Expectations for Ethics Term Paper DUE APRIL 9

1. Expectations for Ethics Term PaperDUE APRIL 9 • 4-6 page paper on some aspect of what you view as evidence of unethical behavior in agriculture or in your rural community. • If you are not from a farm or rural community you may chose one of the topics from Cochrane or from the other assigned readings, or from some other source.

2. Paper Outline • Illustration of some unethical behavior in farming, agriculture or rural life. • Define what you mean by ethics and why you feel this issue, event or practice is unethical? • Why do you define this action, issue, or event is unethical?

3. Ethics Help Define Who We Are and Describes our Culture “Character is not the same thing as reputation. Character is what you are. Reputation is what people say you are.”Josephson, 2002

4. Expectations • Describe an ethical issue in agriculture • Provide a rationale for why this action/behavior or decision is or was unethical • What are the consequences, how would you approach this decision? • How could this have been decided or handled in a better way

5. Outline (continued) • What can or should be done to correct this problem? • What remedies or solutions might exist? • What are the long term implications if nothing is done? • Who should take leadership in raising ethical standards in agriculture, farming and rural life?

6. What is ethics anyway? • Standards of conduct • Standards that indicate how one should behave based upon moral duties and virtues • Principals of right and wrong • As a practical matter, ethics is about how we meet the challenge of doing the right thing when that will cost more than we want to pay.

7. Aspects of Ethics • Ability to discern right from wrong, good and evil, propriety from impropriety • Commitment to do what is right, proper and good. Ethics entails action not just thoughts

8. What is meant by ethics? • Helps us discern what is right or wrong • Doing what the law requires • Standards of behavior • Doing what society expects • Standards of right and wrong that prescribe what people ought to do in terms of rights, benefits to society, fairness, etc

9. Standards of behavior that tell us how people ought to act in many situations in which they find themselves in • Utilitarian Approach • The Rights Approach • Fairness or Justice • Common Good • Virtue

10. What Iowa Farmers Told Us(2002 Farm Poll, n=1942) • At one time a person’s word was as good as a signed contract; now you must get it in writing. 93% somewhat or strongly agreed • In general, ethical standards in society have declined. 87% agreed

11. What farmers told us • I used to take a persons’ word as measure of his/her honor, but now-a-days you can’t always simply accept what a person tells you. 85% agreed. • One reason ethical standards have declined is that people have lost respect for authority. 70% agreed • Often people admit they are not being ethical in paying the full amount of their taxes. 49% agreed.

12. What farmers told us • Even among friends and neighbors, I am concerned that they no longer feel obliged to honor their word. 37% agreed • Farmer’s ethical standards have declined. 57% agreed

13. How have ethics changed? % Decline in past 10 years • Clergy 24% • Neighbors 31 • Local Merchants 36 • Local Agribusiness 37 • Lenders 41 • Farmers 45 • Youth and young adults 68 • Local elected officials 70 • Elected state officials 72

14. The Six Pillars of Character(Source: Josephson, Making Ethical Decisions) • Trustworthiness • Honesty • Truthfulness • Sincerity • Candor • Honesty in conduct • Integrity • Relability

15. The Six Pillars of Character(Source: Josephson, Making Ethical Decisions) • Respect • Civility, courtesy, and decency • Dignity and autonomy • Tolerance and acceptance • Responsibility • Accountability • Pursuit of Excellence • Self Restraint

16. The Six Pillars of Character(Source: Josephson, Making Ethical Decisions) • Fairness • Process • Impartiality • Equity • Caring • Citizenship

17. Some guides to determine if an action is ethical • The Golden Rule, “you act in a way that you would expect others to act toward you” • The Professional Ethic, “You take only those actions that would be viewed as proper by an objective panel of your professional peers”

18. 3. Kant’s Categorical Imperative, “Ask yourself, “What if everyone behaved this way?” 4. Child on Your Shoulder, “Would you proudly make the same decision if your young child were witnessing your choice?” 5. TV Test, Could you explain and justify your actions to general television audience?” 6. The Des Moines Register Test, “Would you like your friends and neighbors to read about this?”

19. Four simple questions • Could you or someone else suffer physical harm? • Could you or someone else suffer emotional pain? • Could the decision hurt your reputation, undermine your credibility, or damage important relationships? • Could the decision impede the achievement of any important goal?

