Dr. Manley Gives Ethics Presentation

Dr. Roger Manley, professor of management and organizational psychology, discussed what it means to be ethical in some “post-Enron reflections” at the 11th
annual Christmas dinner of hurt B.A.D.D., Inc., recently. Hurt B.A.D.D. is a public service organization that was formed after two Satellite Beach police
officers were run into and killed by a drunk driver. Its mission is to educate the general public on the dangers of driving while under the influence, and
to generate public support for police officers. The organization also sponsored scholarships for individuals wanting to become police officers. The meeting
was held at the Patrick Air Force Base Officers’ Club and attended by 60 people. Dr. Manley cited a study completed 10 years ago that asked several hundred
business people the question “what is ethics?” and what did ethical mean to each of them. Five themes emerged from their responses, he said: 1-I don’t know
what it means to be ethical. 2-Ethics has to do with what my feelings tell me is right or wrong. 3-Ethics has to do with religious beliefs. 4-Being ethical
is doing what the law requires. 5-Ethics consists of standards of behavior our society accepts. Dr. Manley noted that those responses are probably typical
of what we would receive today if we asked the same question in Brevard County. “Although ethics deals with right and wrong, it is not a discipline that
always leads everyone to the same conclusions,” said Dr. Manley. “It is not the captive of liberals or conservatives, nor Christians or Muslims.
Consciously thinking through the various ethical approaches provided by philosophers and ethicists can improve our understanding and our decisions, but,
where the choice is between right-and-right, it does not guarantee unambiguous answers.”