Personal Values

Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that gauges one’s action as being morally upright or wrong. It is an efficient approach that aims to maximize the overall good in an individual which can either produce positive or negative consequences to the society.

Homosexuality is a contemporary moral issue that directly impacts our society, and we can apply the influential utilitarianism theory to address the matter. Simply put, gay marriagerefers to the practice of same-sex union which might undermine our societal morals and family values. The same-sex marriage has been around for some time and has sparked significant debates regarding whether it is a morally upright or wrong issue.

According to utilitarianism, if being a gay gives someone maximum pleasure and happiness, then there should be no reason to think that homosexuality is evil, sinful, and immoral (Perry 67). As such, we should not end up oppressing and causing animosity towards people who engage in homosexuality. Utilitarianism suggests that homosexuality arises from an unhappy home life characterized by confusion in sexual identity. And if someone finds happiness or pleasure fulfillment, then they should just engage in homosexuality.

Another point from utilitarianism theory on homosexuality is that if the marriage does not lead to significant harm to the society, then it is acceptable (Rachels and James 110). Without any doubts, same-sex couples have a role to playin the communitysuch as helping to care for children of a family member rather than procreating. They will spare their time and give their complete attention to the living offspring hence providing them a better chance of survival. That, of course, does not harm the society and as such, homosexuality is acceptable.

Utilitarianism also suggests that people’s freedom ought to get protected, and one should be able to do what they want within their limits. Thus, we can’t condemn gays for engaging in something we know isn’t that bad. In fact, gays should be free to choose sexual partners to be happy and productive. Depriving them this freedom can lead to aggression and depression, which can negatively impact them or other societal members. Hence we should come up with laws thatfreely allows gays to consent their sexual activities without discrimination.

We are all unique creatures created by a mighty being. As such, we deserve equality when it comes to total satisfaction in life. It’s not wrong being a gay. In fact, utilitarianism suggests that people should understand their sources of true interests that promotes happiness and satisfaction (Brunon, 20). Otherwise, if gaysgetdenied these privileges, the resultant effect might be controversy, disagreements, struggle, and unjust violence. From another utilitarian standpoint, provided one does not attempt to deprive others of their rights, same- sex couples should pursue their happiness through marrying their partner to increase their utility and capacity for achievement.

Conclusion

Since we all deserve the right to be happy, we should take the bold step and tolerate all gays and lesbians since they consider their marriage as being an appropriate act that produces maximum happiness. Just the same way the utilitarian principle suggests, we should not say no to gay marriage, but let them live their lives and enjoy the rights they are entitled.

As I reflect on my journal entries over the past four weeks in pursuit to explore, develop, and define my code of ethics, I’ve noticed a predominant theme that repeatedly emerges from my reflections. Respect and responsibility are ever-present in my discussions and assignments, and these themes are central to how I codify my own code of ethics.

We became exposed to several ethical theories, each unique and enlightening in its own respect. This provided proper procedural understanding on how to employ the ethical approaches and theories in respect to our decision-making. During the first week of class, I hypothesized that I would gravitate towards the Utilitarian Approach and Aristotle’s Virtue Theory. This hypothesis endured, and I stand by my selection made from week one. The discussion will cover how ‘my’ values and belief system played a role in my selected approach and theory, and consider their applicability in the Intelligence Community (IC). Finally, I will conclude the discussion with the strengths and shortfalls of the approach and theory as it pertains to my career in national security.

My values and beliefs system sets the stage to examine and review two of the ethical approaches and theories. With an introduction to each approach and theory, I was able to directly correlate my values and belief system within the confines of Aristotle’s Virtue Theory and the Utilitarian Approach. The connection between my belief system and utilitarianism taught me to look beyond personal motivation and employ a greater understanding towards people in our society; while the connection between Aristotle’s Virtue Theory, and my values continually makes me consider how I want to act when making decisions.

Personal Values. I’ve developed a set of personal values that are intrinsically important me. Courage, loyalty, proper pride, honesty, and kindness hold up against the test of time, and each has contributed to developing my character and shaping my behavior. These examples have nurtured my moral values and nest wonderfully under the respect and responsibility theme. Transforming the theme into categories, I assert that under the responsibility category would include courage, loyalty, and honesty and under the respect category would include proper pride, kindness, and courage. It is important to note that I nested courage under both categories, since you have a responsibility to act courageously in the defense of others and exhibit self-respect by having the courage to stand up for yourself.

Belief Systems.Religion is intricate and complex. “It’s hard enough to become an expert in one’s own faith tradition, let alone becoming familiar with others; however, most aren’t seeking expertise but understanding (Mitchell, 2010)”. My parents encouraged me to become a scholar of all religions to understand that diversity of thought exists, and that one religion shouldn’t provide governance over all individuals. All too often, we’ve become accustom to accepting religious stereotypes, which fails us in our ability to be accepting, tolerant, “globally present, and locally diverse (Mitchell, 2010)”. I have learned to revere and incorporate a variety of different religious teachings into my moral philosophy and ethical composition.

Utilitarianism and Virtue Theory are completely different; yet fall into my aforementioned themes of respect and responsibility. Both assist me in my decision-making while examining ethical dilemmas,and have applicability to my personal and professional life.

The Utilitarian Approach. The utilitarian approach resonated with me for two reasons. The first being that it forces one to examine the ethical dilemma beyond the effects to yourself in order to determine the appropriate course of action that “produces the greatest balance of benefits over harms for everyone affected (Calculating Consequences:The Utilitarian Approach to Ethics, 2014 )”.

