Ethical Standards in Day-to-Day Life

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Colorado Technical University *

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BUS270

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Philosophy

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Feb 20, 2024

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docx

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Uploaded by UltraMorning9174

From “Where do ethics come from” Utilitarianism is the ethical philosophy that supports the idea that actions should result in the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Deontology is an alternative way of approaching ethical reasoning. It focuses on people's innate morals. It also follows the idea of the categorical imperative . This is the idea that the right actions are what all people should always do in that situation (Byars & Stanberry, 2018). Deontology serves as the foundation for rules and laws. A third way that you can make ethical decisions is to employ a justice-based approach . This approach relies on the idea that humans enter into a social contract when they create a community together. You have learned about historical sources of ethics. These sources include the following:  Utilitarianism  Deontology  Justice How are all of these relevant to day-to-day life? You encounter ethical issues and make ethical decisions every day. You likely do this multiple times a day. You are often making decisions with ethical implications even when you may not know it. Consider the following situations:  Deciding whether or not to speed on the way to work  Figuring out what kind of car to buy  Deciding where you shop Believe it or not, these are all examples of decisions that involve ethics. In this lesson, you will see how ethics applies to your daily life. The following are some examples that you will explore:  Eating chocolate  Whether the government can or should take your property  Gender pay equity Is eating chocolate ethical? Did you know that Americans eat around 9.7 pounds of chocolate every year (Conway, 2018)? Most people probably never think about whether eating

chocolate is ethical. Think about that for a second. Think about all that you have learned about ethics so far. Do you think it is ethical to eat chocolate? Have an idea? If not, take a moment to reflect on how goods like chocolate are produced. Your consumer choices become ethical choices because they drive business choices, which have real human consequences. Twenty years ago, the world's largest chocolate companies made a pledge. They pledged to eliminate the use of child labor in their chocolate production and sourcing. They set specific goals to reduce the use of child labor in cocoa supply chains in 2005, 2008, and 2010 (Whoriskey, 2019). However, the use of child labor is still widespread today. Ethical sourcing is one way that companies can overcome issues in their supply chains. Ethical sourcing is the business practice of ensuring that items used in the production of a good or the provision of a service meets the following requirements:  They are obtained in responsible and sustainable ways.  They are made by workers who are protected with basic worker rights, such as working in a safe environment.  They are made with respect for impacts on society and the environment. A business that practices ethical sourcing will benefit from the following:  Decreased litigation  Improved corporate reputation  More efficient business processes  Improved employee morale The U.S. Department of Labor estimated that more than 2 million children in West Africa are involved in the production of cocoa (ILAB, n.d.). This work can be quite hazardous. But it is quite common for preteens and younger children to be the ones doing it. What would the ethical standards of utilitarianism, deontology, and justice have to say about this? The chocolate industry initially promised the elimination of child labor from the cocoa supply chain. But the companies involved have revised that promise downward. Now, they promise a reduction of 70% (Whoriskey, 2019). Some companies see opportunities here. For example, one Dutch chocolatier was established solely for the purpose of eliminating the use of child labor and child slavery in the production of cocoa (Myers, 2019). Tony’s Chocolonely was formed to

raise awareness of the use of child labor in the supply chain. To accomplish its goals, Tony's pays a living wage to workers. But this means that they have to charge a higher price for consumers (Myers, 2019). Would you pay more for ethically sourced chocolate? How much would you be willing to pay? Tony’s is an example of a company that is pursuing a goal of corporate social responsibility. Corporate social responsibility is an evolving but increasingly applied way of thinking about how companies make their profits. This idea challenges companies to think about the social and environmental impacts of business decisions. A company practicing this does not just think about its own profits. Can the government take your property? Eminent domain is a legal principle that allows the government to take individual property for public use. Sometimes, eminent domain is applied to give a person's property to a company. The government would argue that taking this property serves the public good. This has the potential to create significant conflicts. What if individual property owners may not want to give up their property? The gender pay gap The gender pay gap is the difference in pay that men and women earn for the same work. This has been a major issue in society over the last few decades (O'Neill, 2019). In the United States, on average, a woman working full-time makes 81% compared to what a man makes in the same position (Meara, Pastore, & Webster, 2019). You should think about the gender pay gap using the justice model of ethical thinking. The gender pay gap is essentially unfair to women. Some people argue that this gap is caused by women being more likely to do part-time work. Women are more likely to take time off work to raise a child. But you still see a difference in pay that is attributable to gender itself (Meara et al., 2019). Women overall make less than men. This is unfair, so the ethical lens of justice says that this is simply unethical. This is a complicated topic. The following are some questions to help you think about this:  Should pay equality be a goal in and of itself?  Are there any situations where a pay difference between genders makes sense?  What would the different ethical perspectives (i.e., utilitarian, deontology, and justice) have to say about this?

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