BCOR 380 1st Edition Exam 1 Study Guide Terms and Definitions Business Ethics the study of how to properly use one s economic and professional power Existentialism a literary and philosophical exploration into how it feels to exist in an indifferent world Phenomenology the study arguing that knowledge cannot go beyond appearances to the mind Epistemology the study of knowledge and the use of logic to achieve certainty Skepticism the view that absolute knowledge and certainty are impossible Commensurable capable of being measured by a common standard Aesthetics that part of value theory concerned with the proper interpretation of beauty Ethical Relativism the view that only personal opinion the traditions of one s society and the circumstances of the present moment define one s ethical principles Ground A statement or set of statements claims or principles which can be held as incontestably acceptable A posteriori that which is known with certainty by the senses A priori that which is known with certainty by inference Analogical Inference the justification of a claim based upon a comparison of traits or circumstances Bigotry that state of mind characterized by the belief that anyone not sharing your financial status or political view or religious view or racial characteristics or cultural values is in some way inferior to you Solipsism the view that I alone exist Ethical Solipsism the view that I alone am important Moral Ground a set of principles virtues and values governing the proper maintenance and use of your body which can be held as incontestably acceptable to others as well as yourself Ethical Ground a set of principles virtues and values governing proper behavior in general which can be held as incontestably acceptable to others as well as yourself Ethics the study of integrity Integrity a self commitment to always treat others with dignity and fairness Pragmatism the view that all beliefs and all human enterprises should be free of theory and directed only to serving the practical needs of life An ethical rule a statement defining a conduct which brings one s behavior in line with an ethical value or virtue Value Conflict where an activity serving one value defeats another Value Based Ethics the view that pragmatic needs and desires are framed by higher values and that these values not everyday needs and wants should form one s ethical ground Ethical Values personal characteristics virtues associated with things that promote human harmony Instrumental Values Personal characteristics traits associated with things that fulfill a fundamental individual need A Good any desired object service activity or state of being End in itself a person something which desires goods but is not a good itself Provider any entity which produces a good Services are goods in the sense a good is defined here Stoicism 1 The view that in dealing with the world one should not try to change the world but rather change one s opinion of the world a Can you hate the world and still have a happy life 2 The view that in dealing with life s stresses one should neither try to change the world nor one s opinion of it but rather put a glass wall between the self and the world 3 The view that in dealing with life s stresses one should use one s inner strength to reject those stresses a It is a passive approach to problem solving Supererogation to do more than is required Philosophical Questions What is the self The Introspective question What is humanity The teleological question What is the world The ontological question How should the self relate to the self The existential question How should the self relate to humanity The ethical question How should the self relate to the world The value theory question How should humanity relate to the self The sociological question How should humanity relate to humanity The political question How should humanity relate to the world The environment question How does the world relate to the self The phenomenological question How does the world relate to humanity The epistemological question How does the world relate to the world The metaphysical question Other notes Can a business ethics course change behavior The problem with this question is that it assumes one behavioral track It assumes the simplistic all good v all evil belief that we each choose to follow one path or the other Ethics is not about changing behavior it is about coming to know and coming to employ the values that naturally come to us with maturity Ethics is about mature behavior Self discipline Responsibility Cooperativeness Fairness Professionalism Wisdom Today Business Ethics is Professional Ethics Traditional free market careers are being replaced by careers in non profits and government Institutions don t make decisions people do Governmental activities are more and more entangled with business activities blurring traditional distinctions Why are today s managers creating a demand for business ethics courses 1 The rise of global commerce has exposed them to conflicting legal systems 2 Small disputes usually cannot be resolved by laws or the courts 3 The media and the web has done much to destroy privacy Everyone s life is now an open face book 4 Trust is dissolving while cynicism rises Higher ethical standards are now required of both employees and leaders 5 The public is more environmentally conscious 6 Corporations with a tarnished public image fair poorly today creating an emphasis on hiring people of character 7 Effective management requires employee respect and respect is now based on one s willingness to be fair to all concerned You cannot understand the field of business philosophy the area of intersection without at least some grasp of what the field of philosophy contains There are many ways to define philosophy However you define it all philosophical systems some see each religion as a philosophical system are concerned with three entities players in the field of existence and how they relate to each other The three entities players in the field of existence are The self me as a mind or soul Humanity conscious being other minds The world everything not mind The primary challenge to any ethics course comes from the belief that ethics has no valid ground that right and wrong are purely subjective The establishment of a universally accepted philosophical ethical ground allows one to overcome the problem of ethical relativism A primary goal of ethical theorists in business is to discover