The second reason was methodical nature of the approach and how it is “grounded in observations and calculations rather than by speculations and vague comparisons (Birsch, 2014, p.95)”. This underscores my belief that we have a responsibility to act unselfishly, and examine dilemmas beyond our personal benefit; thus, concluding that dilemmas are best served by “identifying the action and the consequences of the action in relation to the happiness; evaluating the consequences; and coming to a conclusion by reviewing the results (Birsch, 2014, p.85-87)”.

Aristotle’s Virtue Theory. This theory has applicability to everyone; emphasizes one’s character; causes one ask, “how do I want to act?”, and ultimately serves as “a guide for living a life without giving us specific rules for resolving ethical dilemmas (Virtue Ethics, 2019)”. I value the practicum that occurs as we acquire our virtues; continually evolving from experiences and making appropriate choices when confronted with ethical dilemmas in our lives. This holistic theory captures and incorporates my personal values and enforces that if I act and operate within my virtues, it will “produce a well-lived life and excellence of character (Birsch, 2014, p.173).”

The dilemmas I face while performing my duties within the IC require a much needed working latitude, which the Utilitarian Approach satisfies. Ethical decisions pertaining to counterterrorism, counterintelligence, strategic and anticipatory intelligence, and cyber security intelligence must always achieve the best result for the greater population, and causes the least amount of harm. More or less, my decisions range from financial decisions (such as determining funding or resource levels for various programs); to deconflicting situations with competing missions. It is the latter offers the greatest challenge since we are making decisions based on an assessment of risk and level of harm that could occur. Do we always make the right decision? It’s hard to say.

The real dilemma isn’t choosing to keep/terminate target, or which campaigns will/won’t receive resources, but it’s replaying the events surrounding the situation, hoping that you have sufficient evidence to convinced yourself that the decision you made creates more good than not. It’s knowing, understanding, and accepting that you’ll always be operating under a fragmented clarity, rarely achieving a win-win situation, but knowing if you remain steadfastly devoted to your virtues, and exercise a methodical approach, that you will help progress the mission with a vital moral role.

I hold onto the belief that in every decision and assessment I have had to make professionally, was one that positioned us in the best light to combating malign actors and the ongoing war on terror.

Virtue Theory Strengths. Even when facing an ethically heavy decision, one will unequivocally know based on their virtues, that the action undertaken was appropriate in the end. Consistently exhibiting and living “moral excellence, knowledge, courage, and wisdom (Birsch, 2014, 172)” provides comfort and sound judgment. Knowing that I seek to act courageously and diligently in my attempt to honor and protect our Nation, the decisions I make for national security are consistent with my beliefs, and “with the way I want to experience life (Birsch, 2014, p.172)”.

Utilitarian Approach Strengths. By “evaluating actions and decisions separately, observing, calculating, and concluding the best action, gives people confidence in the goodness of the action (Birsch, 2014, p. 97)”. This helps me almost on a daily basis to know that whatever decision I am tasked with, I will have arrived at a methodical conclusion that provides the greatest benefit to everyone. In the IC we are occasionally faced with missions and requirements that could prove to be unsavory and unpopular among society at large. Knowing that I employed the Utilitarian Approach, when considering funding a specific campaign that would employ morally wrong or unacceptable tradecraft, but provides a lasting intelligence, ultimately, protecting our Nation, makes me confident in the conclusions and decisions that I reached.

Virtue Theory Shortfalls.“Some things in a successful society are beyond the moral agents complete control, which leads to the problem of moral luck (Birsch, 2014, p. 172)”. You’re shaking the proverbial dice and rolling them when you finally taken action toward an end. There are plenty of times, despite feeling “an excellence of reasoning was achieved towards’ a “common basic end (Birsch, 2014, p. 172)” and presumably met, but luck just wasn’t on our side. It is those times where you are so close to finishing a mission, in the final stages of executing the action, the uncontrollable outside factors manage to derail everything. This happens when we have made premature acquisitions in technology, had other agencies thwart our alerting and waring efforts, or simply had too much cloud cover over a launch site.

Utilitarian Approach Shortfalls. This approach offers the needed latitude for decision-making in the IC, and while it “produces confidence in moral evaluations, aspects of this theory make people less confident in its conclusions (Birsch, 2014, p. 97).” There exists a fine line in maintaining balance between being true to yourself and remaining ethically neutral. You will develop moral ambiguity, clouded judgment, and lose your sense of self if you fail to keep your moral beliefs in check.

The IC is not place for someone who cannot separate themselves from moral laws and equalities and be accepting that this community isn’t morally significant in its actions. We see examples of misguided individuals who leak classified information to the media, in attempt to selfishly vindicate their own morality. There’s no silver lining in publishing our tradecraft on the world stage. If an individual cannot operate and understand the requirement to endorse actions “that produce more happiness than unhappiness (Birsch,2014, p.97)”, then I suggest exploring an alternative career field.

Discovering, knowing and recognizing the importance of your personal values and belief system helps guide one towards living a life of high ethical standard and void of conflict. Having the ability to employ a chosen approach and theory to conceptualize and integrate it into your daily life is the basis for developing your personal ethical code. As discussed in this essay, the theme respect and responsibility are central to how I codify my personal code of ethics, where, categorically my virtues and ethical approach align and coexist. The Utilitarian Approach and Aristotle’s Virtue Theory play a critical and procedural role in arriving at ethical conclusions that provide the greatest benefit to the Intelligence Community, and to the safety of our Nation. Though, shortfalls of will always exist, they prove to be insignificant and easily overcome, as it pertains to my success as devoted intelligence professional.

