Introduction
As human beings, there exist rules and standards that dictate how we act and relate with others. These norms which are in most cases established over long periods of time are important for our harmonious coexistence in the society as well as in our relationships with others.
These moral principles which are known as ethics greatly impact on our lives. Being ethical has come to be deemed as a personal discipline, particularly since the dawn of the social responsibility movement in the 60s. During that period, social awareness associations elevated expectations of governments and individuals to utilize their huge financial and social power to deal with the ongoing social problems such as poverty, transgression, environmental degradation, inequality, public health and substandard education.
As globalization hit, socio-economic development turned into a more complicated and dynamic topic and nations realized that they required more regulations to ensure that their transactions and interactions worked towards the common good and did not harm others and thus, the concept of ethical standards was developed. A good socio-economic system must therefore work towards the preservation of justice, minimization of poverty and mitigation of social, economical and ethnic inequalities.
In this paper, I shall discuss the importance of being ethical in one’s society and personal life as well as the effects of being unethical. The various ethical theories that have been developed shall be implemented as the main guidelines to determine the standards required for a good socio-economic system. In addition, the paper shall also discuss whether the damage that is posed by being unethical can be undone.
Ethics can loosely be defined as a system of moral principles by which social conduct is judged as either “right” or “wrong”. Ethics play a vital role in ensuring unity and peaceful coexistence between people in a given society. In relation to a person’s profession, ethics are moral principles which prescribe what legitimate behavior is in various business dealings (Desjardins 14).
An ethical professional will act for the good of the greater organization as opposed to acting for his own gains. Professionals who live up to their ethical responsibilities also ensure that their relationships with their clients and other workers continue to thrive (Dhillon 195). This will have a positive effect that will be felt by not only the specific organization but also by the society at large.
Good ethics also dictate that a person remains honest and accountable in all his dealings. This leads to a harmonious society where relationships are amiable as they involve people who have as the basis of their relations trust and principled behaviors. Dhillon notes that in a society where every individual observes the ethical norms, the harmony created is beneficial for the entire community (212).
Ethical Theory that ensures a just socio-economic systems
Ethical theories are the criteria that we use to make judgment as to the fairness or unfairness of actions undertaken regarding problems (Johnston 90). The theories provide support to decision making and shed some light the thought process behind a conclusion. The theory that can be used to facilitate the existence of a just socio-economic system is the Utilitarianism theory which is considered to be the most influential ethical theory.
This theory is based on the fact that the collective welfare of the people overrides the individual’s right and as such, the theory advocates the maximization of happiness for the greatest number of people (Johnston 76). In this approach, the net benefit is calculated and the net consequences evaluated. From these evaluations, a decision which adheres to the theory by having the most “productive” result is chosen. This is the best theory to apply if a good and just socio-economic system is to exist.
The value of teamwork has in the recent past declined. This is due to the present economic situations which forces everyone to work as an individual (survival for the fittest) in order to remain relevant in an unforgiving business and social environment.
Due to this cliché unfair business and social practices have emerged and consequently, increased inequality amongst people. The Utilitarianism theory presents a way out because it discourages selfishness and advocates for actions that will benefit more people. It can arguably be stated that the Utilitarianism theory promotes unity and harmonious coexistence of people and sharing is the main principle behind this theory.
In addition, a just socio-economic system should be characterized by the existence of peace, harmony and equitable distribution of available resources. However, the existence of these values depends mainly on the ability of the individuals within the system to behave and act in a fair and just manner. As such, the Utilitarianism theory would ensure that a just socio-economic system is achieved because it advocates for ethical behaviors which leads to the happiness of all members of a society.
Despite the fact that everyone has the ability to act ethically, some choose not to. The classical theory of crime assumes that criminal acts are as a result of an individual’s free will. The theory assumes that humans are rational beings with a clear understanding of the consequences that may arise from any decision that they make. This theory shows that everybody has the potential to commit crime if need be.
As such, it implies that there is no such thing as a criminal mind and that criminals have the same attributes and thought process as any other person. The only difference is that in a similar situation, some individuals may choose to commit crime thus making them criminals. To this effect, the Utilitarianism theory has been criticized as being unrealistic in today’s social and economic systems.
Critics of the Utilitarianism theory have used the consequentialism ethics theory to argue that a just socio-economic system cannot be achieved through maximization of happiness for the greatest number of people.
The consequentialism theory holds that actions can be judged as right and/or wrong only on the basis of the consequences they produce with no consideration for their intentions or motives. This means that in the event that a goal has been set, an individual should do whatever necessary to ensure that the set objectives have been achieved. The theory therefore proposes that the end result justifies the means.
In regards to the creation of a just social-economic system, the Utilitarianism theory assumes that a good social-economic system can only be achieved if people consider each other and work towards making each other happy. However, it does not consider various individual attributes. For example, there are lazy people criminals and psychologically disturbed people within every society.
