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Which Theory of Ethics Do You Believe to Be Most Accurate or Useful in

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The object of this essay is to establish whether there is an ethical theory that can be successfully applied to business organisations. In order to answer this question, it is necessary first to define the major ethical theories, which are utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics, before determining whether there are any other options. After that, the ethical needs, problems and limitations of work organisations will have to be examined so that the different theories can be evaluated in this context. It will also be important to draw a distinction between the terms "accurate" and "useful" as these actually result in two different questions the answer to which need not necessarily be the same. Another essential part of this discussion …show more content…

It has one further category of action, the superogatory: actions that are morally good but not obligatory for they are over and above the requirements of duty. One of the main problems with this theory is the possible clash of duties that such a rigid system of rules will inevitably entail, when applied to the real world. However, there is some merit in the adoption of universal regulations covering, for example, health and safety of employees, and employee rights, in businesses internationally. The Kantian deontological position also suggests that people should be treated "with respect and as ends in their own right, not solely as means to other's ends." (Legge, 1998) However, in a profit-motivated system such as a business organisation, even a highly enlightened one, it is difficult not to perceive workers as a means to a profitable end. Virtue ethics is a very different approach to the others and central to Aristotle's work. It does not primarily concentrate on the right action as such; the right action according to virtue ethicists is the one that the virtuous agent would do. Virtue ethics takes the central feature of morality to be the virtuous character, and the account of what the virtues are as the basis of the theory. The virtuous agent is not someone who maximises happiness or conforms to a set of rules, but someone who acts

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