The Integration of Theoretical Ethics with Practical Decision-Making in Organization and Management

Abstract

The complexity of business environments necessitates the need for responsible and conscientious decision making processes in organizational management domestically and globally. Employee trust or confidence in an organization is motivated through the demonstration of constancy in ethical decision-making. This paper will be concerned with the integration of theoretical ethics with practical decision-making in organization and management (business ethics). First, I discuss the historical thoughts that shape the concept of ethics in management and organization through today. Then, I address various contemporary theories of ethical decision-making such as Ethics of Virtue, Cultural and Ethical Relativism, the Ethics of Justice and Kantian Ethics, and the Ethics of Care and Feminist Ethics. Last, I compare and contrast the Ethics of Virtue, Ethics of Care, and Ethics of Justice theories in terms of their applicability to practice relative to global conditions. Organizational leaders and managers have the responsibility to make decisions that are governed by moral principles. Organizations can, therefore, succeed in any environment providing that the decision makers make the effort to adhere to standards that are moral, fair, caring, and just.