Rights, Justice, Utilitarianism, and Kants Categorical Imperative - Essay Example

Name: Course: Institution: Tutor: Business Ethics Differences between Major Ethical Theories: Rights, Justice, Utilitarianism and Kant’s Categorical Imperative Ethical principles and theories form the foundation of ethical analysis because they provide the viewpoint upon which guidance can be sought along the pathway of decision making. There are several ethical theories such as rights theory, Kant’s categorical imperative and the justice theory among others. The different ethical theories emphasize different view points such as observing one’s moral obligations so as to make an ethically correct decision. In order for an ethical theory to be relevant, it must be directed towards a set of certain goals. Some of these goals include least harm, beneficence, justice and respect for autonomy. The rights theory of ethics states that the rights set by a society should be respected and given the highest priority by the people (Slote, 2001). Social rights can be considered to be ethically valid and correct since they are endorsed by a large population. However, individuals can also bestow rights upon others if they have the resources and ability to do so. It is up to the society to determine what rights are necessary to be upheld and given to the citizens. For this to be achieved, the society should determine what the people’s ethical priorities and goals are. Therefore, in order for the rights theory to be useful, it must encompass the society’s goals (Brandt, 2001). The justice ethical theory states that actions and motives perpetrated by individuals should be reasonably fair to others. This means that decisions taken by an individual should be consistent with the generally accepted ethical principles unless extenuating circumstances that can be justified exist. It also means that decisions taken under extenuating circumstances should contain vital differences that justify inconsistent decisions. Ethical decisions that are based on justice exhibit consistent logical basis that support the decisions. Decisions that are based on justice might not always be ethically right but are necessary to avoid harming other people. The utilitarianism ethical theory is based on the imperative that people should be able to predict the consequences of their actions. The theory states that the choice that yields the greatest benefits (least harmful consequence) to the most people is the most ethically correct choice. There are two classifications of utilitarianism: act utilitarianism and rule utilitarianism. In act utilitarianism, a person performs actions that benefit most people regardless of one’s personal feelings (Slote, 2001). On the other hand, rule utilitarianism takes into account the laws or rules of the society and is concerned with fairness. An obvious implication of this theory is that a utilitarian should compare various solutions or consequences of their actions so as to determine the choice that is beneficial to most people. In Kant’s basic rule of morality, the categorical imperative should be followed no matter what impact it has. The only exception is when the categorical imperative has apparent flaws that may lead to serious consequences. Kant’s formulation of the categorical imperative is that in order for people to act morally, they should do so in such a way that they would like the rule and principles they follow to be universal (Brandt, 2001). Perspectives on Sustainable Development Sustainable development has been defined as the development that is capable of meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (Sims, 2003). Numerous researchers and theorists have documented that in order for the world to meet the needs of the future generation, today’s social, economic and environmental objectives should be fairly balanced. Primarily, sustainable development is built on three important pillars; ecological balance, social progress and economic growth. However, greater emphasis is being placed on social progress and what businesses are doing to contribute to realization of this goal. The concept of sustainable development is of central importance to the success and growth of businesses. Essentially, the connection between business success and sustainable development depends on the quality and depth of sustainable development practices adopted by businesses and how they fit into the organization’s distinctive business culture and strategy. In particular, sustainable development practices have a great impact on the long term performance of organizations if they are engaged to foster competitive advantages and stimulate innovations. To be fruitful, sustainable development practices, whether observed in business or any other context should be high quality, deep and well rounded initiatives that offer the best value proposition. Sims (2003) has noted that sustainable development efforts are likely to contribute to long term social, economic and social and environmental success when they are focused on providing performance improvement in specified areas such as reducing environmental pollution. The practices should be integrated with mainstream business practices and strategic plans such as customer service responsibilities, and health and safety programs. If re-shaped consistently for effectiveness and efficiency, sustainable development programs can help a company advance its distinctive business strategies and hence result in the realization of strategic objectives. Leading organizations that pursue high quality sustainable development