This writer did not begin this paper this week. This writer did not even begin this paper six weeks ago. According to theorists Robert K. Merton and Travis Hirschi, the foundation of this paper derives from the writer’s experiences, his learning of right and wrong, which takes place over a lifetime. During this time, all ethical learning and the inculcation of social values originates from environmental influences. Once internalized, the individual develops a theory to rationalize behavior. The ethical decision making, or the what should I do question, which can yield a spectrum of responses, often ends with rule breaking. This paper, therefore, has two goals: to present theories that provide a foundation or rationalization of social values and ethical development, and to document that regardless the foundation of values and ethical decision making, case studies illustrate their failure.
The difference between values and ethics lie in the progression from the absolute or objective to the subjective. Often where one ends, the other begins. Ethics, on the far end of the continuum, is the shared understanding of how one should act. It is the precautionary fire alarm, located on the wall of humanity. In case of fire, pull it. Our society stresses ethical behavior, hoping to ease the fear of potential danger. Today, that danger is here; the alarm is sounding. Reports of wrongdoing at Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, Adelphia, Dynegy, Rite Aid, Arthur Anderson, and Martha Stewart have the general public rethinking concepts of right and wrong. Unethical behavior in the workplace once thought of as general office misconduct now escalates into employee deviance. This paper defines employee deviance ...