Ethical Judgments Research Articles

Interplay of Engineering Skills, Aesthetic Creativity, and Ethical Judgement in the Creation of Sustainable Urban Transformations

This paper examines a PBL project module “Sustainable Urban Transformation” in an Urban Design master’s education. The module combines urban design and hydrology engineering. Within the module, students are supported by lectures and study circles on various dimensions of sustainability, especially vis-a-vis climate change. However, they are left with the freedom to choose how they balance between design and engineering approaches when they give a physical form for sustainability in the site transformation projects with which they work through the semester. This paper discusses the development of their skills building on three Aristotelean concepts: techne (engineering), poiesis (aesthetic form-giving), and phronesis (making of ethical judgments). The last two concepts, the paper argues, are especially important when at issue is design education. Based on an analysis of the student projects in Fall 2022, the paper examines whether and how the students manage to find a balance between engineering skills, on the one hand, and aesthetic creativity and ethical judgement, on the other hand, in their project work.

Economic inequality reduces sense of control and increases the acceptability of self-interested unethical behavior.

Societies worldwide are witnessing higher levels of economic inequality. While prior work has examined ethical judgments toward inequality itself (e.g., "is inequality unethical?"), less is known about how inequality shapes judgments of unethical behavior (e.g., "is unethical behavior more acceptable?"). In two correlational studies, we find that higher objective (Study 1; n = 127,953) and subjective (Study 2; n = 806) inequality is associated with greater acceptability of self-interested unethical behavior. In Studies 3a-6b (total N = 4,851; preregistered), we manipulated perceived inequality and test several mediating pathways. Results point toward the importance of sense of control as a mechanism: Under conditions of high inequality, individuals report a lower sense of control, which increases the acceptability of self-interested unethical behaviors. As a supplement, we also explore associations regarding why high inequality reduces sense of control (reduced perceptions of social mobility) and why sense of control is associated with greater acceptability of unethical behavior (greater situational attributions). Overall, our results suggest inequality changes ethical standards by reducing one's sense of control, providing evidence for another pathway through which inequality harms societies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Ethical Subjectivism: A Lost Cause

Individual relativism, also known as ethical subjectivism, is an attractive theory about morality. It argues that morality is a matter relative to the individual in a way akin to personal taste. For example, subjectivists regard the ethical judgment ‘Stealing is wrong’ as comparable with the judgment of taste ‘I dislike Brussels sprouts’. Yet, subjectivism is not nihilism. While nihilism denies the existence of moral value, duties, principles and truths, subjectivism claims that they exist, but they are subjective like taste. In this paper, I argue that ethical subjectivism ought to be rejected as it is an incoherent, undefendable, and a pernicious position.

Plagiarism awareness efforts, students’ ethical judgment and behaviors: a longitudinal experiment study on ethical nuances of plagiarism in higher education

ABSTRACT Widespread academic dishonesty among higher education (HE) students has been a concern for higher education institutes (HEIs). Ethics literature reports that unintentional plagiarism is more prevalent among HE students and the root cause is, limited or no awareness of nuances of ethics concerning plagiarism resulting in poor ethical judgments. This study attempts to examine what is students’ ethical reasoning for unintentional plagiarism and how HEIs’ ethical awareness efforts impact students’ ethical judgments which ultimately shape their ethical behavior. The study also explored whether and how individual-level factors such as intrinsic religiosity, age, gender, and work experience moderate the focal relationships. A longitudinal quasi-experimental field study was conducted. The subjects of the study were 294 postgraduate students of an internationally accredited higher education institution in India. The pretest–posttest design involved a set of experimental manipulations reflecting the HEI's endeavors to explicate the unethical implications of plagiarism.

