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My Professional Ethical Hero
Ethical profile
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Ethical Autobiography
Morality is defined as the sense that is able to differentiate decisions, intentions and actions between those that are right and wrong. As human beings, we are able to perceive what is right and wrong. However, it is a relative conclusion and depends on an individual. What a person sees as right may be seen as wrong by another person. Deciding what is right and wrong is a personal decision that one reaches alone. Determination of what is right and wrong is done using what is termed as a moral compass (Hall, 2004). Moral compass are things that guide an individual when making personal decisions on the basis of virtues and morals. It can be anything from a person, a book or even religion. Among the most common moral compass used in determining right from wrong in daily life is one’s conscience. An internal subconscious is used to determine what is right and wrong. The conscience is an inner voice that prompts a person when they do something wrong. When one does something that is good for them as an individual and those that are around them then it is something right. As a child, one learns to differentiate what is right from wrong but as they grow older, one is required to make their own decisions based on their conscience. Common sense can also be used to determine what is right and wrong. When one is required to make a decision on ethics, they use their brains to come up with an appropriate decision. In our day to day lives, we are supposed to decide right and wrong based on whether our decision is fair or good.
Ethical behavior is acting in a manner that is consistent with what individuals and the society think are good values. Ethical behavior involves demonstrating key moral principles such as fairness (Hall, 2004). Fairness is ethical behavior whereby an individual does not practice injustice or biasness. It involves making judgments without any form of discrimination. Another example of ethical behavior is being honest. Honesty is the choice of not lying, cheating, or deceiving others in any way. It means being trustworthy, sincere and loyal in everything that one does. Another ethical behavior is practicing equality. Equality is ensuring that people are treated equally according to ability, degree or value. It involves treating people in a fair way and equally regardless of whom they are or where they are from. Another ethical behavior is being loyal. Loyalty means being faithful or devoted to a person, country or a particular cause. It means remaining faithful to things one is committed or obliged to do (Hall, 2004).
People develop ethical behavior as they grow up in their family environment. Ethical behavior is mostly influenced by the cultural heritage of where an individual is from. Culture heritage expresses the way people live and it has developed over time and passed through generations. Cultural heritage shapes our values because it comprises of practices, customs, values and expressions that people have. Cultural heritage produces a representation of belief, value systems and lifestyles of people. In short, cultural heritage influences the behavior of people and hence shapes their values. People’s values are formed on the basis of their cultural heritage.
I have found myself exhibiting the four ethical behaviors through my day to day activities. I am always fair in everything that I do in my day to day activities. I am not bias and neither do I practice injustice in anything I do. I am honest in everything that I do, I do not cheat, lie or deceive others in nay way. I always practice equality and do not discriminate anyone that I deal with. I am always loyal in what I do. I am devoted and faithful in everything that I am set to do.
Professional Ethical Hero
My ethical hero is my football coach and he is undoubtedly my role model. He is professional and ethical in everything that he does. He is quite sensitive on different issues and knows how well to approach different people and situations that he faces. He always thinks about others and goes an extra mile of ensuring that everyone is okay. He knows what to say and when to say it such that he does not hurt anyone’s feelings. He puts his team members first and always makes sure their needs are taken care of without any favor. He knows how to set boundaries with his team members as well as his colleagues. He knows how to maintain these boundaries and ensure that no one crosses the boundaries. If a situation requires him to remain professional he dies exactly that. However, he knows when to change from being professional to casual when the situation requires. He also respects other people’s privacy and is not considered about people’s personal lives.
