Using Ethical Theories - Essay Example

?Business Ethic INTRODUCTION Loyalty is generally the byproduct of a complex ongoing relationship between two individuals. It is usually considered as a social concept which is emotionally intertwined (Litrle 700-754). From employers or companies perspective, loyalty is defined as an obligation of the employee to put the interests of employer ahead of personal interests and to avoid a situation replicating collision of interests. Loyalty is crucial for employers to obtain at workplace. It is very often argued that loyal employees make it quite easy for accomplishing the pre-determined goals set by employers. For this reason, employers often seek for loyal employees. Loyal employees attempt to contribute their best in the accomplishment of the goals set by employers. Similarly, employees who are loyal towards employers believe that their employers are loyal towards them as well. Furthermore, these employees seek that their employers are generous and understanding as well as display harmonious behaviors (Fahlbeck 297-319). THESIS STATEMENT This essay intends to explore and explain the three ethical theories i.e. egoism, utilitarianism and deontology for identifying the agreements and disagreements of each theory with the statement, “many ethicists believe that employees ought to be loyal to their employers (and vice versa)”. USING ETHICAL THEORIES Theory of Egoism Egoism in philosophy is considered as the theory wherein an individual himself/herself is the inspiration and the motivation of one’s own action. Egoism has two major variants i.e. descriptive and normative. The descriptive variant regards egoism as an actual portrayal of human affairs. This signifies that people are inspired by their own benefits and needs which cannot be described otherwise. On the contrary, normative variant suggests that people should also be motivated irrespective of what currently motivates their behavior. The contrast of egoism is altruism. Accordingly, altruism holds that all the actions of human beings are other-centered and other–motivated. The supporters of egoism such as Ayn Ryand argued that ethics of altruism is a destructive idea and stated that altruism considers both the society and the individual in it. It has been stated that an individual is required to value his/her life and every individual should accept the philosophy of ethical egoism. In contrast, few other philosophers rejected the ethical theory of egoism. Accordingly, it has been stated that an individual should depict care towards the interests of others for the same reason which motivates him/her to show utmost care for self-interests. Furthermore, it has been argued that an individual should attempt to achieve his/her needs and desires but not at the cost of other people (Rachels 71-77). From the above discussion, it can be stated that the ethical theory of egoism disagrees with the statement, “many ethicists believe that employees ought to be loyal to their employers (and vice versa).” This is because the ethical theory of egoism considers that individual interest holds the ultimate value over the interest of others. According to this theory, both employees and employers should focus on the attainment of self-interests rather being loyal to each other. Theory of Utilitarianism The theory of utilitarianism focuses on the effect of an action. This theory attempts to outline the range and autonomy of individual liberty. It draws a line between the rights of an individual and the rights of others. In other words, utilitarianism is a form of justice. Different philosophers have dissimilar views regarding the theory of utilitarianism. According to Jeremy Bentham, the theory argues that individual happiness is the supreme good. In view of that, it has been proclaimed that an individual should act in a certain way that provides happiness for the greatest number. On the other hand, it has been firmly advocated that those people who commit crime should be punished by the extent of unhappiness they create (NUI Galway, “Theory of Utility”). In recent times, utilitarianism has been classified into a number of variant forms including act, rule, negative and preference utilitarianism. Correspondingly, act utilitarianism advocates that the action of an individual needs to be judged based on the results or outcomes alone. Rule utilitarianism strives to resolve the ethical ‘loophole’ in the act utilitarianism. Accordingly, rule utilitarianism does not emphasize assessing the individual act rather it assess the utility of a rule for certain action. Negative utilitarianism is quite different from the other types of utilitarianism. All the former utilitarianism notions advocate promoting the greatest good for other people while negative utilitarianism promotes least evil for others. Preference utilitarianism focuses on the maximization of good through the fulfillment of people’s preferences. Thus, it has been ascertained from the above discussion that the theory of utilitarianism agrees with the statement i.e. “many ethicists believe that employees ought to be loyal to their employers (and vice versa).” This theory seeks that employees should reveal their loyalty towards their employers as a tool for promoting greatest good and vice-versa (NUI Galway, “Theory of Utility”). Theory of Deontology The theory of deontology differs from the theory of utilitarianism in several ways. Unlike theory of utilitarianism, deontology theory defines the action of an individual in terms of duties and moral values. This theory is non-consequential. This theory holds that there are derivative agents relative to moral ties between those who stand in certain social relationship to each other. Furthermore, this theory claims that an individual possesses certain duties steaming out of relationship. The theory considers the moral values as a key determinant for particular actions being performed by an individual. Moreover, the theory emphasizes that it is the moral conscience of an individual to execute any action. Considering the statement i.e. “many ethicists believe that employees ought to be loyal to their employers (and vice versa),” it can be affirmed that the theory of deontology firmly agrees with this statement. According to this theory, employees ought to be loyal to their employers (and vice versa) not because they work under the same roof or for the same purpose of accomplishing the goals set by the employers, but because employees have the right to expect employers’ loyalty as there is a relationship between them i.e. employee-employer relationship. If the employers fail to reveal their loyalty, it will be termed as betrayal and the employees have the moral right to complain against the employers. Thus, according to this theory, there is a moral reason which supports the statement (McNaughton & Rawling 37-54). CONCLUSION Loyalty is perceived to be extremely crucial for the success on any business enterprise. Employers expect their employees to be loyal in terms of performing various assigned tasks. On the other hand, employees also expect their employers to be loyal. This essay was intended to explain the ethical theories of egoism, utilitarianism, and deontology for responding to the statement i.e. ”many ethicists believe that employees ought to be loyal to their employers (and vice versa).” The different theories revealed varied justifications regarding the statement. Based on these justifications and discussions, the statement has been duly responded. Contextually, it has been ascertained from the above discussion that the theory of egoism does not agree with this statement while other two theories have been observed to agree with this statement. Thus, it can be comprehended that this statement or believe possessed by many ethicists is authentic and not vague to a substantial degree. Works Cited Fahlbeck, Reinhold. “Employee Loyalty in Sweden.” Comp. Labor Law & Pol’y Journal 20 (1999): 297-319. Print. Litrle, Laura E. “Loyalty, Gratitude, and the Federal Judiciary.” The American University Law Review 44.699 (1995): 700-754. Print. McNaughton, David, and Piers Rawling. “On Defending Deotology.” Blackwell Publishers Ltd (1998): 37-54. Print. NUI Galway. Theory of Utility. 2005. Web. 13 Oct. 2013. Rachels, Jemes. “Ethical Egosim.” Moral Philosophy (n.d.): 71-77. Print. Read More