Values are a sets of important and desirable principles an individual, a group, a community or a society holds. ‘They are the goals that people and communities aspire to, that are the source of their inspiration and that define their identity’. Through the moral or ethical philosophy from a an individual, a group or a society values expressed, how it guides decision-making, interactions and conduct among people, members and a group or community. The collective values at an organizational level, expression of the vales that an organization and its members have regards period of evolving and development of the organization. (Chile 2009:31).

Ethics be defined as a set of principles that governs interactions and relationships of person and group behaviour. In a particular cultural nor professional context the nature of obligations that people and groups owe themselves appropriate behaviour that relates to ethics. The primary aim of ethics is to make sure fundamental rights of person and a group behaviour serves an overall purpose to respect the interests of a community and society (Chile 2009:33).

Further more, there is a thin line between values and ethics. As for values may define what is or what is not ethical within community development practice. However, ethics may collate with how practitioners treat information, finances, relationships with clients and communities and conflicts of interest. These values differ in their levels from personal values which are the qualities that an individualised carry in the society that rouse our being. They portray our worth and priorities on its highest purpose form of life. Personal values help us to name right or wrong, good or bad through family associations, education and society’s cultural norms.

Principles that guide people’s decisions and actions considered as professional values as they prove the foundation that denounce professional groups of work. Solicit to augment professional standard to stipulate sidelines for practice and relationship between clients and public. A framework of ethical practices provides in codes of professional ethics as professional values. Organizational values are fundamental principles that begin business, operations and practices of organizations economizing a vision, a mission statement and organizational principles that show relationships and interactions between staff, management, governance and relationships with the public.

These different values may meet conflicts on their own. These conflicts include a situation whereby professional and organizational values conflict with the practitioners’ personal values occurring in community development. Critical self-awareness from a community development worker might be required when dealing with a conflict of values.

Among other things, experience, gender, family background, values, education and culture every community work carry to his/her job with their own context that affect practice both consciously and unconsciously. What enables a practitioner be productive and focus the agenda of the community and not their own to collaborate with the community instead of working for the community to carry out community’s out outcomes rather that achieving personal or professional outputs critical awareness affirms inclusive develop procedures with communities rather inviting communities’ participation.

The values of democracy, participation, self-determination and community itself are the very act that insinuate development work of the community underpinned by core values that are compatible to certain inevitable principles of community develop practice. (Ife 2002b:269–270). Collective action, participation, empowerment, conscientious and social justice are the central tenets of these principles. What sets a framework for what is apprehension of community development practitioners to guarantee they work ethically and fulfil their to clients, communities and society.

Most countries lack national association that govern practice of development of community, with South Africa included. Referring to (De Beer & Swanepoel 2013; Hart 2012; Luka & Maistry 2012) instituting professional qualifications at a degree level as well creating a national professional association and codes of practice is an underway process in South Africa to professionalised development of community. Protect practitioners and clients is the purpose of setting up this professional associations, developing professional standards and codes of ethical practice. Greater part of development of community practice is especially important because with vulnerable groups and communities. What helps to meditate where the personal values and background and of practitioners may conflict with the values and principles of communities and development of the community is ethical guidelines. (Chile 2012).

Development of community strive to develop an individual, groups and communities capacity to allow them to transform their knowledge, skills and confidence to critically analyse their circumstance. Come up with plans that start activities that deal with issues in the community through collective actions. Community development practitioners and organizations face resource and time constraints and contesting interests as the process of development of the community takes shape leading to potential conflict of values. This could be a tension a midst constructing the capacities of local communities and achieving organizational programme aims to deliver services. Nor a tension a midst democratic participation, inclusion and collective action and delivery of services in a timely and efficient way. And lastly a tension a midst independent political activism for social change, and constructive engagement with government and corporations to use resources for communities.

How to work through these challenging tensions on community development practice is by creating a code of conduct a professional one that clarify value base and framework for dealing with ethical conflicts. Help to better manage tensions in the individual professionals and employer organizational environment. Empowerment of people and communities be active participants in their own transformation. A democratic process of community development not a tyranny of the greatest. Minority rights be protected however acknowledging all voices. Development of partnerships, meaningful and respectful relationships be ensured in the communities.

External experts should not impose development. Communities carry so much wisdom that yield them to take on their issues. Community valuation of the internal potential. For sustainable development. mobilization and integration of critical assets such as local institutions, organizations, networks and leadership are communities’ internal resources.

Recognition, embodiment and respect for diversities within communities. Promotion of human rights, equity, social inclusion and social justice be a commitment. Develop and strengthen capabilities of community and foster civil society development. Collective response focus on development of community instead of an individual crises. Individual transformation led to social transformation. Community development’s outcomes be trans-formative not conformist, empowering not controlling. Development of community cannot be achieved within short time frames because it is not quick fix. Long-term perspective required to deal with deeply rooted inequalities and disadvantages in communities. Sustainable outcome be achieved through varying length tangibles of time depending with the involved communities. (Chile 2009; Swanepoel & De Beer 2011)

According to Dussel (2006) values are often Eurocentric. The production, reproduction and development of the life of the community and human beings be concerned with ethics. (Dussel 2006:500) The reciprocal acknowledgment of all the members of a communicative group suggest an ethical actions. (Dussel 2006:502) An ethical obligation needed to transform society, its institutions and forms of organization due to existence of victims.