Suggestions for Ethical Decision-Making Model through Collaboration between Human and AI

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore and propose a model that allows humans and AI to collaborate in the process of making decisions about ethical issues. Due to AI's autonomy and mission performance capabilities, AI is sometimes viewed as an agent competing with humans. However, since the autonomy and mission performance capabilities of AI are applied at very diverse levels and areas, it is necessary to set certain categories and review their application. This study sought to reveal that more valid decisions can be made by collaborating between humans and AI in the category of ethical decision-making.
 Method: This study uses methods of literature research and development research. First, using literature research to review various previous studies to understand the autonomy of AI in the relationship between humans and AI. Next, analyzing the meaning and characteristics of ethical judgment. Next, looking at a series of models that explain decision making. Second, using development research methods, for design and propose a model in which humans and AI appropriately collaborate in the process of making ethical decisions.
 Results: The results of this study reveal the following points. First, the results of ethical decision-making by humans and AI involve greater responsibility and related issues than the results of general decision-making. Second, in order to solve these problems, it is necessary to utilize collective intelligence through collective decision-making and at the same time distribute responsibility. Third, as a public and collective entity functioning as a committee, humans become the subjects of final judgment and responsibility, and AI must play a role in actively and functionally assisting such judgment. Fourth, this decision-making process needs to be presented in the form of a model as a principle that can be applied to various specific cases.
 Conclusion: The conclusion of this study suggests that effective and valid ethical decisions can be made through collaboration between humans and AI in the ethical communication process. And based on this, we present a collaboration model between humans and AI. This model consists of the following steps: First, AI should be actively involved in the process of exploring data sources, collecting data, storing data, and refining and analyzing data for ethical decisions. Second, ethical decisions based on this are made by a human community in the form of a committee as a group thinking process. Third, allow humans and AI to evaluate and exchange opinions on the results of these ethical judgments through mutual feedback and collaboration.

Evaluation of community pharmacists’ perceptions and willingness to integrate ChatGPT into their pharmacy practice: A study from Jordan

ObjectivesThis study aimed to examine the extent of community pharmacists’ awareness of Chat Generative Pretraining Transformer (ChatGPT), their willingness to embark on this new development of artificial intelligence (AI) development, and barriers that face the incorporation of this nonconventional source of information into pharmacy practice. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among community pharmacists in Jordanian cities between April 26, 2023, and May 10, 2023. Convenience and snowball sampling techniques were used to select study participants owing to resource and time constraints. The questionnaire was distributed by research assistants through popular social media platforms. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess predictors affecting their willingness to use this service in the future. ResultsA total of 221 community pharmacists participated in the current study (response rate was not calculated because opt-in recruitment strategies were used). Remarkably, nearly half of the pharmacists (n = 107, 48.4%) indicated a willingness to incorporate the ChatGPT into their pharmacy practice. Nearly half of the pharmacists (n = 105, 47.5%) demonstrated a high perceived benefit score for ChatGPT, whereas approximately 37% of pharmacists (n = 81) expressed a high concern score about ChatGPT. More than 70% of pharmacists believed that ChatGPT lacked the ability to use human judgment and make complicated ethical judgments in its responses (n = 168). Finally, logistics regression analysis showed that pharmacists who had previous experience in using ChatGPT were more willing to integrate ChatGPT in their pharmacy practice than those with no previous experience in using ChatGPT (odds ratio 2.312, P = 0.035). ConclusionAlthough pharmacists show a willingness to incorporate ChatGPT into their practice, especially those with previous experience, there are major concerns. These mainly revolve around the tool’s ability to make human-like judgments and ethical decisions. These findings are crucial for the future development and integration of AI tools in pharmacy practice.

DETERMINASI WHISTLEBLOWING INTENTION MELALUI SIKAP ETHICAL AWARENESS DAN ETHICAL JUDGEMENT

Financial violations that occurred in Indonesia show no signs of ending soon. In the KPK report in 2022, there were 4,623 reports of alleged corruption through email and the KPK whistleblower system. This research was conducted empirically to reveal whether ethical awareness and ethical judgment affect a person's intention to whistleblow. The method used in this study is quantitative research method. Data collection is carried out in this using non-probability sampling or voluntary sampling techniques. Because in this study researchers collected data by distributing research questionnaires online through google form. The population in this study is FEB UHAMKA students who have obtained business law lessons. The number of samples obtained in this study was 249 respondents, this number of samples is above the minimum number of samples previously obtained using G-Power software. Then researchers use structural equation models with partial least square techniques through smartpls 4.0 software. The results of this study show that ethical awareness has a positive effect on the intention to whistleblow. Likewise with the variable of ethical judgment, it has a positive effect on the intention to do whistleblowing.
 Keywords: Ethical Awareness, Ethical Judgement, Whistleblowing

Ethics and pharmacists

In the current climate, it is understood that many health professionals are suffering from stress-related conditions. In such a context, to what extent can pharmacists be expected to make sound ethical judgments?

