
Acknowledges the interests of others
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Accountability
Engages in self-restraint, considers the consequences for his/her
actions, and takes responsibility for those actions
The Common Good
Depends on a good community and society to reach the goal of
living the “good” life.
Immorality is the result of weakness in a persons
intelligence, discipline, and community
responsibility
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Conflict
(The essence of morality)
Conflict is unavoidable and always present
Generates difficult moral problems
Be your own person
Use rational and ethical reasoning to resolve
conflict
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Balance
Duel System of
Ethics
Fundamental ethical principle
Strikes the right balance
between conflicting interests
Ethical resolutions can be
achieved through good
judgment, moral integrity, and
wisdom
Combines equally reason and
feeling, prudence and
spontaneity, intellect and
instinct, theory and practice,
public and private activity
Utility vs. justice
Moral assertions are valid and
just when they contribute to
the welfare of humanity
Acknowledge that conflict
exists
Twofold criteria for solving
moral dilemmas: promote good
over bad, and adapt one’s
actions to the situation
Life as a mixture of ethical
considerations
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
Why Be Moral?
Life continuously presents conflict between moral
actions and other types of conduct.
Temptation entices one to be immoral.
Moral Philosophy vs. Moral Justification.
Self-interest as persuasion to follow moral rules.
Morals based on self-interests.
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
Ethical Justification
Ethical Relativist
The rules of society are
necessary for coexistence,
cooperation, and prosperity
Legal Positivist
Obey the laws to avoid
punishment
Utilitarian
Be moral for the greater good
and general welfare of society
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
Egoistic Justification
Being moral results in harmonious inner-peace, personal
satisfaction, and happiness.
Setting goals that fit the scheme of human development
and satisfies one’s desires.
Acknowledges the limits of their actions and progresses
steadily toward attainable objectives.
Recognizes a way of life that not only provides a satisfying
life for themselves as an individual but also the
conditions necessary for a meaningful and satisfying
social life.
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
Problems with Justifying Morality
- Presuming that society needs and requires morality, and if it is an
advantage to have others act in a moral manner, should an
individual adopt a moral way of life or act morally?
- There will be at least some circumstances where an individual can act
immorally without punishment, unrecognized, and with the intended
result.
- The Machiavellian goal is to succeed in making one’s self-interest
superior, and this can be attained by inducing others to make the
demands of morality paramount in their lives.
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
It is necessary to demonstrate
to others that morality is
necessary for the well-being of
people in general.
Morality demands that people,
to some extent and at certain
times, act in ways that they
cannot perceive as egoistically
prudential.
Through the success of others
one can create a way of life
which allows the self-interests
of an individual to become
consistent
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
The Moral Business Manager
Prudent Self-Interest
The moral manager acts in the best interest of the
stakeholders.
No Self-Exoneration
Does not place blame for moral failings on others
Practical Reason
Utilizes reasonableness as a standard for moral
rightness and attempts to reach the most reasonable
solution for a given situation
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
Impartiality
Moral managers are impartial and considerate of others when
making decisions. Ethics becomes more relevant when making
business decisions that affect human beings.
Management Ethics
Morality should be viewed as a management
responsibility. Moral questions can assist business managers
in developing a sound, ethical philosophy and high ethical
standards. A moral business manager can form a code of
ethics for the business by use of the Doctrine of the Means
to determine moral standards, use of inductive reasoning
and go with current practices, or, use Utilitarianism to
determine if the “mean” standard promotes greater good, and
use Kant’s Categorical Imperative to ensure that an act is
not unjust to others.
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
Moral Accountability
Incorporates morality into business decision making and holds
itself accountable for their standard of moral conduct.
Codes of Ethics
Managers must adopt a code of ethics which is a set of just
laws ethical principles, and fundamental moral rules, governing
how businesses and management treat one another,
stakeholders and society. Set moral rules for all to abide by.
Trust
Business managers must take collective action to ensure that
goods and services are available and accessible to all. They
must take responsibility for management’s moral behavior, and
do so seriously enough so as to monitor, discipline, and even
remove business managers when the standards of morality
are violated.
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
Moral Leadership
Business managers can raise the level of conventional morality
through moral power, the implementation of moral concerns,
and by being instrumental in building the characters of
others. He or she must demonstrate that moral integrity and
competence are inseparable, that moral character and trust are
indispensable traits of business management as a profession.
