Cultural Values and Personal Ethics Paper
"Without civic morality communities perish; without personal morality their survival has no value."
? Bertrand Russell, British mathematician and philosopher (1872-1970)
Good, bad, right, wrong, moral, immoral. In researching a definition of values, one happens across all these terms. So how does one decide? How are values shaped and identified not to mention adhered to? One consistent definition that could be given is: "values are ideals that guide or qualify personal conduct, interaction with others, and career involvement. Like morals, they help to distinguish what is right from what is wrong and provide information on how one can conduct their life in a meaningful way." Values can be classified into four categories: Personal Values, Cultural Values, Social Values and Work Values. (http://ilearn.senecac.on.ca/careers/goals/values.html, 4-6-2001)
This paper will address the role that personal, organizational (work) and cultural values play in decision-making in personal and professional situations. This paper will also address how ethical dilemmas arise when conflict between values surface between different individuals or groups.
Personal Values
Personal values are individually defined main beliefs that establish how one interacts with the world and connects with people. "The key point to keep in mind about values is that implementing them energizes everything concerned with it. For an individual, committing to and applying values releases fresh energies, which always attracts success, achievement, and well-being. Likewise, when companies or other institutions adopt values, ...