On the Ethics of Imagination and Ethical-Aesthetic Value Interaction in Fiction

Advocates of interactionism in the ethical criticism of art argue that ethical value impacts aesthetic value. The debate is concerned with “the intrinsic question”: the question of whether ethical flaws/merits in artworks’ manifested attitudes affect their aesthetic value (Gaut 2007: 9). This paper argues that the assumption that artworks have intrinsic ethical value is problematic at least in regards to a significant subset of works: fictional artworks. I argue that, insofar as their ethical value emerges only from attitudes attributable to actual agents, fictional artworks only have extrinsic ethical value. I show that what is at stake for interactionism is whether ethical judgements concerning artists’ attitudes in a context, rather than manifested attitudes, are ever aesthetically relevant. I conclude that, without buying into extreme actual intentionalism, a still controversial theory of interpretation that ties artworks’ meaning to actual artists, interactionism fails to show that ethical flaws/merits are aesthetic flaws/merits.

Perceived Income Inequality, Trust, and Consumers’ Ethical Judgments

Research related to consumers’ ethical judgments has generally neglected the effects of psycho-social variables (variables with both social and personal psychological components), e.g., perceived income inequality and subjective socio-economic status. In order to address this gap, an online survey of 373 US consumers was conducted to examine relationships between perceived income inequality and judgments regarding unethical and prosocial consumer actions. The mediating role of trust (general distrust of others and distrust of corporations) and moderating role of subjective socio-economic status were examined. Moderated mediation analyses demonstrated that the effects of perceived income inequality on consumers’ ethical judgments were mediated by distrust of corporations (but not by general distrust of others), for consumers who had higher subjective socio-economic status. These novel findings related to the effects of distrust of corporations highlight that, in order to explain consumers’ ethical judgments, it is essential to focus on trust relationships between consumers and other participants in the marketing system. Perceived income inequality erodes trust within marketing systems leading to negative effects on consumers’ ethical judgments. These effects are paradoxically only evident among consumers with higher subjective socio-economic status. Findings contribute to the macromarketing literature on marketing systems, marketing ethics, sustainable consumption, and distributive justice.

Unresolved conflicts and suspended ethics: Reading “The Monster” from the perspective of voice

Abstract This article draws on rhetorical narrative theory and makes a case for Stephen Crane’s employment of the resource voice to communicate the naturalistic theme of “The Monster”. It argues that by modulating voices on different communicative tracks, the author invites us to recognize two pairs of conflicting forces: one of free will and external forces that shows in the causes of Henry’s and Trescott’s heroic acts, and the other of individual agency and collective identity that characterizes the narrative’s engagement with Whilomville. It is my view that the author invites readers to share his naturalistic outlook and refrain from making conclusive ethical judgments on the characters and the community. For readers, attending to the synthesis of tone, style, and values in utterances helps with inferring the author’s rhetorical purposes. To this end, the article also considers Crane’s biographical information and newspaper sketches, calling for the inclusion of contextual and intertextual matters in rhetorical criticism.

Role of Ethical Decision Making in Business on Corporate Branding: An Empirical Study

In today's business world, ethical decision-making is incredibly important in determining corporate branding. Customers are more inclined to choose companies that coincide with their values as they become more aware of the social and environmental effects of the goods and services they purchase. As a result, businesses that place a high priority on moral and ethical and ethical judgment and social responsibility can enhance their brand name and win over customers. Additionally, customers are prepared to pay more for goods and services from brands they trust, therefore having a strong brand image can benefit a business' financial performance. On the other hand, unethical conduct or a lack of social responsibility can harm a company's brand name, which can result in lost sales and unfavorable press. Businesses must convey their beliefs to their stakeholders and make moral and ethical decisions that are consistent with those principles. To do this, the organization's leadership must be committed, transparent, and accountable. Businesses that prioritize moral and ethical judgment and inform customers of their social responsibility initiatives can set themselves apart from rivals and foster enduring brand loyalty. In conclusion, making ethical decisions is crucial for establishing corporate branding and can be a major factor in a company's success in today's socially conscious market.

