Ethics and Law

Being ethical is being able to decipher right from wrong. From childhood, we are taught to do the right thing. The same theory can be applied to the business world. Ethical Absolutism, in particular, “is an ethical philosophy with many diverse branches all tied in to the central idea that there are certain universal standards by which to measure morality” (Sequist & Coulter, 2012). Under this philosophy, right and wrong have separate objectives that must be understood by others. The next philosophy, utilitarianism, which states “ultimate good is defined as actions intended to bring about the greatest utility (or greatest good) for the greatest number of people” (Sequist & Coulter, 2012). Actions that bring the greatest good to the greatest number of people are deemed ethical, while other actions are considered unethical. Lastly, justice ethics are based on the concept of fairness. I a society that practices procedural justice and judicial process, every man and woman are entitled to fairness in the courtroom setting, in front of their peers.

In business, there are always tough decisions management has to make in efforts to save the company workers and money. There may be a situation where the company needs to scale back employees in order to accommodate new marketing campaigns. The company may decide to lay off 10 mid-level salaried employees, or to lay off two high-level salaried managers to accommodate the needed change. According to utilitarianism, it would be moral to layoff the two managers and preserve the larger amount of employees. What if a company were to perform a marketing campaign against their competition, which spoke of corruption on their part? While this slander campaign can influence the public into thinking the competition is no good, the information may not valid. This would be considered unlawful, and the company can be sued for slander.

Sequist, G. & Coulter, K. (2012).  Business law for managers.  San Diego: ...