One issue surrounding business is the relationship of the business to the consumers. Kant’s theory is deontological and objective because it looks at the morality within the action itself and not the result from it. Kant’s theory expresses the importance of treating people as ends in themselves, rather than only as a means to an end. This approach is helpful as it means that businesses need to use their consumers as not only a means for a profit, but also use them as an end e.g. the products that are supplied are of a certain quality.
Cultural relativism is the idea that the moral principles someone has are solely determined by the culture one lives in. These ideas seem to make sense because we as a culture understand that the judgments people make in a different culture will differ from ours whether we choose to support it or not. Our culture has different moral judgments as well and does not look at something like killing someone for stealing as morally right since our culture values human life above theft. Cultural relativism does not exist because some principles are universal and not relative only to culture. People also have the ability to think morally for themselves so morality is relative to someone’s point of view.
Formal cultural systems can be said to be the most important factor in creating an ethical workplace. This is because formal systems set the foundation of an ethical organisation. There are also other factors which are significant in establishing an ethical workplace, but without a firm foundation, it will be shaky and may even crumble. This essay will be arguing that formal cultural system is the most important factor in creating an ethical workplace. The formal cultural system will be broken up into ethical leadership, code of ethics, reward systems, orientation and training programs.
For me I think it starts with morality in a person. Morality, good manners, decency, and other virtues must be teachable (Feinberg, 585). Morality tries to identify and explain why some people do wrong things and do the right form of act that should be followed by everybody. However, Psychological Egoism is directly opposite with the need of good morals. It is like if I'm given a task to do, I work toward satisfying the standard in order to achieve my own self goals.
Allegations of Ethical and Corporate Social Responsibility Lapses Throughout the paper, the author outlines how Nike is sourcing its products in factories and countries where low wages, poor working conditions, and human rights problems are rampant. Evidence is widespread and involves underpaid workers in Indonesia, child labor in Cambodia and Pakistan, and poor working conditions in China and Vietnam. (Locke & Siteman, 2003) In addition, the author argues that Nike is essentially ignoring these problems and is not being a good corporate citizen. In its factories in Indonesia, Nike subcontractors are paying lower than minimum wage to its workers. In fact, the subcontractors were petitioning the Indonesian government for exemptions so they could legally pay less.
As well as this it relates to actions which can be observed in the real world, for example giving to charity which promotes happiness for poor people and is seen to be good where as an act of cruelty is condemned as bad. One other Strength of utilitarianism is its consequentialism, as when we act it is only natural to weigh up the consequences and this consequentialism gives us guidance when facing moral decisions and also gives general guidance on how to live. Also one other strength of utilitarianism is its acceptance of the universal principle, this is essential for any ethical system and this shows It is important to go beyond our own personal point of view. A further strength is that utilitarianism has the idea of promoting the ‘well-being’ of the greatest number. This is an important idea in the theory of utilitarianism.
The anti-sweatshop movement focuses on the ethical work conditions these workers are placed in while the pro-sweatshop movements view them as a great work opportunity for people who would otherwise be unemployed and struggling for survival. These views are that of journalists Bob Jeffcott and Nicholas Kristof, respectively. Social scientific writer Eric Wolf in Europe and the People Without History and creative writer Upton Sinclair in The Jungle touch upon the issues of sweatshops as well. In this essay the opposing views between the sweatshop movements will be elaborated and contrasted to argue that the best solution to sweatshops is a synthesized alternative. One of the largest companies on the market with outstanding controversy surrounding their sweatshops is Nike.
Assess Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is a consequentialist approach to ethics, meaning the consequences of an act are what matters. The utilitarian answer as to what to do in any situation is that we should always act to maximise utility. There are two different interpretations of utilitarianism; the positive being that we ought to do that which brings about the greatest happiness of the greatest number and the negative being that we ought to do that which minimises pain or suffering. Utilitarianism is teleological, or goal orienteered, meaning that the end matters more than the means used to achieve the end. The various forms present two major problems; the problem of justice, and the issue of having to predict the consequences of an action.
ETHICAL FASHION Author’s Name Institutional Affiliation Date Ethical Fashion Ethical fashion is defined as the approach to designs and sourcing to manufacture clothes that maximizes the benefit of the people in a society and minimizes the impacts on the environment. If we describe ethical fashion, we must consider that fashion clothes, accessories, materials and business should be morally acceptable; otherwise it would not be considered as the ethically correct fashion. Ethical fashion represents an approach to the society to sustain livelihood in the community, which can also reduce poverty in any specific society. Currently, some of the multinational fashion industries violate human rights by creating sweatshops in developing or underdeveloped countries. Such companies establish their sweatshops in poor countries, where people work hard for a small salary and deliver quality products for a low price.
For utilitarian school of thought, an individual strives to do the most good, even at the expense of the minority. Utilitarianism and Kantianism find the basis of their differences in the idea that the ends justify the means. Utilitarian beliefs support this idea while Kantian philosophy rejects this. Modern ethics were devised from these two basic ethical beliefs in an attempt to combine the best aspects. Generally, the morally “right” action benefits the majority while affecting the fewest amount in a negative way.