Question: 'Assess the view that utilitarianism provides the best approach to business ethics'
Includes; Thesis and 4 paragraphs.
Very detailed and includes examples and scholars!
Assess the view that utilitarianism provides the best approach to business ethics.
Thesis: utilitarianism does provide the best approach to business ethics.
Because of the utilitarian focus on the greatest number this would encourage global
responsibility by empowering employees at the end of a supply chain in developing
countries as well as stakeholders in a business
Bentham extends ethical consideration to non-human animals, meaning animals are
protected in the context of business
Utilitarianism focuses on consequences, meaning it would allow whistleblowing and CSR
Paragraph 1 – AGREE with thesis: CSR
Utilitarian’s such as Bentham take a cost-benefit approach to weighing ethical decisions
because of it is a consequentialist theory
CSR would be essential in creating a good ethical business as utilitarianism would consider
the impact of human industry on the environment
So, the products of the business would be environmentally friendly no matter the cost
SUV’s have been found to be the second largest contributor to the increase in global cO2
emissions from 2018 to 2010 an analysis found
If the principle of utilitarianism had been applied the consequence of CO2 increasing would
have been considered and therefore attempted to prevent
For example, the car company Honda has a goal to reduce CO2 emissions by 30% in all
vehicles, suggesting the consequences of the carbon usage of their car has been considered
Paragraph 2 – AGREE with thesis: globalisation
For utilitarian’s, the creation of the greatest good can be understood in global terms
The World Bank has calculated that 800 million Chinese people have been lifted out of
poverty since China began to open up its economy in 1978 – predominantly due to
globalisation
There are also those in developed countries who have benefited from the cheap products
and services delivered by globalisation
Most supporters of globalisation do argue its benefits in utilitarian terms: J.S Mill would
argue the good it does massively outweighs its disadvantages as the pleasure of developed
countries with cheaper products and the lifting of poverty is a higher pleasure than the
exploitation of workers
as proved by the extremely small number of countries that decide to keep trade barriers to
block globalisation and protect their own businesses from global competition
Paragraph 3 – DISAGREE with thesis: globalisation
Critics of globalisation argue that this utilitarianism is the self-justification of the rich
countries that want poor countries to open their markets to Western goods produced at the
lowest possible price by their own workers
Instead of producing the greatest good for the greatest number, such critics would say that
globalisation deepens global inequalities.
So therefore, instead we should use a Kantian approach to deal with globalisation
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