1. Identify the problem.

1.1. Be alert; be sensitive to morally charged situations. Look behind

the technical requirements of your job to see the moral dimensions. Use

your ethical resources to determine relevant moral standards . Useyour

moral intuition.

1.2. Gather information and don’t jump to conclusions. While accuracy is

important, there can be a trade-off between gathering more information

and letting morally significant options disappear. Sometimes you may

have to make supplementary assumptions because there is insufficient

information and no time to gather more

information..

1.3. State the case briefly with as many of the relevant facts and

circumstances as you can gather within the decision time available.

1.3.1. What decisions have to be made? There may be more than one

decision to be made.

1.3.2. By whom? Remember that there may be more than one decision-maker

and that their interactions can be

important.

2. Specify feasible alternatives.

State the live options at each stage of decision-making for each

decision-maker. You then should ask what the likely consequences are of

various decisions. Here, you should remember to take into account good

or bad consequences not just for yourself, your company or clients, but

for all affected persons.

3. Use your ethical resources to identify morally significant factors in

each alternative.

3.1. Principles. These are principles that are widely accepted in one

form or another in the common moralities of many communities and

organizations.

3.1.1. Respect autonomy. Would I be exploiting others, treating them

paternalistically, or otherwise affecting them without their free and

informed consent? Have promises been made? Are there legitimate

expectations on the part of others because I am a business or

professional person?

3.1.2. Don’t harm. Would I be harming someone to whom I have a general

or specific obligation as a professional or as a human being?

3.1.3. Do good. Should I be preventing harm, removing harm, or even

providing positive benefits to others?

3.1.4. Be fair.

3.2. Moral models. Sometimes you will get moral insight from modelling

your behaviour on a person of great moral integrity.

3.3. Use ethically informed sources. Policies and other source

materials, professional norms such as company policy, legal precedents,

and wisdom from your religious or cultural traditions.

3.4. Context. Contextual features of the case that seem important such

as the past history of relationships with various parties

3.5. Personal judgements. Your judgements, your associates, and trusted

friends or advisors can be invaluable. Of course in talking a tough

decision over with others you have to respect client and employer

confidentiality. Discussion with others

is particularly important when other decision-makers are involved, such

as, your employer, co-workers, clients, or partners. Your professional

or business association may provide confidential advice. Experienced

co-workers can be helpful.

Tags: Decision making, Ethics