Ethics…???

Relativism Egoism UtilitarianismDeontologism The 4 Concepts of Ethics

Concepts of Ethics  Developed by moral philosophers over generations  Used to distinguish ethical from unethical behavior  Each has problems

Relativism  There is no universal standard by which morality can be judged  What is correct for one society may be wrong for another  Ethics and morality are relative  THE SAUDI ARABIA CASE STUDY?

Relativism - Problems  There are no absolutes - murder, slavery, torture, discrimination is all OK  What is meant by a society? Sub-societies  Leads to conclusion - each person’s opinion is correct  Nothing that anyone does is morally wrong

Egoism  One ought to act in his or her own self interest  Ethical behavior is that which promotes one’s own self interest  Does not mean should not obey laws - only do so if in self interest

Egoism  AIRCRAFT FAULTY BRAKES CASE STUDY  Problem - Externalities associated with private actions - OK to dump toxic wastes as long as don’t get caught

Utilitarianism  The morality of an action can be determined by its consequences  Cost Benefit Analysis  An action is ethical if it promotes the greatest good for the greatest number

Utilitarianism Example  FORD PINTO CASE STUDY

Measurement Problems…  How do you quantify benefits and costs?  How do you value benefits and costs?  Can lead to unjust consequences  Restrictions against the majority to protect a minority is not utilitarian

RIGHTS & JUSTICE  Utilitarianism cant deal with either…  ILL UNCLE CASE STUDY  UNDESIRABLE LABOUR Vs CHEAP GOODS CASE STUDY

BUT Utilitarianism also says…  Its not so much about greater good for greater number  Its about…whether your action meets correct moral standards (rule utilitarian)

RIGHTS & DUTIES  WALT DISNEY CASE STUDY  Concept of Right: Individuals entitlement to something  Legal Rights: limited to jurisdiction  Moral Rights (Human Rights): based on moral norms

MORAL RIGHTS  Tightly correlated with duties  Provide individuals with autonomy and equality in the free pursuit of their interests  Provides a basis for justifying one’s actions and for invoking the protection or aid of others

…Rights  Negative Rights  Positive Rights  Contractual Rights

Deontologism  Derived from the Greek word for Duty  Actions are not justified by their consequences. Factors other than good outcomes determine the rightness of actions

Utilitarianism Vs. Deontologism  Utilitarianism - The ends justify the means  Deontologism - It is the means which are important

Catagorical Imperative  Developed by Immuel Kant  “I ought never to act except in such a way that I can also will that my maxim should become a universal law”  Are you willing to permit everyone to adopt the action?  Yes - Moral No - Immoral

Guidance in Dealing with People  People should never be treated as a means to an end, but as ends in themselves  To treat people as ends requires respect for persons  Reject slavery  Deals with murder, rape, etc  How to deal with employees

Examples  Is it Ethical to Rob Banks?  Is it Ethical to Give Everyone in this Class an A?

An economics professor stated he had never failed a single student before, but had failed recently an entire class.

His class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, after the Great Equalizer completes his plans.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan". All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

The second test average was a D! No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name- calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

HENCE…..  What do you understand by this?  How could we prevent this?

What Do You Think of Deontologism?  Conflicts between duties  Utilitarians argue that secretly appeal to consequences to demonstrate the rightness of actions

Categorical Imperatives: Respect  “Always treat humanity, whether in yourself or in other people, as an end in itself and never as a mere means.”

Categorical Imperative: Publicity  Always act in such a way that you would not be embarrassed to have your actions described on the front page of The New York Times. --Probably not Bill Clinton

Ethical Tests

What about you?  Most of us live by rules, obedience to which we take as a duty. –What are the most important rules you live by? –What were the most important rules in your family? –What rules have you rejected as you have gotten older?

Is It Legal Test? Quadrant II Ethical and Illegal Quadrant IV Unethical and Illegal Quadrant I Ethical and Legal Quadrant III Unethical and Legal Ethical Unethical LegalIllegal Corporate Decisions Codification Manifestation

Ethical Tests 1.Is It Legal? I Ethical - Legal II Ethical - Illegal III Unethical - Legal IV Unethical - Illegal I and IV Easy II and III Difficult

Ethical Tests 2. Benefit Cost Test Do the benefits exceed the costs to whomsoever they accrue? 3. Categorical Imperative Are you willing to allow everyone to practice the proposed action or do you want to be a special case?

Ethical Tests 4. Light of Day Test What would be your reaction if the action were brought out into the open for public scrutiny? 5. Do Unto Others Test Golden Rule - If you would like others to do the same to you - passes the test

Ethical Tests 6. Ventilation Test Seek out others views. Discuss the 5 tests with them. If others feel it is OK - passes the test

Examples  Robbing a Bank  Driving Above the Speed Limit  Cheating on an Exam  Having affair with your boss

Ethical Dilemmas in Business  Conflict of Interest Have two interests - cannot purse one without having negative impact on other  Two Types Private Interest Conflicts with Corporate Business Interest Conflicts with Public

Conflict of Interest Mini Case  Personnel Director  Brother - in - law out of work  Lackluster performer  Unemployment about to run out - will loose house  Sister asks you to recommend him for job  What would you do?