Ethics In Decision Making

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Ethics in Decision Making
The decision making processes that people go through in their lives can have many different influences. One of the more important influences in the decision making process is the ethics involved in a decision. This begs the question, “What are ethics?” One definition of ethics could be a structured set of guidelines for personal and professional behavior (Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000). Another definition could be the study of the moral choices people make, and what drives these choices (Houghton Mifflin Company). Regardless, not all decisions carry a significant ethical weight. It is important to recognize the decisions that do have ethical questions attached to them and to weigh the decision against an ethical standard.
Ethics can have gray areas and vary from one culture to culture, or even from one person to the next. One person may decide it is ethical to sell a car “as is”, knowing the car needs expensive servicing or repairs. This person may suppose that the buyer should read into the “as is” tag and understand the inherent risks associated. This ethical standard could shock someone else who might think it the worst sort of deception. The key is to reflect on the values of the society in which you live, and the personal moral code that one lives by. In a society such as mainstream America, the above sale would be legal and even ethical in most jurisdictions. Ethical standards are particularly applicable to business and professions, and as such are largely constructions of laws. Despite the legality of the aforementioned car sale, such an act would likely be viewed unfavorably by the majority of people in American society. As such, any person who chose to try and make a living selling cars must understand that while the sale was legal, society will not tolerate this and act decisively. People would eventually choose not to buy cars from that person. They would tell their fri...