Athletic Trainers' Shared Professional Values: A Report From the National Athletic Trainers' Association Professional Responsibility in Athletic Training Committee.

Professional values (PVs) of health care providers influence their professional decisions and behaviors. Athletic training is one of the remaining health professions without established shared PVs. Commitment to shared PVs, also known as core values, prompts good and right behavior by guiding moral and ethical judgment and professional decision-making. To identify shared PVs in athletic training that enable the use of a values orientation, which facilitates adherence to legal, ethical, regulatory, and professional standards. Cross-sectional survey study. Web-based surveys. The Athletic Training Strategic Alliance leadership (n = 61/95), National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) membership (n = 4837/35 279), and NATA committee members (n = 277/423). Our research consisted of 3 studies, each using a web-based survey to identify shared PVs, as well as a definition and sample behaviors for each PV. Using a 3-tiered systematic and inclusive process, we identified caring and compassion, integrity, respect, competence, and accountability as the shared PVs among athletic trainers. Definitions and 3 sample behaviors have also been provided and endorsed for each of the 5 shared PVs. With the establishment of these shared PVs and their recent addition to the NATA Code of Ethics, athletic trainers can immediately incorporate a values orientation into their professional practices.

Overinvestment on Social Responsibility Programs: An Ethical Judgment of Managers

This study analyzed managers’ ethical judgments against excessive investment in social care programs. The equity theory was used to develop the egocentric concept of selfmanagement, which predicted that individual managers with different compensation schemes and levels of long-term goals would make other ethical decisions in the corporate social care programs. The research had an experimental design, which found that managers underpay schemes that discourage pay schemes that do not provide managers with incentives to over-invest in social care programs; some consider that excessive spending in social activities is unethical. A compensation payment scheme encourages managers to overspend on social activities. Our study found that a manager with long-term goals perceives overspending as bad for the company or unethical. So, we concluded that economic incentives or compensation and an individual’s long-term goals impact ethical decisions. The results of our review highlighted the importance of designing appropriate payment schemes for managers because such schemes encourage investment decisions and managers’ ethical judgments. In addition, the results also identified the importance of considering individual factors, especially the long-term goal of managers.
 Keywords: Managers’ Ethical Judgments, Long-term Orientation, Overinvestment, Social Care Programs

Ethical Reasoning at Work: A Cross-Country Comparison of Gender and Age Differences

This paper uses the IBE Ethics at Work 2018 survey to explore employees’ ethical reasoning and examine gender and age differences across 12 countries. Debates about gender and ethics have been intense since Kohlberg’s theory of moral development, with feminist critiques from Gilligan and others advocating the different voice of women, while the recent arrival of Millennials in the workplace has raised new questions about age/generational differences and ethics. The findings in this study suggest that women and older workers have stronger ethical judgments in the workplace than men and younger workers. These gender and age differences, both among employees and managers, are consistent across countries. This study shows that individual characteristics are important for employees’ ethical reasoning, which affects their ability to make ethical decisions and act ethically. Business ethics research should therefore take greater account of differences between (groups of) employees and their learning needs when examining the effectiveness of ethics policies and instruments, while organizations can improve employee ethical reasoning by adopting diversity-based training programs and ethical leadership.

The effect of gender and code of ethics on budgetary slack ethical judgment: experimental evidence from Indonesia

PurposeThis research aims to study budgetary slack from a behavioural perspective, especially examining the effect of gender and code of ethics on budgetary slack ethical judgment.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts the experimental method of 2 × 3 between-subjects mixed factorial design with 102 participants to test the hypotheses. The participants are undergraduate and postgraduate accounting students at a major university in Indonesia.FindingsThe results show that gender affects budgetary slack ethical judgment, in which women judge budgetary slack as more unethical than men. Additionally, the results indicate that individuals consider budgetary slack more unethical when a code of ethics is present than when it is absent.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the management accounting literature and behavioural research by understanding budgetary slack from an ethical perspective. Additionally, this study contributes to ethics literature by identifying the effect of gender and code of ethics on budgetary slack righteous judgment.

