NTEV200 Course Outline JANJUN 2022 One Written Individual Assignment is to be

submitted on or before the first week of March 2022 (25%). Topic: With the aid of relevant
examples critically examine the meaning and relevance of the following ethical concepts to
your prospective profession:

i. African Ethics (10 Marks)

African ethics is a character based ethics that maintains the quality of an individual’s character
through their moral compass as character forms the most fundamental moral in African ethics. In
this theory, good character is the essence of the African moral system as a person is given regard
in accordance with their character. The justification for a character based ethics is also shown in
the African saying that goes “munhu hunhu”, which means a person is regarded a person through
their morals. In African traditional society, ubuntu was another concept on morality that was
taught to encourage togetherness and to remind people that they are one people. Traditional
African Values laid certain expected behaviors that were regarded as a virtue in personal values
and social values. For example, a daughter in law being expected to kneel when greeting her
father in-law still applies in our today life.

To enable all expected ethical qualities were met, positive social sanctions and negative social
sanctions were enforced for example ululation when welcoming a correctly married woman or
being chased away from home upon getting pregnant before marriage. Personal values and social
values were there to manage behavior in public places and to help mold decency. An example
would be that of children being scolded for playing games in front of visitors.

The relevance of the African ethics concept to my prospective profession is to recognize that as
someone who looks forward to working in Africa, the African concept is not separated from the
person in the work environment. One of the greatest and most honored concept is that of respect.
This means greeting an elderly subordinate in the work environment shows that I would be a
person of a reckonable ethical value. To add on, being able to communicate with gestures such as
curtsying and clapping can be regarded as being a person who holds good ethical values.

ii. Biblical Ethics and Christian Ethics (10 Marks)

An introduction to the Bible showed how the Bible in this concept is the set standard for all
values that are regarded ethical or unethical. The divisions in the Bible showed and set the tone
for whether an act was regarded good or not and the consequences that came with each action or
deed done. Biblical ethics however differed from Christian ethics because Biblical ethics are
described as a broad spectrum of what the Bible would impose and how such situations were
dealt with in accordance with the Bible. Christian Ethics however were centered on imitating
Christ like behavior and acting in the manner in which Christ would have been expected to act.
Biblical Ethics centered on the treatment to be implemented for every consequence. Christian
Ethics focused on acts of kindness and how to serve and save people. An example of a Christian
ethical Principle in the Bible is that of not effecting vengeance as it says if a person slaps you on
the right cheek also give them the left cheek.

To give an examination on how to implement these ethical concepts to my prospective

profession would be to show the Christian believers that as a person I regard their ethical concept
and I see the value in their ethics. This is because this concept is regarded valuable to a group of
people and can be sensitive towards their regard for me. It would also be of great advantage to
show no discrimination between secular and Christian worldviews. This can help me reduce
conflict of views to do with worldview and the selected moral problems and ethical dilemmas.

iii. Ethics and morality (10 Marks)

Ethics and morality is the concept that talks about the basic ethical and moral values that is
expected from a person by all people regardless of their ethical designated group. These ethical
concepts are those of what is deemed good and what is regarded bad. For example, honesty being
regarded as a good ethical practice whilst stealing is regarded as something bad to do. This also
goes on to consider the natural mechanism in which as human beings we regard the acts done by
another person. The concept talks about being rational and acting in a justifiable way. The ethical
analysis of this concept subdues to moral development in the society in that people should do
what the state also deems as good conduct.
This applies in the work environment in that as a professional you should know what is wrong
and what is right. This also entails doing the correct thing whether someone is watching or not or
whether it is being expected or disregarded. Ethics and morality also open our minds to know
that whatever we do will come back to us as a lesson or a reward.

iv. Servant Leadership (10 Marks)

Servant leadership is about valuing people and showing them that they are of great importance.
Servant leaders value people for who they are and not just for what they give to the organization.
They are mainly characterized by humility. Servant leaders do not promote themselves but take
pride in putting other people first. They find it key to be devoted to listening and gaining
people’s trust in them. These people are generally caring.
As a professional and in the work environment, servant leader shares their power to benefit
others and puts the needs of others first. This could help integrate with my future goals by
looking towards helping without looking forward to the reward. Their main roles include helping
individuals develop and increase their performance whilst also willing to learn from others. Their
goal is not personal advancement and rewards. Servant leaders concentrate on performance
planning, daily coaching and helping people achieve.

v. Deontological and Teleological Ethical theories (10 Marks) (Total 50 Marks)

Deontology is an approach to ethics which adheres to the theory that an end does not justify the
means while teleology is an approach to ethics that adheres to the theory that the end always
justifies the means. Deontology is also known as duty-based ethics while teleology is also known
as results-oriented ethics.
All teleological ethical theories locate moral goodness in the consequences of our actions.
According to teleological (or consequentialist) moral theory, all rational human actions are
teleological in the sense that we reason about the means of achieving certain ends. Moral
behavior, therefore, is goal goal-directed.
There are many philosophers who reject the entire teleological agenda by arguing that moral
goodness has nothing to do with the pleasure, happiness, and or consequences. Deontological
theories are by definition duty-based. That is to say, that morality, according to deontology,
consists in the fulfillment of moral obligations, or duties. Duties, in the deontological tradition,
are most often associated with obeying absolute moral rules. Hence, human beings are morally
required to do (or not to do) certain acts in order to uphold a rule or law. The rightness or
wrongness of a moral rule is determined independent of its consequences or how happiness or
pleasure is distributed.

*********************References Are On The Next Page***************************

References
---The Ethics Study 2021 Business leaders on translating aspiration into action,
https://www.principia-

advisory.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/The-Ethics-Study-2021.pdf,

---Ethical Theories, https://www.dsef.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/EthicalTheories.pdf,

Accessed 19

August 2020

----Francis Machingura & Ngoni Chikwanha, The Bible and the Place of Widows in the
Apostolic Faith

Mission in Zimbabwe. In The Bible and Gender Troubles in Africa. Bamberg: Bamberg
University

Press,2019,https://www.academia.edu/37858349/BiAS_22_The_Bible_and_Gender_troubles_in

Assemblies of God Africa”. In African Pentecostalism and the Bible:2020, Bible in Africa
Studies:

Exploring Religion in Africa, Bamberg: Bamberg University Press,

---Jan Botha, “The Bible and Ethics.” In Doing Ethics in Context: South African Perspectives
edited by C.

Villa-Vincencio & John De Gruchy (Maryknoll: Orbis 1994) Chapter 3.

--- Cui Cantina / Yahya Wijaya / Christoph Stückelberger. (Kingdom Business College,2014)
pp.1-27.

Christian Faith and Values An Introduction for Entrepreneurs in China,

https://www.globethics.net/documents/4289936/15984460/China_Christian_1_web_final.pdf/
b633f38e-

3304-4adf-93c0-e18d34cb2a21 accessed 13/1/2020.