ETHICAL

FRAMEWORKS
FROM VARIOUS PHILOSOPHIES
• According to the dictionary, ethics is
described as a set of moral principles
that govern a person’s behavior.
• Ethics is based on well founded
What is standards which dictate what is right
from wrong. It also serves as a reminder
Ethics? on what we ought to do as humans
usually in terms of rights, obligations,
benefits to society, fairness, or specific
virtues.
• Principles that lead us to make decisions
that benefit everyone.
• The study of the basic ideas about
knowledge(Reasoning, What is
What is right?, What is wrong? What is the
value of certain things).
Philosophy? • A set of ideas about how to do
something or how to live.
• Perspectives useful for reasoning
which action will provide the best
outcome.

What is Ethical • A set of codes that an individual

uses in order to guide their
Framework? behavior.
• A set of principles and values that
provide a foundation for what is
safe and ethical in the workplace.
Importance of Ethics
ETHICS SERVES AS A GUIDELINE FOR EVERYDAY MORAL
LIFE, HELPING US TO EVALUATE OUR CONDUCT. ETHICS
RELATES TO A FEELING OF SOCIETY AS TO HOW WE
CONDUCT OUR LIVES EVERY DAY. THIS IS DONE BY
LAYING DOWN STANDARDS, PRINCIPLES AND IDEALS
UPON WHICH WE MAY BASE OUR ACTIONS.
AT TIMES, ETHICS IS CONFOUNDED OR CONFUSED WITH OTHER
OPTIONS, LIKE RELIGION, LAW OR MORALITY. MANY FAITHS
EMPHASIZE ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING, BUT DO NOT ALWAYS
CONSIDER THE WHOLE SPECTRUM OF ETHICAL DECISIONS.
RELIGIONS CAN ALSO DEFEND AND FORBID SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES,
SUCH AS FOOD CONSTRAINTS OR SEXUAL CONDUCT, WHICH MAY
NOT BE CONSIDERED AN APPROPRIATE REALM OF ETHICS.
For human life, ethics is an obligation. It's our way of determining what to
do. Without it, we would do things randomly. There is no way to achieve a
goal since there is no way to choose a number of goals. Even with an
ethical standard we may not have the prospect of success in pursuing our
aims. We may arrange our objectives and activities to achieve our most
essential objectives in the degree that logical ethical standards are
adopted. Any deficiency in our ethics will diminish our potential to
succeed.
Morality and honesty are crucial attributes for the citizenry,
even for those of us without goals in a law enforcement job.
We know instinctively that it is good to be moral and behave
integrally, but we will be driven to defend such conduct if we
come to comprehend the reasons for morality and integrity.
In summary, making ethical judgments needs an awareness
of the moral consequences of issues and situations. Practice
is also needed. It is necessary to have a framework through
which to take ethical decisions. We hope that the given
information will help you build your own chosen experience.
A FRAMEWORK
1. Recognize an Ethical Issue
FOR ETHICAL
DECISION 2. Get the facts

MAKING 3. Evaluate alternative actions

4. Make a decision and test it

5. Act and reflect on the

outcome
Three Frameworks
Three broad frameworks to guide ethical
decision making: The Consequentialist
Framework; The Duty Framework; and the Virtue
Framework.
The Consequentialist
Framework
“The End Justifies The Means”
CONSEQUENTIALISM

The results or consequences of an action is the ultimate

basis

The goal of using this framework is to pick the action that

will produce the best outcome
BENEFITS / PURPOSE

Will help identify Outcomes are Works well with decisions

action that produces considered/predicted affecting large groups of
the best results pragmatically for people
realistic results
NEGATIVES

Accurately calculating Heinous and harmful The best consequence

results can be hard due acts could be justified might be one that will
to unforeseen variables under this ethical harm the minority but
framework benefit the majority
The Duty Framework
The Duty Framework
• This focuses the duties and obligations that we have in a given
situation and consider what ethical obligations that we have and
what things we should never do.
• This framework also focuses on following moral rules or duty
regardless of the outcome.
Duty Framework

Advantage Disadvantage
• It creates a system of rules • The framework has its limitation.

that is consistent to the • It can appear as cold and impersonal

that might require actions that are
expectation of all people. known to produce harm.
• This encourages treating • This does not provide a way to
everyone with equal dignity determine which duty that should be
followed if we are presented.
and respect.
Deliberative process Focus
• What are my obligations • It directs attention to the
in the situation and what duties that exist prior to
are the things that I the situation and
should never do? determines the
obligations.
Definition of Motivation
Ethical Conduct
• It always involves by • The aim is to perform the
doing the right thing and right action.
never fail to do one’s duty.
The Virtue Framework
VIRTUE ETHICS
Virtue ethics is a philosophy developed by Aristotle and other
ancient Greeks. It is the quest to understand and live a life of
moral character.
This character-based approach to morality assumes that we
acquire virtue through practice. By practicing being honest,
brave, just, generous, and so on, a person develops an
honorable and moral character. According to Aristotle, by honing
virtuous habits, people will likely make the right choice when
faced with ethical challenges.
This long-standing ethical principle argues that
ethical actions should be consistent with ideal human
virtues. Aristotle, for example, argued that ethics
should be concerned with the whole of a person’s
life, not with the individual discrete actions a person
may perform in any given situation. A person of good

