Advanced Ethical Decision-Making, Finding the Right Path

27 Jan

We all face tough choices from time to time—ones where it’s not easy to know what the “right” thing is. Maybe it’s a conflict between being honest and protecting someone or balancing the needs of others with your own responsibilities. These moments test our values and how we choose to act.

Ethical decision-making is something we all face in our personal and professional lives. Whether it’s a small choice about how to treat a colleague or a big decision that impacts an entire team or community, doing the right thing isn’t always easy.

When faced with tough situations, it’s important to approach them thoughtfully, fairly, and with a clear sense of your values. Let’s break down some practical ways to navigate these moments and make decisions you can stand by.

What Is Ethical Decision-Making?

Ethical decision making is simply about doing the right thing when it’s not obvious. It’s about looking beyond what’s good for you or your business and thinking about others. For example:

Is there a clear conflict between right and wrong?
Which values—like fairness, honesty, or kindness—are at play?
How will your decision affect other people?

Think of it this way: It’s not just about following rules or avoiding trouble. It’s about balancing different needs and making choices that you can stand by, even if they’re hard.

How Ethical Frameworks Can Help

When things get confusing, it’s helpful to have a guide. Ethical frameworks are like maps showing you different paths you can take and what might happen along the way. Here are three we talked about:

The Utilitarian Approach
This focuses on what benefits most people. For example, during a pandemic, hospitals might focus on treating patients with the best chance of survival to help the greatest number of people.

This approach is practical but can overlook smaller groups or individuals who are affected.

The Rights-Based Approach
Here, the focus is on protecting people’s rights—like privacy, freedom, or safety—no matter the cost. For instance, a company might protect employees’ data, even if it means losing business opportunities.

It’s a fair way to think, but sometimes it doesn’t address broader consequences.

The Justice Approach
This is about fairness—making sure people get what they deserve. For example, if a school receives funding, it might split it evenly between academics, sports, and arts to treat everyone fairly.

Fairness sounds simple, but people often disagree on what’s truly “fair.”

Using these frameworks can help you think through the tough questions when you’re stuck.

Real-Life Ethical Dilemmas

We also talked about real-world examples to make these ideas practical. Here are a few that stood out:

Whistleblowing: Imagine you discover your company is doing something unethical, like polluting a river or selling a faulty product. Speaking up could protect others, but it might cost you your job. Would you report it?
AI Bias: What if a new hiring tool in your company favors certain groups over others? Fixing the problem might delay hiring but ignoring it would be unfair. How would you handle it?
Product Safety: A company discovers a serious flaw in a product. Fixing it means losing money and delaying the launch. Should they risk reputational damage or put customers’ safety first?

These dilemmas show that ethical decisions are rarely black and white. But taking the time to think through them makes all the difference.

Why Ethical Decisions Can Be Hard

Making the right choice isn’t always easy. There are often barriers, like:

Biases: Sometimes, our minds trick us into thinking we’re being fair, even when we’re not. For example, we might favor people who are like us without even realising it.
Pressure to Conform: It’s tough to speak up when everyone else seems okay with doing the wrong thing.
Toxic Work Cultures: If a workplace reward results no matter how they’re achieved, people might feel forced to take shortcuts.

To overcome these challenges, we need to pause, reflect, and speak up when something feels wrong.

Why It All Matters

Being ethical is about more than following the rules. It builds trust with customers, employees, and your community. When people see you consistently making fair, thoughtful choices, they respect you.

For example, we looked at companies like Volkswagen, which lost billions of dollars and damaged its reputation because of unethical behavior. On the other hand, brands like Patagonia and Johnson & Johnson earned customer loyalty by prioritising values over profits.

Ethical choices might cost more in the short term, but they lead to long-term success and respect.

A Final Thought

As C.S. Lewis once said, “Ethics is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.

When faced with a tough decision, slow down and ask yourself:

Am I being fair to everyone involved?
Does this align with my values?
Will I be proud of this decision in the future?

The more we practice ethical thinking, the better we become at navigating life’s grey areas. And remember, you’re not alone in ethical decision-making, it is a journey we’re all on together.

Register for our Advanced Ethical Decision-Making Webinar Here.

🌟 Learn How to Make Better Ethical Decisions 🌟

Date: 25 July 2025
Time: Available from 08:00
Duration: 1.5 hour
CPD Units: 2 (Ethics and Steward)
Format: Webinar

🔍 This webinar will help you handle tricky ethical situations in your work with confidence.

Join Leana van der Merwe, an expert with 18+ years of experience in accounting and corporate governance, as she shares simple and practical ways to deal with everyday ethical challenges.

💡 What You’ll Learn:
✔️ How to spot common ethical problems in your work.
✔️ A step-by-step guide to make fair and smart decisions.
✔️ Why ethical choices matter for your clients, company, and your own reputation.
✔️ Tips to explain your decisions clearly, even in tough situations.

💼 Who Should Join?
This session is for all CIBA members—whether you’re a bookkeeper, accountant, or in management—looking to make ethical choices that build trust and confidence.

🔗 Sign up here and earn 2 CPD units in Ethics.

Choose Your Path to Exclusive Insights

Stay ahead in the world of accounting with premium content designed for professionals like you. Access expert articles, industry trends, and essential resources. Become a CIBA member and claim your CPD hours from CIBA.