An Analysis of the Utilitarian ism of the MacDonald’s “Standards of Business Conduct”
Introduction:
This ethical analysis will define the utilitarianism of the MacDonald’s “Standards of Business Conduct.” The premise of the “greater good” of society is the primary foundation of MacDonald’s standards ethical practices in the workplace, which defines the collectivism of John Stuart Mill’s utilitarian philosophy. More so, MacDonald’s also believes that individual franchise owners can also act outside of the institution, yet by abiding by the best interests of the overarching corporate headquarters. MacDonald’s believes in the dual role of acting for the greater good of the company, yet they also encourage individual sovereignty for individual
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For instance, Mill states the importance of the institutional aspects of the “Greatest Happiness Principle”, which sets the foundation for corporate unity in the utilitarian perspective: “The creed, which accepts as the foundation of morals, Utility, or the Greatest Happiness Principle, holds that actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness” (Mill, 2010, p.7). This larger view of collectivism in society is similar to the way that MacDonald’s seeks a selfless loyalty to serving the company: “We act for the long-term benefit of McDonald’s, never for personal gain or to favor family or friends.” (MacDonald’s, 2015, p.23). In this manner, the utilitarian ethics demands that the greater good of the company be the priority, instead of individual employees acting on their …show more content…
After all, the individual franchise owners have far more leeway with the issue of corporate authority and accountability within the franchise codes of conduct. MacDonald’s does offer some important aspects of diversity and human rights, but the oversimplified focus on corporate loyalty actually places the company before family or friends (p.23). Ethically, MacDonald’s takes the utilitarian vision too far by inverting the stability of family life, which could appear to cause a negative reaction by employees that may feel that the company does not care about their family lives. I would modify this code as part of a corporate social responsibility clause for employees and managers to show that MacDonald’s does merely care bout its own corporate interests, and not the family unit. This is one policy that I would change to bring about greater employee and manager loyalty into a broader system of social inclusion in corporate
Utilitarianism’s believe in that only the outcomes matter when it comes to decisions and morality, however, those outcomes can also be questioned. Mill forms the framework of utilitarianism by discussing it in a way that makes assumptions; these objections can also be questioned against also.
The 18th Amendment of the Constitution which prohibited the sell of alcohol was first proposed in 1917, and then would get approved 2 years later in 1919. One year later on January 17, 1920 the Amendment would start to be in effect. Even before it was passed over half of the country had already banned it. Publically many had denounced it yet privately almost everyone thought the decision would be one they would soon end up regretting. With this law now in effect, there ended up being a rise in crime due to a rise in bootlegging which is the transportation of alcoholic beverages. The government was starting to face a dilemma because there was still a demand to drink, but people had no other option aside from obtaining it illegally.
Through utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill explained that the most moral action is the one that provides the greatest happiness for the greatest number. Some say this encouraged selfishness and he invited
Mill states that the “utility or the greatest happiness principle holds that actions are right in portion as they tend to promote happiness…by happiness is intended pleasure” for “pleasure and freedom are desirable ends” (Mill, 7) He talks more about the utilitarian perspective, that is, we increase the levels of happiness for others. Following this logical equation, when pleasure is achieved it increases the intensity of happiness that was intended for others which constructs man’s dignity as a caring human being. Additionally, we attain the internal pleasure that renders power.
The company Tim Hortons proves to be a very ethical company, for many reasons. The corporation prides itself with giving back to the community, and being overall an ethical company through the many community services, and charity programs, and environmental efforts they provide. Also, the corporation proves to be ethical through not only the way they train all employees to understand the company’s policies on ethics, but also through their treatment of all employees throughout the time they work at Tim Hortons.
The first person I interviewed was Celeste Lashmett. Celeste was my high school track coach and had recently became a new parent in the last two years. AJ is two years and four months old right now. Celeste is currently living in Winchester Illinois with her husband Tim. Tim and Celeste have been married for the last five years. With AJ only being a little over two years old I would still consider them to be new parents. Tim works at Lincoln Land FS in Winchester and Celeste is the high school guidance counselor and also the high school track coach. The interview was done at the high school in Celeste’s office and Tim was not present.