Inability of victims taking a stand until they recognize their own condition be recognized. (Dussel 2006:503) As a matter of urgency, at liberation of the victims whose lives have pillaged and circumscribed. (Dussel 2006:504) Possibility of a different modernity in this period of Eurocentric world, exclusive and violent is unlikely. (Dussel 2006:505) Dussel’s perspective of community development focus on the life and welfare of the victims of racialism modernity starting with a partisan follows an ethical considerations. ‘The displaced, overwhelmingly black, property-less and dishonored residents of the poorer areas where community development be attempted’. Through full participation of people, inclusion and reciprocity new non-colonial, inclusive ways of being modern and using suppressed cultural resources be worked.

These ethics be implies in community development by engaging communicators to y members in decision-making regards to interventions of development that impact them. Mobilizing genuine community sponsoring agencies such as governmental institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and corporation for political resistance and economic virtualization. Prevent community change agents contestant initiating plans, interventions of development… institutions, agencies and organizations hence managed by professional expert. Collaboration and coördination efforts of all key stakeholders in communities help to make sustainable community change and transformation through mobilize of people, groups and communities.

Social planning and asset-based community development centred with key comprehensive planning and strategic planning combined with community mapping to bring community members together in a learning process principles. Building strong relationships, collaborations, develop leadership, show strengths, resources and opportunities in community for social change. Analyzing historical community factors by linking past experiences, current situations and future aspirations. Giving communities ownership by developing a common vision and rank activities collaboratively across line of the development process and its outcomes.

My MBTI was ENFP, the description of this is “warmly enthusiastic and imaginative. See life as full of possibilities. Make connections between events and information very quickly, and confidently proceed based on the patterns they see. Want a lot of affirmation from others, and readily give appreciation and support. Spontaneous and flexible, often rely on their ability to improvise and their verbal fluency.” I think this description describes me very well. I believe myself to be imaginative, I can take in information quickly, and I am good at improvising. I also think that this is a good description for my career choice as well. However, I’m not sure that I am very spontaneous and sometimes I’m not really confident when receiving information and working with it.

My highest themes on my Strong Interest Inventory were artistic, social, and investigative. The statistics stated that my top interest area was counseling and helping. I thought this was a good sign because I am going to college for psychology to become a psychologist.

One personal value I believe is a good value to have is fun or humor. When you do something fun I think you get more out of it because you actually enjoy doing it. Especially in the workforce. Having tasks that you enjoy doing will help you not only get the job done but to do it on time and in an efficient manner. Another personal value that is good to have is independence. I believe that it’s great to get work done with other people but sometimes things must be done on your own. If you can’t do things by yourself then you won’t get very far in life. You must be able to help yourself and to not be helpless.

Two career options I am interested in are a counselor or a psychologist. They both pretty much do the same thing, except counselors have a master’s level education. I am interested in these careers because I like to hear what people are thinking and how they are feeling. Also, I like to help people overcome things and I want to help people on a professional level.

Psychology and counselors both help people who have mental health issues. To prepare myself to step into the psychology world I am taking all the required classes I need to take. I am also taking recommended and required psychology course offered at Gannon. In the future, I plan to participate in some internships and maybe a few job shadows to help me to gain the experience of a counselor or psychologist. I think it is very important to have some kind of experience in your job field. You not only gain more knowledge in your work field, but you also seem more experienced to an employer.

My career interests fit exactly with my Strong Interest results. This test confirmed for me that I picked the right thing to go to school for. I know that if I were to get something different it would not be uncommon and it would also be okay for that to happen. I was just shocked that it actually matched me up with my major. I know some people got things really different from their major and that doesn’t mean that they are going to school for the wrong thing, it was simply the highest result for the questions they had answered.

I definitely believe that my MBTI results fit with my proposed careers. I think being able to be spontaneous and flexible is something I have to be able to do for these career options. Also, I think it would be important to be able to readily give support and appreciation to others as well. I do believe these things would be required for jobs that I would want in the future. I think my personality traits, as described in the MBTI, fit well for someone looking to head in a counseling direction. I think in general my career at first would be challenging for me to grasp onto. However, I believe that I would be able to catch on and do my job with a limited number of challenges. It would be easy for me to be supportive and flexible. I would probably work my daily life around my work schedule so that I would have time for work but also have time for myself and things that need to be done.

I think my personal values tie into career choices because you want to pick something fun so that you can get your work done faster and on time. This could also help get your work done efficiently. But you also have to be able to work independently sometimes. Some jobs you must work independently and if you are unable to do so they might not even consider hiring you. A work field is a rough place these days and it’s hard to get a job. However, sometimes jobs are not fun which can cause you to put things off. Maybe if you find a way to make it fun you can get your task done. I know it would be bad if you procrastinate in the workplace.

Sometimes in the workplace things are not going to be the way you want them to be. You have to learn to adapt and try new things so you can easily make it through a day of work and get your tasks done. Also, everything is not going to be the way you want it all the time. You will just have to learn new ways to get things done.

The human psyche is a rather contradictory creature. It can be predictable in when it will express its ideologies, but is sporadic with the subject matter it chooses to dwell upon. To better explain this concept, think of it as a typical high society party-going citizen. If they’re gathered up with men and women of a similar social class in one expensively furnished room, one of them is guaranteed to share at least one personal thought to the others. Who can tell what unforeseen thoughts will jump from their mind- a casual opinion on a passersby, a criticism of the five star hotel down the road, or some wild eugenics conspiracy that they read about the other day. Of course that last one may have been a tad extreme, but it doesn’t stray too far from the moral line of the society in The Great Gatsby that has somehow dropped so low that it may as well have just gone through the floor in some chapters.

