The Ethics Factor at School

The Ethics Factor at SCHOOL

Ethics must be a vital part of any group or endeavor. This makes it even more important to have ethics while taking classes at school. This paper will discuss several aspects of ethics. First this paper will discuss the definition of ethics and how they are important. Next will discuss ethics and how they relate to the individual while working towards a degree at SCHOOL. And finally, ethics will be discussed as to its relation to the group.

Definition of Ethics

Ethics, as defined by dictionary.com, is "that branch of philosophy dealing with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness and wrongness of certain actions and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions" (Dictionary.com, 2006). There are two different codes of ethics, as is discussed by the website ChangingMinds.org. They talk about "[e]thics of principled conviction" and "[e]thics of responsibility (ChangingMinds.org, 2006).

Ethics of principled conviction is the assumption that intention is the most important factor when dealing with others. Intention is very important, and must be communicated clearly when dealing with others. Of course whether the intent was to help or harm, it may make no difference to the affected party. This is the assertion of the second code of ethics, ethics of responsibility. It states that one must not just try to do no harm, but take responsibility for any harm caused by any actions (ChangingMinds.org, 2006).

The latter code of ethics, ethics of principled conviction, seems to be the more ethical. This code not only does one have to try to do right by others but also if the outcome is not what is wanted, then the responsibility is on the individual to make things right by the harmed party. Both seem to resonate from the code of chivalry from medieval times or maybe from Christian principles. George Fotis discusses ethics very simply as "the Golden Rule - Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" (p. 46). Keeping to the Golden Rule is what makes great leaders great, and is what makes people follow them.

A good example of a great leader is George Patton. Patton was a maverick and possibly a megalomaniac. He believed he was the man to save the free world from the Axis of Evil and often may have ignored orders from his superiors. But he was loved by his subordinates because he truly cared for their wellbeing. He led from the front and was as quick to compliment a man as he was to criticize.

Ethics and the Individual

How do ethics relate to the individual while taking classes at SCHOOL? The answer is simple. When taking a class or classes where the result is a degree, it is important to keep in mind that learning the content of the courses is the key to success. Sure, cheating on the courses by having someone to help write the papers or discussion questions will possibly get one by and achieve the required grade. And it is possible for the same person to graduate and to use their newfound degree as leverage to get a better and higher-paying job managing others. But not actually learning the information will have its effect sooner or later. A manager so inclined to act unethically may also be more prone to hire people of a talent that will not challenge the status quo, relying on the manager for everything. These people will be more prone as well to hoard their own knowledge, keeping their jobs secure as well. This type of work culture is more likely to have little or no written procedures where loss of knowledge is the result of turnover.

A manager who acts ethically and does their own work on the other hand will be more apt to encourage cross-training and learning experiences, having been a part of a learning experience personally. They are also probably more likely to find an individual or individuals in the organization to mentor, ultimately to take the place of the manager when he or she leaves or is promoted. This is a manager who is seen as a true leader, and this will be evident anyone viewing the culture, both internal and external, just by the actions of the people reporting to the manager.

Ethics and the Group

Finally, ethics are important to everyone working on a degree at SCHOOL because the learning in any given class is both from individual readings and from group interaction. There are two areas here where ethics are very important from a group perspective: discussion questions and learning teams.

Group ethics are very important to the weekly discussion questions. The discussion questions are required for everyone to express their own opinions or answers.