Shaping Ethical Behavior Assignment | Custom Essay Services

M1D1: Shaping Ethical Behavior
This activity addresses module outcome 1. Upon completion of this activity, you will be able to:
• Explain values, beliefs, customs, traditions, and theories that shape ethical behavior. (CO1)
After reading the module notes and the Questions
After completing the assigned readings for the module, please respond to the following questions in your initial post:
1. First, what do the terms ethics and morals mean to you? (define them in your own words); and
2. Then, discuss what you believe has been instrumental in shaping your ethical behavior.
assigned readings, you are now ready to engage in an online discussion about how our ethical behavior is shaped; specifically, what do the terms ethics and morals mean to you and how you would handle ethical dilemmas. The purpose of this activity is for you to engage in discussion with your classmates to examine all those things that shape ethical behavior.

APA STYE, 3 REFERENCES

Read:
• Required
o Module Notes: Values, Ethics, and Morals
o Kidder, R.M. (1995). How good people make tough choices: Resolving the dilemmas of ethical living. New York, NY: Harper Collins. (Read pages 1-76).
o Lewis, C. W., & Gilman, S. C. (2012). Ethics challenge in public service: A problem-solving guide (Links to an external site.) (3rd Edition). Hoboken, NJ, USA: Jossey-Bass. Retrieved from http://www.ebrary.com (Read pages 1-18)
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/excelsior-ebooks/reader.action?docID=821802&ppg=1

https://digital-films-com.vlib.excelsior.edu/p_ViewVideo.aspx?xtid=32706

Module 1: Module Notes: Values, Ethics, and Morals
Where do we get our values, ethics, and morals? When and how do we develop them? We may think we know the answers to these questions. In fact, we often take our values, ethics, and morals for granted. When we talk about them, the conversation may be uncomfortable because we have to also talk about how we feel and open ourselves up for criticism. In this first module, we will lay the foundation for our study of ethics and examine what that means in the field of national security.
Perhaps no other institution depends more on public confidence for its effectiveness than those trusted with national security, whether it is our elected officials, the military, or government employees. The public can choose between competing private professionals; it cannot choose between national governments short of revolution. Individual members of the government can be replaced, but when an overall crisis of confidence occurs in the institution, a serious threat exists to society. The military component of the Federal Government is of special importance because it has the physical power to dictate events to a large extent. Without being overly dramatic, then, we should recognize the ethical obligations of professional members of the Federal Government.
The issue of ethical conduct of public officials is often couched in terms of corruption or similar blatantly dishonest behavior. Such behaviors as conflict of interest, lying, official lawbreaking, and other abuses of power at high levels of government are serious breaches of trust that erode confidence in that institution, doing incalculable damage to its effectiveness. How often do we evaluate ethical behavior in terms of the quality of decisions made by high officials? Is competency an ethical issue?
During the past two decades, there has been a considerable increase in the study of ethics in professional schools, especially in legal, medical, and business schools. There has been a similar emphasis in the military and the Federal Government. This increased emphasis can be traced in part to several widely publicized events involving gross violations of public trust. Irangate, Watergate, MyLai, and Abu Ghraib prison have become household words that tarnish the image of the Federal Government and the U.S. military.
Public officials, including military members, civilian government employees, as well as Congress take an oath of office, which pledges to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same.” This oath carries far reaching implications for behavior, both official and private.
Five levels of ethics (Louie V. Larimer):
• Personal: Those judgments of right and wrong made by an individual.
• Cultural: Those notions of right and wrong that are embraced by a particular ethnic or cultural group.
• Societal: Those judgments of right and wrong possessed by a distinctive society. Similar to cultural ethics, but applying to a grouping of people that may include diverse cultures. Perhaps best understood by thinking about working classes and economic factors rather than cultural or ethnic characteristics.
• Professional: Those standards of conduct required of those who are members of a particular profession, trade, or occupation.
• Organizational: Those standards of behavior expected of persons who work for an organization.
Ethical dilemmas often occur because a person’s internal sense of right and wrong conflicts with societal, cultural, professional, or organizational ethical norm or belief.
References
Larimer, L.V. (2003). The ethical type indicator. Amhearst MA: HRD Press, Inc.

To begin our module on “Laying the Foundations,” let’s get back to basics by examining what we mean when we talk about ethics and morality and what happens when there are ethical differences.