Cultural Values and Personal Ethics Paper

Cultural Values and Personal Ethics Paper

Culture consists of patterns, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior acquired and transmitted by symbols constituting the distinctive achievement of human groups, including their embodiments in artifacts; the essential core of culture consist of traditional ideas and especially their attached values. The basis of all human artifacts, behaviors, and beliefs is the groups' specific value system. Values as "conceptions of the derisible" represent the core of any culture (Rokeach 1973:8, Kroeber 1952:128). A value is a belief, a mission, or a philosophy that is meaningful. Whether we are consciously aware of them or not, every individual has a core set of personal values. Values can range from the commonplace, such as the belief in hard work and punctuality, to the more psychological, such as self-reliance, concern for others, and harmony of purpose.

Personal Values

The roles that personal values play in decision making in professional lives include having change and variety, achievement, challenging problems, involvement on the job and with your team charters. Using ethical practices (doing the right thing), wanting financial gain. Cooperation and creativity gives you great success when implemented that can also lead to promotions. Personal values, such as, honesty with everyone, growth within yourself, security, having a family and self-respect. One of the most significant personal values is to look on every person as a special, unique individual. This form of deep respect for each person has the power of generating good will, great happiness, and great achievement. Decision making in your personal life should also include pleasure along with friendships. Whatever one's values, when we take them to heart and implement them in the smallest details of our lives, great accomplishment and success are sure to follow? Just as individuals subscribe to values, so do organizations and institutions. In fact, if we were to examine any company, we would discover that one or more business values were the key to their success.

Organizational Values

It is possible to analyze an individual's decision process, that is, to evaluate the course of action or idea he or she selects from possible alternatives. In reality, however, the environment surrounding decision makers (the system) and its value detract from strictly individual choice (Koontz, 1979). For example, a social work department, hospital, or government agency may be viewed as a social system that structures, regulates, and influences the options exercised by individuals in specific instances. Take Apple Computer's belief in the values of solving problems of society. [The company created the IPod player and ITunes online music store to overcome a conflict between those who sought to download copyrighted music for free and the music industry which sought to protect its artists and its revenues (House, R. J. 1995: 23)]. Organizational values should also include