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Value in Morality
• Ethics is concerned with how we should live, how we should act, and the kind of
person we should be. Defining the full scope of these “SHOULDS” (Oughts) is to
give an account of all that has value or worth.
Values:
• Instrumental Value is a function of usefulness
• An object has Instrumental Value because it can be used to attain something else
of value.
• Exp. Clear air & water are valued because without them human health and well-
being jeopardized/ruined.
• Intrinsic Value: an object has intrinsic value when it is valuable in itself and is not
valued simply for its uses.
Ethics (Sources)
• Three distinct authorities invoked for good conduct:
a) The will of a deity, (Divine Morality)
b) The pattern of nature, (Natural Law)
c) The rule of reason, (Rationalism)
• When the will of a deity is the authority, obedience to divine commandments is
the accepted standard of conduct.
• If the pattern of nature is the authority, conformity to the qualities attributed to
human nature is the standard.
• When reason rules, behavior is expected to result from rational thought.
Chapter 1:
What Is Business Ethics?
Business
• Pattern of complex operations in the lives of people concerning all those functions
that govern the production, distribution, and sale of goods and services for the
benefit of the buyer and the profit of the seller.
Defining B. Ethics
• Business ethics is a form of applied ethics that examines ethical rules and
principles within a commercial context; the various moral or ethical problems that
can arise in a business setting; and any special duties or obligations that apply to
persons who are engaged in commerce.
• This is not the END of the Story…Certain Grey Areas of no public agreement and
law might seem an undue intrusion on individual Conscience. (Animal testing for
cosmetics, killing reptile for shoes, bags; selling of furs of endangered species.)
• Implementation of law itself raises ethical problems. (Exploiting ‘legal loopholes’
to gain unfair advantage over customers, suppliers, and employees.)
Questions without Answers
• One cannot arrive at one’s answer without first being puzzled about the questions.
Indeed, being puzzled is often the sign that we are making good progress.
• So…
• “ Whatever becomes of you don’t stop thinking” (Wittgenstein)
Why Be Ethical?
a) False sense of security: belief that business peoples are responsible to their
moral obligations and they are actually making business activity credible. (Cynic
attitude, a person who believes that all people are motivated by selfishness.)
b) Preventing legislation: Business people don’t want external restrictions,
prosecution and litigation (court case).
c) A genuine concern within the business world that consumers get a fair deal
environment be protected, men & women work in acceptable working conditions.
A ‘Normative’ Enquiry
• Importance of acting ethically has no other reason than that it is wrong not to do
so. Ethics is about Norms or Standards. We can distinguish between two sense of
the word ‘normative’
a) Norms (Strong Sense) Prescriptive Sense: refers to the practical, or
action-guiding, nature of morality. Moral principals are generally put forth
as injunctions or imperatives. Commendations. Persuade someone to do
something, (x is good; do so as well) preacher & reformer’s attitude.
b) Norms (Weak Sense) Descriptive Sense: Investigating attempting to
explain or describe the world without reaching any conclusions about
whether the world is as it should be (x is good because it is a norm that is
approved of.) analyst’s attitude
c) Conventional Morality:
Conventionalism, to act in accordance with the prevailing or conventional
Standards accepted by the public/society.
Objection: Conventional wisdom cannot be trusted sometimes,
Child labor, Adulteration of Victorian time is not acceptable as “conventional”.
Function of B. Ethics