Applied Ethics
Applied Ethics
Applied Ethics is one of the PPS themes so belongs very much in the company of Personal Development, Effective Communication, Thinking Processes and Intercultural Understanding. However ethics pervade every aspect of the course and can be tricky to get to grips with for both teacher and student so it also needs its own section. You will find here discussions and debates on topical issues as well as popular career-related studies areas on further pages.
This page provides an overview of the place of Applied Ethics in the IBCP course. The guide suggests the following topics and sub-topics to explore in Applied Ethics. Whilst all the themes play a part in the reflective project, this theme is particularly important for students to tackle this element of the core.
As an introduction to Applied Ethics, here you will be able to explore how Applied Ethics connects to ATL and how to use scenarios and courses of action to develop understanding of Applied Ethics. We also explore codes of conduct here, understanding personal bias and using thinking routines to develop ethical thinking.
Explore further ...
5.1 Introduction to Applied Ethics
Applied Ethics takeaways accessible to all teachersOn this page you will find easily accessible activities for Applied Ethics that get students talking, presenting, debating and creating. These activities...
Discussing social justice issues
How do we navigate modern social justice?It might be stating the obvious that being able to talk freely about social issues, whether they are deemed controversial or not, can be a tricky balancing act....
And explore these pages from our reflective project resource collection
Ethical dimensions, issues and dilemmas.
Finding the ethical dimension, issue and dilemmaBeore students, can find a suitable ethical issue and dilemma to analyse critically at the centre of the reflective project process, teachers need to feel...
Ethical Thinking
What is Ethical Thinking?At the heart of ethical thinking is the ability to consider the dynamics of people, actions and consequences in a balanced way. Developing ethical thinking is a complex process...
Applied Ethics: The Agent
Ethical decisions that develop moral characterThis page expands on the general Applied Ethics page which explores how you can utilise the three key branches of normative ethics to give students user-friendly...
Applied Ethics: The Act
Actions speak far louder than consequencesDeontology is an approach to ethics in which the rightness or wrongness of an act is judged by its conformity to duties, rules and obligations. Therefore an individual...
Applied Ethics: The Consequence
The greatest good for the greatest numberThis page expands on the general Applied Ethics page which explores how you can utilise the key branches of normative ethics to give students user-friendly ethical...
In order to place the focus clearly on 
LO5: Recognise and consider the ethics of choices and actions in real world situations, this lesson aims utilises the other learning outcomes - identifying own strengths, applying thinking processes to personal and professional situations, recognising cultural sensitivity, working collaboratively and communicating effectively.
LO1: Identify their own strengths and areas for growth LO2: Demonstrate the ability to apply thinking processes to personal and professional situations LO3: Recognize and be able to articulate the value of cultural understanding and appreciation for diversity LO4: Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of communicating effectively and working collaboratively LO5: Recognise and consider the ethics of choices and actions
Introduction
Why are Applied Etthics important in the workplace?
Ethics are essential in the workplace, as they establish the moral foundation for a healthy, productive, and collaborative business environment. Without a strong ethical code, employees can be subject to harassment, discrimination, and other forms of mistreatment. Ethics also provide the framework for making decisions that promote the overall well-being of the business and its employees. Furthermore, ethics ensure that employees understand the standards of the organization, from their behaviour towards colleagues and customers to their approach to handling sensitive information. With strong ethics in place, organizations can foster positive relationships, create a safe and secure working environment, and ensure a productive and successful workplace.
Exploring Scenarios and Courses of Action
'Ethical dilemmas surround everyday life. Whilst most people do not have to deal with big moral dilemmas day-to-day, they are still likely to face an ethical dilemmas at some point in their career. In a 2018 survey in eight European countries, the Institute of Business Ethics found that nearly one in three employees has witnessed or been aware of misconduct at work, and 16% of respondents felt that they had been pressured to compromose their organisation's ethical standards'.
Bryony Clear Hill, Identifying Ethical Dilemmas in the Workplace, Financial Management Magazine, www.fm-magazine.com, 31st March 2020
Scenario 1: Social media use and the workplace
Use the presentation below to encourage students to consider different workplace scenarios. In the additional notes below are prompts students can be given to widen their discussion.
Scenario 1 is inspired and adapted from by Bryony Clear Hill https://www.fm-magazine.com/news/2020/jul/cima-ethics-social-media-posts.html
Scenario 1: Social media use and the workplace
Someone who used to work at your company, but lost their job last year, has tweeted what a terrible workplace your company is to work for and can anyone confirm that they are in financial problems. You have been working there for five years and are not particularly happy; you feel singled out by your line manager for unfair treatment and criticism and have now heard you might be made redundant. You know a lot about the company's financial situation and are tempted to send a frank reply as you think it will make the company listen to how their employees feel. There could also be benefits to others hearing what sort of company they might be interested in working for in the future. Would you send a reply?
