The Ethics And Governance docx.

Running head: ETHICS AND GOVERNANCE
Ethics and Governance
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ETHICS AND GOVERNANCE1
Introduction
Throughout the ages, organisations have been developed through various innovative
ideas and technological advancements. However, there has always been a common basic
struggle that the organisations from every sector are faced with and that is- ethical decisions.
As per Ferrell (2016), employees in certain organisation find it very difficult to conduct
ethical decision making when they face ethical dilemmas. These ethical dilemmas come with
the pressure from conflict among the colleagues or peers in the company. This paper shall
elaborate on comparing and contrasting four different readings presented by Gioia 1992;
Jones and Ryan 1998; Monahan and Quinn 2006 and Sonenshein 2007.
Discussion
Differences in the four articles
The modern organisations lays high emphasis on one performance criterion and that
is- making ethical decision and in this process, the role of the employees and managers is
crucial. These days near about every organisation look towards selecting managers or
employees who would make good and ethical decision. But what ethical decision making
actually is? Different researchers have different views on the definition of ethical decision
making and the factors that influence it. Gioia (1992) in his study “Pinto Fires and Personal
Ethics: A Script Analysis of Missed Opportunities” has opined about the importance of
scripted decision making, claiming that scripted decision making results in efficient decision
making. Jones and Ryan (1998) on the other hand have contended that moral judgement is the
foundation of ethical decisions. They have paid much focus on the role of schemata that
works as a trigger in the process of ethical decision making. According to them, through
influencing an individual’s choice of schema, organisations can influence a good range of

ETHICS AND GOVERNANCE2
choices that the individual feels that he possess. In order words, it can be said that for Jones
and Ryan (1998) ethical decision making is “the process of making moral judgements”.
Unlike Gioia (1992) and Jones and Ryan (1998), Mohanan and Quinn (2006) in their
study “Beyond ‘bad apples’ and ‘weak leaders’” have opined that ethical decision making is
the process of balancing rights, justice and utilarianism and other moral values. The authors
have opposed the viewpoint Jones and Ryan (1998) on the important role that scripted
decision making plays claiming that it is not efficient enough to take into consideration. Gioia
(1992) on the other hand have referred the same as the process of evaluating and selecting
among the available alternatives in a way that is consistent with the moral and ethical
principles. However, Sonenshein (2007) again has a different point of view on the same. He
claimed that ethical decision making is making decision that are both legally and morally
acceptable but does not accept Jones and Ryan (1998) view that moral judgement is the result
of moral reasoning.
Similarities in the articles
There is a common similarity in all the four articles. All the four articles have
concluded that ethical decision making is important to promote organisation as a whole,
instead of letting one individual gain the profit from the business related decisions. Also, both
Jones and Ryan (1998) and Monahan and Quinn (2006) in their studies have described about
the link between moral intensity, moral judgement and ethical decision making. They have
claimed that the concept of moral intensity is based on the social cognition theories and that
the ethical decision making process is issue contingent. Furthermore, it is also to mention that
the four readings have asserted that it is the organisational factors that affect the process of
moral decision making and that too, at two main points- a) “engagement in the moral
behaviour” and, b) “establishment of moral intent”. They have opined that the organisational