PART II

GEC 108: ETHICS

“To possess a virtue is to be a certain sort of person with a certain complex mindset. You cannot attribute a virtue on
the basis of a single action” ~ Stanford Encyclopedia

It is concerned with many other actions as well, with emotions and emotional reactions, choices, values, desires,
perceptions, attitudes, interests, expectations and sensibilities.

Cardinal means “hinge”

Imagine a box with four hinges. The box is moral goodness, which the natural law contains.

THE FOUR HINGES ARE THE FOUR CARDINAL VIRTUES

1. Justice - Fairness For You & Society

2. Prudence – Showing Care And Thought For Future
3. Temperance – Moderation Or Restraint
4. Fortitude – Courage In Pain Or Adversity

PRUDENCE
St. Thomas Aquinas ranked prudence as the first cardinal virtue, because it is concerned with the intellect.
Aristotle defined prudence as recta ratio agibilium, "right reason applied to practice." It is the virtue that allows us to
judge correctly what is right and what is wrong in any given situation. When we mistake the evil for the good, we are not
exercising prudence—in fact, we are showing our lack of it.
Because it is so easy to fall into error, prudence requires us to seek the counsel of others, particularly those we know to
be sound judges of morality. Disregarding the advice or warnings of others whose judgment does not correspond with
ours is a sign of imprudence.

JUSTICE
Justice, according to Saint Thomas, is the second cardinal virtue, because it is concerned with the will.
In the Modern Catholic Dictionary, it is "the constant and permanent determination to give everyone his or her rightful
due." We say that "justice is blind," because it should not matter what we think of a particular person. If we owe him a
debt, we must repay exactly what we owe.
Justice is connected to the idea of rights. While we often use justice in a negative sense ("He got what he deserved"),
justice in its proper sense is positive. Injustice occurs when we as individuals or by law deprive someone of that which he
is owed. Legal rights can never outweigh natural ones.

FORTITUDE
The third cardinal virtue, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, is fortitude. While this virtue is commonly called
courage, it is different from what much of what we think of as courage today.
Fortitude allows us to overcome fear and to remain steady in our will in the face of obstacles, but it is always reasoned
and reasonable; the person exercising fortitude does not seek danger for danger's sake.
Prudence and justice are the virtues through which we decide what needs to be done; fortitude gives us the strength to
do it.
Fortitude is the only one of the cardinal virtues that is also a gift of the Holy Spirit, allowing us to rise above our
natural fears in defence of the Christian faith.

TEMPERANCE
Temperance, Saint Thomas declared, is the fourth and final cardinal virtue. While fortitude is concerned with the
restraint of fear so that we can act, temperance is the restraint of our desires or passions.
Food, drink, and sex are all necessary for our survival, individually and as a species; yet a disordered desire for any of
these goods can have disastrous consequences, physical and moral.
Temperance is the virtue that attempts to keep us from excess, and, as such, requires the balancing of legitimate
goods against our inordinate desire for them.
Our legitimate use of such goods may be different at different times; temperance is the "golden mean" that helps us
determine how far we can act on our desires.
MORAL VALUES & CHARACTER BUILDING

Morals:
Morals are principles and values based on what a person or society believes are the right, proper or acceptable ways of
behaving.

Values:
Values of a person or group are the moral principles and beliefs that they think are important in life and that they tend
to live their lives by such values as guiding principles.

Character is the inherent complex of attributes that determine a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions.

Moral Principles or Values

Trustworthiness
o Work with little supervision, yet seek guidance as needed.
o Be honest, reliable, and ethical in all dealings.
o Refuse to steal, misuse or abuse company time, property or equipment.
o Refuse to lie, cheat, deceive, manipulate, exploit or take advantage of others.

Respect
o Value and honor all people.
o Respect the dignity, privacy and freedom of all.
o Use good manners. Be courteous and polite.
o Listen to and communicate openly with others.
o Be friendly and cooperative

Responsibility
o Show initiative. Pay attention to detail. Pursue excellence.
o Be loyal.
o Strive to improve abilities, learn new skills and take on broader responsibilities.
o Be accountable. Fulfill commitments, persevere and get the job done.

