•    The ability to assess whether something is right or wrong requires basic knowledge about the way how  can we assess it (ethical reasoning) and reflection of criteria we use to provide the assessment.

•    The ethical decision-making models seek to represent two things: [1] The different stages in decision-making people go through in responding to an ethics problem in a business context; [2] the different influences on that process.

•    Moral judgements can be made according to consideration of rights, duty, consequences, etc (different ethical theories).

• Ethical decision is concerned with a judgement about what is right or wrong. An ethical decision is one where one chooses how to respond to a given situation based on values of good and bad, as opposed to only expediency or efficiency. This means, it deals with moral issues. There are a number of factors that indicate the moral status:

a) The decision is likely to have significant effect on others – it is concerned with harms and benefits, consideration of social good, i.e. considerations of others beyond the self.

b) The decision is likely to be characterized by choice, in that alternative courses of action are open. Moral decision requires that the deciders have a choice.

c) One or more parties perceive the decision as ethically relevant. Regardless of whether the decision-maker sees a decision as having ethical content, if others do, than the decision immediately incurs some degree of ethicality.

• The ability to assess whether something is right or wrong requires basic knowledge about the way how can we assess it (ethical reasoning) and reflection of criteria we use to provide the assessment.

There are two major ethics theories that attempt to specify and justify moral rules and principles: utilitarianism (also called consequentialism) and deontological ethics. Utilitarianism is a theory which states that only one thing—utility—is relevant to ethical decisions. The option that produces the greatest utility is the only ethical option. Deontologists believe that duties override everything else. A duty is a responsibility, an obligation, a binding commitment.

• The ethical decision making models seek to represent two things: [1] The different stages in decision-making people go through in responding to an ethics problem in a business context; [2] the different influences on that process.

I. Recognize a moral issue;

II. Make some kind of moral judgement about that issue;

III. Establish an intention to act upon that judgement;

IV. Act according to the intentions.

• Moral judgements can be made according to consideration of rights, duty, consequences, etc. (different ethical theories). However most research indicate that managers tend to rely primary on consequentialist thinking. See in attached slides the example of consequentialists ethics.

• These are unique characteristics of the individual actually making the relevant decision. These include factors which are given by birth (e.g. age, gender) and those acquired by experience and socialization (e.g. education, attitudes).

• These particular features of the context influence whether the individual will make an ethical or an unethical decision. These include factors associated with the work context (e.g. reward systems, job roles, organizational culture) and those associated with the issue itself (such as the intensity of the moral issue, or the ethical framing of the issue).

• Rationalizations tactics are mental strategies that allow individuals to view their corrupt acts as justified. It is a part of process of moral framing that justifies unmoral actions. Under such strategies, we can identify: denial of responsibility, denial of injury, denial of victim, social weighting, appeal to higher loyalties, metaphor of the ledger (e.g. individuals argue that they are entitled to indulge in deviant behaviors because of their accrued credits). See attached slides examples or explanation, etc.