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Ethical Behavior and its Importance in Persuasion
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COM323 Persuasion & Argumentation
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Running Head: ETHICAL BEHAVIORS IMPORTANCE IN PERSUASION
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Ethical Behavior and its Importance in Persuasion
Ethical behavior is of most importance to human beings, important to the practice of
persuasion, and impacts persuasion by building up the persuasion process, and mounting who is
in charge for it. It starts with ethics and grows into how one person must commune to convince
productively and reliably and ends with who should take responsibility in an influential
exchange. This ethical outlook of persuasion is more refined and civilized.
The significance of ethical deeds is noticed at the ancestry of humanity. It is the
background of civilization. According to McMillan, J., and Sheehan, M., ethics refers to as
“characteristics of human nature that distinguish us from so-called lower forms of life,
characteristics we can then use as standards for judging the ethics of persuasion. Among them
are the capacities to create, to reason and use symbols, to achieve mutual appreciative
understanding, and to make value judgments” (2010). Block quote.
These moral standards control our conduct in order that peaceful societies may continue
living. We might not exist by absolutism theory, which according to Den Hartog, D. N., and De
Hoogh, A. H., “in spite of outcomes, it is wrong to lie” (2009). It is of great importance to have a
certain standard by which our character is being measured. We have little security from
ourselves if we do not have rules. Ethical norms vary with regions hence making them of great
importance to business practices.
A good example of these ethical standards is given by Coldwell, D. A., at el that: “the
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) prohibits U.S. firms from engaging in bribery and other
Running Head: ETHICAL BEHAVIORS IMPORTANCE IN PERSUASION
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practices in foreign countries that would be illegal in the United States” (2008). This example
tries to hold a positive ethical norm even while carrying out business with other nations, despite
of whether those nations need the uploading of such principles.
Another illustration where codes of ethics are put in consideration is in the organizational
cultures of our business. The best technique of teaching other people is to show by example and
this account holds true in our businesses. In case a firm carries out a questionable activity, it can
be irreversibly damaging. Damage in a firm can affect those associating with it such as
stakeholders. The effort of looking at ethical norm from a business is to maintain companies’
relationship with customers, employees and community at large. It is very difficult to maintain
reputation than rebuild one. It requires a lot of effort to persuade someone after making a
mistake. This makes ethical deeds very important to persuasion (Coldwell, 2008)
An ethical action is important to persuasion since public communication has a duty to be
crafted morally. Yesterday’s persuasion can be changed by today’s ethics since persuasion is
viewed as a process. A lot of variables are put in consideration in persuasion. It is more than
intentions sender has when crafting a message and sending it. According to Den Hartog, D. N.,
& De Hoogh, A. H., “…the last end of ethical persuasion should be respect for people as
autonomous, rational, worthy and capable of informed choices” (2009). In order for a message to
persuade effectively, sender must make sure recipient is aware of his/her (sender) intentions and
also prepare a feedback. The media may be seen as unethical if they send particular information
and the society has inadequate access of the information. Society has a wide collection of sources
to get information in today’s era but query still remain to the moral code of mass information
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distribution if it accomplishes in the reality do the “greatest good for greatest number” (Den
Hartog & De Hoogh, 2009).
We require morals since persuasion consist of not only the inspiration and capacity of the
recipient to process the information and come with a conclusion, but also the accountability of
looking for message that verify or disprove what is accessible to them in a persuasive message.
In case both parties (the one sending a message and the one receiving a message) are not
responsible for persuasion, then persuasion did not succeed. Viewing persuasion from ethical
point of view alters how we perceive the process, and how we influence. This is why I consider
persuasion is helpful in our today’s life. We must be responsible.
Ethics enable us to communicate honestly, properly and respectfully. Persuasion is a
communication tool and with ethical morality it can be utilized justly. Moral code is the
groundwork of a civilized humanity. Moral performance is vital to influence since it allows for
communication to happen in a gentle way, and its impact is manifested by the growth of a
communication practice that has been studied for long time.
In the current world, some theories have been put to concern depending with ethical
behavior such as deontological and relativism theories. Deontological theory declares that there
are characteristics in the action themselves which agree on whether or not they are not right.
These features identify the level to which the measures match with recognized ethical sense of
duty. For instance, driving when drunk abuse the responsibility to “above all do no harm.” The
responsibilities draw from different sources, such as biology, psychology, religion, culture,
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metaphysics and language. Depending with deontological theory, these responsibilities may be
conditional, absolute or prima facie.
Deontological theory does not put in concern with the outcome to be of more important
when determining an action is ethical or not. For example, it does not consider if the drunk driver
arrives safely to his destination but considers it was wrong him being drunk while driving. This
theory has both positive and negative impacts: right and wrong of a person, is being judged with
one’s duties, the end does not defend the means, good intentions are valued even though the
ending was not the expected one, ignoring penalty can cause suffering and pain and there is no
conformity on a particular standard for immorality (Broad, 2009).
Relativism theory on the other end refutes that there is any outstandingly right moral
value. Everything is biased. For example, Victor argued that each person creates his/her own
principles depending with one's own judgment about what is important. There are no ethical
values to turn change to another authority apart from those he once made. It has both positive
and negative impacts: it leads to social anarchy; each person is responsible of his/her own moral
beliefs and it allows multiculturalism (Broad, 2009).
In conclusion, moral behavior is evaluated in either a positive way or negative way.
Depending on the general strategy used in the progression of influence, this will establish if
someone used ethical behavior or not. Constructive and deconstructive language plays a role to
decide the diversity in terms of negative or positive influence. Moral deeds and influence share a
dual value whether both are able to alter person’s mind.
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References:
Broad, C. D. (2009). Five types of ethical theory (pp. 1-2). London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
Coldwell, D. A., Billsberry, J., Van Meurs, N., & Marsh, P. J. (2008). The effects of person–
organization ethical fit on employee attraction and retention: Towards a testable
explanatory model. Journal of Business Ethics, 78(4), 611-622.
Den Hartog, D. N., & De Hoogh, A. H. (2009). Empowering behaviour and leader fairness and
integrity: Studying perceptions of ethical leader behaviour from a levels-of-analysis
perspective. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 18(2), 199-230.
McMillan, J., & Sheehan, M. (2010). Commentary: ethical review and ethical behaviour. BMJ:
British Medical Journal, 330(7489), 473.