chapter 6 ethical principles applied to sport management
TRANSCRIPT
Introduction• Ethics
– The systematic study of the values guiding our decision making
– Ethics reflect how we believe people should behave and how we want the world to operate
• Ethical dilemma – Practical conflict involving equally compelling
values or social obligations; solved when we articulate which commonly held values we admire most
• Morality – The list of those actions people ought to do or refrain
from doing
Ethical Considerations
• Decisions that affect diverse groups of people with conflicting interests (e.g., athletes, fans, media, community, businesses)
• Sport managers’ decisions about ethical dilemmas tend to fall under greater public scrutiny
• Ethical analysis involves a systematic process of reasoning: – Weighing pros/cons of two or more seemingly
valid choices that reflect equally cherished values
Ethical Considerations: Codes of Conduct
• Need exists for establishing solid ethical climates in corporations.
• Code of conduct outlines and explains the principles under which an organization or profession operates.
• Codes of conduct should be clear and straightforward and encourage employees to understand the goals they are trying to accomplish.
Ethical Considerations: Morality
• Some ethical dilemmas are about choosing between right and wrong or two opposing choices.
• Social practices depend on people upholding certain baseline values.
• Many moral values in society are codified in laws, but moral behavior cannot always be legislated and people cannot be forced to act morally.
Ethical Considerations: Morality in the Work World
• Absolutism – Moral precepts are universal—applicable to all
circumstances.• Relativism
– What is moral depends on the situation.• Commercial moral rules
– Rules of the marketplace guide activities such as sales and marketing.
• Noncommercial moral rules – Occupations demand loyalty to an oath of office or
professional standards to guard against selling out.
Ethical Considerations: Morality and Multiple Roles• Specific jobs in sports do not reside completely in
either the commercial or the noncommercial sphere.
• Process of making a moral choice, of deciding what is right and wrong, involves understanding the parameters of acceptable behavior in the context of one’s multiple roles in society.
Ethical Considerations: Morality and Corruption• Immoral behavior violates our basic assumptions
and corrupts our social institutions.• An immoral decision can lead to systemic
corruption that can destroy a sport enterprise.• Corruption usually occurs when people hop from
one set of moral precepts to another.• One feature of corruption is that it is systemic.
Ethical Considerations: Moral Reasoning and Work• Contemporary society is characterized by
innovation, which continually presents new ethical dilemmas
• Periodically need to assess whether our current practices are in keeping with values that underlie a just society
• Moral and ethical principles evolve over time
Key Skills: Ensuring Morality in the Workplace
• Rules designed to protect integrity of sports operate uncomfortably alongside business structure underwriting sports.
• Organizations can help individuals make moral choices by establishing standards, encouraging self-examinations, providing support structures, and enforcing codes.
Key Skills: Self-Examination
• An effective tool to remind people of ethical actions and express institutional concern for ethical issues
• Ask employees to think about hypothetical ethical dilemmas
• Accreditation programs (NCAA)
Key Skills: Forum for Moral Discourse• Communication is critical to
decreasing corruption and resolving ethical dilemmas.
• Employees should be encouraged to get together to discuss where and how they face specific problems.
• The process takes pressure off individuals and clarifies issues at stake.
• Decisions should be reviewed only after they have been made.
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