In John Stuart Mill’s work Utilitarianism, Mill is trying to provide proof for his moral theory utilitarianism and disprove all the objections against it. Mill defines utilitarianism as a theory based on the principle that "actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness" (Ch. II, page 7). He calls this the “greatest happiness principle. Mill says, “No reason can be given why the general happiness is desirable, except the fact that each person desires his own happiness, so far as he thinks it is attainable. But this is a fact; so we have not only all the proof that could be possibly demanded, that happiness is a good; that each person’s happiness is a good to that
Mill claims that morals find their root in Utility, otherwise called the Greatest Happiness Principle.(513) The essence of this is that actions are right in proportion to how much happiness results from them and wrong in proportion to how much they cause the reverse of it.(513) In defending this, he claims that
Mill also states that an existence with the possibility of happiness must be “…to the greatest extent possible, secured to all mankind; and not to them only, but, so far as the nature of things admits, to the whole sentient creation (234)”. Utilitarianism not only focuses on the attainment of happiness, but the prevention of pain and unhappiness. (230)
For utilitarian philosophers, happiness is the supreme value of life. John Stuart Mill defines Utilitarianism as a theory based on the principle that “actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain and privation of pleasure” (Mill, Utilitarianism). This meaning that utilitarianism is determined by the calculation of happiness, in which actions are deemed to be good if they tend to produce pleasure, a form of happiness. On the contrary, they are evil if they tend to promote pain. Not only does Mill regard to the end product of happiness in actions, but also considers the motives of such actions. In his argument, Mill defends the idea that happiness as the underlying basis of morality, and that people desire nothing but happiness.
Mill was a British philosopher in the nineteenth century who supported the philosophy of Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism, in essence, is the idea that the most moral thing a person can do is carry out actions that cause happiness for the most people. The idea implies that an action causing the removal of an individual’s happiness is required to increase the happiness of a larger group of people. For example, a utilitarian would generally see the killing of a terrorist as morally just, because even though the act of killing a single person is usually not condoned, it is morally justified to kill one person in order to prevent harm to others.
In his essay, Utilitarianism Mill elaborates on Utilitarianism as a moral theory and responds to misconceptions about it. Utilitarianism, in Mill’s words, is the view that »actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.«1 In that way, Utilitarianism offers an answer to the fundamental question Ethics is concerned about: ‘How should one live?’ or ‘What is the good or right way to live?’.
Roald Dahl is unlike any other writer. Because of his past, Dahl was known to include gambling, dark humor, and even gruesome violence in his writings. He wrote poems, short stories, and even screenwriting; always including bad things happening to sympathetic characters, which some believed he used as a form of relief. Roald Dahl is an astounding author with a wide vision in which he shows in a form of writing, which is proven in a series of his short stories, such as the way he creates irony, by placing sympathetic characters in dangerous situations, especially in the dark humor that follows with many of his short stories
John Stuart Mill, in his Utilitarianism, turns morality into a practical problem. His moral theory is designed to help one evaluate his moral principles and senisibilites and be able to ajudicate conflictions in moral conflicts. Mill postulates that actions are right so far as they tend to promote happiness and minimize pain. This theory manifests itself as an impartial promotion of happiness. Morally "right" actions are ones which promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number number of people and reduce pain. Utilitarian moral theories need to be coupled with theories of well-being, so that we can point to what is being maximized through the moral theory's operation. Mill's moral theory is
In this paper I will present and critically assess the concept of the principle of utility as given by John Stuart Mill. In the essay “What Utilitarianism Is” #, Mill presents the theory of Utilitarianism, which he summarizes in his “utility” or “greatest happiness principle” # (Mill 89). Mill’s focus is based on an action’s resulting “happiness,” # pleasure and absences of pain, or “unhappiness,” # discomfort and the nonexistence of contentment, rather than the intentions involved (Mill 89). After evaluating Mill’s principle, I will then end this essay by discussing my personal opinion about the doctrine and how I believe it can be altered to better suit real-life situations.