He only involves himself with issues pertaining to the game and nothing else. He does not bother about our personal lives. He only gets involved in one’s personal life if they willingly share their personal information. He is also has an ethical commitment whereby he carries out his activities in an ethical manner. He does mot discriminate the team members in what he does. He treats everyone equally and does not favor anyone regardless of whom they are. For instance, there was a time we needed a team captain for the team. All the team members expected to appoint someone he wanted. However, he did not anyone as we had expected, instead, he decided we should vote for our preferred captain. We ended up voting and the person with the highest number of votes was appointed as the captain. The incident shows that he has ethical commitment in his dealings. He has also shown ethical courage many times. He always stands by what is ethical and is not influenced into acting unethically. There was a time the team had qualified for national competitions. The team that had won the previous year did not qualify and their coach was willing to do anything to go to the nationals. The coach offered our coach some money to bribe him into not going to the nationals so that his team can go instead. Our coach did not agree and refused to take the bribe. He was ethically courageous to stand by what is right and not follow what the other coach wanted.
My coach is not corrupt, he does not believe in corrupt dealings. He always makes sure that he is straight forward in what he does. He does not believe in shortcuts but follows the correct procedure in everything. He is honest in his dealings and does not cheat or lie. He is not deceitful and is always truthful. He compassionate and cares about the feelings of his colleagues and employees.
He serves as a role model to other people who are in the helping profession. Those in the helping profession are supposed to be caring and compassionate. They are supposed to put the needs of others before their own and always show concern. They are also supposed to be fair in their dealings. Those in the helping profession interact with different people and hence they are not supposed to discriminate people in any way. They are to treat people equally regardless of their tribe, age, color, nationality, gender and so on. In the helping profession, there is a lot of assistance offered to organization in the form of grants. Those in this profession are expected not to be corrupt and be transparent in issues to do with finances. My boss exhibits all these characters that can be emulated by those in the helping profession.
We often pick values from those we interact with everyday. My coach has been a great influence in my value system. I often find what he as admirable and hence strive to be like him. I see the satisfaction he derives from what he does and would certainly what to feel the same way he does. Seeing him do what he does gives me great confidence to follow suit.
Ethical Decision-making style
The understanding of how ethical decisions are made and followed through is the first step involved in making better choices. The second step involves taking a systematic approach in making ethical decisions. There are various ethical decision making models that can be applied in our day to day lives. Decision-making models help in making better ethical choices. Taking a systematic approach on an issue encourages an individual to define a problem, get the required information and apply the necessary ethical values and standards, examine alternatives and follow through the choice they make. Ethical decision-making models also help an individual defend the choices they make. Ethical dilemmas are not always solved through application of ethics codes (Cottone, & Claus, 2007). Ethical decision-making models can be useful in analysis and making ethical decisions. The ethical decision-making model that reflects on my early and ongoing experiences with moral issues and values is work by Corey et al. It comprises of eight steps; the first step is identification of the problem. The step enables one acknowledge that there exists an issue that needs attention. For instance, one can be late for a party that is seen as a violation of cultural expectations. However, the act is not a moral problem that involves right and wrong. On the other hand, when decides to accept a kickback from a supplier then there is an ethical dilemma involved.
The second step involves identification of the potential issues involved. It is important to get adequate information on the issues involved that will be required to make effective decisions. There is need to thoroughly examine the ethical dilemma in order to establish the issues that require attention. The third step involves reviewing the relevant ethical guidelines (Joseph, 2008). There are different ethical standards that have been set and are used to determine ethical behavior. The ethical standards are used in ethical dilemmas to find out what is ethically wrong and right. The forth step involves knowledge of relevant laws and regulations (Joseph, 2008). There are laws and regulations that can be used to determine what is wrong and right. The fifth step involves obtaining consultation from other people on the ethical issue (Joseph, 2008). There are times when one needs a second or even a third opinion on a matter before reaching a decision. Seeking consultation helps in finding out other people’s views on an issue. The sixth step is looking at the possible and probable courses of action (Joseph, 2008). It is important to look at the different options that are applicable in a situation. The seventh step is noting down the consequences of the different courses of action that can be taken (Joseph, 2008). It is important to look at the advantages and disadvantages of the course of action that one considers using in solving the problem. The last step is making a decision on the best course of action to take. It involves stepping up and making the ethical decision (Joseph, 2008).
