Legal and Ethical Responsibilities

Law Rules of conduct established and

enforced by the authority, legislation or custom of a given community or group.

Criminal law ~ deals with wrongs against a person, property or society

Civil law ~ deals with legal relationships between people and the protection of a persons rights.

Morals Ethics - the discipline dealing with what is morally

right or wrong, good or bad. Ethical system describes the critical process of

how we work through moral issues Values - the accepted principles or standards of an

individual or a group All decision-making involves values which reflect

our beliefs about social life and human nature!

The Potter Box

The Creator

The Potter Box was developed by Ralph B. Potter, a theologian and former professor at Harvard Divinity School.

About the Potter Box

The Potter Box is a model used to help make ethical decisions.

It involves four steps of moral reasoning that are taken in order to assist with the decision making process.

It is used by many people in the media fields but can be used for any ethical dilemma.

Using the Potter Box

The Potter Box consists of four steps to guide you through making your decision.

Step 1

State the facts of the situation. Be as detailed as possible and avoid personal opinions at this point.

Step 2

Identify your values Compare your values against the

situation at hand What do you stand for?

Honesty Responsibility Kindness

Your final decision should not go against these values

Step 3

Identify your guiding principle or philosophy.

You may have a few…be sure the one you pick is applicable to the situation

Your decision should not contradict this step.

Step 4

Choose your loyalties and make your decision. You may need to go through the steps several times before you are truly ok with your decision.

Who or what is most important for you to stand up for?

Are you loyal to yourself, the public, an individual, or the law?