Decision Making / Ethics

Ethics, Fairness and Values

Ethics, Fairness and Values: concepts, worked examples and practice.

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Start with the basics

Ethics, Fairness and Values, explained simply

Ethical reasoning compares choices using honesty, fairness, responsibility and their effects on others.

Try a small example

You find a classmate’s lost pencil case. What action respects their ownership?

Show the steps

Do not keep it just because nobody saw you find it.
Give it to the owner if known, or to a responsible lost-property contact.
Explain where it was found so it can be returned.

Remember: An action being convenient does not make it fair.

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Ethical Dilemmas

An ethical dilemma involves competing legitimate interests or duties. Separate a hard choice from an option that is simply dishonest or harmful.

Worked example

A manager finds a safety defect before a deadline. Concealing it protects the deadline but violates a basic duty of care. Pause affected work, document evidence and escalate through a responsible process.

Exam focus

XAT: Decision Making

Identify stakeholders, legitimate objectives and constraints. Compare fairness, feasibility and long-term consequences before selecting an action.

SNAP: Ethics, Morality and Values

Compare actions against honesty, fairness and responsibility. Avoid treating personal loyalty as a reason to conceal wrongdoing.

Check your understanding

Explain the idea in your own words before opening the answer. Then apply it to the example.

Ethical Dilemmas

Explain the main rule in ethical dilemmas, then apply it to a small example. State the assumption that makes your reasoning valid.

Review the note

Check your answer

An ethical dilemma involves competing legitimate interests or duties. Separate a hard choice from an option that is simply dishonest or harmful.

Worked example: A manager finds a safety defect before a deadline. Concealing it protects the deadline but violates a basic duty of care. Pause affected work, document evidence and escalate through a responsible process.

Fairness and Integrity

Explain the main rule in fairness and integrity, then apply it to a small example. State the assumption that makes your reasoning valid.

Review the note

Check your answer

Fairness requires relevant, consistent criteria and a chance to be heard. Integrity means not hiding facts or applying rules only when convenient.

Worked example: Two applicants meet the same published criteria. Favouring a relative without disclosure is not fair. Declare the conflict and use an independent assessment based on the criteria.

Stakeholders and Consequences

Explain the main rule in stakeholders and consequences, then apply it to a small example. State the assumption that makes your reasoning valid.

Review the note

Check your answer

List people affected directly and indirectly, including those without decision power. Compare harm, benefits, reversibility and long-term trust.

Worked example: Closing a service may save money but harm users with no alternative. Compare a reduced service, targeted subsidy and phased closure before assuming the cheapest option is best.

Practice questions

Bharatiya Pathshala

Opening preparation notes...

BEGINNER

Ethics, Fairness and Values: visual worked lesson

Core idea

Ethical reasoning compares choices using honesty, fairness, responsibility and their effects on others.

Solving method

List the affected people, duties and feasible actions. Reject options that depend on concealment, discrimination or avoidable harm before comparing outcomes.

Worked example

You find a classmate’s lost pencil case. What action respects their ownership? 1. Do not keep it just because nobody saw you find it. 2. Give it to the owner if known, or to a responsible lost-property contact. 3. Explain where it was found so it can be returned.

Read the diagram

The pencil case remains someone else’s property when lost. The middle box offers a practical route when the owner is unknown, rather than assuming the finder may keep it. Explaining where it was found helps verification. Ethical reasoning combines legitimate interests with an action that can actually be carried out.

Exam-style application

A team discovers a safety issue one day before launch. Immediate concealment protects the deadline but exposes users to harm. Publicly accusing an individual before checking facts is also unfair. A defensible response is to document evidence, escalate through the safety process, pause affected release activity where warranted, and communicate verified facts. This addresses safety, accountability and fair investigation together.

Common mistakes

An action being convenient does not make it fair. Ethics is not simply choosing the most sympathetic person or the most profitable outcome. Compare fairness, proportionality and feasibility using the facts actually given.

Respect ownership and provide a return route. A convenient action is not automatically fair to the owner. — Respect ownership and provide a return route

A convenient action is not automatically fair to the owner. — Respect ownership and provide a return route

Source record: Bharatiya Pathshala — original illustrated lessons.

Ethics, Fairness and Values, explained simply

Try a small example

Ethical Dilemmas

Worked example

XAT: Decision Making

SNAP: Ethics, Morality and Values

Check your understanding

Ethical Dilemmas

Fairness and Integrity

Stakeholders and Consequences

Ethics, Fairness and Values, explained simply

Try a small example

Ethics, Fairness and Values: visual worked lesson

Core idea

Solving method

Worked example

Read the diagram

Exam-style application

Common mistakes

Ethical Dilemmas

Worked example

Fairness and Integrity

Worked example

Stakeholders and Consequences

Worked example

Application and strategy

Worked application

Common traps and strategy

XAT: Decision Making

SNAP: Ethics, Morality and Values

Check your understanding

Ethical Dilemmas

Fairness and Integrity

Stakeholders and Consequences

Ethics, Fairness and Values: visual worked lesson

Core idea

Solving method

Worked example

Read the diagram

Exam-style application

Common mistakes

Fairness and Integrity

Worked example

Stakeholders and Consequences

Worked example

Application and strategy

Worked application

Common traps and strategy