As such, their contribution to nation building is very minimal if any. The Utilitarianism theory would therefore not be fair in this situation because hard working individuals would be forced to share the fruits of their labor with selfish and potentially dangerous people in the society.
The consequentialism theory therefore assumes that good ethical behaviors should be judged on the basis of the consequences and not how many people they satisfy. It purports that socio-economic development is as a result of hard work, seizure of opportunities and risk taking. It is not about compromise as assumed by the Utilitarianism theory.
There exist three principles that serve as a framework when dealing with ethical issues in any settings. They act as guidelines and are the basis from which judgments can be made.
The first principle is that of emotional appeals which dictates that the decisions made by a person are greatly influenced by emotional urges that needs to be addressed. According to this concept, the rationale behind crimes of passion, corruption and violence are determined by the fallacy presented by emotions that such acts are justifiable. It is a psychological issue that contributes to most crimes across the globe.
The principle of speculation states that actions should be balanced against the risks and costs. As such, any action taken depends on the ability of the individual to foresee the consequences and therefore act in a manner that will benefit him/her the most.
This principle stipulates that an individual’s best interests must be foremost in their mind and failure to adhere to this may lead to unwanted repercussions. Speculation is not a good attribute because it forces people to act in their own interest without giving due consideration to others who might be affected by decisions made under speculative circumstances.
The defensible evidence concept implies that human behavior relies on the power of proof. This means that an ethical or immoral act is validated by the amount of proof availed. This concept is in accordance with the fundamental responsibilities of the justice system which stipulates that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
Effects of being Unethical
Unethical conducts have many adverse effects both to the individual and the society at large. It is because of a lack of ethical conduct among some professionals that some institutes are rife with corruption and poor services leading to loses by the institute and degraded services provided to the public. Unethical practices can also be held to blame for various injustices perpetrated against people such as robberies and discrimination.
In instances whereby an individual is unethical, he may harm others or severe his/her relationship with others. In either case, unethical behavior leads to losses for both the individual and those around him. In addition, unethical behaviors have contributed highly to social, political and economic instability. Hoffman et al state that factors such as tribal clashes and impunity are caused by gradual increase of unethical conducts within a society (97).
Undoing the Damages
Being unethical inevitably leads to some form of loss or damage to a person. This damage may include loss of trust by the society, loss of work or stigmatization by society members. The person who is guilty of being unethical will therefore try to undo these damages. When the unethical behaviors relate to a personal life, in most cases the damages will only be temporal in nature and the wronged person(s) will be willing to make amends once the offender expresses their remorse and demonstrate a change of character.
If the offence is in one’s professional life, the results might be permanent in nature. For instance, the institute that a person wronged by acting unethically may be unwilling to forgive or accept the person back into the community. A good example of this is in medicine where doctors who are accused of being unethical at times loss their licenses and are forbidden from practicing for good.
In addition, the survival of any civilization hinges on the establishment of laws and codes of conduct and the subsequent obeying of the same by the society’s members. Due to the fact that not all members of the society are going to follow the law on their own accord, forms of punishment for wrongs done may be used both for retribution and deterrence purposes. This will help in ensuring that a good socio-economic system is achieved.
To fulfill this noble task of maintaining the peace and serenity of a society, the established criminal justice system may use of a number of sub-systems. This is in an effort to establish social control by fighting crime and administering penalties and rehabilitation efforts to those that are in violation of the set rules and laws. The most visible of the agents employed by the criminal justice system are police officers who are charged with enforcement of the criminal laws and prevention of crime in their respective jurisdictions (Johnston 37).
Another integral part is the court systems which play a vital role by administering justice. Courts are charged with ensuring that the criminal justice process runs its course from the arrest stage through to the sentencing. If this fails, correctional services act as the best front from which criminals can be rehabilitated. The implementation of such measures will ensure that a society remains vigilant and avoids unethical behaviors.
Conclusion
For there to be a good socio-economic system, there must be rules and laws that govern the behaviors of individuals to ensure that they do the right thing and get punished in cases of nonconformity. The various ethical theories have been discussed and their contribution towards a just socio-economic system argued.
While it has been observed that moral and ethical issues are not always in sync, it has been established that they can be reconciled at times. The existing ethical theories and principles that societies adhere to have been mentioned and a brief overview of the same has been given. This principles have been observed to be of immerse importance in the solving of real life issues as they act as the guidelines from which decisions should be made by all.
Works Cited
Desjardins, Joseph. An Introduction to Business Ethics. New York: McGraw-Hill College, 2010. Print.
Dhillon, Gurpreet. Social Responsibility in the Information Age: Issues and Controversies. Idea Group Inc (IGI), 2003. Print.
Hoffman, Michael, Frederick, Robert and Schwartz, Mark. Business Ethics: Readings and Cases in Corporate Morality. NY: McGraw Hill, 2001. Print.
Johnston, George. An Introduction to Ethics, for Training Colleges. BiblioBazaar, LLC, 2009. Print.