Ethics education can potentially be supplemented through the use of video games. This article proposes a novel framework (Ethics Practice and Implementation Categorization [EPIC] Framework), which helps educators choose games to be used for ethics education purposes. The EPIC Framework is derived from a number of classic moral development, learning, and ethical decision-making models, including frameworks and theories associated with games and ethics, as well as prior empirical and theoretical research literature. The EPIC Framework consists of seven ethics education goals (e.g., building ethical awareness, practicing reflection, and enhancing character), and 12 strategies associated with ethics education, which are also present in video games (e.g., role-play, modeling, and simulation). Each of the framework’s categories is described in detail, and the limitations of the framework are also discussed.

EPIC: a framework for using video games in ethics education

Most of the academic research in the field of consumer ethics has focused on the cognitive antecedents and processes of unethical consumer behavior. However, the specific roles of discrete emotions such as fear have not yet been investigated thoroughly. This research examines the role of the need for cognition (NFC), the three affective responses—fear, power, and excitement—and perceived issue importance on moral intensity, ethical perceptions, and ethical intentions for four types of unethical consumer behaviors. A sample of consumers from the two cities of Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt (n = 346) participated in the survey. Most research hypotheses were supported. NFC, issue importance, and affect variables were all predictors of moral intensity, ethical perceptions, and ethical intentions in four different consumer ethics scenarios. The specific predictors varied from one consumer ethics scenario to another, however.

Ethical consumer decision‐making: The role of need for cognition and affective responses

Whistle-blowing indicates disclosing organizational wrongdoings resulting in harm to third parties. An individual’s decision to blow the whistle might be based upon organizational, situational or personal factors. This study inquires the relationship between value orientations of teachers and choices for whistle-blowing with particular modes. Descriptive statistics, Correlation matrix, and regression analysis were used for analyzing the data. The sample includes 291 teachers in Turkey. Results revealed that, teachers prefer both external and anonymous reporting slightly. Besides, collectivism positively affects teachers’ choices for whistle-blowing modes, while individualism affects positively only anonymous reporting. The results showed that there is no relationship between the values and intentions of the teachers to blow the whistle externally, and anonymously. While there have been many studies examining whistle blowing with different factors in especially marketing, there has not been any intention for examining it in education. Thus, this paper aimed to contribute to the extant literature by choosing Turkey and education as context as most studies have been conducted in the Western cultures, and in accounting or marketing service.

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Teachers' Value Orientations as Determinants of Preference for External and Anonymous Whistleblowing

The paper takes the position that efforts to eliminate all acts of police misconduct are misguided, because much of this behavior appears to be a natural byproduct of routine police practices. Instead, it is important for police executives to understand the various factors that foster police misconduct. This awareness can be accompanied by appropriate changes to the culture of the organization, which will lead to destigmatizing less egregious acts and a recommitment to fair and consistent discipline. First, the discussion focuses on the individual characteristic of integrity. The potential negative impact on police officer integrity caused by the job itself is presented. Then, to help understand why personal integrity may decline while working as a police officer, a variety of theories to explain unethical decision-making are presented. Based on these explanations, numerous prevention and intervention strategies are offered for organizations to develop more far-reaching approaches to combat misconduct. Reinterpreting integrity as a perishable skill, rather than as a fixed personality characteristic, enables police executives to institute specific improvements to training, supervision, and disciplinary practices

Bruised Badges: The Moral Risks of Police Work and a Call for Officer Wellness

Ethical decision-making (EDM) theories in behavioural ethics management have been developed through the social sciences, psychology, social psychology, and cognitive neurosciences. These theories are either cognitive, non-cognitive or an integration of both. Other scholars have recommended redefining what ethical means through moral philosophy and theology. Buddhism is a religion, a philosophy, a psychology, an ethical system and an art of living. The divine states (i.e. loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity) in Buddhism are virtues that could be developed by anyone regardless of their religion or non-religion through Buddhist meditation. They are so called because they enable individuals to develop ‘God-like qualities’. The theoretical insights of the divine states indicate how to eliminate negative emotions, such as anger, fear, delusion and envy, by cultivating love and compassion towards both the self and others. Accordingly, this paper contributes to EDM by redefining what ethical means through the meanings managers who practise Buddhist meditation assign to divine states in their lived experience of EDM in organisations in Sri Lanka. The sample consisted of 17 Buddhists, 1 Hindu, 1 Muslim and 1 no-religion. Data were collected using semi-structured in-depth interviews and was analysed with IPA. The findings indicated that how the managers made meaning of an ethical decision was influenced by their loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity. The findings also indicated that the managers justified the reasons for their decisions subsequently through the benefits to themselves as well as their employees. Accordingly, this study supports the view that EDM is an integrated approach.

