1 Chapter

SECTION OPENER / CLOSER:

INSERT BOOK COVER ART
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Section 1.1
Defining Ethics

Section 1.2
Sources of Law
1
Chapter
Ethics and Law
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
What Youll Learn
How ethical decisions are made (p. 6)

When to apply the greatest good
principle (p. 7)

When to apply the golden rule principle
(p. 8)
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
What Youll Learn
How to explain the nature of ethical
character traits (p. 11)

When law relates to ethics (p. 12)
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
What Youll Learn
How to explain the importance of law
(p.12)

How to resolve ethical and legal conflicts
(p. 13)
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Why Its Important
Learning how to apply ethical principles will
help you make ethical decisions.
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Legal Terms
morality (p. 6)
ethics (p. 6)
honesty (p. 11)
justice (p. 11)
compassion (p. 11)
integrity (p. 12)
law (p. 12)
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
How Ethical Decisions Are Made
Feelings and Opinions
The Greatest Good
The Golden Rule
Ethical Character Traits
Section Outline
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
The Relationship Between Ethics
and Law
Why Law Is Necessary
Ethical and Legal Conflicts
Section Outline
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Pre-Learning Question
How do you make ethical decisions?
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
How Ethical Decisions Are Made
Determining the difference between
right and wrong can be difficult.

Individuals use different methods to
choose the right thing to do in any
given situation.
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
How Ethical Decisions Are Made
Morality involves the values that
govern a societys attitude toward right
and wrong.

Ethics, in contrast, are the means for
determining what a societys values
ought to be.
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
How Ethical Decisions Are Made
Throughout your life, you will face
many ethical problems.

Adopting a consistent ethical
standard can help you with big or
small moral problems.
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Feelings and Opinions
Some people base their ethical
standards on whether or not the act
feels right.
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
The Greatest Good
Some people feel that an action that
creates the greatest good for the
greatest number of people is a sound
basis for making ethical decisions.
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
The Golden Rule
Others base their ethical standards on
the Golden Rule, which states:

Do unto others as you would have
them do unto you.
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Ethical Character Traits
Honesty is being open and truthful
with other people.

Justice is treating other people fairly
and equally.
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Ethical Character Traits
Compassion is being sympathetic to
the difficulties of others.

Integrity is doing what is right
regardless of personal consequences.
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Describe the characteristics of justice.
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
ANSWER
Treating people fairly and equally.
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Pre-Learning Question
How do you think ethics relates to
law?
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
If everyone made the same ethical
decisions with the same results, there
would be no need for law. In the real
world, however, some people engage
in conduct that most people agree is
wrong.
The Relationship Between
Ethics and Law
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Why Law Is Necessary
Law is the system of rules of conduct
established by the government of a
society to maintain stability and
justice.
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Why Law Is Necessary
Law defines the legal rights and duties
of the people and provides the means
of enforcing these rights and duties.
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Ethics and Legal Conflicts
Because law is made by people, it
is imperfect.
Legislators and judges bring their
own personal opinions on ethics to
the lawmaking process.
As a result, ethics and law will
sometime conflict.
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Define law.
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
ANSWER
Law is the rules of conduct
established by the government of a
society to maintain stability and
justice.
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Reviewing What You Learned
1. Explain how ethical decisions are
made.
Section 1.1 Assessment
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Reviewing What You Learned
Answers will vary but should refer to the
different standards people use, such their
feelings and opinions, the Golden Rule, or
their own ethical character traits.
Section 1.1 Assessment
Answer
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Reviewing What You Learned
2. How can the greatest good principle
lead to ethical decisions?
Section 1.1 Assessment
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Reviewing What You Learned
It concentrates on consequences in a way
that leads to ethical decisions.
Section 1.1 Assessment
Answer
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Reviewing What You Learned
3. How can the golden rule principle
lead to ethical decisions?
Section 1.1 Assessment
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Reviewing What You Learned
It tells each of us how to treat people
based on rationality and can, therefore,
lead to ethical decisions.
Section 1.1 Assessment
Answer
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Reviewing What You Learned
4. What are four ethical character
traits?
Section 1.1 Assessment
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Reviewing What You Learned
Honesty, compassion, integrity, and justice
Section 1.1 Assessment
Answer
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Reviewing What You Learned
5. How is law related to ethics?
Section 1.1 Assessment
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Reviewing What You Learned
Answers will vary but should refer to the
need for law because people do not always
make the same ethical decisions with the
same results.
Section 1.1 Assessment
Answer
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Reviewing What You Learned
6. Why is law important?
Section 1.1 Assessment
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Reviewing What You Learned
Answers will vary but should recognize that
law helps to maintain stability and justice in
a society.
Section 1.1 Assessment
Answer
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Reviewing What You Learned
7. How can ethical and legal conflicts
be resolved?
Section 1.1 Assessment
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Reviewing What You Learned
Answers will vary but should recognize that
by looking at the reasons for specific
conflicts, those conflicts may be resolved.
Section 1.1 Assessment
Answer
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Section 1.1 Assessment
Critical Thinking Activity
Ethics and Law
Why is it important to be able to distinguish
between actions that are ethical and
actions that are not? Why is it important to
be able to distinguish between ethics and
law?
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Section 1.1 Assessment
Answers will vary but should recognize the
value of knowing right from wrong and of
distinguishing between how we determine
our values and how we create the system
of rules we live by.
Critical Thinking Activity Answer
Ethics and Law
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Section 1.1 Assessment
Legal Skills in Action
Developing Ethical Standards
How would you respond to a friend who
says she has never had a consistent set of
moral standards?
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Section 1.1 Assessment
With a partner, role play a response to your
friends lack of ethical philosophy. Explain
how the ethical standards discussed in this
chapter could help her develop a
consistent set of ethical standards
Legal Skills in Action
Developing Ethical Standards
Understanding Business and Personal Law
Defining Ethics
Section 1.1
Ethics and Law
Section 1.1 Assessment
Role-plays will vary but should
demonstrate an understanding of the
ethical standards discussed in this chapter.
Legal Skills in Action Answer
Developing Ethical Standards
1 Chapter
SECTION OPENER / CLOSER:
INSERT BOOK COVER ART
Defining Ethics
End of Section 1.1