The course and my cultural heritage have played an influential role in helping come up with the ethical decision-making model. Through the course, I have learned various ethical decision making styles. The knowledge has enabled me to come up with the best ethical decision-making model. Culture heritage also influences the ethical decision-making model I use because of the values within my cultures. There are things that are things that are acceptable as ethical in my culture while others are considered unethical. Culture heritage helps in establishing the existence of a problem. It also helps in providing possible cause of action that can be used to make ethical decisions (Cottone, & Claus, 2007).
Professional and Ethical development
Ethical development is mostly considered to be a career long process (Qizilbash, 2005). There are various areas in the module that need development such as ethical theories. Ethical theories provide a framework that can be used as reference points on particular moral issues. There are different philosophical ethical positions that can be applied in our day-to-day lives. An individual needs ethical development on ethical theories so as to understand them better. Ethical development is also required so that an individual can know how to apply these ethical theories in life (Qizilbash, 2005). Another area that needs ethical development is ethical decision-making models. There exist different ethical decision-making models that an individual can apply in the process of making decisions. One requires ethical development in decision making in order for them to be bale to come up with ethical decisions. Ethical development can be acquired through self-evaluation in order to find out if one is acting ethically. It involves asking yourself whether one’s individual ethics fit what they do in their day-to day-lives. Ethical development can also be achieved through research and seeking information. Active information searching is a crucial way of approaching ethical issues people face. Research on relevant legal standards, ethical codes, procedures and policies provide a lot of information on the ethical approach of a particular situation.
References
Cottone, R., & Claus, R. (2007). Ethical Decision-Making Models: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Counseling & Development, 275-283.
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Hall, K. (2004). Student development and ownership of ethical and professional standards. Science and Engineering Ethics, 383-387.
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Joseph, M. (2008). Developing and teaching models of ethical decision making (Rev.Ed.). Chicago, IL: School of Social Work, Loyola University of Chicago.
Qizilbash, M. (2005). Ethical development. University of Southampton, Department of Economics.
My prior experience
Part 1
My experience working at a popular car wash and at a restaurant in the neighborhood gave me the insight that management strategies and theories are more applicable in the real world than I had thought. When we talk about management theories, we’re talking about a set of beliefs that provide essential rules for the direction of a firm or organization. These theories have been compiled throughout the course of history. They explore the ways in which managers may motivate people to do the best work they are capable of and execute strategies that aid the organization in achieving its goals. The vast majority of the time, executives will integrate concepts from a variety of management theories in a way that is designed to work most effectively with the people and traditions of their organization. Even though they were created hundreds of years ago, many management theories are still applicable for managing teams at work and running businesses in the twenty-first century.
My prior experience has shown me that management theories provide businesses with the ability to focus, communicate, and make progress. When used in the workplace, management theory enables those in charge to direct their attention to the areas of their responsibilities that are the most important. For example, Taylor’s scientific management theory still applies today in the way managers and leaders motivate employees by simplifying tasks in a way that increases productivity. When a management strategy or theory is put into action, the most important aims and objectives of the business are continuously brought together. The study of management theory also makes it possible for us to communicate with our fellow employees in a way that is more productive, which in turn helps us to do more in the same amount of time. It is helpful to have a rudimentary understanding of management theory in order to establish fundamental assumptions on management styles and goals. This results in time savings at work during the course of daily interactions and meetings.
My experience in a range of fields has shown me that no two organizational structures are identical, which is a point that must be emphasized again. Similar to other types of theories, management theories can only be applied to a certain number of different situations. In the systems management theory, for example, organizational success is reliant on key elements such as interrelations, synergy, and interdependence between subsystems. There is no one management philosophy that can be applied to all companies, due to the fact that every business is different. It is likely that the strategies that are successful for one business could not be successful for another. When a particular situation does not fit a certain theory, it is essential to investigate the possibility of constructing a new theory that better fits the problem. This is because there are many possible explanations for the phenomenon in question. Some ideas may be able to weather the test of time, while others can become defunct as new ones develop to fill the hole that the old ones leave behind.
