Business Ethics

Ethical decisions are made on a daily basis by most individuals. It seems to me, most ethical decisions are quite simple and we can use common sense or our gut reaction to make a quick, painless decisions. Although, I have been in several situations throughout the years which have required extensive thought and support from my own ethical theories, most of which have been naturally instilled throughout my 30 years of living and learning. My occupation as a Home Inspector does put me in ethical situations occasionally; normally its just bending of the rules to accommodate the purchase of a home, in these cases most party’s are aware of the situation and have agreed to it’s outcome. Also, being a husband and father of three, I run into ethical decisions on a nightly basis. As a matter of fact, right now, I should be reading to my children instead of selfishly typing on a computer, some people could construe this as an ethical decision I have made!

It’s not the minor decisions I’m concerned about, most of my problems are business related. Just recently I had a “Roof Certification Inspection” where my good judgment was compromised. For government loans some properties require these quick inspections, I enjoy them because of their ease, so obviously I want to keep getting them. Well, I look at the roof in question and it’s pretty much shot; The owner was there and I informed her of the problems with the roof. She then tells me the loan is to do the roof and some other maintenance around the property. I feel bad for her, after all she seems real nice, so I tell her I’ll give her the extension on the roof, which requires two years life remaining for the lender. In turn she’ll rant and rave about what a nice inspector I was and I’ll get more “Roof certification inspections” from the lender. The ethical dilemma is that the roof didn’t have two years remaining and I said it did. Now she was going to fix the roof with the money from the lender but what if she doesn’t? I went with my

Business Ethics 9

gut reaction on this one because I trusted she would fix the roof. I think if other inspectors were in my position, they would understand my decision but not all would have approved. I’m sure inspectors have been called out in the past and some would be nervous about flexing in this situation. Common sense would probably say I was wrong, so I made an unethical decision, but I still feel I made an o.k. decision. The only person possibly harmed at this point, is the bank, but if there are problems in the future with the roof, myself and the owner could be in jeopardy of losses. The more I think about this the more unethical it gets!

It seems gut reactions and common sense are at either sides of the spectrum. When I think of gut reactions, I think of doing something against normal reasoning. Whereas, common sense would be the normal route everyone would choose. We use the two as guidance through issues of concern and talk of them as if they made the decision for us, such as “my gut told me not to do that” or “common sense would have told you that”. We sort of use these forms of decision as an easy way to make quick, uninformed and sometimes unethical decisions. By being aware of ethical issues in the business world a leader won’t have to rely on gut reactions or stretching common sense. Knowing the different forms of ethical thinking and ways to incorporate them is a must for any business leader, viewing problems in different perspectives is a must.

The more I think of ethics and read material on this subject, the more I am realizing how much it impacts our daily lives. I am excited to learn more about this topic and hopefully help myself and others around me understand how best to use ethics. In the business world and personal ventures I have made unethical decisions and will be analyzing them to help understand what influenced me or, if I were just being lazy and relying on “gut reactions” or common sense.

Chapter 2: Workshop Two Business Ethics 10

I am, and have always been a supporter of the environment; I try to do my part when it comes to reducing pollution and preventing any other hazards or damage to our world. I have always viewed the Environmental Protection Agency as a necessary part of our government and encourage the support of this group. We need to protect our lands and prevent unethical practices on and around them. I can understand the views some have with the concern that the EPA meddles in our business. It’s that meddling which seems to keep people and business’ honest and making better decisions to support everyone affected. This course is teaching me different views of ethical situations in the business world but it seems to me this agency is in place for exactly