The Divine States (brahmaviharas) in Managerial Ethical Decision-Making in Organisations in Sri Lanka: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

Understanding ethical decision-making and what makes for decisions that are more or less ethical has been a perplexing problem for eons. Even back in biblical times, the wise King Solomon pondered how he might "do justice." Doing justice, or the right thing, is no less salient in the current millennium. Consider a New York Times (5-28-2009, David Brooks) discussion on Supreme Court justices and the ethical decisions they must make. A central concern of this opinion piece is how these justices might make more or less ethical decisions. Curiously enough, the Times thought that a justice's emotions more often than not played a pivotal role in those ethical decisions. The Times claimed that having those emotions was inevitable. The important thing here, at least according to the Times, was not the presence of those emotions, but the way in which the justices interpreted and dealt with those emotions. When a justice appropriately deals with their emotions, he/she should be able to make better decisions. This issue dealing with justices, emotions, and ethical decisions parallels the central theme of this paper--and that theme is emotions are pervasive in ethical decision-making and how an individual works through those emotions strongly affects --for better or worse--their ethical decisions. The more skilled a person is in dealing with his/her emotions, the more likely that person is to make more ethical decisions. The above-mentioned historical, anecdotal, and practitioner-based perspectives are further supported by both theoretical and empirical research in ethical decision-making (EDM). Researchers have long acknowledged the importance of several factors that influence EDM. These factors include moral intensity (Jones, 1991), stages of individual development (Kohlberg, 1969), and the stage of decision-making (Rest, 1986). Even so, there still appears to be a significant void related to understanding the role of emotions. Many researchers have acknowledged this gap (Gaudine and Thorne, 2001; Haidt, 2001; Rogerson et al., 2011; Trevino et al., 2006). This is not to say that there is no research related to emotions. Most of the research related to emotions so far has looked at moral emotions (e.g., guilt, shame). As demonstrated by the previous situation, making ethical decisions, decisions that involve what is morally right or wrong, can be a challenge and a source of great discomfort, especially when emotional forces prompt individuals to act less ethically (Gentile, 2010). Although Connelly et al. (2004) have studied the effects of trait emotions on EDM, no other study has looked at the effects of state emotion on EDM. This study aims to fill that void by examining the specific emotions of sadness and anger. In filling this gap, this paper addresses Gaudine and Thorne's (2001) call for more scrutiny of the role of emotions in EDM and Trevino et al.'s (2006) call for closer examination of contextual and affective factors in EDM. Specifically, this study suggests two additional factors that could have a very strong influence on EDM, which are: (1) strong, negative emotions such as sadness and anger; and (2) people's ability to handle those emotions, otherwise more commonly known in the academic community as Emotional Intelligence (EI). In this paper, the role of two discrete negative emotions, sadness and anger, in the ethical decision-making (EDM) process is explained and synthesized. Discrete emotions are basic in nature and unique from each other and have evolutionary purposes (Frijda, 1988; Izard, 2009). The intervening and significant role of emotional intelligence in EDM is also explained. Then, data is presented that support hypotheses. THE PROCESS OF ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING Before the role of negative emotions in EDM is synthesized, an examination of research that has already been done is helpful. Traditionally, most research and practice has focused on the cognitive aspects of EDM. …

Doug Rymph

Papers

Uncomfortable Ethical Decisions: The Role of Negative Emotions and Emotional Intelligence in Ethical Decision-Making

Discrete Emotions, Moral Intensity, & Emotion Appraisals in Ethics: An Extension of Rest's Ethical Decision-Making Model