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Ethical Dimensions (ethical + dimension)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Humanities and Social Sciences	31%
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	25%

Selected Abstracts

Legal Loopholes and Underenforced Laws: Examining the Ethical Dimensions of Corporate Legal Strategy

AMERICAN BUSINESS LAW JOURNAL, Issue 4 2009
Daniel T. Ostas
First page of article [source]

Ethical dimensions of fetal research

JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY RESEARCH (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2002
Frank A. Chervenak
Abstract This paper provides an account of major ethical dimensions of fetal research. A balanced approach is offered on the basis of the concept of the fetus as a patient. The paper offers criteria for a balanced approach to fetal research, an account of the informed consent process and consideration of whether selection criteria should include the woman's preferences regarding abortion. [source]

Ethical dimensions of the open-door admissions policy

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES, Issue 148 2009
William G. Ingram
Ethical dilemmas at the community college often pose a choice between options equally grounded in the core values of the institution. These dilemmas often emerge from disputes that are complex, dynamic, and politically volatile. We review the development of one such dispute to show how our understanding of institutional core values is often only clarified through reflection and consultation with appropriate advisors, authorities, and constituencies. [source]

VALUES IN THE ROLE OF THE FAMILY THERAPIST: SELF DETERMINATION AND JUSTICE

JOURNAL OF MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY, Issue 1 2003
Richard Melito
Recently, there has been renewed interest in the role of values in family therapy. A number of theorists agree that there is an inherent ethical dimension in all forms of therapy, because therapy necessarily involves influencing others in accord with a set of values. In cultures that value self determination, a potential conflict arises between the therapist's inherent moral influence and protecting the client's self determination. This article identifies that dilemma and investigates how different treatment approaches resolve it as they attempt to promote justice in the family. [source]

What are 60 warblers worth?

OIKOS, Issue 8 2007
Killing in the name of conservation
Ecological research sometimes entails animal suffering and even animal killing. The ethical appropriateness of animal suffering and killing in conservation research may entail considerations that differ from many other kinds of research. This is true, insomuch as conservation research is specifically motivated by an ethical premise: an appreciation for non-human life. In striking contrast with other academic fields (e.g. medicine), however, the ethical dimension of conservation research is only rarely discussed. When it is discussed, it tends to be characterized by logical errors. These errors are important because they are general (i.e. both common and with far-reaching implications), and they are easily made by intelligent people; especially those with no formal training in ethics or logic. Failure to recognize these errors could stymie efforts to increase the ethical quality of ecological research conducted in the name of conservation. We take advantage of a recently published dialogue concerning the ethical appropriateness of a specific field experiment that entailed killing black-throated blue warblers, Dendroica caerulescens. Both sides of this debate exemplify the kinds of errors to which we refer. In this paper we briefly review the arguments presented on each side of this debate, highlight their mistakes, and indicate necessary corrections. We argue that: (1) compliance with animal research regulations, while important, inadequately accommodates the ethical aspects of animal research, and (2) individual ecologists ought to understand themselves what does and does not represent sound and valid arguments for ethical decisions. Finally, we discuss how any ecological researcher might begin to apply our analysis to his or her own research. [source]

CUSTOMER CARE AND THE PUBLIC SERVICE ETHOS

PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION, Issue 4 2006
CATHERINE E. NEEDHAM
The Labour governments that have been in power in the UK since 1997 have reconceptualized the public service ethos. In an apparent departure from their Conservative predecessors, Labour ministers have argued that the distinctive culture of public service can enhance rather than impede service quality and deliver high levels of customer care. This article utilizes interviews and content analysis data to explore the ethical dimension of public service, the significance of the language of customer in relation to ethos, and the implications for service delivery of a customer care focus. Case study findings show that a customer orientation is endorsed by politicians and bureaucrats in both central and local government, although there is a lack of clarity about the service manifestations of such a shift in emphasis. Respondents voiced concerns about the viability of customer care in the public sector as well as the sidelining of the political role of citizen. [source]

Ethics and Foreign Policy: the Antinomies of New Labour's ,Third Way' in Sub-Saharan Africa

POLITICAL STUDIES, Issue 2 2001
Rita Abrahamsen
This article explores how New Labour has attempted to implement its ideas about a ,third way' foreign policy in sub-Saharan Africa. Through an examination of British foreign policy practices, we explore whether New Labour has succeeded in finding a ,third way' between traditional views of socialism and capitalism in Africa. In particular, the article focuses on New Labour's attempts to build peace, prosperity and democracy on the African continent. We conclude that although New Labour's claims to add an ,ethical dimension' to foreign policy have succeeded in giving Britain a higher profile in the international arena, the implementation of such a policy is intrinsically difficult. These difficulties in turn arise from the antinomies embodied in New Labour's policy, or more specifically from the tension between the liberal internationalism of the third way and traditional concerns for the national interest, as well as the contradictions inherent in a commitment to both political and economic liberalism. [source]