Part 2
Question 1
I agree that every manager must comprehend and implement motivational philosophies. Motivation theories may assist management teams in determining the most effective means to achieve a corporate objective or achieve a desired outcome. Managers may also be able to assist their staff more effectively if they can effectively utilize motivation theories. Managers may apply incentive theories to increase productivity, profits, staff retention, and job satisfaction. As a manager, you may want to increase the motivation of your workers to assist the organization achieve its objectives. Using theories of motivation, you may motivate your team to achieve a goal by providing them with incentives, satisfying their wants, or awarding them with rewards.
According to the incentive motivational theory, individuals are motivated by reinforcement, praise, incentives, and rewards. According to the incentive theory, individuals act in various ways in order to achieve a goal, persuade another person to do something, or get a reward. For instance, praise may be useful in one-on-one settings, such as quarterly employee evaluations. A manager may create rapport and trust with an employee by praising their job performance. Also, one of the most effective methods to encourage employees is to provide them with opportunities for advancement, since this makes them feel valued and as if they are making progress. A promotion may result in a new job title, a salary boost, and a shift in responsibilities. Other sorts of motivators in the incentive motivating theory include opportunities, paid time off, unpaid time off, salary increases, and bonuses.
According to McClelland’s need theory, there are three distinct types of requirements. There is a certain sort of individual that desires to fulfill each demand. Understanding McClelland’s need theory might aid managers in determining what their employees need, allowing them to place them in conditions where they can flourish and achieve their objectives. For instance, the concept might assist managers in determining if an employee will get along well with a team and in gaining knowledge from the experience. Employees that are driven by a feeling of belonging often have well-developed interpersonal skills, which may assist them in forming strong and meaningful ties with colleagues.
Competence theory of motivation stipulates that the majority of individuals want to do certain tasks in order to demonstrate their skills, intellect, and abilities. If someone demonstrates their intelligence in front of their colleagues, they may feel competent in their job. People who are confident in their abilities to do their tasks may be more productive and efficient as a result. It may be suggested that employees who are confident in their abilities acquire further knowledge so they may share it with their colleagues and get recognition. Therefore, managers must understand and use the most effective motivating theories in order to maximize the performance of their employees.
Question 6
“You can’t manage what you can’t measure,” is a remark attributed to Peter Drucker, a well-known management thinker. Drucker argues that in order to determine whether or not you are successful, you must first define success and then keep track of what you have accomplished. You’ll be able to track your progress and make any necessary modifications to your process to achieve the desired outcome if you have a clear notion of what success looks like. You’ll constantly be in a state of ambiguity if you don’t have clear objectives. However, this remark may lead you to believe the incorrect thing about management, since many of the most significant aspects of leadership and management cannot be quantified, despite their importance to a firm. When measures are utilized as a means to a goal in and of themselves, they lose their use and become a nuisance. Many qualities, such as confidence, honesty, and the ability to work well with others, are difficult to assess. Despite this, there is still a lot that can and should be examined and observed all of the time.
This concept is often used in a variety of commercial scenarios. Because you’ll have to pay attention to it, just observing a habit may be enough to modify it. It might also imply that taking measures to improve the activity is a method to have greater control over it. If a new firm keeps track of how much it sells each month, for example, the owner will have cause to feel that the quantity of money coming in is insufficient, which will open the door to alternative options.
To help them expand, the great majority of organizations measure a variety of key performance indicators (KPIs) on a regular basis. The fundamentals, such as how many clients you have and how much it costs to acquire new ones, are straightforward. The more in-depth ones may show you anything from how much capacity is being utilized to how many people are opting out of emails to how many people abandon their shopping carts. A good key performance indicator (KPI) will be clear, measurable, and impact the company’s overall objectives. Every firm will have a different response to this issue. The most fundamental key performance indicators for a retail shop are total sales, the number of customers, and the average size of their carts (KPIs). Each of these factors is distinct, can be assessed, and has an impact on the overall performance of the store. A subscription-based mobile app, on the other hand, may place more emphasis on the overall number of downloads, the rate at which individuals cancel their subscriptions (known as “churn”), and how many people use the free vs premium versions.
