Evaluating Business Ethics
Evaluating Business Ethics:
Agree Disagree
● Corporate Social Responsibility - ● Globalisation - The outsourcing of
Theory that a business has ethical industry to poorer countries can
responsibilities towards the have a number of positive effects on
environment and the communities it all sides. Consumers in the west get
is part of or affects. If a business is products for cheaper and the
discovered to violate CSR then that transnational corporations get to
can cause governments to step in increase their profit margins, while
and regulate it. It is more profitable workers in the poorer countries get
for businesses to avoid this by opportunities to access higher
conforming to CSR, which also paying jobs. Jeffrey Sachs points
gives them good PR. out that 200 million in India and 300
million in China have been lifted out
Counter : Bribery and Corruption, it of extreme poverty since 1990.
is more profitable for companies to
simply buy out politicians to remove Counter : Deregulation and
regulations and allow them to Unemployment, globalisation has
continue unethical practices. This been described as a ‘race to the
can be seen Neoliberalism, and the bottom’ in terms of wages, workers
export of industry to poorer rights, and environmental standards
countries with fewer regulations in these poorer countries, shown
best by the 2013 Rana Plaza
● Whistleblowing - Whistleblowing Disaster. Workers even in the
brings negative business practices Western countries that benefit from
to light which gives it a better globalisation suffer from job flight
chance of being brought to an end. and high unemployment.
For example, the ‘Facebook Files’,
where leaked files showed that the ● Free Market (Bentham + Mill) -
Facebook algorithm promoted posts Ultimately, Mill and Bentham think
that caused anger or outrage. the free market generally works for
producing human flourishing and
Counter : Harmful to Business, the happiness and would generally be
company might suffer financial against restrictions and
losses or even go bankrupt, which responsibilities laid on business
could lead to the unemployment of which would interfere with that
its workers (CSR). Aspects of Globalisation that
undermine the free market should
● 1st Formulation (Kant) - be opposed, however generally the
Universalizability supports the idea Free Market rules supreme.
of human rights, since the violation
of each of these rights cannot be Counter : Exploitation and Alienation
universalized. Human rights are (Marx), capitalism is inherently
universal, inalienable, and exploitative since the profits of
categorical, meaning that companies comes from the
businesses must adhere to these extraction of surplus value,
, restrictions at all times, as do all produced by the labour power of a
people. This opposes Globalisation worker. The division of labour also
and supports Whistleblowing and is alienates workers from the products
similar in its attitude to CSR, of their labour and produces a
although very much distinct. ‘commodity fetishism’. Free Market
capitalism is, in fact, antithetical to
● 2nd Formulation (Kant) - Requires utility.
that market interactions do not
involve the treatment of people as Counter : Centralisation of Capital
mere means. This includes avoiding (Marx), capital has a tendency
exploitation, providing a safe work towards centralisation and
environment, and avoiding monopoly, where the companies
environmental damage (CSR). that succeeded in a market buy out
Globalisation is to be opposed due their competitors which will
to its violation of CSR. Most cases inevitably lead towards monopoly
of whistleblowing involve exploitative and undermine marktes.
or deceptive business practices that
treat people as a mere means, so ● Act Utilitarianism (Bentham) -
whistleblowing is a duty Whistleblowing is morally right
depending on the situation. It is
● Duty against Lying (Kant) - Lying ultimately a question of whether or
cannot be universalised, and so we not the utility of preventing an
have an absolute duty to not lie. injustice or unethical practice
This means that whistleblowing is outweighs the harm caused by
acceptable and even a moral duty, potentially ending the business and
since lying to cover up unethical causing unemployment.
business practices is absolutely
wrong. ● Harm Principle (Mill) - Solves
problems of unethical business
● Sweatshops and Human Rights - practices. For example, Sweatshops
Sweatshops are a classic case of generally do not count as harm
exploitation, where workers are since workers chose to work there,
forced/coerced into working for a and have the free choice to work
pittance in abhorrent conditions due somewhere else, or not at all. For
to their lack of choice and Whistleblowing, the company is
opportunity. This clearly goes doing harm via the exploitative
against our intrinsic human rights, practices that are being called out,
by treating the workers as means to and so should be stopped.
an end. Utilitarianism is incompatible
with human rights. Counter : Work or Starve, workers
don’t really have a choice, since the
Counter : Boycotting Sweatshops option is between accepting horrible
(MacAskill), although sweatshops working conditions and pay, going to
are ‘horrific’, boycotting sweatshops another business with equally bad
will lead to worse outcomes overall. conditions, or to starve.
