Business Ethics: How to play by the rules of the Game Business as a game? How business dealings resemble a game  Competition fused with “fairness” and “good sportsmanship”  Competition as framing zero-sum games  Knowledge of strategies/positions  Non-zero sum games as “team sports” Shared visions and goals Cooperation Breakdown of competitive thinking

Business Ethics How Business Dealings do not resemble games Idea of game theory Games limit, restrict, define, and isolate Business is fused with everyday life experiences, including values and morals Must consider alternate solutions, acknowledge risk and certainty

Business Ethics Business Ethics & Personal Values Character  Integrity as a necessity  Social responsibility  Trust as an essential element ~ established through standards of morals and values

Business Ethics and Personal Values The American Work Ethic Drives our need for the “good life” Constantly evolves  Robert Solomon’s consideration of work ethic: only recently has the term “work ethic” been associated with a sense of dignity to work as an end in itself, rewarding, and enjoyable. Clashes between personal values and business values  Pressure to conform to business norms of competition  Need for guidelines

Business Ethics and Discrimination Affirmative Action Rae’s three positions Stereotyping Is there a middle ground? Legal impacts

Business Ethics and Discrimination Women in the workforce Scott Rae’s idea of perceptual bias in the workforce Impact of “visibility” Issues surrounding sexual harrassment

Business and Moral Decision- Making Scott Rae’s “Moral Model” for making Decisions in the World of Business Gather the facts Determine the Ethical Issues Bearing Principles on the Case List Alternatives Compare Alternatives with Principles Weigh Consequences Make a decision

Business Ethics Which moral philosophy best suits the business world in making ethical decisions? Consideration of natural law theory and concept of utility  Acts have in them a moral goodness or moral baseness  Known to us through right reason a priori  Must also work to provide the “greatest happiness for the greatest number of people involved” (principle of utility)  Acts have no inherent moral value – only results count  Both moral philosophies are reflected in the moral model