Chapter 8: Fairness And Ethics In Decision Making

Chapter 8 of Bazerman’s text is entitled: Fairness and Ethics in Decision Making. This chapter takes a high-level look at multiple topics including fairness, how fairness is perceived, when one resists unfair treatment as well as why fairness ultimately matters. Chapter 8 also focuses on a multitude of ethical issues and implications. Lastly, Bazerman takes a look at multiple examples of unethical behavior and discusses how unethical decisions can be identified and avoided. Bazerman discusses the fact the proper decision making severely depends on fairness as well as ethical business practices. “Issues of fairness and ethics are essential to a complete understanding of decision making” (Bazerman 132). One must consider all of the ethical implications and potential points of conflict when making a decision. Also, aside from the questions surrounding the ethics of a matter, one must also consider how the decision will be perceived and whether or not all involved parties will conclude that a decision is fair. “Most fairness research has avoided making evaluative statements about the rationality of fairness judgements. This silence has inhibited our understanding of how our cognitive processes create anger, jealousy, and inefficiency” (Bazerman 133). When considering the topic of fairness, one must take into account the rationale behind the perception of whether or not a decision is considered fair. Many other factors may impact how this decision is received and