We now have more tools than ever before to measure more things, and we can do so much more quickly. The world is awash with data, and there are a plethora of tools for grabbing and breaking it down. It would be difficult to determine whether we should do something more, less, or not at all if we couldn’t figure out what would happen if we did it. The method for evaluating an individual’s or a team’s performance is the same. We must know the precise measures that will be utilized.
Class (2) Peer Response (2)
Class (2) Peer Response (2)
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The researcher identifies the importance of having dependable people around us, especially in consideration of their differing or developed opinions. On this note, I completely agree with his need. In the same frame of mind, the researcher identifies the importance of strategic leaders operating in the same way, through having dependable people around them to help eliminate the issue of minute mistakes that might be greatly impactful. The researcher then goes ahead to identify the differences between the presidencies of Obama and Trump, in this light of strategic leaders and thinkers.
First, Obama considered the engagement of his rivals, past, and future presidential contenders as the best team members, not only in strengthening his leadership capabilities but also in moving the country (Coutu, 2019). I agree with the researcher on the terms that Obama already had in place as a good idea for effective decision making in his presidency. It is true that the members aboard Obama’s cabinets did not necessarily disagree a lot as was expected, but it is also true that they helped bring a great deal of knowledge and information to the president’s attention, especially in the most challenging of times (Vinik, 2014). This is to say that they resourceful in dealing with crises. In this case, therefore, I completely agree with the researcher on the strategic leadership of Obama.
On the other hand, the researcher views Trump as a leader far from embracing strategic leadership. Trump is said to have a different approach to leadership. He lacks a strategic plan to bring his goals to fruition, thus making the achievement of these goals difficult. With his firing and hiring ways, it is difficult for Trump to have a dependable team, especially in light of being resourceful when needed (Power, 2017). The constant turnover is an issue in effectiveness. Trump lacks empathy especially towards those people with whom he disagrees. Not only does he lack empathy, but he also fails to understand why certain task forces are in place. In the case of the task force on public health threats and pandemics that had been created by Obama, he has it dismantled when he takes over presidency. He applies his personal feelings in leadership; therefore, failing to see what is important for his leadership and most importantly, for his people (Riggio, 2018). This leads to ineffective decision making, resulting in ineffective leadership. This is one of the explanations why the COVID-19 pandemic has been a difficult issue to deal with, especially in light of a lack of preparedness. On this note, I agree with the researcher on lack of strategic capabilities on Trump’s part. There is a greater failure in a lack of effective communication and a lack of criticism acceptance, both of which contribute to consideration of Trump as lacking strategic capabilities (Bridges, 2019). I agree with the researcher on this point of ineffectiveness of Trump as a strategic leader.
The two leaders have a lot of differences. However, it is clear that Obama has had more achieved with a dependable team by his side, as opposed to the limited achievements by team, especially due to a divided, ineffective, and less than strong-willed team. On this, I agree with the researcher.
References
Bridges, F. (2019, Apr 30). How Trump Embodies The Definition Of A Bad Leader. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/francesbridges/2019/04/30/how-trump-embodies-the-definition-of-a-bad-leader/#6a205ec5c0c3Coutu, D. (2019, Apr). Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2009/04/leadership-lessons-from-abraham-lincolnRiggio, R.E. (2018, Oct 28). Leadership Lessons from Donald Trump. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201810/leadership-lessons-donald-trumpPower, R. (2017, Jun 20). 5 Leadership Failures of President Trump. Inc. https://www.inc.com/rhett-power/5-leadership-failures-of-president-trump.htmlVinik, D. (2014, Oct 29). Why Can’t The Media Give Obama Credit For Crisis Management? The New Republic. https://newrepublic.com/article/120022/obama-better-crisis-manager-media-gives-him-credit