March 22, 2018 Businees Ethics

Traditional Tools for Making Decisions in Business

when the Ends Justify the Means

Wayan Richie Muhammad Adib Kamali

2018S00007 2018S00008
 What’s more important in ethics—what you do or what happens
afterward because of what you did?
 People who believe ethics should be about what happens afterward
They don’t care so much about your act; they want
to know about the consequences.
Since Consequentialists are more worried about the outcome
than the action, the central ethical concern is what kind of
outcome should I want?
Traditionally, there are three kinds of
answers:

 the

 the

 and the

Each one will be considered in this

chapter.
 Define utilitarian ethics.
 Show how utilitarianism works in business.
 Consider advantages[+] and drawbacks[─] of utilitarianism.
 Utilitarianism2 is a consequentialist
ethics—the outcome matters, not the
act. Among those who focus on
outcomes, the utilitarians’
distinguishing belief is that. we should
pursue the greatest good for the
greatest number
So we can act in whatever way
we choose—we can be
generous or miserly, honest or
dishonest—but whatever we do,
to get the utilitarian’s approval,
the result should be more
people happier.
 You’re on the way to take the final exam in senior
high school , which will determine your college
application and, it feels like, more or less your entire life

Your car breaks down and you get there very late
and you remember that…you forgot your pen .
Case facts taken from Manuel Velasquez, Business Ethics, Concepts and Cases, 6th ed. (Upper Saddle River,
NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall,2006), 60–61.
 [+] [─]

[+] [─]
 Clarity and simplicity.  Subjectivity.

 Acceptability.  Quantification.

 Flexibility.  Apparent injustices.

 Breadth.  The Utilitarian sacrifice
 Define altruistic ethics.
 Show how altruism works in and with business.
 Consider advantages and drawbacks of altruism.
 Define altruistic ethics.

Defining an act as morally right if the action’s

consequences increase net happiness (or decrease net
unhappiness) when everything is taken into account
except the actor’s increased or diminished happiness.
TOMS Shoe
 Advocating and Challenging Ethical Altruism
Advantage Disadvantage

 Clarity and simplicity  Uncertainty

about the
happiness of
 Acceptability.
others.Acceptability.
 Flexibility.
 Shortchanging yourself.
 Define ethical egoism.
 Show how egoism works in and with business.
 Consider advantages and drawbacks of egoism.
  Ethicalegoism whatever action
Egoism defines ethics as serves my self is the morally right
an act that increases action.
overall happiness (or
reduces unhappiness)  What’s good for me in the sense that
without counting the it gives me pleasure and happiness is
number of other people also good in the sense that it’s the
increased or decreased
happiness. morally right thing to do.
The Four Relations between Egoism and
Business

 You can have egoists in egoist organizations

 You can have egoists in nonegoist organizations.
 You can have nonegoists in egoist organizations
 You can have nonegoists in nonegoist organizations.
 Advocating[pro] and Challenging[contra]

 Clarity and simplicity.  Egoism isn’t ethics.

 Practicality.  Egoism ignores blatant wrongs.
 Sincerity.  Psychological egoism is not true.