1. Ethics Essay 1
Ethics Essay
Veronica Gates
University Of Phoenix
Course ID: ETH/316
Instructor: Ralph Apuan
Workshop/ Week No.: 1
March 14, 2013

2. Ethics Essay 2
Ethics Essay
What are ethics? According to "Washington Ethical Society" (2002-2013),”ethics
defines the elements essential to human well-being and proposes principles to be used as
guidelines for generating an ethical culture. Ethics pertains to certain values, standards, and
rules, people adopt for conducting their lives. This paper will discuss the similarities and
differences of the following three theories of ethics, utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue, how
these theories are an intricate part of our core beliefs, and how they affect our everyday choices.
While comparing the similarities and differences between the three theories, it was
discovered they all have two things in common; how one judge’s morality and ethics and all
three theories are driven by results. Each theory involves a different aspect of judging. Virtue
ethical theory is concerned with the concept of duty. It exhibits determination to achieve
excellence when performing duties and attaining qualities those would respect and admire. It
places less emphasis on which rules people should follow and instead focuses on developing
good character traits (Cline, 2013), i.e. how should I live my life? Virtue ethical theory also tests
the relationship between a person’s actions as opposed to the character of the person. People
may verbalize good ethical standards, but their actions reveal something very different. Practice
what you preach comes to mind. Utilitarianism ethical theory is based on decisions that render
the best results for the majority. As stated by Bolan 2009, utilitarianism “suggest that an action
is morally right when that action produces more total utility for the group as a consequence than
any other alternative does”, i.e. Obama Care is designed to provide the vast majority with
healthcare assistance. The "Your Dictionary.com" (1996-2013) defines Deontology as an
ethical theory that the morality of an action should be based on whether that action itself is right
or wrong under a series of rules, rather than based on the consequences of the action. Deontology

3. Ethics Essay 3
theorizes that the choice or decision made is based on what he or she believes is morally correct
and not based on the best results for the majority; i.e. the belief that killing someone is wrong,
even if it is in self-defense. Each theory works towards the best outcome, whether it benefits the
majority or the individual. What separates these three theories is whether or not the decision is
best for the moment or for the future.
My decision making process is a mixture of utilitarianism and virtue ethical theory;
however the latter is the strongest aspect of my personality. I believe in order for me to make the
best choices for the majority, I first must understand what morals govern me. What drivers
influence how I live my life? I have to be able to look myself in the mirror and guiltlessly accept
the consequences of my decision; therefore, virtue ethical theory guides my initial decision.
However, I always consider how my choices will affect those around me; i.e. during my employ
as an Office Manager, I was entrusted with managing the front office which entailed greeting and
providing the public with information pertaining to the services we offered. I was told to inform
potential clients that we had money to provide them with career training services, when in reality
the funding had been depleted. I was uncomfortable being asked to take part in such deceitful
behavior. It went against everything I believed; however, for a short time I did reluctantly
participate. I kept thinking, “what if that person were me? I would want to know the truth. I
eventually found a way to inform potential clients regarding the true status of our training grant.
My responsibility or duty was to provide a service and any assistance my employer made
available to our clients, but in doing so I had to remain true to my core beliefs.
Our personal morals influence every decision we make whether it is personal or
professional; ethics is the avenue in which our morals and core beliefs are displayed. It is not
always what you do, but how you do it.

4. Ethics Essay 4
References
Bolan, M. (2009). Basic Ethics in Action: Basic Ethics (2nd ed.). : Pearson Education.
Cline, A. (2013). About. Retrieved from
http://atheism.about.com/od/ethicalsystems/a/virtueethics.htm
Washington Ethical Society. (2002-2013). Retrieved from
http://www.ethicalsociety.org/article/19/about-wes/ethical-culture-our-religious-
heritage/faqs-about-ethical-culture/what-does-ethics-mean
Your Dictionary.com. (1996-2013). Retrieved from http://www.yourdictionary.com/