Reflection: In your journal (physical or digital), write/draw/film a 5 point advice piece to a friend on how they should manage social media use in regards to personal and professional settings.
Lesson slides for Scenario activity and Code of Conduct plenary
Activity Teacher notes: guidance and prompts
Scenario 1: The Scenario is kept general here with a common workplace issue but it can be made more specific for different professions; you may be dictated here by your students' career-related subject choices.
Activator: It is important to keep the ethical dilemma clear here. The dilemma is whether to reply to the tweet or not.
Some students might find this a close-and-shut case that of course the tweet should not be replied to. However, this is quite a sensible scenario to discuss as the finer nuances of managing personal social media behaviour whilst maintaining a professional reputation is an issue that is regularly the source of news stories - especially when a high profile person slips up.
The key here is less about the right course of action directly but about the factors that need to be considered before acting. After the first questions in the powerpoint are further prompt words that students might consider. Questions you might ask too:
What obligations might you have to your workplace?
How do you know your obligations?
What role might confidentiality play in your contract?
Who would see your reply?
What if your work has a social media policy?
What might be the implications for your current employer if you post?
What might be the implications for future employers if you post?
What might replying say about your profession more widely?
Would 'liking' the post be better?
Development: Employing empathy - Put yourself in someone else's shoes
Here students are asked to consider all the stakeholders in this scenario and by considering what their priorities, obligations, preferences and course of action, they should come at least a sense that there are other people to consider in any ethical dilemma; the reason why there is not an obvious solution is because there are a variety of people invested in the outcome of this scenario. You can allocate a different stakeholder to each pair and ask them to develop their response to the question on the slides. As an extension you can create a role play scenario between employer and employee on any part of this scenario the students find particularly interesting - eg. the relationship between the employee and line manager, being called in to explain response to tweet, replying to tweet in a positive way ...
Key stakeholders they can consider: the tweeter, the employee, the line manager, the CEO, rival companies ...
Transfer: Here is an opportunity for some creative thinking...Students can discuss their final decision for this scenario involving social media use and the workplace. Can they think of a similar scenario which might have a similar outcome? Can they think of a similar scenario which might have a different outcome? Students can write new scenarios and present to their peers. Encourage students to ask questions and consider the importance of the questions they are asking. A reminder that it is less about the scenario itself but that they ask the appropriate questions to guide them to a solution.
Reflection: With any reflection, there is an opportunity for students to explore different formats - something that will come in useful for the reflective project later on in the course as they will feel more confident possibly choosing an Option 2 additional format.
Finding our starting point
Identifying personal bias and assumptions in ourselves is crucial before we can identify those in others. The exercise here uses an interesting article by Steven Hayes as a starting point for students which will help them to recognise and disarm their prejudices. Please note that this is NOT an exercise about sharing personal bias and prejudice as this can be a difficult and delicate territory to get into in your lesson. No - it is an exercise in regognising an innate human tendency and ability to hold prejudices and that it is the way we respond to these prejudices that is so important
Highlight the key points in this passage that you find most interesting.
Activity: Skim reading and synthesising ideas with others/considering multiple perspectives.
Highlight the following excerpt from an article by Steven Hayes about recognising and disarming your own prejudice and bias. Colour code your response with different colours for interested/questioning/disagree.
Discussion point: What do you think of Hayes’ three steps of ‘Own your bias– Connect with others’ perspectives – Commit to change’
Teacher's copy of Activity and further notes.
The following activity is highlighted for possible talking points to expand upon with students. This is not necessarily a lesson in sharing personal bias and prejudice which is difficult to carry out with all parties feeling safe and secure. It is more about the nature of cognitive processes and an innate trait of what it is to be human - that we all have bias and prejudices and it is our response to these in the form of 'owning - connecting - challenging' that is the focus here.
Activity: Skim reading and synthesising ideas with others/considering multiple perspectives.
Highlight the following excerpt from an article by Steven Hayes about recognising and disarming your own prejudice and bias. Colour code your response with different colours for interested/questioning/disagree.