Ethics and Foreign Policy: Structured Debates for the International Studies Classroom

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES PERSPECTIVES, Issue 2 2004
Jeffrey S. Lantis
Debates about humanitarian intervention, foreign and defense policy priorities, and the ethics of the use of force have become highly politicized in the post-Cold War era. This article explores the value of structured classroom debates on ethical dimensions of international relations as active teaching and learning tools for introductory and advanced international studies courses. Specifically, this article presents design information for structured debates on the ethics of the use of military force, humanitarian interventions, and U.S. foreign policy toward international institutions such as the International Criminal Court (ICC). Building on the literature on active teaching and learning, the article describes the development of these exercises and assesses their effectiveness through ten years of classroom application. [source]

Ethical dimensions of fetal research

Ethical Attitudes in Small Businesses and Large Corporations: Theory and Empirical Findings from a Tracking Study Spanning Three Decades

JOURNAL OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2006
Justin G. Longenecker
This study offers a theoretical framework of ethical behavior and a comparative analysis of ethical perceptions of managers of large, mostly publicly traded corporations (those with 1,000 or more employees) and the owners and managers of smaller companies (those with fewer than 100 employees) across 17 years. The primary research provides basic data on the changing standards of ethics as perceived by leaders of large and small businesses where the cultures frequently fall into sharp contrast. Our findings reveal the extent to which the message of business integrity is gaining or losing ground within large and small companies. It does this by means of respondents' judgments of acceptable responses to 16 scenarios profiling common business situations with questionable ethical dimensions. Based on responses from over 5,000 managers and employees (from firms of all sizes) to our scenarios at three points in time (1985, 1993, 2001), we tested two research questions. First, for firms of all sizes, have business ethics improved or declined between the years 1985 and 2001? Second, comparing responses of large and small firm executives across the 1985,2001 time frame, is there a discernible difference in their ethical standards? Our results suggest that business leaders are making somewhat more ethical decisions in recent years. We also found that small business owner,managers offered less ethical responses to scenarios in 1993 but that no significant differences existed with large firm managers in 1985 and 2001. Implications of our findings are discussed. [source]

Making the global information society good: A social justice perspective on the ethical dimensions of the global information society,

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 7 2008
Johannes J. Britz
This article discusses social justice as a moral norm that can be used to address the ethical challenges facing us in the global Information Society. The global Information Society is seen as a continuation of relationships which have been altered by the use of modern information and communication technologies (ICTs). Four interrelated characteristics of the global Information Society also are identified. After a brief overview of the main socioethical issues facing the global Information Society, the article discusses the application of social justice as a moral tool that has universal moral validity and which can be used to address these ethical challenges. It is illustrated that the scope of justice is no longer limited to domestic issues. Three core principles of justice are furthermore distinguished, and based on these three principles, seven categories of justice are introduced. It is illustrated how these categories of justice can be applied to address the main ethical challenges of the Information Society. [source]

Overview of research addressing ethical dimensions of participation in traumatic stress studies: Autonomy and beneficence

JOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 6 2009
Elana Newman
One element of the design of human research studies is ethically informed decision-making. Key issues include the safety, costs, and benefits of participation. Historically, much of this decision-making was based on opinion rather than formal evidence. Recently, however, investigators in the traumatic stress field have begun to collect data that are relevant to these decisions. In this article, the authors focus on issues emanating from the ethical concepts of autonomy and respect for persons and beneficence and nonmaleficence, and then summarize relevant evidence from studies with trauma-exposed individuals. Discussion addresses implications of this evidence for research practice and policy, and identifies some potentially informative data collections opportunities for future trauma studies. [source]

Ethics, tradition, authority: Toward an anthropology of the fatwa

AMERICAN ETHNOLOGIST, Issue 1 2010
HUSSEIN ALI AGRAMA
ABSTRACT Prevailing approaches to the fatwa construe it as primarily an instrument of Islamic doctrinal change and reform, as bridging the constant gap between a settled doctrinal past and a future of continual novelty. Underpinning these approaches are familiar but questionable assumptions about temporality, imitation, creativity, and tradition that obscure the fatwa's integral ethical dimensions and our understandings of its pervasive authority. This article unsettles these assumptions and, through ethnography of the Fatwa Council of Al-Azhar in Cairo, offers a different view of the fatwa that helps us both understand its ethical authority and challenges conventional oppositions between authority and ethical agency. [source]

Business Ethics and Business History: Neglected Dimensions in Management Education

BRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2002
R. Warren
This article highlights two large gaps in the business school curriculum: the neglect of historical and ethical dimensions. An overview is provided of progress made so far in the UK in the evolution of business history as an academic discipline; and also of the take,up of business ethics in university teaching. Both have had some success, but overall the response to these areas has been somewhat lacklustre , at least in the UK. A justification is provided for adding both components to a fully relevant business education. When the two are combined, the result can be a highly rewarding combination that provides insights that may not be possible for management writers, who work only in the present. Corporate ethics, the social responsibility of companies, disclosure, the environment, the actions of multinational companies overseas, the dilemmas of whistle,blowing, the impact of lobby groups and health and safety issues can all be understood more fully by students if they approach these subjects from an ethical and historical standpoint. [source]

