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Section 1.1
Defining Ethics

Section
Ethics
Chapter1.1 1Defining
Ethics
and Law

Section 1.1
Defining Ethics
Section 1.2
Sources of Law

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

What Youll Learn
How ethical decisions are made (p. 6)
When to apply the greatest good
principle (p. 7)
When to apply the golden rule principle
(p. 8)
Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

What Youll Learn
How to explain the nature of ethical
character traits (p. 11)
When law relates to ethics (p. 12)

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

What Youll Learn
How to explain the importance of law
(p.12)
How to resolve ethical and legal conflicts
(p. 13)

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Why Its Important
Learning how to apply ethical principles will
help you make ethical decisions.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Legal Terms
morality (p. 6)
ethics (p. 6)
honesty (p. 11)
justice (p. 11)
compassion (p. 11)
integrity (p. 12)
law (p. 12)
Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section Outline
How Ethical Decisions Are Made
Feelings and Opinions
The Greatest Good
The Golden Rule
Ethical Character Traits

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section Outline
The Relationship Between Ethics
and Law
Why Law Is Necessary
Ethical and Legal Conflicts

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Pre-Learning Question
How do you make ethical decisions?

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

How Ethical Decisions Are Made

Determining the difference between
right and wrong can be difficult.
Individuals use different methods to
choose the right thing to do in any
given situation.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

How Ethical Decisions Are Made

Morality involves the values that
govern a societys attitude toward right
and wrong.
Ethics, in contrast, are the means for
determining what a societys values
ought to be.
Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

How Ethical Decisions Are Made

Throughout your life, you will face
many ethical problems.
Adopting a consistent ethical
standard can help you with big or
small moral problems.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Feelings and Opinions

Some people base their ethical
standards on whether or not the act
feels right.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

The Greatest Good

Some people feel that an action that
creates the greatest good for the
greatest number of people is a sound
basis for making ethical decisions.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

The Golden Rule

Others base their ethical standards on
the Golden Rule, which states:
Do unto others as you would have
them do unto you.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Ethical Character Traits

Honesty is being open and truthful
with other people.
Justice is treating other people fairly
and equally.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Ethical Character Traits

Compassion is being sympathetic to
the difficulties of others.
Integrity is doing what is right
regardless of personal consequences.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Describe the characteristics of justice.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

ANSWER
Treating people fairly and equally.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Pre-Learning Question
How do you think ethics relates to
law?

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

The Relationship Between

Ethics and Law
If everyone made the same ethical
decisions with the same results, there
would be no need for law. In the real
world, however, some people engage
in conduct that most people agree is
wrong.
Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Why Law Is Necessary

Law is the system of rules of conduct
established by the government of a
society to maintain stability and
justice.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Why Law Is Necessary

Law defines the legal rights and duties
of the people and provides the means
of enforcing these rights and duties.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Ethics and Legal Conflicts

Because law is made by people, it
is imperfect.
Legislators and judges bring their
own personal opinions on ethics to
the lawmaking process.
As a result, ethics and law will
sometime conflict.
Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Define law.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

ANSWER
Law is the rules of conduct
established by the government of a
society to maintain stability and
justice.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Reviewing What You Learned

1. Explain how ethical decisions are
made.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Reviewing What You Learned

Answer
Answers will vary but should refer to the
different standards people use, such their
feelings and opinions, the Golden Rule, or
their own ethical character traits.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Reviewing What You Learned

2. How can the greatest good principle
lead to ethical decisions?

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Reviewing What You Learned

Answer
It concentrates on consequences in a way
that leads to ethical decisions.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Reviewing What You Learned

3. How can the golden rule principle
lead to ethical decisions?

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Reviewing What You Learned

Answer
It tells each of us how to treat people
based on rationality and can, therefore,
lead to ethical decisions.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Reviewing What You Learned

4. What are four ethical character
traits?

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Reviewing What You Learned

Answer
Honesty, compassion, integrity, and justice

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Reviewing What You Learned

5. How is law related to ethics?

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Reviewing What You Learned

Answer
Answers will vary but should refer to the
need for law because people do not always
make the same ethical decisions with the
same results.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Reviewing What You Learned

6. Why is law important?

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Reviewing What You Learned

Answer
Answers will vary but should recognize that
law helps to maintain stability and justice in
a society.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Reviewing What You Learned

7. How can ethical and legal conflicts
be resolved?

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Reviewing What You Learned

Answer
Answers will vary but should recognize that
by looking at the reasons for specific
conflicts, those conflicts may be resolved.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Critical Thinking Activity

Ethics and Law
Why is it important to be able to distinguish
between actions that are ethical and
actions that are not? Why is it important to
be able to distinguish between ethics and
law?
Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Critical Thinking Activity Answer

Ethics and Law
Answers will vary but should recognize the
value of knowing right from wrong and of
distinguishing between how we determine
our values and how we create the system
of rules we live by.
Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Legal Skills in Action

Developing Ethical Standards

How would you respond to a friend who
says she has never had a consistent set of
moral standards?

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Legal Skills in Action

Developing Ethical Standards

With a partner, role play a response to your
friends lack of ethical philosophy. Explain
how the ethical standards discussed in this
chapter could help her develop a
consistent set of ethical standards
Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

Section 1.1 Defining Ethics

Section 1.1 Assessment

Legal Skills in Action Answer

Developing Ethical Standards

Role-plays will vary but should
demonstrate an understanding of the
ethical standards discussed in this chapter.

Understanding Business and Personal Law

Ethics and Law

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Defining Ethics