HRCI's HR Ethics Series: Theories of Ethics

Course Description

Ethical dilemmas confront those in business with the fundamental question: "What's the right thing to do?" But the "right" thing is often difficult to determine and an unexamined patchwork of ideas inform the decision. In order to better understand how to judge right and wrong, this course introduces some foundational ethical systems and explores their implications for business decisions, with a particular focus on the role human resource professionals have in safeguarding ethics in a business environment. Should a business focus on following the rules or on the effects the decision will have? Can self-interest play a role in making an ethical decision? This course presents the ethical theories of utilitarianism, ethical relativism, egoism, and Kantian ethics. It also explores the role religion plays in the development of ethical systems.

Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, the learner should be able to:

• Define consequentialist and nonconsequentialist theories of ethics
• Recognize utilitarianism and apply it to an organizational context
• Describe Immanuel Kant's approach to ethics and apply it to an organizational context
• Analyze the elements of moral decision making
• Identify the relationship between religion and morality
• Define ethical relativism
• Identify the role of individual integrity and responsibility
• Apply ethical principles to workplace scenarios
• Recognize the relationship between HR and the ethics department