From cover to cover F. Scott Fitzgerald’s work is described and recollected through the eyes of Nick, who at most times is simply an introverted guest or accessory to the conversations between most of the main characters, which range from intimate and close quartered settings to heaping crowds of party-goers or roaming citizens. This spectator’s seat draws attention to a correlation between the settings and conversations: In tightly knit social scenes characters are more likely to express their personal values, whereas in larger social scenes like parties societal values are more commonly expressed.

Social settings in The Great Gatsby are abundant yet hardly diverse. The funeral and the scene of Mrs. Wilson’s death are the two most unique scenes as far as the emotions carried out within them and the overall setting. Outside of the persistent realm of jovial partying, Tom’s overabundant angst towards the end of the novel, and the everlasting sense of pure irritation Nick retains in almost every social encounter, the funeral offers a major sense of vulnerability for Nick in which he feels the new sensation of true sorrow for Gatsby for the first time.

Then, Mrs. Wilson’s site of death is what brings out not only the murderous and self destructive rage in Mr. Wilson, but the traumatic inner turmoil for Tom knowing that his other love has died while his remaining one slips away with a mysterious stranger. This is not to say that the abundant parties and friendly conversations lack a true sense of ideology and meaning, because there’s room for social commentary in something as simple as a two man conversation to a mansion-wide party.

While the character Tom isn’t necessarily the main character, he’s a fine example of the difference in values in relation to where he is and whom he’s with. When Nick is in a close group with Tom, usually consisting of Jordan and Daisy as well, Tom starts to let his own personal ideology unravel. It begins casually in the earlier stages of the novel, in the line “Civilization’s going to pieces,’ broke out Tom violently. I’ve gotten to be a terrible pessimist about things…” (17). Now you don’t really see this sort of behavior when Tom is at a large party, like when he attends one of Gatsby’s lavish parties with Daisy shortly after the tension begins to build between he and Gatsby. Instead, we see this type of opinionated rambling appear when he’s among the people he considers trustworthy of his social commentary.

Later on in the novel, Tom’s inner paranoia turns into an outlandish outburst when he remarks that “Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions and next they’ll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white.” (137). While it’s not exactly reflective of one hundred percent of the societal values of the 1920’s, any history book can tell you that any year before the 1970’s was a fairly bad year for America’s diversity principles, so it’s safe to say that Tom is capable of displaying societal values in the story.

Fitzgerald chose to make Tom reveal these values in the intimate social settings because it creates a sort of spectating perspective in which the wealthier characters in the novel let their “secrets” and “honest opinions” flourish for what they think is a moment of real trust and understanding, while Nick is fully aware that the characters’ egos are so over-inflated that they aren’t profound in the slightest. The moral constrictions are looser, and somehow the standards for sophistication are lost between the wealthy high society demands of maintaining an image and the million dollar dinner parties that rave on every night- so it certainly lets the rich man feel like a philosopher when he takes a momentary break between horseback riding and buying out businesses to vent what’s really on his mind. The abhorrent lack of concern for how crude their own values are become more and more negatively characterized as Nick strays away from his initial role as the reserved attendant.

One of the very first lines in the book is Nick’s description of himself as “inclined to reserve all judgements” (5), which is clearly seen resigning as Nick becomes more and more flustered by the ignorance and stupidity of those around him. He took to writing a list of estranged attendants one summer, he had initiative to keep Gatsby in line when he started to panic over Daisy, he even had the audacity to denounce Jordan’s driving and warning her “Either you ought to be more careful or you oughtn’t to drive at all” (63). Nick is one of the only characters in the book to let his mild mannered side argue reasoning in the novel, or really indicate that he has a proper set of principles. All the other characters are perfect examples of hypocrisy, cheating, greed, lying, and finally ignorance.

Even Gatsby is no exception, failing to comprehend the shallowness of Daisy’s love won only by who is the most wealthy. These misconstrued values flourish among the wealthier main characters in the novel without any of the characters seeing their own flaws. Even ditzy Daisy finds Tom’s interest in the minority majority trends to be a sign that he’s “getting very profound,” (17), validating his less than extraordinary opinions are only interesting because their lives are lacking in true depth and are only filled with the senseless and monotonous festivities they shower themselves with.

While they may not be as dense as that last note may have bitterly insinuated, there are definitely flaws to be found in the morals of The Great Gatsby’s common crowd. To find our typical subject, we look to one of the hundreds of party guests scurrying about Gatsby’s mansion during any of Nick’s visits. In these very widely attended social scenes with numerous visitors within earshot, visitors commonly spout rumors about Gatsby like “Somebody told me they thought he killed a man once.” (48) Now, who can notice what’s wrong with this picture? Not only is there the sheer inconsideracy behind suggesting someone murdered someone, but there’s also the fact that this is based on something that someone thought. That’s a vague assumption made by somebody so incredulous they’re deemed just someone, to put it bluntly. There’s no worse indicator of a corrupted society than values that make that happen on multiple occasions; furthermore, it just so happens the next example comes from none other than loveable Tom with the caustic remark: “I didn’t hear it. I imagined it.

A lot of these newly rich people are just big bootleggers, you know.” (114) Gatsby hasn’t even confessed his past with Daisy and yet Tom proceeds to play the pot calling the kettle black. Gatsby is absolutely mysterious by the means in which he gained his precarious fortunes, but Tom is more wealthy than the vast majority of the party attendees, and is still out to make a fiend of this man generous enough to allow literally anybody into his home.

