Moral Compass

Personal Integrity Statement

Moral Compass is a tool for establishing general moral framework by connecting cognitive moral theory with concrete moral fitness and performance. Moral compass applies to individuals, organizations and communities. Therefore, when facing moral dilemma, individuals refer to moral compass as benchmark and guidance. By doing so, they gradually clarify personal morality and integrity. Collectively, diverse members who utilize moral compass to define their personal integrity contribute to moral solidarity and social conscience in the community.

In constructing my moral compass, I draw from traditional Chinese culture as Wisdom Tradition. There are three characteristics that I value the most: honesty, diligence and love for others. Honesty earns trust and diligence is the premise for success. Love and caring for others teach us to be selfless and helpful to those in need. One thing I question about this Wisdom Tradition is its idea of avoiding expressing too much. There was a saying in ancient China: “Great minds never talk too much.” This is true to some extent, but it can lead to loss of opportunities and ineffective communication in today’s society.

Moral Compass

1.     Moral Vision

My vision of a good life is one that not only satisfies my own needs but also benefits others. The values that anchor this moral vision are generosity, kindness and selflessness. The symbol that inspired this moral vision was a famous piece of jade in ancient China. It took the shape of a circle with carvings that represent harmony. People in ancient China believed that happiness is true only when shared with others. Therefore, using this kind of jade artworks as presents back then was a sign of peace and kindness. There was a saying in ancient China: “One should love other people’s parents as if they were their own parents, and one should care for other people’s children as if they were their own children.” This idea of selfless love from my Wisdom Tradition deeply influenced my moral vision.

2.     Moral Code

There are mainly three principles of my moral code. First of all, try not to cause inconvenient for others. Secondly, help those in need within personal ability. Finally, keep an empathic and understanding mind. Following these three principles makes it easier for me to realize my moral vision of making some contribution to others. My moral code was derived from behaviors that are considered as honorable in ancient Chinese culture.

3.     Moral Fitness

The first practice is cultivating critical consciousness. I will practice my ability to assess small moral dilemmas and identify moral claims and obligations in each situation. This will help shape my personal integrity by improving my ability to identify moral issues at an early stage. The second practice is engaging in conversation with people who share similar core values with me, such as friends, colleagues and classmates.  This will cultivate my personal integrity by giving me practice in talking about my moral values and examining moral contradictions and conflicts.  All these practices align with my moral vision and moral code because they help me develop more comprehensive personal integrity and better ability to identify and tackle moral dilemmas. These are the premises of offering effective help to others. In traditional Chinese culture, anyone who aims at the bigger picture should start from details. In addition, exchanging wisdom and learning from each other through discussion have always been promoted by traditional Chinese culture.

4.     Defining Moment

When I was doing my internship at an Accounting firm in Hong Kong, I witnessed a moral challenge. The way my supervisor handled it modeled my understanding of business morality.

According to the Accounting year-end date set by our firm, we must make sure that the tax authority receive our tax return by June 14^th, otherwise we would be subject to late penalty. However, two hours before the close of business on June 14^th, 2014, the staff responsible for mailing the tax return forms realized that he had forgotten to do so. It was obviously too late to mail the forms, and it generally took more than two hours to get to the tax department from our firm due to traffic condition. The responsible staff reported the situation to our supervisor, who happened to know an acquaintance at the local tax department. Our supervisor contacted that person immediately, and was told that as long as we send out the tax return forms within the next 24 hours, he would give us a pass on the late penalty. Everyone at the office was relaxed to hear that, but our supervisor said: “That’s not how we handle things around here.” In the end, he partly took the subway and partly ran to the tax department himself and managed to submit the tax return forms in time.

This challenge defined my moral values because of the admirable business morality my supervisor displayed. It’s relatively easy to do the right thing when there are no other alternatives: because you just do not have a choice. However, not everyone can manage to stick to the right decision knowing there is a much easier option available. It taught me that righteous business people should be consistent in their actions whether they are being watched or not, and whether they will be caught or not. This is exactly the idea expressed in traditional Chinese culture. I would not change anything about the script for this even in life, because it has established a perfect model for me to look up upon.

Future as a business leader

Human is at the core for any business. The relationship among employees, suppliers, customers, and external authoritative people must be handled carefully in order for the business to be successful. In addition, it is very important for business leader to establish a moral model and create positive moral atmosphere for employees. By doing so, when other moral challenges come up, the employees are more likely to follow his example and make ethical decisions.