Taking (and Sharing Power): How Boards of Directors Can Bring About Greater Fairness for Dependent Stakeholders

BUSINESS AND SOCIETY REVIEW, Issue 2 2010
HARRY J. VAN BUREN III
ABSTRACT One of the ways in which scholars have sought to broaden the discussion of the social responsibilities of corporations and their managers is through the development of the stakeholder concept. The primacy of shareholder interests in corporate-governance processes and managerial action is, however, a myth that justifies all sorts of managerial self-interest seeking and exploitation of particular stakeholder groups. What makes this myth particularly problematic,from the standpoint of fairness and corporate governance,is that not all nonshareholder stakeholders are equally situated with regard to their ability to secure fair treatment. In this article, I explore the ethical dimensions of board responsibilities to dependent stakeholder groups by first describing the differences between shareholders and nonshareholder stakeholders with regard to risk, examining why dependent stakeholders (stakeholders with legitimate and urgent claims, but no power) are particularly important from the standpoint of stakeholder risk, and discussing how stakeholder consultation might provide a partial fix to such problems. I will conclude with proposals for how boards can more faithfully discharge their ethical responsibilities to dependent stakeholder groups, and in so doing facilitate stakeholder involvement in corporate governance in ways that promote fairness in organization,stakeholder relationships. [source]

An Elaboration of the Transformative Approach to Practical Theory: Its Connections with Gadamer's Philosophical Hermeneutics

COMMUNICATION THEORY, Issue 4 2010
Joanna Brook
This article is a response to Communication Theory special issue editor Kevin Barge's (2001) call for "further conversation about practical theorizing." It provides an elaboration of the transformative approach to practical theory, foregrounding its moral,ethical dimensions. I demonstrate a connection between the stance of the transformative theorists and aspects of H. G. Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics, primarily a focus on the artful cultivation and development of phronesis, or practical wisdom. Further study of this connection between the transformative theorists and Gadamer will support and extend the future theorization of the transformative approach to practical theory. Une élaboration de l'approche transformatrice de la théorie pratique : ses liens avec l'herméneutique philosophique de Gadamer Cet article répond à l'appel de Kevin Barge (2001), rédacteur-en-chef d'un numéro spécial de Communication Theory, invitant « plus de conversations à propos de la théorisation pratique ». L'article offre une élaboration de l'approche transformatrice de la théorie pratique, mettant en relief ses dimensions morales-éthiques. Je démontre un lien entre la position des théoriciens transformateurs et des aspects de la philosophie herméneutique de Gadamer, particulièrement une attention à la culture et au développement soignés de la phronèsis, ou sagesse pratique. Une étude plus poussée du lien entre les théoriciens transformateurs et Gadamer appuiera et développera la théorisation future de l'approche transformatrice de la théorie pratique. Ausführungen zum transformativen Ansatz der praktischen Theorie: Zum Zusammenhang mit der philosophischen Hermeneutik von Gadamer Dieser Aufsatz ist eine Reaktion auf den Aufruf des Herausgebers Kevin Barge in der Sonderausgabe der Zeitschrift Communication Theory (2001), sich weiterführend mit praktischer Theorie zu befassen. Er bietet eine Auseinandersetzung mit dem transformativen Ansatz zur praktischen Theorie unter besonderer Berücksichtigung moral-ethischer Dimensionen. Ich zeige eine Verbindung zwischen der Haltung der transformativen Theoretiker und Aspekten der philosophischen Hermeneutik von H.G. Gadamer auf und fokussiere dabei vornehmlich auf die kunstvolle Kultivierung und Entwicklung von Phronesis also praktischer Klugheit. Die zukünftige Auseinandersetzung zur Verknüpfung von transformativen Theoretikern und Gadamer wird helfen, die Theoriearbeit zum transformativen Ansatz in der praktischen Theorie zu stützen und weiterzuentwickeln. Una Elaboración de la Aproximación Transformativa de la Teoría Práctica: Sus Conexiones con la Filosofía Hermenéutica de Gadamer Resumen Este ensayo es una respuesta hacia la edición especial de Communication Theory de la llamada del editor Kevin Barge (2001) para "continuar la conversación sobre la teorización práctica." Provee una elaboración de la aproximación transformativa de la teoría práctica, poniendo en primer plano sus dimensiones morales-éticas. Demuestro una conexión entre la postura de los teóricos transformativos y los aspectos de la filosofía hermenéutica de H. G. Gadamer, focalizando primeramente en la cultivación astuta y el desarrollo de proesis o sabiduría práctica. Un estudio más profundo de esta conexión entre los teóricos transformativos y Gadamer apoyará y extenderá la teorización futura de la aproximación transformativa hacia la teoría práctica. [source]