Although it’s not quite as jovial of a scene as Gatsby’s final parties, Mrs. Wilson’s demise is a crucial social scene that it’s a time of genuine sorrow for some of Fitzgerald’s characters. While they’re background thoughts are conveyed throughout the novel in an off and on sort of manner in a variety of local party spots, this is a time when the spotlight emotion has just shifted from steaming rage to agonizing tragedy with one fatal incident. Two characters are immediately broken and the world around them starts to show some of their less wild values. Human life and well being is given a tremendous rise in attention when Wilson goes into his spiral of depression and desperation.

Michaelis was more than a guard to Wilson’s well being, he was a genuinely concerned friend- as made clear by the lines “You ought to have a church, George, for times like this. You must have gone to a church once. Didn’t you get married at a church?” (165) and “You’re morbid, George. This has been a strain to you and you don’t know what you’re saying. You’d better try and sit quiet till morning.” (166). The mood of that setting brought out the first signs of genuine attempts to help another human being, something unseen in the promiscuous values of the majority of characters. The sheer fact that he “hurried back to the garage” (168) after four hours of sleep shows a genuine concern for Wilson’s well-being and uncontrollable delirium that only the smaller bit of society can value in the roaring 20’s.

In the end, The Great Gatsby and F. Scott Fitzgerald teach the reader an incredibly valuable lesson through the values of its fabricated society: There are no values worth adopting. Fitzgerald’s astounding writing addresses the sad fact that in the end, life is full of rude people, terrible tragedies, and times where absolutely nobody wins. It’s a cynical remark, but it’s what makes The Great Gatsby so relatable in a unique way. It’s one of the very few books that honestly understands that sometimes life can be cruel and unforgiving, and there’s no other choice than to cope with what’s been given. Money is not a mask for woes, money cannot buy happiness. Money, in Fitzgerald’s perfect actualization of wealthy life in the 20’s, is simply a means of bottling up your turmoil with a well decorated house to hide it in.

This essay is about the impact of critical life experiences on personal values, motivations, beliefs and behaviour and its implications on leadership. Specifically, it aims to show the impact of my life experiences on personal values, motivations, beliefs and behaviour on a particular situation at my work place and its implications on my leadership. The situation involves me in making a critical decision in my capacity as the Principal to guide a newly recruited teacher to improve in his performance, particularly in submitting of teaching plans on time, not being punctual to duty and displaying unprofessional conduct in his interaction with other fellow staff members. This has been ongoing issue for that new teacher in complying with the expected standard of our school.

As a leader, I am confronted with this challenge in analysing the issues, including underlying ethical issues and making a decision in the best interest of our school as part of a private organization known as International Education Agency (IEA) of Papua New Limited.

To provide contextual background to this critical life experience associated with my job, IEA has an ethical responsibility to its employees as well as its clientele throughout Papua New Guinea. It is equally important for all its employees at different levels to uphold ethical values in the provision of our private educational service.

Dalglish, Dubrin and Miller (2006) pointed out that as organisations become increasingly large and complex, the importance of guiding ethical framework increases. The rationale for the Principal to guide that teacher to improve his performance is particularly based on the teacher’s performance and personality character as expected of him by the organization as a high quality private education provider. To achieve this aim, the impact of my decision to help him improve his performance will be analysed according to my personal values, motivations, beliefs and behaviour and its implications on my leadership in the organisation.

The Principal’s beliefs were challenged in that context where he made that decision to guide this new teacher to improve his performance and perform at an expected standard. The new Oxford Learner’s Dictionary (2010, p.125) defined belief as an opinion about something that you think is true. As a private education provider, we have high expectations on our employees in terms of their performance, particularly in complying with performance competencies. This includes time management, submitting of teaching plans and developing strong interpersonal and communication skills with colleagues and other people in the community.

My belief is part of the organisation’s belief on delivering quality educational outcomes through our students as parents pay a lot of money for their children to get that kind of education. We believe that we can deliver high quality education as we have highly trained teachers and adequate resources. The organisation expect all our staff to perform and deliver outcomes in contributing to the organisation’s standard. On the contrary, the Principal’s responsibility to guide the teachers in their personal and professional growth plays an important part in enhancing the teacher’s performance.

In this case, the Principal has to strategise to help the teacher as a new recruit to our organisation. The Principal has to instil these beliefs in the new teacher, which aligns to the organisation’s context, goal and mission. Thus, IEA is an ethical organisation where we have our values and beliefs that are embedded in our practice, and it is part of the leader’s role to instil the beliefs in a new employee.

Furthermore, it is also important to indoctrinate these beliefs to that particular teacher, which aligns to our goal and mission in our context. Our beliefs grow from what we see, hear, experience, read and think about. We develop opinions that we hold to be true and cannot be changed at times. Hence, from our beliefs we derive our values, which can either be correct or incorrect when compared with evidence, but nonetheless hold true for us.

As it is the Principal’s role, he is obliged to make this decision to improve the new teacher’s performance in order to comply with the policy under teacher performance management. Although there is a provision on teacher termination related to under performance, it is unethical to recommend the teacher for termination if the teacher is a new teacher. Besides, the new teacher has to be given an opportunity to improve his performance. This is a decision that the Principal has to make in order to comply with the organization’s expectation to uphold the standard of quality teaching and learning. This, however, decision has also challenged my personal values.

