Photo by: Greg Lau
Corey Ciocchetti, professor in the Business Ethics and Legal Studies Department, presented a lecture that discussed ethical conduct both in business dealings and in everyday life.
Ciocchetti proposed two ways to develop character: adopt certain virtues and follow the “platinum rule.”
“If you can do these, you can develop your character. None of these happen by osmosis. Nobody is born with these virtues, they are developed over time,” said Ciocchetti.
According to Ciocchetti, if a person intends to be virtuous, he or she must follow Aristotle’s ethical framework of virtue ethics.
Ciocchetti said the virtue spectrum presents two extremes of a virtue, such as honesty, with the “golden mean” in the middle.
The goal is to aim for the middle of the spectrum in terms of virtues such as honesty, loyalty, respect, compassion, humility and courage.
Ciocchetti said a person must strive for the absolute middle spectrum to prevent being on one extreme or the other.
“For example, if you are not honest at all, you are a liar. If you are too honest you may be considered blunt. Your character is developed by having all of these virtues in your life,” Ciocchetti said.
The second way to develop ethical character is to follow the action guiding “platinum rule.” The rule is, “Treat others better than you would want to be treated.”
Ciocchetti thinks this rule allows people to follow an action-guiding principle in their everyday lives and is especially useful when they encounter an ethical dilemma.
Ciocchetti teaches law and business ethics to undergraduates and graduate students. He is also the author of the book, Real Rabbits: Chasing Authentic Success. According to Ciocchetti, there are 100 students in the Business, Ethics and Legal Studies (BELS) minor.
He says business is an extremely important academic field to learn about, even if a student is not intending to major in it.
“No matter what you do, if you’re a doctor or a journalist, you have to deal with business,” Ciocchetti said.
Ciocchetti discussed the Enron scandal to illustrate how unethical behavior can destroy an organization or business.
Ciocchetti recalled that Enron’s stock price was at $90 per share during its peak and was the seventh largest company in the United States. Illegally manipulating stock prices by inflating revenues and falsifying accounting statements led to Enron’s eventual collapse and the loss of 21,000 jobs, Ciocchetti said.
“This was a monumental collapse of character,” said Ciocchetti. “If you’re an honest person, it doesn’t cross your mind to hide a billion dollars in an offshore illegal account.”
Ciocchetti described how the content of character is a pertinent factor in approaching ethical business dilemmas.
According to him, the content of character is defined as “how you act when nobody’s looking.”
He said it is easy to portray good character around authority figures, but the real issue is: can you be honest with yourself when no one is around?
“This applies to things you do with your day and things you do with your life. You always have to consult your character before you make a decision,” said Ciocchetti.
Ciocchetti concluded his lecture by answering questions about the BELS minor and described various classes that are taught in that department.
Some classes include employment law, constitutional law, intellectual property, international law, and a course that combines business ethics and sailing.
