“Thinking Ethically” discusses several popular ethical frameworks and how they guide people’s actions. These frameworks could be prevalent in social groups, school, or work. Different principles shape different people’s thought processes. I enjoyed how this article included many different ethical frameworks. A lot of people have their own ethical code and consider any other way of thinking unethical. This may simply be due to lack of knowledge about the way that others think. If ways of thinking stray from the norm they can be deemed unethical.

I also thought that it was interesting how the article highlighted the importance of getting to the facts. Many people do not bother to check the facts of certain situations and jump to conclusions. Basing decisions off conclusions can cause people to not act ethically. Every situation is different and although the different ethical frameworks are a good guide, getting the facts of the situation can allow people to make an informed, ethical decision.

I thought that the Common-Good Approach was particularly interesting. It says that it assumes a good society is a society where individuals’ own good is linked to the good of the community. I don’t think I have seen many communities like this. Many people do not set aside their own interests and are not led by common goals and values. People also do not view their community members as worthwhile equals. I think that our society has lost the importance of community recently. I think people have become more selfish and focused on their own interests.

University, Santa Clara. “Thinking Ethically.” Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/ethical-decision-making/thinking-ethically/. Accessed 19 Sept. 2025. 

In reading, “A Framework for Ethical Decision Making,” it reminded me of times in my life when I had to discern what ethics is. I went to Catholic school growing up and often thought that ethics was religion. I then learned over time that you can be religious and not act ethically and vice versa. I also learned that being religious does not equal being a good person and that it’s its own separate thing. Many people do not know what ethics is and tie it to different principles and ways of thinking.

This text reminds me of books I would read in my CCD classes growing up in a way. They would always touch on how ethics are aligned to religion, thoughts, feelings and culture. Reading this article has made me realize that that is not the case most of the time. Theologians and philosophers study ethics and come up with different lenses. This text also reminds me of what I am learning about in my Philosophy of Ethics class. We are learning about utilitarianism and Kantianism. It is very interesting to learn about how different ways of thinking produce different ethical codes.

This text reminds me of real world examples of people using religion to claim a moral high ground. While principles of religions can be ethical and can cause people to act ethically, religion is not inherently an ethical practice. Not everyone believes in the same religion. Some people believe in no religion at all. These people can still follow a code of ethics.

University, Santa Clara. “A Framework for Ethical Decision Making.” Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, 2021, www.scu.edu/ethics/ethics-resources/a-framework-for-ethical-decision-making/

In reading “40 years of storming: a historical review of Tuckman’s model of small group development”, I was reminded of times I have participated in group work. I do a lot of group projects in my journalism classes and I have seen the stages of “forming, storming, norming and performing.” Sometimes we disagree but then we get to a place where we can work together and end up with an effective result. Conflict is typically seen as a bad thing within groups, but conflict is sometimes essential to a good outcome. Disagreements are an important part of the creative process.

I have not read many texts where conflict is seen as a positive. I think that it is very important for conflict to be portrayed in a productive light. If there were more articles of this nature, people would not be afraid to respectfully disagree. We live in a society where disagreement is seen as a bad thing and an attack. If disagreements were portrayed as positive in the creative process, better outcomes may result.

I typically notice this pattern in any type of team or group. Specifically in sports teams, disagreements are more normalized. People are typically more passionate and outspoken, specifically in team sports where one player’s actions affects the group. Respectful disagreements are often important and productive. Unity and cooperation in a team can often not come without conflict.

Bonebright, Denise A. “40 Years of Storming: A Historical Review of Tuckman’s Model of Small Group Development.” Human Resource Development International, vol. 13, no. 1, 17 Feb. 2010, pp. 111–120, https://doi.org/10.1080/13678861003589099.

In reading, “How to link personal values with team values,” I thought of an exercise I did during team bonding at my old job. We all had to sit down and think about what our best professional traits were. We then all had to discuss our values and which ones we should all try to implement to make us a better team. I think the exercise was very useful and I learned a lot about my coworkers and myself. I also think that this exercise made us work together as a team better.

I found this article really similar to an article that I read in HON310. I don’t know the exact name of the article, but it described how we should look for professional qualities in ourselves and how we should motivate others to be introspective and evaluate their leadership qualities. Although not exactly like the article we read in this class, it reminded me of how important it is to actually evaluate ourselves instead of just saying that we’re good at everything.

This article reminds me of teams I have previously been on and how it is very important to function well as a team and that you must be a teamplayer to be a good leader. For example, I have a leadership position on the Mock Trial team. I need to get along well with everyone in order to gain respect as a leader. We also have better outputs in competitions when we all respect each other and work as a team.

Scott, Cynthia, and Dennis Jaffe. “How to Link Personal Values with Team Values.” SlideShare, Slideshare, www.slideshare.net/cynthiascott/how-tolinkvalues-article. Accessed 09 Sept. 2025.

In reading the article, “Why Ethical People Make Unethical Choices,” I was reminded of my own life experiences. I have faced excessive pressure from unrealistic goals which has caused me to take shortcuts in my work. At a previous job, I was under a lot of pressure and I was under many deadlines and pressure to perform well. I would not do the work to the best of my ability due to the pressure to perform quickly rather than accurately. I felt negatively about myself because I was not performing to the best of my ability. But, with the pressure I was facing I did not feel as if I had an option to act differently.

I do not think that I have read a text like this. Many pieces do not highlight pitfalls in leadership. Leaders in the workplace are often praised and their opinions are regarded as always correct. The piece in the article about people feeling afraid to speak up resonated with me and should definitely be spoken about more. A workplace where employees feel unsafe and not empowered to voice their opinions can have catastrophic results. Employees may make “unethical” choices in order to please their boss or out of fear. I would enjoy reading more articles like this one because I can relate to it and I believe that other people would also be able to relate.

This article has many real world applications. Post COVID, online jobs have become more popular. With remote work, face to face interactions and workplace bonding have decreased while the need for constant productivity has increased. Remote work highlights a lot of the issues that Carucci mentioned in his article. People may feel the need to take shortcuts due to the amount of productivity that is expected of them.

“Why Ethical People Make Unethical Choices.” Harvard Business Review, 16 Dec. 2016. hbr.org, https://hbr.org/2016/12/why-ethical-people-make-unethical-choices.