Legal and Bioethical Educational Module in Saudi Board of Emergency Medicine: A Qualitative Need Assessment".

Medical malpractice is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, negatively affecting healthcare systems, communities, and providers. Although physicians value legal knowledge, their understanding of medical law is limited. Integrating medical law and ethics into medical school curriculums can develop a practitioner's decision-making skills, critical thinking abilities, and ethical judgment. The Saudi Board of Emergency Medicine (SBEM) is a residency training program governed by the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS), which aims to improve healthcare quality and patient safety in Saudi Arabia. This study explored stakeholders' perceptions regarding implementing a legal and bioethical education module in the SBEM curriculum. Nineteen participants (seven program directors and 12 trainees) from the different training centers around the kingdom (from Riyadh, Jeddah, and eastern province) have been included in the study. Thirty minutes to one-hour face-to-face and virtual (zoom-based) structured interviews have been done. Each interview was audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Then, data have been analyzed using a grounded theory constant comparative approach to develop categories, central themes, and a descriptive model. Four themes have emerged from the data, including planning and executing the current bioethical and legal educational activities in the SBEM, the current teaching methods and guiding resources for the bioethical and legal subjects, the assessment methods used to evaluate the trainees' comprehension of bioethical and legal topics and the opinions regarding integrating bioethical and legal education module with the current curriculum of the SBEM. The study found that the current educational initiatives for legal and bioethical topics in SBEM are insufficient. There are no clear learning objectives, study guides, or combined practices for trainees to develop safe approaches when faced with ethical and legal challenges. A comprehensive protocol with required competencies and dedicated educators may help trainees understand Islamic ethics and jurisprudence principles for delivering culturally sensitive and patient-centered care. Further studies and needs assessments are recommended.

The Influence of Ethical Ideology on Ethical Judgment with Professional Commitment as Mediator (Study on Public Accountant Firm Auditors in Malang)

This study aims to determine the effect of ethical ideology on ethical judgment with professional commitment as a mediator. The respondents of this study were KAP auditors in Malang City. The distribution of questionnaires used in the study obtained a sample of 77 respondents. This research was tested using path analysis, the results of the study concluded that ethical ideology (idealism) has a positive effect on ethical judgment and can be mediated by professional commitment, while ethical ideology (relativism) hurts ethical judgment and can be mediated by professional commitment. This study shows that the higher the moral idealism of an auditor, the higher the auditor's desire to comply with the rules and principles of accounting ethics compared to auditors who have moral relativism. Relativistic auditors tend to be unprofessional and more lenient when making ethical decisions

"Raised by Implication": C.S. Lewis's Studies in Words and Historical and Moral Judgment

C. S. Lewis wrote Studies in Words "to help students understand the lexical and historical meaning of certain common words, in effect, to assist “a more accurate reading of old books.” His choice of words, with their classical, European, and British contexts, is reflective of Lewis’s vocation as a professor of English literature. However, the chosen words also contain moral meanings. While the primary purpose of Studies is to train the reader in making conceptual distinctions, it also provides a kind of training in interpretive and historical responsibility that runs parallel with Lewis’s view of the natural moral law. The twin concerns of historical accuracy and ethical judgment are always beneath the surface in Studies in Words, for Lewis is modeling for his readers an understanding of public meaning and lexical change, along with a psychology of agency based on beliefs and intentions that is worth engaging, even accepting or rejecting.5 That is, he is practicing what he recommends in The Abolition of Man—a formative education with commitment.

Patient and Public Involvement in Health Economics Modelling Raises the Need for Normative Guidance.

Patient and public involvement in health economics research and health technology assessment has been increasing for some time; however, patient and public involvement in health economics modelling is a more recent development. One reason to advance this type of involvement is to help appropriately manage the social and ethical value judgements that are required throughout model development and interpretation. At the same time, patient and public involvement in health economics modelling raises numerous practical and philosophical issues that invite discussion and debate. Recently, we attended an engagement event which invited patients, members of the public, researchers and decision-makers to discuss some of these issues. One priority that emerged in the discussion was to develop normative guidance for patient and public involvement in health economics modelling. In this article, we reflect on this goal from our own perspective, focusing on why normative guidance is needed and what questions that guidance should answer.