6 Steps to Making Ethical Decisions
Six step framework for ethical decision making
According to Gavin Hack there are six steps for creating a framework to ethical decision making. Information would be one step. The ability to obtain as much information as possible about the customers and employees, will lead to well thought processed decision making. It also leads to satisfaction and rarely gets close to failure. Identification would be another step. The efforts to assess whether this is an ethics issue or if it is a legal, institutional or social issue better addressed by other services or departments. Clarification is another, being able to carry all information throughout the business sufficiently. Making sure members of the team know and understand all the necessary and relevant information in regard to the success or downfall of the business. Assessment is the ability to assess the considerations of customer’s preferences, interests, values and their quality of life. Recommendation is being able to make recommendations all parties can understand. Documentation entails the act of documenting recommendations in customers records. Follow up, making sure the customer is aware of what’s going on. Lastly feedback: ask for comments, suggestions and thoughts about the ethical issue or dilemma, recommendation or decision-making process.
Bose U., AN ethical framework in information systems decision making using normative theories of business ethics(2012)
Utal Bose concludes in his journal that issues of ethical decision-making are inherently complex in any environment, and philosophers have debated for centuries on the best way to deal with ethical decision making. The way to approach ethical decision-making is evolving through a constant cycle of application and evaluation. Decisions involving ethics will always be the source of debate and it is therefore necessary to establish a history of past decisions to help guide future ones.