Fairness
o Listen. Know your job. Communicate honestly.
o Consider all stakeholders and the possible short- and long-term consequences of decisions.
o Be free of bias, just, without favoritism or prejudice.
o Use tact and courtesy.
o Share knowledge, ideas and skills with others.

Caring
o Strive for harmonious, mutually beneficial relationships.
o Show kindness and sensitivity to the feelings of others.
o Express gratitude.
o Show personal concern for others.
o Take time to help others.
o Be kind. Be kind. Be kind.

Citizenship
o Understand and contribute to the organization.
o Take care of equipment and resources.
o Pursue life-long learning.
o Volunteer without expectation of recognition or reward.
 o Be a role model and mentor to new employees.

Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.
Abraham Lincoln

MOTIVATION – HEART OF SELF IMPROVEMENT

A. Enjoy. Work as if you don’t need money. Dance as if nobody’s watching. Love as if you never cried. Learn as if
you’ll live forever. Motivation takes place when people are happy.
B. Family and Friends – are life’s greatest ‘F’ treasures. Don’t loose sight of them.
C. Give more than what is enough. Where does motivation and self-improvement take place at work? At home? At
school? When you exert extra effort in doing things.
D. Hang on to your dreams. They may dangle in there for a moment, but these little stars will be your driving force.
E. Ignore those who try to destroy you. Don’t let other people to get the best of you. Stay out of toxic people – the
kind of friends who hates to hear about your success.
F. Just be yourself. The key to success is to be yourself. And the key to failure is to try to please everyone.
G. Keep trying no matter how hard life may seem. When a person is motivated, eventually he sees a harsh life
finally clearing out, paving the way to self-improvement.
H. Learn to love your self. Now isn’t that easy?
I. Make things happen. Motivation is when your dreams are put into work clothes.
J. Never lie, cheat or steal. Always play a fair game.
K. Open your eyes. People should learn the horse attitude and horse sense. They see things in 2 ways – how they
want things to be, and how they should be.
L. Practice makes perfect. Practice is about motivation. It lets us learn repertoire and ways on how can we recover
from our mistakes.
M. Quitters never win. And winners never quit. So, choose your fate – are you going to be a quitter? Or a winner?
N. Ready yourself. Motivation is also about preparation. We must hear the little voice within us telling us to get
started before others will get on their feet and try to push us around. Remember, it wasn’t raining when Noah
build the ark.
O. Take control of your life. Discipline or self control jives synonymously with motivation. Both are key factors in
self-improvement.
P. Understand others. If you know very well how to talk, you should also learn how to listen. Yearn to understand
first, and to be understood the second.
Q. Visualize it. Motivation without vision is like a boat on a dry land.
R. Want it more than anything. Dreaming means believing. And to believe is something that is rooted out from the
roots of motivation and self-improvement.
S. You are unique. No one in this world looks, acts, or talks like you. Value your life and existence, because you’re
just going to spend it once.
T. X Factor is what will make you different from the others. When you are motivated, you tend to put on “extras”
on your life like extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends, and so on.

Codes of Ethics

The nature of ethical codes - In the word of work, codes of ethics provide the bases for good work ethics. These
codes generally set up system of duties and obligations, furnish a system of right and wrongs, promote positive work
values, and define what comprises ethical and unethical practices in the performance of work or the practice of any
profession. These code generally consist of a set of ethical principles accompanied by disciplinary rules.

The Code of ethics of the teaching profession-membership in the academic profession carries with the special
responsibilities. Like the legal and medical professions, the teaching profession also abides by some general principles
that serve as reminders of the variety of responsibilities teachers assume as member of the profession. If the alleged
offense is deemed sufficiently serious to raise the possibility of adverse action, the procedure should be in accordance
with the university’s policy on conduct. What you will read in this section are general statement of ethics in teaching
profession, based on the published draft of the statement of professional ethics by the Iowa State University.
1. As faculty member-Guided by a deep conviction of the worth and dignity of the advancement of knowledge,
recognized the special responsibilities placed upon them. Devote their energies to developing and improving their
scholarly competence.

2. As teachers- Faculty members encourage the free pursuit of learning in their students. They hold before them best
scholarly and ethical standards of their discipline. Demonstrate respect for students as individuals and adhere to their
proper roles as intellectual guides and counselors. Avoid any exploitation, harassment or discriminatory treatment of
students.

