Ethics

I have been teaching Business Ethics for Cardinal Stritch part time for over 20 years. As the saying goes, the teacher learns more than anyone. I learned a lot doing that, and was glad for the opportunity. These are just a few of the insights I gained. See what you think.

Moral Reasoning. Most texts start out with a complicated idea of how humans make moral decisions. I decided that we need to simplify that a bit.

Moral Philosophies - a Pluralistic Approach. This is a perspective I borrowed from Dr. Robert Terry of the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota, from a talk he gave quite some time ago. Given the nature of the beast, there really is no ONE way to see moral decisions.

Personal Ethical Principles.

When I teach this for business ethics, I stress that each of us should all stop and reflect and build our own base of ethical principals. When the proverbial crap hits the fan, there's no time to sit and reflect - that has to already be in place. This document is my personal set of guidelines. Nothing is forever, all can change, but it is my current view on ethics and business.

This also includes an outline of what a real corporate ethics program might look like.