Dalglish, Dubrin and Miller (2006) state that values are not facts, but personally held beliefs. They are enduring and provide guidance for personal behaviour and personal goals. For instance, some values include truth, loyalty and justice. This decision was made because the needs and rights for the students to learn is extremely important. Also, it is a win-win situation for the school and the new teacher.

Also, I am indebted to my employer to make a decision in the best interest of our organisation as far as quality control in education is concerned in our system. Duignan (2007) points that educational leaders must incorporate ethical analysis as part of their thinking and reasoning because ethics is at the core of human enterprise. The Principal has the responsibility to lead him to respond to the organisation’s needs, goals and strategic purposes, even though this may conflict with the needs, goals, desires and strategic intentions of the individual. In other words, I cannot compromise with the teacher on his underperformance, but will have to provide professional assistance to help the teacher to improve on his attitude towards his performance.

On the other hand, I will have to consider the teacher’s continuity of employment and his family. I have an ethical responsibility to my employer to carry out my duties. If I compromise, the standard will drop and that will have an impact on the organisation as well as my leadership role as a Principal. This is an example of a deontological approach to ethics. As stated by Clark and Jonson (1995), we know our moral duty by rational reflection, and if we are to be ethical then we must fulfil the demands of duty. In this case, I have a moral duty with the teacher, and we are both obliged to make autonomous decisions to live in accordance with the demands of moral duty in our roles and responsibilities.

Furthermore, it is important for the Principal to go through the values that are embedded as part of our practice. For example, being punctual, submitting plans on time, and respecting each other’s rights and opinions are important values within his line of duty that can be developed by the teacher over time and are influenced by family, education and peers through different experiences. In contrast, it is also important for the Principal to let him know that bad experiences can shape us to develop good values. Thus, if I don’t provide the professional support, it will reflect poorly on me as the leader in the organisation.

Our values and beliefs affect our behaviour in a given situation. Dalglish et al (2006, p.142) found that members of any organisation are to behave ethically and the leaders of that organisation must articulate a set of values and standards, and these values and standards must be understood and shared by the members. In our system, the values and standards are embedded in our ‘Blue Print’, which is our strategic management plan. Ethical management and leadership are fundamental principles which guide work practice across the organisation (IEA Planning Blue Print 2014-2018, 2013, p12) As such, all employees (including teachers) are expected to behave ethically in their interaction with others.

Also, all our endeavour in our IEA Schools is designed to ensure that each person whether a teacher or student will be self-directing, communicate effectively, behave ethically, work collaboratively, analyse and solve problems. As an ethical leader, the Principal has to examine the teacher’s behaviour, which led to his underperformance and the ethical issues associated with his performance and attitude.

Firstly, occasionally, the teacher has submitted his teaching plans late and this behaviour will affect the students’ learning in his class. We are now faced with the dilemma whether the teacher is delivering according to his plan to meet the needs of students in his class. In fact, it is wrong for him to submit teaching plans late and it is a compliance issue. It reflects on his own commitment to his employer. Secondly, he has been coming to school late couple of times because he was attending to other things during school time.

This behaviour is unethical because he is obliged to come early to school as expected of him. Last, but not the least, his unprofessional conduct with the ancillary staff members has been an ongoing issue. In particular, he does not communicate well with cleaners in the school. This behaviour is unethical because he needs communicate fairly with all staff, including cleaners in the school. These ethical

Our values and beliefs affect our behaviour in a given situation. Dalglish et al (2006, p.142) found that members of any organisation are to behave ethically and the leaders of that organisation must articulate a set of values and standards, and these values and standards must be understood and shared by the members. In our system, the values and standards are embedded in our ‘Blue Print’, which is our strategic management plan. Ethical management and leadership are fundamental principles which guide work practice across the organisation (IEA Planning Blue Print 2014-2018, 2013, p12) As such, all employees (including teachers) are expected to behave ethically in their interaction with others.

Also, all our endeavour in our IEA Schools is designed to ensure that each person whether a teacher or student will be self-directing, communicate effectively, behave ethically, work collaboratively, analyse and solve problems. As an ethical leader, the Principal has to examine the teacher’s behaviour, which led to his underperformance and the ethical issues associated with his performance and attitude.

Firstly, occasionally, the teacher has submitted his teaching plans late and this behaviour will affect the students’ learning in his class. We are now faced with the dilemma whether the teacher is delivering according to his plan to meet the needs of students in his class. In fact, it is wrong for him to submit teaching plans late and it is a compliance issue. It reflects on his own commitment to his employer. Secondly, he has been coming to school late couple of times because he was attending to other things during school time. This behaviour is unethical because he is obliged to come early to school as expected of him. Last, but not the least, his unprofessional conduct with the ancillary staff members has been an ongoing issue. In particular, he does not communicate well with cleaners in the school. This behaviour is unethical because he needs communicate fairly with all staff, including cleaners in the school.

These ethical problems can be solved by using the ethical theory of principlism. Josephson’s study (as cited in Duignan, 2007, p.81) has suggested three set of agreed principles. They are autonomy, common good and justice. These principles of the principlism model of ethical theory can guide him to improve in his performance and attitude as a teacher. It is now my responsibility to guide him using this theoretical approaches of ethical behaviour.

Providing the right kind of motivation can be a big step in enhancing someone’s performance in any organizational setting in terms of their ethical ability. It must be recognized that standard managerial approaches to problem solving and motivation are failing to keep basic moral standards and the overarching goals of a capitalistic society alive in today’s changed competitive and social environment (Clark and Jonson 1995). IEA is in the education industry for many years in Papua New Guinea. Even though we operating as a business entity, the company is responsible for promoting ethical behavior within their organizations.

