Catherine owns a start-up company that manufactures inexpensive clothing made in the United States. Using the four rules for ethical decision making, discuss how Catherine might operate her business differently depending on which rule she adhered to.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The four rules of ethical decision making are utilitarian, moral rights, justice, and practical. The utilitarian model proposes that decisions should favor the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Under this model, a business owner should choose the course of action that provides the most benefits and the least harm. The moral rights model proposes that decisions should protect the basic rights and privileges of people affected by the decision. In this model, the owner would compare alternatives based on their effects on stakeholders' rights. The justice model focuses on decisions that distribute benefits and harms among people in an equitable way. Under this philosophy, business owners should compare courses of action based on the fairness of distribution of outcomes. The practical model suggests that an ethical decision is one that a manager has no hesitation about communicating to people outside the company because the typical person in a society would think it is acceptable.