3. As administrators and colleagues-Acknowledge academic debt and strive to be objective in their professional
judgment of colleagues and accept their share of faculty responsibilities for the governance of their institution.

4. As member of an academic institution-Faculty members seek to be effective teachers, scholars and administrators.

5. As member of their community-As citizens engaged in a profession that depends upon freedom for its health and
integrity. Faculty members have the rights and obligation of other citizens.

BUSINESS CODE OF ETHICS

I a world of intense and fierce competition, unethical activities in the “free” world of business sometimes go beyond the
capability of common law and statues to curtail (restrain). However, many businessmen through the years have started
to realize the value of good ethics in the profit-oriented endeavor that is business. Business code intended to develop
and maintain good employer-employee relations usually tell about the observance of the following:

1. Adequate pay for the employees

2. Opportunity for advancement

3. Recognition for good work

4. Reasonable security and safety in the workplace

5. Recognition and respect for individuals as human beings

Another example of business code of ethics worthy of emulation Is the code of ethics for business proposed by the
bishops businessmen’s conference for human development, Philippines (Agapay 5-6). A significant part of the code
provides:

Towards customers, business shall, in the production of goods and services:

1. Strive after quality that will enable them to serve their purpose efficiently and effectively.

2. Avoid anything detrimental to the health, safety growth of the proper user or beneficiary of such goods and services.

3. Seek to apply or make use of the discoveries and inventions of science with adaptations that will improve their
products or services, thereby benefiting customers and users and increasing their number.

IN ITS MARKETING ARRANGEMENT, BUSINESS SHALL:

1. Deliver the product or service in the quality, quantity, and time agreed upon, and a reasonable price, and avoid the
creation of artificial shortages, price manipulation, and like practices.

2. Establish an after-sales and complaints service commensurate to kind of product or service supplied and the prices
paid.

3. Ensure that all mass media, promotional and packages communications be informative and true, and take into
account to precepts of morality and the sound cultural values of the community and manifest respect for human dignity.

Nevertheless, it is good that some of our businessmen have at least evolved to become creatures appreciative of the
need to have a good business code, but it would be better if they evolve further and possess the integrity to observe
what they stipulate in their codes.

WHAT HAPPENS IF I BREACH THE CODE?

In teaching :

As public servants, teachers hold special positions of trust, especially regarding children and young adults in our
community, and must be accountable for their actions at all times. If the Department considers that the Code has been
breached, disciplinary action may be taken. Any disciplinary action shall be taken in accordance with the principles of
natural justice and procedural fairness and in a manner that promotes the values and general principles of the ACT
Public Service (ACTPS). In deciding whether the Code has been breached, due consideration will be given to the
circumstances of the breach and the views of the teacher concerned. The primary aim of disciplinary action is to
maintain proper standards of conduct by teachers, to protect the reputation of the ACTPS, the Department and its
teachers and to maintain public confidence in the integrity of the ACTPS, the Department and its teachers. The aim is not
to punish, even if the consequences of disciplinary action for a teacher are severe. Disciplinary action that may be taken
in response to proven breaches of the Code include:

A. Counseling
B. a written admonishment
C. a financial penalty
D. Transfer to other duties (at or below current salary)
E. Temporary or permanent reduction in classification/salary
F. Termination of employment

These outcomes may be in addition to any penalty imposed by a court for a breach of legislative provisions. The
Code applies also to temporary, casual and probationary teachers. Temporary, casual or probationary teachers who
breach the Code will be dealt with according to the terms of their employment. Disciplinary action may include a
reprimand, termination of employment or other appropriate sanction.

UNETHICAL PRACTICES ON THE PART OF EMPLOYERS

The list of unethical practices committed by the employers is impressively long. Most of these practices affect
the morale of workers and lessen their productivity which, in the final analysis, will be disadvantageous to the employers
themselves and while other practices are driven by greed for profit.

