Ethical Theories In Business Ethics

The ethical relativism theory is that morality refers to the norms of a culture. This means that whether an action is right or wrong is dependent on the moral norms of the society it is practiced in. The same action may be morally right in one society, but morally wrong in a different one.

Consequentialism refers to the idea that what is morally good or bad is all based on the consequences of one’s actions. It is derived from the Theory of Right Action which is a part of

Ethical Relativism - theory that holds that morality is relative to the norms of one's culture.

Business ethics refers to the consideration of moral decisions and responsibilities in the process of operating a business. Business ethics, practiced throughout the deepest layers of a company, become the heart and soul of the company 's culture and can mean the difference between success and failure. Values drive behavior and therefore need to be consciously stated, but they also need to be affirmed by actions. Ethical business environments are created with foundations of integrity, accountability and commitment.

Consequentialism and non-consequentialism are both action based ethical frameworks that people can use to make ethical judgments. Consequentialism is based on examining the consequences of one’s actions as opposed to non-consequentialism which is focused on whether the act is right or wrong regardless of the outcome (Burgh, Field & Freakley, 2006). The three sub-categories of consequentialism are altruism, utilitarianism and egoism.

Utilitarianism is one of the best known and most influential moral theories. Like other forms of consequentialism, its core idea is that whether actions are morally right or wrong depends on their effects. Utilitarians believe that the purpose of morality is to make life better by increasing the amount of good things (such as pleasure and happiness) in the world and decreasing the amount of bad things (such as pain and unhappiness).(http://www.iep.utm.edu/util-a-r/). Ethical Relativism is the view that there are no ethical absolutes. It maintains that what is right or wrong depends on the circumstances, the person’s views, culture, etc.

Consequentialism is a theory about the consequences of an action and why these are so important when taking an ethical decision to act. We can talk about two outcomes of consequences. One is creating the most good for the most people; known as utilitarianism, and the second ones is creating the most good for one’s self, known as egoism. In some cases the egoism doesn’t mean a selfish way to make the right decision, but can be the best interest for everyone to act in his own self-interest.

“Consequentialism is the belief that acts are morally right or wrong depending on their consequences. Morally good actions have morally good outcomes, while morally bad actions have morally bad outcomes (Vaughn, 277). ” Consequentialism is not a system that I would use in my everyday morals. However, I do think that there can be a time and place for it to be used.

Consequentialism is a category of normative ethics theory which holds that morally rightness or wrongness of an action is sorely determined by the consequences of the movement. That is, it focuses decision making upon the potential outcomes of an action, and this outcome becomes the only standard of morality - the ends justify the means.

Ethical relativism: means moral norms of particular groups or individual. Some action might right to one society but will be ethically wrong to another one. For instance, an action may serve a purpose in one culture, which is the

Cultural relativism refers to the concept of assessing an individual’s values, belief system and cultural practices not in isolation but against the backdrop of other cultural practices and beliefs. To understand the dynamics of cultural relativism, it is important to understand the theory of relativism. In terms of culture, relativism focuses on breaking free from the idea that moral standards of an individual or a society can be compartmentalized, because we are all ultimately governed by ethical guidelines that may be unique to a distinct cultural and geographical setting but cannot remain restricted by it. Cultural relativism can be interpreted in two different ways: Moral Atheism, that states that the constantly shifting patterns of

Moral Relativism is generally used to describe the differences among various cultures that influence their morality and ethics. According to James Rachels, because of moral relativism there typically is no right and wrong and briefly states : “Different cultures have different moral codes.” (Rachels, 18) Various cultures perceive right and wrong differently. What is considered right in one society could be considered wrong in another, but altogether all cultures have some values in common.

Ethical Relativism What is right and wrong is a widely opinionated discrepancy among the human race. It varies between cultures, societies, religion, traditions, and endless influential factors. Ethical relativism is described by John Ladd as the “doctrine that the moral rightness and wrongness of actions varies from society and that there are no absolute universal moral standards binding on all men at all times. Accordingly, it holds that whether or not it is right for an individual to act in a certain way depends on or is relative to the society to which he belongs”(Pojman, 24).

Moral Relativism is defined as the belief that conflicting moral beliefs are true. This carries the impression that what you respect as a right behavior may be a right conduct for you, but not for me. Moral Relativism is an attempt to

To begin with, ethical relativism is the belief that right and wrong vary from one society to another and from one