Morality, by nature, requires a consensus of right and wrong. However, in our reading, it was suggested that the nature of our society actually impedes a collective determination of morality. In other words, the freedom that we so value in our society has the negative effect of disrupting a national consensus on moral issues. Take the quote from Robert Bellah's habits of the heart: "freedom is perhaps the most resonant, deeply held American value... yet freedom turns out to mean being left alone by others, not having other people's values, ideas, or styles of life forced upon one, being free of arbitrary authority in work, family, and political life... if the entire social world is made up of individuals, each endowed with the right to be free of others' demands, it becomes hard to forge bonds of attachment to, or cooperation with, other people, since such bonds would imply obligations that necessarily impinge on one's freedom." the author builds upon this concept by stating that "most ethical virtues are treated as matters of personal preference. The basic ethical rule is that individuals be able to pursue whatever they find rewarding as long as they do not interfere with the actions and values of others." The author then notes that such self-interest is akin to the child-like level 1 stage of moral growth. To apply this concept to business, please note the research conducted by George England which found that younger managers tended to be more individualistic, displaying the following characteristics: they place less importance on organizational goals place less importance on co-workers and more on themselves place less importance on trust and honor place more importance on money, ambition, and risk are slightly more pragmatic for this discussion, I would like for you to

(a) Respond to the dilemma of developing shared moral norms in a pluralistic (i.e. engagingly diverse) society, and

(b) Discuss your thoughts about the impact that this has on business values, business trends, and ethical decisions within business settings?

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Ethical Pluralism Developing Shared Norms in a Pluralistic Society Ethical pluralism refers to the idea where various theories determine what is right ... View the full answer