Chapter 3: Ethics in Business Flashcards
Ethics
Study of what constitutes right / wrong behavior.
Business Ethics
How business persons apply moral principles to their decisions.
Moral minimum
Compliance w/ the law.
Acting at the lowest possible ehtical level.
Business persons must remember, an action that is ____________ is not necessarily ______________.
legal; ethical
Triple-Bottom Line
1) Corporation’s Profits.
2) Its impact on people.
3) Its impact on the planet.
People grew tired of the Profit Maximization Theory of _______________, and thought ____________ and moral virte of corporations should also be taken into account, beyond their financial returns. _______________ have now been ranked based on their ______________ impact and ___________ decisions
businesses; ethical; Businesses; environmental; ethical
ethical reasoning
applying moral conviction & ethical standards
Duty-based Ethics
people / businesses has duty to others, (i.e. humans and planet).
Outcome-based Ethics
What would be the ethical thing to do given consequences / outcome an action?
Principle of Rights
Belief that humans have fundamental rights
(i.e. life, liberty, pursuit of happiness)
Categorical Imperative
Everyone should think about their actions in light of what would happen if everyone acted the same way.
Utilitarianism
A good action is one that results in the “greatest good, for the greatest number” of people.
The utilitarian approach says, an action is __________ when it produecs the _______________ amount of good (the ___________ harm). However, an action that produces a greater amount of harm among the majority is ________.
good; greatest; least; bad.
Cost Benefit analysis
assessment of positive and negative effects of alternative in specific set of individuals.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Corporations should act ethically and be accountable to society for their actions.