1. Sexual harassment- the authority, position and influence of employers open opportunities for them to ask
sexual favors or make sexual advances from their employees.
2. Bribing government officials- this practice is largely to blame for the problems of graft and corruption that has
been plaguing the government service for decades.
3. Paying employees below minimum wage- the lack of alternative employment is exploited by some decadent
employers to keep wages low.
4. Tax evasion- while ordinary people often fixed income earners pay their taxes conscientiously and have no way
of evading tax as these are previously withheld from them, some wealthy employers pay private accountants to
find brilliant ways in which they can best evade paying the right taxes.
5. Resisting and interfering with trade union- a traditional source of profit-hungry employers is exploitation of
labor. Trade unions were born out of the need to protect workers from this exploitation.
6. Cutthroat competition- a social thinker once commented that capitalist and cannibals have something in
common. They both eat their own kind!
7. Business espionage- is committed when a company spies and steals valuable or essentials information from
other competing companies.
8. Infringement- is committed when one tries to imitate reproduce or counterfeit another company’s registered
products.
9. Negative advertising- the term is used here to refer to any form of advertising designed to destroy the image
competitor.
10. Pirating employees- there is a difference between hiring employees and pirating employees. Hiring suggests
that a job vacancy exists and an independence person freely applies to fill it up.
11. Employing children- one factor in the profit formula of some unethical employers is the employment of
children.
12. Double standard- is used here to refer to the unethical practice of discrimination at the workplace.
13. Gender discrimination- if the term and conditions of work are different between genders, gender discrimination
is occurring. Promotions, pay, assignment, training, etc. should be handled without regard to gender.
14. Age discrimination- is one of the horrors of becoming old. There are reports about employers who cut their
workplace in half, singling out older workers downsizing or right-sizing is not unethical in itself.
 15. Disability discrimination- not all disable persons are unfit to work.
16. Discrimination against gay and lesbian workers- this form of discrimination is also called discrimination based
on sexual orientation.
17. Religious discrimination- this form of discrimination applies to the unethical and illegal practice of some
employers to discriminate against employees for their religious beliefs and affiliations.
18. Favoritism- if in school we find teacher’s pet ( a name attributed to students who are their teacher’s favorite), in
the work place we will find their equivalent in the manager’s pets.
19. Entertaining gossip/malicious talk/backstabbing- gossiping, malicious talk and stabbing are common in the
workplace today largely because decadent employers approve and encourage these practices.
20. Insulting employees in public- scolding an erring employee is fine, as long as it is done properly.

UNETHICAL PRACTICES ON THE PART OF EMPLOYEES

1. Lagay, lusot and lakad- one despicable form of unethical practices in the workplace is what we call lagay. Lagay
is related to the concept lusot which literally means evading something, perhaps blame for an unaccomplished
task, by escaping through a hole or an opening.
A. Justification for lagay- some justify lagay by saying that there is nothing wrong when one present “gifts” to
employees for a job well done. These reasoning are outrageous.
2. Palakasan- another unethical issue that undermines the reliability of the workplace s palakasan.
3. Discourtesy- it is not uncommon to see arrogant employees in the workplace.
4. Improper use for office materials- some employees that using office materials for personal purposes is part of
the privilege of their office.
5. Pilferage- another unethical (and criminal) practice is pilferage, or stealing small items owned by someone else,
in this case the employer in the company.
6. Gossiping and bootlicking- one of the favorite pastimes of employees is dle talk or malicious gossip.
7. Strikes- compromise not only concerted work, stoppages but also slowdowns mass leave, sit-down and other
such similar activities.
8. Bluffing- contradictory interest of employers and employees is why, from time to time they are forced to enter
into a competitive process of negotiating.
9. Whistle blowing- is a great concession to the dictate of conscience. It generally arises from clashes between and
among the duties we must render to our various social affiliations.

THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES IN ENSURING HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE
WORKPLACE

Employers should ensure that:

1. Workplaces, machinery, equipment and processes under their control are safe and without risk to health.

2. Chemical, physical and biological substances and agents under their control are without risk to health when
appropriate protective measures are taken.

3. Adequate protective clothing and protective equipment are available.

4. Measures to deal with emergencies and accidents, including adequate first-aid arrangement are available.

Workers are responsible for:

1. Taking care of their own safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions at work.

2. Complying with instructions given for their own and other’s safety and health, and with other safety and health
procedures.

3. Using safety devices and protective equipment correctly and not rendering them inoperative.

4. Reporting to their immediate supervisor any situation which they believe could present a hazard and which they
themselves cannot correct.

5. Reporting any accident or injury to health at work.