Ethics and values 1

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Introduction

Where mostly the word ethics is used and accompanied with values one firstly rushes into conclusion that it infers to behavior or ones conduct towards his practice, and to some extent some generalizes it with the in born character.Neverthe less, ethics as defined in Meta-ethics as the, field that seeks to un ravel the judgments, ethical statements, and attitudes and nature of ethical properties,. Meta-ethics as a subject, firstly gained an overwhelming approach with G.E. Moore’s famous work Principia Ethica from early 19th century.Todate many authors have written on various circles of ethics and their conflict field of practice. While values on the other hand as defined by DR John Johns in the article titled: The Ethical Dimensions of National Security. Are the qualities of honesty and loyalty that puts integrity, professionalism, caring, teamwork, and stewardship to an organizations vision statement.

In a nut shell, values depict what is wrong and right hence doing what is wrong or right is what is meant by ethics. Behaving ethically is behaving in a manner that is consistent with what is moral or right (Cooper, 2006).

Types of conflict in ethics and values

Different conflicts a rise in the course of practice in particular field, as depicted by cooper these conflict seems much inclined in the public domain where by he classifies them according to responsibilities expended by different persons and towards what. For instance when he writes on basic honesty and conformity to law where by a public servant is bound morally, just as other persons are, not to lie, to respect the person, to keep promises, and to respect the property of others, and to uphold the requirements of the law (Willbern, 2004). In many cases, this level solely describes the fundamental adherence to moral codes that is anticipated of all members of a group. There are some requirements of behavior that the society expects as the function for the collective good.

In addition, cooper also brings out the conflict of interest whereby he relates it to public officials whom the conflict between advancing one’s self-interest and advancing the public interest he is entrusted to do. At this juncture the core duty is to ensure that the public servantship comes first, reason being that one does not hold his own personal interest at the sufferance of the public. To mount on this Willbern uses misappropriation of public funds, contract kickbacks and bribery, as examples of fore tracking personal interests at the expense of commons. The underlying issue here is that, officials must divest themselves of the ventures that might be brought about by the performance of their duties and put themselves in scenarios which are designed to aid public officials evade conflicts of interest. Ultimately, it still rolls down to the individual mandate towards an ethical decision.Moreover, on the conflict of the ethics of democratic responsibility Cooper relates it to public officials operating within some systems of democracy, either elected or appointed. This demand of them to carry out the will of the people and some balance they must uphold and make moral choices that are consistent with their own public service. Also Willbern feels satisfied that the public official acts as per to his or her own resolution, at this point it would be the will of the general public, if they were well versed on the issue. He further supports this with one analogy of this level of public morality, considering whether or not the congressional representative is morally bound to support legislation and policies which his constituents highly value and support but personally he opposes.

Cooper also to service orientation and procedural fairness as one of the ethical conflicts touching on the mandate of public officers is to be vigilant on their making sure that their powers do not overcome their real purpose work. He further states that it is within reach for some officials to take advantage of power to enhance them. This habit can easily be tamed only if public officials to protect established procedures, and not to circumvent those procedures for the convenience and benefit of their own. At this point one can rethink the examples of public officers who have gone against this moral charge by using their position and power for their own good or for the good of special interest groups, or who have violated established procedures for their own appraisal and convenience. One of the most frequently approached examples is the use of government utilities non official business.

Last but not least, coopers contentment that also the ethic of public policy determination is in its own right a frequently violated ethic in the course of service. Cooper agrees that this level entrenches the most untold ethical choices, since it concerns making moral decisions about public policies. The duty here is to animate framework for moral policies and the difficulty is in determining and asserting how moral a policy is. Ideally, Public policies always deal with complex matters, where ethical choices are seldomly clear, and it is always difficult to determine which policy is wrong or right.

Finally, with the ethic of compromise and social integration, the conflict here is not much pronounced like with the already discussed ethics. This is because it deals with an area not as salient as compared with others. It deals with the need for compromise in a society characterized with irreconcilable differences over basic issues. Hence, it becomes a moral duty of public officers to participate in give and take. Cooper argues that one oftenly see the law makers in our political havens crying foul where they have no hand in benefiting from certain policies, but will confer to those that benefits them. Willbern feels satisfied, that it is moral to compromise, instead of gunning down on principles, for the lack of compromise will instigate conflict and discord, and the aftermath will be plunge the society into hubris. Inclusion, in as much as we support either school of thought, one must understand that values and ethics have sufficiently tamed un sound practices in work places and helped put unworthy behaviors at bay. Hence for any office to boast of success and competitiveness all office workers must embrace ethics and avoid weak points of backsliding.

References

Cooper, T.L. (2006). The Responsible Administrator: An Approach to Ethics for the Administrative Role, Newyork; JohnWily and sons, Inc.

Willbern, D. K. (2004).A complete guide to ethics in management: An ethics toolkit for managers, Newyork; Thrift publishers