20. Seven Steps to Better Decisions • Stop and think • Clarify goals • Determine Facts • Develop options • Consider consequences • Choose • Monitor and modify

21. What happens when there is not adherence to a code of ethics? • People begin to “cut corners” • Most unethical and illegal activities start small • Rationale or justifications often include, “everyone else is doing it” • Erosion in ethics brings about greater regulation because trust has been violated • Rules, regulations and laws reflect the formalization of ethics

22. Erosion in Ethics=Distrustful Culture • Where people no longer trust each other • Where extreme individualism is primary • Where people no longer know each other • With diminished respect, trust and cooperation, there are calls for regulations to monitor or regulate behaviors/actions

23. Symptoms of Distrust in Agriculture • Legal representation • Formalized contracts • Fear of Liability—liability insurance • Less personal contact—fear of strangers • Formal communication • Suspiciousness

24. What are some examples that display ethics or the lack of ethics • Slavery—it was legal, was it ethical • Denying the rights of women to own property or to vote • Indian removal • Navigation Acts • Land expropriation

25. Contemporary examples • Displacing a tenant for $5.00 acre more rent • Calling upon the widow before her husband’s funeral about renting her farm • Encouraging over-application of fertilizer because of incentives you will receive • Trading in a tractor that you know has major problems without disclosing to the dealer • Failure to deliver on a promise

26. The Golden Rule “You act in a way that you would expect others to act toward you” or “treat others as you would like to be treated” Guides for Deciding If An Action is Ethical

27. Guides for Deciding If An Action is Ethical • Professional Ethic • You take only those actions which would be viewed as “proper” by an objective panel of your professional colleagues.

28. Guides for Deciding If An Action is Ethical • Kant’s Categorical Imperative • Ask yourself, “ What if everyone behaved this way?”

29. Guides for Deciding If An Action is Ethical • Child on Your Shoulders Test • Would you proudly make the same decision if your young child were witnessing your choice?

30. Guides for Deciding If An Action is Ethical • TV Test • Could you explain and justify your actions to a general television audience?

31. Have Ethics Changed? • Among farmers? • Among people in your community? • Among all Americans? • Among youth and young adults?

32. Examples of Unethical Behavior • As a new employee in sales of an agribusiness firm you work hard to meet your quota, and sometimes this means that you encourage farmer-customers to buy more fertilizer than they actually need.

33. You observe a co-worker putting computer disks in his briefcase that you are certain he is planning on using to use for personal use. • What if it were a rubber band or paper clip, or what about borrowing the company car for personal use? Should these be treated the same?

34. As purebred livestock breeder, you sell someone stock that you know has some genetic defects, but you fail to points these defects? • Your niece who works at a bank calls you with some hot “inside information” about a proposed merger that could make you a handsome profit?

35. Because you have earned several frequent flyer miles on trips that your company paid for, you decide to use the discount to take a fishing trip instead of applying them to company business? • You observe a fellow colleague using the company computer during work hours to play computer games?

36. Other examples • Building a CAFO closer to your neighbor’s house than your house • Failure to follow recommended farming practices eg spreading manure on frozen ground, excessive tillage, over application of fertilizer, etc

37. Being aggressive in bidding up land rental rates • Not doing business with local cooperative or with other local businesses • What about layer batteries or sow crates—are they inhumane and unethical?

38. Is lying ever justified? • Under what circumstances might lying being the ethical thing to do?

39. Reasons Why People Act Unethically • It was necessary • It was legal • I did it for their benefit • I was only fighting fire with fire • It didn’t hurt anyone • Everyone else is doing it • I did not personally gain • I deserved it

40. Share everything Play fair Don’t hit people Put things back where you found them Clean up your own mess Don’t take things that aren’t yours Say you are sorry when you hurt somebody Wash your hands before you eat Flush Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you Live a balanced life--learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work everyday some Take a nap every afternoon When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together All I Really Need to Know I Learned in KindergartenRobert Fulghum

41. All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten (continued) • Beware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the cup: the roots go down and plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are like that • Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the styrofoam cup-they all die. So do we. • And then remember the Dick and Jane books and the first word you learned-- the biggest word of all--LOOK.