Ethics and Moral Development

Explain what it means to be ethical as it relates to personal, academic, and professional
growth.

“Being ethical means behaving with a sense of right and wrong, good and bad, and virtue
and evil” (Anis, 2013). Ethical behavior denotes different actions depending on the context being
referred to. For instance, ethical behavior in academic standards refers to the avoidance of acts
such as plagiarism or cheating, maintain honesty and rigor when doing academic research, as
well as maintaining academic standards that govern academic conduct such as when publishing
academic papers. On the other hand, personal ethical behavior refers to carrying oneself with
respect and treating people respectfully in one’s everyday life. it entails a person’s beliefs about
morality and how such beliefs affect their interaction with other people. Lastly, ethical behavior
in regard to professional growth entails moral principles that govern an individual’s professional
dealings with other people.

Provide at least one ethical dilemma you have encountered and describe how the issue was
resolved.

One of the ethical dilemmas that I encountered while working in the field of finance is
upholding my personal virtues and professional code of conduct. I remember one instance when
a client I had been working with for a long time paid me twice for my services. At the time, I
really needed the money. I almost convinced myself that the double payment was a form of
appreciation for the good services that I had provided for the several years that we had worked

together. However, I realized that if it was a token, then he would have indicated that in our
emails. I was convinced that he must have made a mistake. I contacted him and informed him
about the matter. He confirmed that it was an error and asked me to refund eighty percent of the
money, and then receive the twenty percent as a reward. I am glad that we had continued to work
with the client up until recently when I decided to take a sabbatical and concentrate on my
studies here at Ashford University. The decision to enquire about the money was founded on my
personal and professional ethical principles to always uphold integrity and honesty in my
dealings with other people. also, trust between us grew as the client realized that I am a
trustworthy person. Such ethical dilemmas are best solved through critical thinking as rushed
decisions are sometimes misleading and can lead to making the wrong choices.

Describe how your general education courses have influenced your ethical values.

General education has influenced my ethical values in a great way. I have learned to be a
critical thinker when solving problems either in my personal life in the professional field. Also, I
have learned to be critical about situations that seem to be going against my ethical principles,
and through critical thinking, I will be able to overcome challenges, make the right decision that
will align with my ethical principles. I have also learned the value of effective communication as
one of the best ways through which I can express my thoughts. Lastly, general education courses
have taught me how to research and present my academic papers without presenting other
people’s work as my own. I have benefited from these courses.

References

Anis, A. (2013). A Global Ethics for a Globalized World. Policy Perspectives, 10(1).