Virtue character would be one who has attainted certain

virtues. This approach is also prominent in non-
Western contexts, especially in East Asia, where the

Ethics tradition of the Chinese sage Confucius (551-479

BCE) emphasizes the importance of acting virtuously
(in an appropriate manner) in a variety of situations.
Because virtue ethics is concerned with the entirety
of a person’s life, it takes the process of education
and training seriously, and emphasizes the
importance of role models to our understanding of
how to engage in ethical deliberation.
The virtue-based ethical framework is
based solely on the person who is faced
with an ethical dilemma. Under this self-
reflective framework, a person must decide

Virtue what virtues that she should morally strive

for as a human being. When presented
with an ethical dilemma, she should
Ethics choose the course of action that is most in
line with these virtues. Thus, a virtue-based
proponent who chooses to live honestly
may decide to tell the truth even if doing so
hurts other people or even herself.
Consequentialist VS Duty VS
Virtue
Deliberative Process

Consequentialist Duty Virtue

What kind of What are my What kind of
obligations in this person should I
outcomes should
be (or try to be),
I produce (or try situation, and and what will my
not to produce)? what are the actions show
things I should about my
never do? character?
Focus

Consequentialist Duty Virtue

Directs attention to Directs attention Attempts to
discern character
the future effects of to the duties that traits (virtues and
an action, for all exist prior to the vices) that are, or
people who will be situation and could be,
directly or indirectly determines motivating the
affected by the people involved in
obligations. the situation.
action.
Definition of Ethical Conduct

Consequentialist Duty Virtue

Ethical conduct Ethical conduct Ethical conduct
is the action that involves always is whatever a
will achieve the doing the right fully virtuous
best thing: never person would
consequences. failing to do do in the
one’s duty. circumstances.
Motivation

Consequentialist Duty Virtue

Aim is to Aim is to Aim is to
produce the perform the develop ones’
most good. right action. character.
Applying Frameworks
to Cases
Summary of Frameworks Covered
• Consequentialist
• Focus on Consequence
• Deontological
• Focus on Intention
• Agent-centric
• Holistic focus on the Agent
Consequentialist Deontological Agent-centric

Deliberation What kind of outcomes What are my What kind of a person

should I produce (or try obligations in this should I be (or try to
to produce) situation, and what are be), and what will my
the things I should actions show about my
never do? character?

Focus Future effects of an Duties that exist, prior Attempts to discern

action, for all whom are to the situations, then character traits (virtues
directly or indirectly determines obligations and vices) that are, or
affected by the decision could be, motivating the
people involved in the
situation

Definition of Ethical Achieve the best Never fail to do the right Whatever you believe a
Conduct consequences. thing. fully virtuous person
would do in the
circumstances.

Motivation Produce the most good. Do the right thing. To be better.

Applied Ethics
• Categories of Actions
• Obligatory
• Impermissible
• Permissible
• Supererogatory
Applied Ethics
1. Recognizing an Ethical Issue
2. Consider the Involved Parties
3. Gather all relevant Information
4. Formulate Actions and Consider Options
5. Make a Decision and Consider it
6. Act
7. Reflect on the Outcome
Test Case – What is your course of
action?
• You’re a person who was finally able to work in an industry you wanted to work in
after years of turmoil and little pay, however within the first few months you
encounter a dilemma.
• You know a young male co-worker is being sexually harassed (against their will)
by your direct female superior and you have evidence of said acts. HR has been
involved in the scenario, however they haven’t done a definitive corrective action
against her. From other co-workers offhandedly hear that she’s been doing these
things for a long time and never gets punished for it due to her connections.
• Should you perform an action that jeopardizes the company, you can expect
yourself to find it difficult to re-enter the industry and expect to lose your current
job.
Test Case
• The small company you’ve worked for has finally gotten an offer from
one of the FANG companies for a mergers and acquisition.
• You are one of the fortunate employees explicitly stated to be kept within
the company, due to your connections with HR, while 90% of the team
will be dismissed and the larger company’s team will take over next
quarter.
• You are given a complete list of the employees who will be terminated
from their current job and are explicitly told to not give them a 2 weeks
notice of termination in order to maintain their productivity in order to
push out the best possible update for the product of the company.
REFERENCES
• https://www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/what-is-ethics/
• https://www.scu.edu/mobi/resources--tools/blog-posts/ethics-in-life-and-business/ethics-in-life-
and-business.html
• https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/philosophy#:~:text=1%20%3A%20the%20study
%20of%20the,let%20live%E2%80%94that's%20my%20philosophy.
• https://aese.psu.edu/teachag/curriculum/modules/bioethics-1/what-are-ethical-frameworks
• https://www.bacp.co.uk/events-and-resources/ethics-and-standards/ethical-framework-for-the-
counselling-professions/developing-the-new-ethical-framework-2018/
• https://www.brown.edu/academics/science-and-technology-studies/framework-making-ethical-
decisions