Business Ethics

Business Ethics Case

University of Phoenix

BUS 417

Business Ethics Case

At the end of chapter three of the texts book “The legal environment of business and online commerce” by Henry Cheeseman three questions are for the business case study involving Shirley Jones versus The National Enquirer. This paper will identify what the National Enquirer is, whether or not the National Enquirer acted ethically, and determine if the defendants are subject to suit in the state of California.

National Enquirer

The National Enquirer is a supermarket tabloid newspaper owned and operated by American Media Inc. Founded in 1926 the paper has gained popularity by showcasing stories about sex, murder, and celebrity gossip. The paper circulates among all 50 states and has a circulation exceeding five million.

Ethics

When it comes to ethics in the Shirley Jones versus the Enquirer the text offers some different theories. The text offers the following theories when considering business ethics: ethical fundamentalism, utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, Rawls social justice theory, and ethical relativism. Using the ethical fundamentalism theory the person or business would use an outside resource to determine if the action is ethical. The outside source could be a book or even a person. In the case of Shirley Jones versus the Enquirer the outside source could be considered the laws of jurisdiction. If the owners of the Enquirer were to use the ethical fundamentalism theory and applied the rules and laws laid-out by the state or federal government it would be acting ethically. The second theory to consider is utilitarianism. In utilitarianism the person or business would have to act in a way that provides the greatest good for society. In a case involving one individual versus a newspaper, it would be difficult to apply this theory. “Kant’s philosophy is based on the premise that people can use reasoning to reach ethical decisions. His ethical...