Discussion point: What do you think of Hayes’ three steps of ‘Own your bias– Connect with others’ perspectives – Commit to change’
Here are 3 steps that you can take to start recognizing and disarming your own prejudice: 1. Own your bias Observe any tendencies to judge others or yourself or to enact bias based on privilege. Bring as much self-compassion and emotional openness to that awareness as you can. When do you notice prejudicial thoughts or biased actions popping up? Let go of any tendency to buy into your judgement or make them more important by avoiding them or criticizing yourself for hosting them. These are thoughts, feelings, and invisible habits, and they are yours. You are responsible, but you are not to blame. Just note their existence and increase your awareness of the negative cultural programming that we all carry. 2. Connect with other people’s perspective Deliberately take the perspective of those whom your mind judges, feeling what it’s like to be subjected to stigma and bias, sometimes without conscious awareness by the person doing harm. Don’t run from the pain of seeing those costs, or allow it to slip into guilt or shame. The goal is connection and ownership. Allow the pain of being judged or being hurt to penetrate you. As you do, bring your awareness to how causing anyone that kind of pain goes against your values. 3. Commit to change Channel the discomfort of ownership and the pain of connection into a motivation to act. Commit to concrete steps that you can take to reduce the effect of prejudice and stigma on others. This could mean learning to listen more; speaking out when another person makes light of prejudice; stepping back so others can step forward; joining an advocacy group; getting to know people who belong to groups that your mind judges. Taking these actions is not meant to erase what you are carrying and experiencing but to channel those feelings toward expressing compassion. You can practice these steps regularly. As you begin to loosen the grip of your implicit biases, you’ll find that your enjoyment of being with people of all kinds increases, no matter how different they may have once seemed to you. The sad fact is if we’re not helping solve the problem of prejudice, we are helping to perpetuate it. And if we don’t learn to acknowledge our privilege or catch the subtly prejudicial thoughts that go through our minds, we are supporting bias — and potentially passing it on. It’s hard to admit to ourselves that we’ve been complicit, and it’s hard to diminish the impact of bias. But with work, we can do it. |
Applied Ethics transferred to different contexts.
Using the reflection journal, start exploring the ethical significance of the subjects students are studying - both career-related and IB subjects. Use this visible thinking routine adapted from Harvard Project Zero's 'Values -Identities-Actions'[1]
Take a close look at all the subjects your take – career-related, IB and core subjects. Make lots of observations, prompted by the questions. What do you notice?
You are encouraged here to take a specific example here of a text/piece of art/case study/topic you have studied as you may find taking the whole subject far too broad.
VALUES: What values does your subject invite you to think about?
(Values are kinds of things that people value – fairness, justice, safety, respect, traditions, a nation or group a person belongs to, creativity...)
Dig a little deeper …
Are they your values? Others’ values? Whose? Does the work affirm or challenge or raise puzzles about these values?
IDENTITIES: Who does your subject* speak about?
Who do you think it is speaking to? (Not necessarily the same people!)
Dig a little deeper …
Is anyone left out of the story* that should be in it?
Do you fit in or not so much for this story? Why?
ACTIONS: What actions might this subject* encourage? (Actions could include doing something concrete, refraining from doing something, just learning more, etc.)
Dig a little deeper …
Whose actions – yours, others, what others? Why?
Last step: Look back at the subject* now. Do you get any ideas that might add to your own independent understanding of Values, Identities, or Actions?
*text/piece of art/case study/topic
Student worksheet for Values-Identities-Actions thinking routine
Continual Reflection - ways of using this exercise
It may be early in the course for students to be doing this so they may be making initial observations and you might want to focus on one aspect or one question
This can be introduced at the end of the first term so they have more understanding of their course.
This exercise can be returned to over a longer period of time, culminating with a presentation of individual subjects from an ethical perspective - both generally and in specific detail with clear examples.
Students can create a photo essay of the ethical significance of their subjects, adding to their commentary as their understanding grows.
- Create a gallery of students ideas to display. This can help prepare students for an open evening where they are introducing new students to the IBCP or add to the school's environment to articulate to students lower down the school about specific aspects of the IBCP
What is a code of conduct?
Consider the key points below from a piece on how to create Codes of Conduct which is about designing Codes of Conduct in an American business climate.
1. Public companies are legally mandated to have a code of conduct
2. Every organisation should have a code of conduct.
3. A good code of conduct 'clarifies an organisation's mission, values and principles' and links them with standards of professional conduct.
4. This clarification articulates how it wants its employees to behave and creates a 'benchmark' for how both individual and organisational performance can be measured.
5. A code of conduct can also provide a guide for employees to help with day to day decision making such as ethical dilemmas and how to deal with them.
6. Externally, a Code of Conduct may clearly shows how individuals and leaders of public companies are implementing codes of required legislation
7. Externally a Code of Conduct acts as a marketing tool as it is a public statement of what the company stands for.
8. A Code of Conduct can reduce the risk for external fines for ethical misconduct as it is a statement of 'good faith' that the right ethical standards were attempted to be adhered by
Source: www.ethics.org/resources/free-toolkit/code-of-conduct/
Make some initial research into the codes of companies of massive companies that likely influence your everyday technological life. Consider companies such as Microsoft, IBM and Google.
Key questions to reflect upon:
What evidence can you find of the 8 points above?
Does your research show that there is a clarification of the 'organisation's mission, values and principles' and linking to professional conduct?