Motivating moral behavior can be difficult, but with a thoughtful combination of discipline and rewards, we can encourage our employees to adopt attitudes and behaviors that result in a positive workplace and satisfaction is given to our customers.Clark and Jonson(1995, p28) pointed out that business ethics is a fundamental term that is applicable to all workplaces. Irrespective of the nature of an organization and its function, an unethical employee promotes corruption and also could be a liability to an organization.

Therefore, it becomes important for an organization to encourage its employees to adhere to ethical behaviour. It is now the Principal’s responsibility to restore the right kind of motivation in this teacher. That motivation must be embedded with ethical and moral values aligning to the goals, standards and strategic mission of the organisation. For example, the Principal must tell the teacher that it is ethical to communicate fairly with everyone in the school despite their status in the school.

Certainly, critical life experiences can have an impact on personal values, motivations, beliefs and behaviour and its implications on leadership. Our values and beliefs can affect our decision making. This also depends on the motivation that we have in discharging our duties. Members of any organisation are to behave ethically and the leaders of that organisation must articulate a set of values and standards, and these values and standards must be understood and shared by the members.

Our organisation’s (IEA of PNG Ltd) values and standards are embedded in our ‘Blue Print’, which is our strategic management plan. This includes ethical management and leadership, which guide work practice across the organisation. As such, all employees (including teachers) are expected to behave ethically in their interaction with others. This teacher’s dilemma has put the Principal in a situation where his ethical leadership abilities are challenged in terms of making a decision to strike a balance between the teacher and the organisational needs, goals and strategic purpose. In this case, a teacher teaching in a private school setting and the expectations that go with it.

What do you do if your personal values are in conflict with organizational/interpersonal business protocols? | Reaction Paper – Week 2| Professional Development MBA-525-MBOL5| Kelly M. Mistretta| 7/15/2012| | Values are a part of each of us. Our value system is influenced from birth by family members. As we grow, our values continue to be shaped by our family, in addition to outside influences such as teachers, friends and other mentors. In our professional life, we will most likely be faced at some point in time, with a conflict between our personal values and a professional situation.

It is important to handle the conflict with dignity and to find a solution to the conflict in which your individual values are maintained, as well as your professional integrity. Personal values act as motivators and impact priorities. Examples of motivating values are achievement, happiness, advancement/promotion, and family. “To gain a better understanding of how your values motivate you to set priorities, try looking at your personal activities. (Values, 8) When making a decision based on your personal values and the activities that influence these values, it is important to realize that the priority that you place on these values will potentially have both positive and negative consequences. When choosing a career at a company, you should recognize the potential consequences and conflicts that you may be faced with. It is important to distinguish carefully between your personal values and organizational values. When faced with a situation that you feel uncomfortable with in a professional situation, you should first consult with your company’s Code of Conduct.

It is possible that the situation also is in conflict with the Code of Conduct. Although the law does not require a Code of Conduct, “company leaders see the benefit of having their ethical policies formalized. ” (Pace, 28) Codes of Conduct are beneficial to employers, because it lets employees know what is expected of them. It is important for an employer to uphold their Code of Conduct, because if they don’t, the code becomes useless. All employees should have a copy of the Code of Conduct to refer to so that they know what is considered acceptable conduct, how to handle and report misconduct and the potential penalties for misconduct.

Relationships with employees, peers and bosses can cause conflict for management. “The dilemma is further complicated by the fact that these critical people may have contrary goals and competing needs. A misstep in handling an ethical issue may well affect a relationship, or linger on the conscience, for years to come. ” (Maddux, 7) As an employee, when faced with a situation that goes against your personal beliefs, you must make sure that regardless of the outcome, you have a clear conscience and feel comfortable with your decisions and actions.

An example of personal values conflicting with business values for me occurs on an almost daily basis with a co-worker. This person plays Christian music loudly at her cubicle throughout the day. Personally, I do not have a problem with the Christian music. In fact, I listen to a Christian radio station in my vehicle constantly. However, I do not agree that the workplace is the best place to play this music. We see a variety of customers throughout the day who have different beliefs and values than we do.

Furthermore, we work in a government office and have to be very careful not to cross over an imaginary line. I personally would be offended if I visited a government office and had rap music or heavy metal music played to me while conducting business. I think that she could offend a customer who would rather not hear about religion while obtaining a building permit. A better option for this co-worker would be to listen to her music when there are no customers and then mute or stop the music when there is someone at her desk.

Professionalism is a trait that we should maintain at all times. It can be hard to maintain your composure when a situation conflicts with your personal beliefs. An individual needs to consider how the ramifications and the severity of these ramifications when analyzing a situation that offends them personally. If the situation involves a co-worker, you should discuss the situation with them and let them know why you find their actions offensive to you. Hopefully your co-worker will respect your values and you can find common ground on the situation. REFERENCES

Frederick, William C. (1995). Values, Nature, and Culture in the American Corporation. Cary, NC:Oxford University Press. Maddux, Dorothy, Maddux, Robert B. , Sanders, Marian. (1989). Ethics in Business: A Guide for Managers. Boston:Course Technology Crisp. Pace, J. (2006). The Workplace: Interpersonal Strengths and Leadership. Boston:McGraw Hill. Values, Motivation, and Priorities. (2007). Setting Priorities: Personal Values, Organizational Results, 8-11. Trade-offs and Consequences. (2007). Setting Priorities: Personal Values, Organizational Results, 16-17.