Moral values are regarded as the virtues that help an individual to determine what is wrong or right. They are the standards of good or evil that provides the bases of self-command. An individual's moral values are derived from their society or religion settings. Besides, moral values can also be attained from personal experiences that shape one judgment and perception about life. According to Li (2018), moral actions are measured according to the consequences it has on an individual. It can mean either to extract pain or pleasure. Depending on the ethical choice, it should always serve to bring fulfillment of the expected action on others and self. Ethics is the set behavioral code that is socially acceptable in the community. The set codes are intertwined with an individual's moral values and principles. In the history of humankind, these two principals were used, which gave each one a sense of their origin. Different cultures have their set of morally acceptable norms that are adhered to. Due to these differences in communities, one may choose to accept these differences or embrace them as part of their learned behaviors. Understanding the moral intuition present currently, it becomes easier to mark the future path as either better or worse.
Organizations worldwide have stipulated ethical codes that govern how employees will relate ( Dawson, 2018). It regulates relationships between the management and employees as well as the government. The set codes of ethics seek to build an atmosphere of trust, integrity, and accountability between the administration and the employees. The moral values established should protect all employees and address the organization codes that would help in decision making. Conducive environment seeks to ensure that respect and discipline upheld, and employees are empowered to be more productive. In this case, public administrators are mandated to embrace the integrity of the highest level because they perform their duties for the interest of the community. Public organizations are required to operate in an environment that is free from political influence to ensure that no community is deprived of government services. Personal morality is an aspect that is vital to the ethical standard of any organization. It is through personal morality the management is able to establish a policy that embraces cultural diversity. Moral performance entails the execution of self-discipline, judgment, and loyalty to their employers. If organizations are able to integrate different personalities and foster to satisfy their needs, then some of the moral issues been experienced could be avoided.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Conflict of interest is one of the moral issues been experienced in public sectors. Conflict of interest refers to a situation where an individual in public office indulges in activities that would benefit their interest. The private interest of employees interferes with official duty, which was to act for the benefit of the organization. The principle of morality outlines that an agent should be self-propelled to work for the benefit of their principal. Morality can be categorized into two that is the natural and artificial morality. Natural morality focuses on one's ability to be held accountable and adopted from one's daily activity. Artificial morality is that which is imposed by laws and regulations. In this case, if a person responds to a situation that requires their moral judgment, and they use natural morality, then morality issues would be limited. Corruption is another ethical issue public administrators and politicians are facing. It involves illegal dealings that have a direct effect on the economy. It's an abuse of public office where individuals use their position to rob the government for their selfish interest. Corruption threatens the economic growth and development of a country because of low investment. When fraud occurs, society suffers most because the high cost is imposed on them. Morality helps in building a community that contributes to social cohesion that favors unity and diversity. However, corruption seeks to promote self-centeredness and forces disintegration (Rowan 2018).
Lack of professionalism is also a moral issue that affects how employees perform their duties and responsibility. Professionalism at workplaces builds a culture of shared values, integrity, loyalty, transparency, and diligence. Professionalism helps in improving the knowledge and skills for the public servants that will help in carrying out their duties effectively. However, where professionalism is not accounted for individuals results in conflicts linked to how the task is performed. Again, where employees are entitled to carry out duties that require their competence, and then they fail to match the expectations, it may result in inadequate production. With professionalism in places cases such as sexual harassments and discrimination based on gender, race and ethnicity can be avoided. Sexual harassment has increased over the years since the policies established in these organizations have not been stipulated effectively. Sexual favors are also among the moral issues been experienced by people seeking employment in these offices.
Due to a lack of professionalism in workplaces, sexual favors are being used to employ. In this case, competency in task performance has continuously decreased. Management malpractices have also affected the moral values of an organization. For instance, it's the mandate of the management to establish a clear policy that promotes moral values in the organization. In this case, firms become reluctant to implement and enforce basic ethical principles that will promote integrity and transparency. In public institutions, political influence is collective, and the human resource management must ensure that their impact does not interfere with decision making. The administration should ensure that all the functions within the organization promote transparency and accountability. Moral issues have a direct effect on the level of productivity because of the mechanism that runs these functions. The countries also experience a diminishing economy because there are no investments been experienced. The government loses public trust and confidence because of a lack of transparency and accountability. Besides, their reputation and integrity get tarnished due to the divided loyalty. The public sector employees lack the motivation to perform their tasks as expected, which leads to unsatisfactory for both the employees and the organization. Moral values are vital in every aspect of life because it boasts interpersonal relationships, which then promotes the wellbeing of all.
An organization uses cost-benefit analysis criteria in making decisions that determine the cost associated with implementing a project. It tends to weigh the opportunity cost, the revenue earned, and the financial advantage of one project to the other. A human rights-based approach, on the other hand, seeks to empower individuals to claim their rights. The method provides an opportunity where employees can contribute in making decisions that affect them directly. Besides, it helps in increasing the accountability of individuals and fulfilling responsibilities. The human rights-based approach primarily focuses on ensuring that human rights integrated into policymaking. Some of the principles that govern this approach include legality, participation, accountability, and equality.
The theories of virtue outlines the character of an individual determines ethical values. It holds that the traits of humans should show the instrumental and intrinsic value of moral interaction. Virtue outlines noble characteristics, such as self-discipline, wisdom, and gratitude. Deontology emphasises on rules and duties, whereas consequentialism focuses on the consequences of an action. In real-world cases, individuals would get involved in situations that yield positive outcomes. However, in deontology and consequentialism, they both integrate the aspect of virtue (Wood 2019). For instance, deontology describes an attribute as a trait that enables an individual to perform their duties effectively. Consequentialism refers to a virtue that will bring positive consequences. In this case, the cost-benefit analysis does not fully put the interest of their personnel into account. It primarily focuses on the outcome without regarding the human input. The human right approach seeks to put the welfare of its staff, which is a vital aspect of ensuring mora issues eliminated.
References
Dawson, D. (2018). Organisational virtue, moral attentiveness, and the perceived role of ethics and social responsibility in business: The case of UK HR practitioners. Journal of Business Ethics , 148 (4), 765-781.
Li, F., Chao, M. C. H., Chen, N. Y. F., & Zhang, S. (2018). Moral judgment in a business setting: The role of managers’ moral foundation, ideology, and level of moral development. Asia Pacific Journal of Management , 35 (1), 121-143.
Rowan, J. (2018). Conflicts of rights: moral theory and social policy implications . Routledge.
Wood, N. (2019). Virtue Rediscovered: Deontology, Consequentialism, and Virtue Ethics in the Contemporary Moral Landscape.
