Ethical Theories
Ethical Theories
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is most often associated with Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). According to utilitarianism principle, a decision is ethical if it provides the greater utility than any other alternative decision. Thus the decision maker must evaluate each decision alternative, and then select the one that yields the greatest net utility (Fritzsche, 1997).
There two types of utilitarianism, act and rule. Individual decisions are evaluated under act utilitarianism when the moral value of a decision is determined by the consequences of the specific act (Fritzsche, 1997). Basically act utilitarianism is a simpler theory and provides an easily understood decision procedure.
On the other hand rule utilitarianism seems to give firmer ground, however, to the rules of morality and to role obligations, which are problems for all teleological theories. A further advantage of rule utilitarianism, according to its proponents, is that it eliminates the difficult task of calculating the consequences of each individual act (Boatright, 2007).
Benefits of Utilitarianism
First, utilitarianism is committed to the maximization of the good and the minimization of the harm and evil. It asserts that society ought always to produce the greatest possible balance of positive value or the minimum balance of disvalue for all persons affected. The means to maximization is efficiency, a goal that persons in business find congenial, because it is highly prized throughout the economic sector (Beauchamp & Bowie, 2004).
Many businesses, as well as government agencies, have adopted specific tools such as cost-benefit analysis, risk assessment, or management by objectives (MBO), all of which are strongly influenced by a utilitarian philosophy.
Another essential feature of utilitarian theory is a theory of the good. Efficiency itself is simply as instrumental good, that is, it is valuable strictly as means to something else. In the
Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is most often associated with Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). According to utilitarianism principle, a decision is ethical if it provides the greater utility than any other alternative decision. Thus the decision maker must evaluate each decision alternative, and then select the one that yields the greatest net utility (Fritzsche, 1997).
There two types of utilitarianism, act and rule. Individual decisions are evaluated under act utilitarianism when the moral value of a decision is determined by the consequences of the specific act (Fritzsche, 1997). Basically act utilitarianism is a simpler theory and provides an easily understood decision procedure.
On the other hand rule utilitarianism seems to give firmer ground, however, to the rules of morality and to role obligations, which are problems for all teleological theories. A further advantage of rule utilitarianism, according to its proponents, is that it eliminates the difficult task of calculating the consequences of each individual act (Boatright, 2007).
Benefits of Utilitarianism
First, utilitarianism is committed to the maximization of the good and the minimization of the harm and evil. It asserts that society ought always to produce the greatest possible balance of positive value or the minimum balance of disvalue for all persons affected. The means to maximization is efficiency, a goal that persons in business find congenial, because it is highly prized throughout the economic sector (Beauchamp & Bowie, 2004).
Many businesses, as well as government agencies, have adopted specific tools such as cost-benefit analysis, risk assessment, or management by objectives (MBO), all of which are strongly influenced by a utilitarian philosophy.
Another essential feature of utilitarian theory is a theory of the good. Efficiency itself is simply as instrumental good, that is, it is valuable strictly as means to something else. In the