By demonstrating enthusiasm, cooperativeness, self-discipline,
and dedication, the moral manager can build teamwork and a
moral business entity.
Why Should Business Managers Be Moral?
By adhering to moral standards, moral managers acquire
the ability to increase their discretion, and thus win the
public’s trust.
Acting immorally is an abdication of responsibility.
II – Summary of Philosophical
Ethics
Reason
The basis of morality is found principally in the powers of
the mind that are common to all people. Reason is used
ethically to establish the moral standards that guide
human conduct.
Ethics compels the use of reason on the part of an
individual who is asked, and expected, to think out and
make his or her own moral decisions.
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
Moral Education
Reveals what can be taught and seeks to provide
insight rather than preach.
The true and proper function of the moralist is to
promote good conduct by ethically discovering and
explaining the nature of morality.
Educating people to weigh the moral issues and
to reason ethically to achieve moral conclusions will
result in more people becoming moral.
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
Certainty in Ethics and Morals
External justification for validating ethical principles is
appropriate but the question is how to justify them.
Unless moral questions can be “answered” by ethics,
morality is open to subjectivism, relativism, amoralism,
and disorder.
It is not realistic to reduce all ethical considerations to one
neat pattern, so as to provide one constant principled
solution to all moral problems.
As long as absolute certainty is not required, one can use
moral philosophy and ethics to render moral judgments.
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
Ethical Strategy
A satisfactory ethical approach is to base morality on a
variety of ethical doctrines.
- Egoistic, utilitarian, and Kantian moral philosophies
are needed to attain the best possible life a person
is capable of.
- The ethics of principle must be conjoined with the
ethics of virtue. For every virtuous character trait,
there will be a principle defining the type of moral
action in that the virtue is to express itself; and for
every principle, there will be a virtue which exhibits a
disposition to act in accordance with the principle.
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
Function of the Ethical Order
The function of the ethical order is to promote the fullest
development of the capacities of all its members and to
maximize human expression.
The ethical order is committed to moving human beings to
the full realization of their capacities and powers, to the
convictions that happiness is possible and attainable by
all.
The ethical order underscores freedom, expression, and
(harmonious) development which are all essential
aspects of the “good life.”
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
The Social Good and the Community
The purpose of ethics is to provide the moral rules required
if people are to live together, develop, compete, and
prosper in a community setting.
Morality serves to place restraints on unbridled selfishness
that denies others’ respect and overrides their rights.
Morality protects the interests of individuals within a
society.
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
The Making of Morality
Morality is the rules of conduct that restrain, guide, and
determine “right” courses of action.
Ethics is the tool that can build and maintain a moral
system of secular, objective, universal rules governing
conduct.
Ethical theories are the means by which morality is
constructed.
Morality serves as the means by which modifications of the
actions and attitudes of people are brought out.
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
Self-Interest
Self-interest characterizes one’s actions and motives.
Moral standards and rules, linked with two human
attributes-self-interest and a sense of evenhandedness
can create a well grounded system of morality.
If a moral system is to be practical and sustaining, it must
cohere with the motivational capacities of individuals.
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
Balance
Through the balancing of reason, morality, and self-interest
it may be possible to create a society in which one can
live the balanced life through the combination of selfinterest, social good, and justice.
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
Conclusion
To be considered a moral person one must hold various attributes,
and have the ability to resolve conflicts effectively through the use of
balanced ethical principles and moral standards. The moral person
can justify his or her actions by demonstrating to others that morality
is required for the well being of people in general. Moral reasoning
and moral education allows an individual to see the learning
capabilities that are necessary to construct a moral world. Although
there is no such thing as a valid ethical theory, one can form an
ethical strategy which encompasses the principles and virtues of
ethical order and moral rules of conduct. The balancing of personal
aspirations that contribute to the well being of a social community.
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005
Reference
Cavico, F. & Mujtaba, B., (2005). Business Ethics: Transcending
Requirements through Moral Leadership. Pearson Custom Publications.
U.S.A. ISBN: 0-536-85783-0. Address: 75 Arlington Street, Suite 300.
Boston Mass, 02116. Phone: (800) 374-1200. Or: (800) 922-0579.
© Cavico & Mujtaba, 2005