Ethics Awareness Inventory Analysis: Obligation

Ethics Awareness Inventory Analysis: Obligation

According to the Ethics Awareness Inventory [EAI] (Williams Institute for Ethics and Management [WIEM], 2003), "[My] ethical perspective is most likely to be based on obligation, and…least likely to be based on equity." In this paper, I will apply the results of this inventory to my personal and professional development, explaining how my educational experience has shaped my ethical thinking, addressing my use of ethics in thinking and decision-making, and discussing my potential for conflict in situations with people of different ethical perspectives.

The EAI states that my ethical perspective is based on "…an individual's duty or obligation to do what is morally right…" (WIEM, 2003). In my personal and professional life, this means that I tend to look behind the person's actions to determine intention, rather than concentrating on results. The EAI supports my belief that human beings are entitled to basic rights, and therefore our actions must respect the rights of others: "The ends do not justify the means" (WIEM, 2003). Therefore, I believe individuals have an obligation to make choices which benefit the whole, yet do not infringe upon the rights of the individual. Thus, for example, in my ethical standpoint, the government must make policies which benefit the nation, its employees, and its citizens/residents without stripping away individual freedoms such as the right to privacy.

My ethical perspective and thinking are also based on my educational experiences; particularly my experience with the online learning environment of the University of Phoenix (UOP), which has changed my ethical viewpoint a great deal. Prior to attending UOP, I had only thought of others' ethical positions as they related to their different cultural, ethnic, religious, etc. backgrounds. I have since learned, however, that these various factors, culture, ethnicity, religion, etc., work together not only to affect one's ethical point of view, but also to influence many organizational goals and methods for achieving those goals.

My point of view on ethics also fuels my thinking and decision-making. My solution to a problem, for instance, may be dismissed as a viable choice because it does not appear to benefit the company right now, even though it may be highly beneficial in the long-run. (WIEM, 2003) Further, if President Bush were able to run for re-election, I would likely vote for the opposing candidate because, ethically, I do not believe the decision to violate civil liberties by permitting the government to listen to and record private phone conversations in an attempt to thwart terrorists, albeit admirable in intent, is the means to achieving that goal.

Professionally, my ethics have given me grief when facing someone of a different ethical stance. As the EAI states, "Defending [my] ethical