Are there clear standards of behaviour?
Does it provide guidance for employess on how to make day to day decision making?
Consider the last clause of Google's Code of Conduct. What do you find unusual?
Research into the use of the phrase 'don't be evil' at the end ... what do you find interesting about this?
'... VIII. Conclusion
Google aspires to be a different kind of company. It’s impossible to spell out every possible ethical scenario we might face. Instead, we rely on one another’s good judgment to uphold a high standard of integrity for ourselves and our company. We expect all Googlers to be guided by both the letter and the spirit of this Code. Sometimes, identifying the right thing to do isn’t an easy call. If you aren’t sure, don’t be afraid to ask questions of your manager, Legal or Ethics & Compliance.
And remember… don’t be evil, and if you see something that you think isn’t right – speak up!
Last updated September 25, 2020'
source: https://abc.xyz/investor/other/google-code-of-conduct/
The lesson plans and activities on this page can be delivered to include explicit and implicit reference to a range of Approaches to Teaching and Learning. The IB's suggestions for ATL skills in the 5 key areas are not exhaustive and you are encouraged to contextualise and add to these as appropriate. The key to students being able to identify skills and use them in a range of situations is to teach the skill explicitly before incorporating it implicitly in a range of contexts. Here we focus on a key ATL skill, that can directly relate not only to the reflective project criteria but also to the following PPS learning outcome.
LO 5: Recognise and consider the ethics of choices and actions in real world situations
This can be seen as an umbrella LO for the other four learning outcomes explored here as students are identifying their own strengths, applying thinking processes to personal and professional situations, recognising cultural sensitivity as well as working collaboratively and communicating effectively. The opportunity for explicit focus and exploration on ATL skills is clear. For specific, deep and quality reflection, you could zoom in on this area in particular:
ATL Skills area
Social Skills
Specific ATL skills explored
Using social media effectively and ethically to develop relationships[2]
Link to the reflective project
Criterion B: 'demonstrate awareness and understanding of the impact of the ethical dilemma on a local/global community and the cultural influences on, and perceptions of, the ethical dilemma'[3]
Making the links: Further teacher notes
Where next?
The particular focus here is on the ability to 'negotiate ideas and knowledge with peers and teachers' as part of Communication skills which directly relates to the students exploring and evaluating the implications of their ethical dilemma on different stakeholders in their reflective project. However this might be just a starting off point for you.
This particular set of exercises sets up the development of Research Skills and Thinking Skills well and this area in itself directly links to all the PPS themes, especially Thinking Processes and Effective Communication. Skills that might be explicitly drawn out include:
Research Skills
- Be able to employ critical-literacy skills to interpret social media communication
Thinking Skills
- be able to consider ideas from multiple perspectives
- be able to analyse complexity, break down into parts and then synthesise to create new understandings.
Again, remember to contextualise and be explicit about what skills students are developing here and why. You may find choosing one of the following directly complements the suggestions for research skills above.
Further links with the reflective project: a continuation of Criterion B - Knowledge and Understanding in Context
Criterion C: 'Demonstrate logical reasoning processes and the ability to interpret, analyse and evaluate material' as well as 'develop the ability to synthesie information, making connections and linking ideas and evidence' [3]
Top Tip: Remember that 'less is more' when making the links to ATL.
It can be a temptation to draw students' attention to the sheer number of ATL skills that they are accessing at any particular time. You know within PPS that a topic will be exploring any one of the five themes even if your introduction is through explicit focus on one; the same applies to ATL. Try isolating a specific skill and then:
Make explicit reference to it and establish prior learning and experience
Make it useful with ways to practice it so students can experience how it works
Make it transferrable by having moments to consider where they have used this skill before, how they are developing it and where it might be useful in the future.
Make it visible by have the students record and reflect upon the processes they have used
Footnotes
Applied Ethics
The IB learner profile characteristic of 'principled' requires students to develop responsibility not only for their actions but the consequences as well. Applied Ethics is most immediately associated...
Starting discussions and debates
A key way to develop confidence in personal and professional skills and foster curiosity is through continuous debate and discussion about the world around us. A PPS teacher's main hurdle is keeping resources...
Ethics: Biomedical science
2021 marked the centenary of the birth of Henrietta Lacks whose HeLa cells have had the most extraordinary impact on the world and arguably helped save millions of lives. But she died in 1951 unaware...
Ethical Thinking
At the heart of ethical thinking is the ability to consider the dynamics of people, actions and consequences in a balanced way. Developing ethical thinking is a complex process that takes time not just...
Ethical dimensions, issues and dilemmas.
Beore students, can find a suitable ethical issue and dilemma to analyse critically at the centre of the reflective project process, teachers need to feel comfortable tackling this area. On this page,...