practices share lots of cultural characteristics. These characteristics include breadth of strategic corporate vision, being progressive and stakeholder empowerment. In general, the nature of sustainable development practices pursued by organizations need to coincide with their cultures and business practices (Kotler & Lee, 2005). Sustainable orientation is a concept that applies to the high level set of principles that form the basis of sustainable development practices and approaches pursued by businesses. An organization’s sustainability orientation helps policy planners and decision makers underpin the connection between a company’s sustainable development practices and the strategic advantages of the business. Through stakeholder empowerment, businesses foster good relationships with their stakeholders, which in turn enhance mutual benefits. As such, stakeholders become genuine sources of new business ideas and values that can be exploited for sustainable development. The incessant debates over genetically modified foods indicate that many people are suspicious over the role of new technologies in fostering sustainable development. Nevertheless, new technologies will for a long time be a valuable catalyst of sustainable development. Industries have the innovation and creativity to bring new technologies to the market. This will be particularly important in coping with environmental degradation and in combating climate change (Kotler & Lee, 2005). Perspectives on Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate social responsibility refers to obligations besides those required by law, for companies to engage in pursuance of long term goals that are good for the society. It is a continuing commitment which requires companies to act ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of their employees and their families as well as that of the local society and the society in general (OECD, 2001). Issues of corporate social responsibility focus more on how companies manage their business processes to produce positive impacts on the society. The positive impact can be attained through contribution to social or environmental issues. CSR obliges companies to respond promptly and effectively to emerging societal expectations and priorities. Through CSR, companies are also obliged to be good citizens and to show willingness to act ahead of regulatory platforms. As a concept, CSR is born on the premise that organizations (both for profit and not-for profit organizations) have various stakeholders whose interest are affected by an organization’s goals, operations and the behavior of its members. An organization’s stakeholders include employees, financiers, suppliers, customers, government and the society. Corporate social responsibility demands that good leadership should strive to maintain balance between organizational interests for growth and profitability and those of the various stakeholders (Gechev, 2005). The level of importance attached to CSR depends on how the concept is perceived at the organization’s corporate level and the specific obligations that the concept holds for an organization’s strategic corporate vision and mission. Essentially, corporate governance standards are fundamental to the success of CRS initiatives and this is in turn influenced by a company’s societal obligations (OECD, 2001). An important role of CRS is that it enables organizations to participate in constructing social meanings. Specifically, corporate social responsibility helps enhance an organization’s credibility and character which boosts brand equity and sales revenue. It therefore turns out that corporate social responsibility is an integral basis for realization of mutually aligned interests in organizations. By embracing it, organizations gain the moral argument about their social relevance. Taking a systematic approach to corporate social responsibility can significantly reduce the friction between the society and an organization and hence contribute to realization of an organization’s strategic objectives. This requires organizations to continually monitor their levels of responsiveness, which is crucial to effective strategic business management. It is, therefore, imperative for companies to assess their standards of corporate social responsibility in line with the expectations of stakeholders (Gechev, 2005). Companies need to observe corporate ethics and corporate social responsibility as an indication of their commitment to improving the welfare of the society. This can be achieved through discretionary business practices such as actual contribution of resources to the society. For this reason, businesses across industries are showing increased commitment to social and environmental issues. By developing a strong commitment to corporate social responsibility, organizations can create systems that align social, economic and environmental obligations to corporate vision. References Brandt, R 2001, Facts, values, and morality, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. Gechev, R 2005, Sustainable Development: Economic Aspects, Boston, University Press. Kotler P and Lee, N 2005, Corporate Social Responsibility: Doing The Most Good For Your Company And Your Cause, New York, John Wiley & Sons. Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development 2001, Sustainable Development: Critical Issues, Washington, OECD Publishing. Sims, R 2003, Ethics and corporate social responsibility: why giants fall, Westport, Praeger. Slote, M 2001, Morals from motives, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Read More