All you are doing is taking away the
best working opportunity in many ● Invisible Hand (Smith) - When
poor countries, and depriving the people follow their rational
richer countries of cheap products self-interest competing in a free
market, the result is economic
Counter Counter : Purpose of prosperity which benefits society
Ethics, MacAskill has simply given and general happiness. Free market
up and decided that sweatshops is capitalism harnesses self-interest for
the lesser evil. The object of ethics societal gain, as if guided by an
Evaluating Business Ethics:
Agree Disagree
● Corporate Social Responsibility - ● Globalisation - The outsourcing of
Theory that a business has ethical industry to poorer countries can
responsibilities towards the have a number of positive effects on
environment and the communities it all sides. Consumers in the west get
is part of or affects. If a business is products for cheaper and the
discovered to violate CSR then that transnational corporations get to
can cause governments to step in increase their profit margins, while
and regulate it. It is more profitable workers in the poorer countries get
for businesses to avoid this by opportunities to access higher
conforming to CSR, which also paying jobs. Jeffrey Sachs points
gives them good PR. out that 200 million in India and 300
million in China have been lifted out
Counter : Bribery and Corruption, it of extreme poverty since 1990.
is more profitable for companies to
simply buy out politicians to remove Counter : Deregulation and
regulations and allow them to Unemployment, globalisation has
continue unethical practices. This been described as a ‘race to the
can be seen Neoliberalism, and the bottom’ in terms of wages, workers
export of industry to poorer rights, and environmental standards
countries with fewer regulations in these poorer countries, shown
best by the 2013 Rana Plaza
● Whistleblowing - Whistleblowing Disaster. Workers even in the
brings negative business practices Western countries that benefit from
to light which gives it a better globalisation suffer from job flight
chance of being brought to an end. and high unemployment.
For example, the ‘Facebook Files’,
where leaked files showed that the ● Free Market (Bentham + Mill) -
Facebook algorithm promoted posts Ultimately, Mill and Bentham think
that caused anger or outrage. the free market generally works for
producing human flourishing and
Counter : Harmful to Business, the happiness and would generally be
company might suffer financial against restrictions and
losses or even go bankrupt, which responsibilities laid on business
could lead to the unemployment of which would interfere with that
its workers (CSR). Aspects of Globalisation that
undermine the free market should
● 1st Formulation (Kant) - be opposed, however generally the
Universalizability supports the idea Free Market rules supreme.
of human rights, since the violation
of each of these rights cannot be Counter : Exploitation and Alienation
universalized. Human rights are (Marx), capitalism is inherently
universal, inalienable, and exploitative since the profits of
categorical, meaning that companies comes from the
businesses must adhere to these extraction of surplus value,
, restrictions at all times, as do all produced by the labour power of a
people. This opposes Globalisation worker. The division of labour also
and supports Whistleblowing and is alienates workers from the products
similar in its attitude to CSR, of their labour and produces a
although very much distinct. ‘commodity fetishism’. Free Market
capitalism is, in fact, antithetical to
● 2nd Formulation (Kant) - Requires utility.
that market interactions do not
involve the treatment of people as Counter : Centralisation of Capital
mere means. This includes avoiding (Marx), capital has a tendency
exploitation, providing a safe work towards centralisation and
environment, and avoiding monopoly, where the companies
environmental damage (CSR). that succeeded in a market buy out
Globalisation is to be opposed due their competitors which will
to its violation of CSR. Most cases inevitably lead towards monopoly
of whistleblowing involve exploitative and undermine marktes.
or deceptive business practices that
treat people as a mere means, so ● Act Utilitarianism (Bentham) -
whistleblowing is a duty Whistleblowing is morally right
depending on the situation. It is
● Duty against Lying (Kant) - Lying ultimately a question of whether or
cannot be universalised, and so we not the utility of preventing an
have an absolute duty to not lie. injustice or unethical practice
This means that whistleblowing is outweighs the harm caused by
acceptable and even a moral duty, potentially ending the business and
since lying to cover up unethical causing unemployment.
business practices is absolutely
wrong. ● Harm Principle (Mill) - Solves
problems of unethical business
● Sweatshops and Human Rights - practices. For example, Sweatshops
Sweatshops are a classic case of generally do not count as harm
exploitation, where workers are since workers chose to work there,
forced/coerced into working for a and have the free choice to work
pittance in abhorrent conditions due somewhere else, or not at all. For
to their lack of choice and Whistleblowing, the company is
opportunity. This clearly goes doing harm via the exploitative
against our intrinsic human rights, practices that are being called out,
by treating the workers as means to and so should be stopped.
an end. Utilitarianism is incompatible
with human rights. Counter : Work or Starve, workers
don’t really have a choice, since the
Counter : Boycotting Sweatshops option is between accepting horrible
(MacAskill), although sweatshops working conditions and pay, going to
are ‘horrific’, boycotting sweatshops another business with equally bad
will lead to worse outcomes overall. conditions, or to starve.
All you are doing is taking away the
best working opportunity in many ● Invisible Hand (Smith) - When
poor countries, and depriving the people follow their rational
richer countries of cheap products self-interest competing in a free
market, the result is economic
Counter Counter : Purpose of prosperity which benefits society
Ethics, MacAskill has simply given and general happiness. Free market
up and decided that sweatshops is capitalism harnesses self-interest for
the lesser evil. The object of ethics societal gain, as if guided by an
