Business Ethics Questions and
Answers
act utilitarianism
✓ ~~~ utilitarianism in its most basic version, often called act utilitarianism,
states that we must ask ourselves what the consequences of a particular act in a
particular
situation will be for all those affected. If its consequences bring more net good than
those
of any alternative course of action, then this action is the right one and the one we
should
perform.
business egoism
✓ ~~~ egoism—the view that it is morally
acceptable (or even morally required) for individuals to pursue their economic
interests
when engaged in business
categorical imperative
✓ ~~~
consequential theories
, ✓ ~~~ the moral rightness of an action is determined solely by its results.
egoism
✓ ~~~ The view that equates morality with self-interest
human rights
✓ ~~~ Moral rights
that are not the result of particular roles, special relationships, or specific
circumstances
hypothetical imperative
✓ ~~~ They tell us what we must do on the assumption that we have some particular goal.
hedonistic imperative
✓ ~~~ the view that pleasure
(or happiness) is the only thing that is good in itself, that it is the ultimate good,
ideal
✓ ~~~ some morally significant goal, virtue, or notion of
excellence worth striving for.
legal rights
✓ ~~~ Your right to drive under certain conditions is
derived from our legal system and is thus considered a legal right.
, maxim
✓ ~~~ maxim, Kant meant the subjective principle of an action, the principle (or rule)
that people in effect formulate in determining their conduct.
moral rights
✓ ~~~ Some of these moral rights derive from special relationships, roles, or circumstances
in which we happen to be. For example, if tom has an obligation to return Bob's car to him
on Saturday morning, then Bob has a right to have tom return his car.
moral worth
✓ ~~~ only when we act from a sense of duty
does our action have moral worth. when we act only out of feeling, inclination, or
selfinterest, our actions—although they may be otherwise identical with ones that
spring from the sense of duty—have no true moral worth.
negative rights
✓ ~~~ reflect the vital interests that human
beings have in being free from outside interference. The rights guaranteed in the Bill
of
rights—freedom of speech, assembly, religion, and so on—fall within this category,
as do the rights to freedom from injury and to privacy.
nonconsequentialist theories
✓ ~~~ theories contend that right and
wrong are determined by more than the likely consequences of an action.
Answers
act utilitarianism
✓ ~~~ utilitarianism in its most basic version, often called act utilitarianism,
states that we must ask ourselves what the consequences of a particular act in a
particular
situation will be for all those affected. If its consequences bring more net good than
those
of any alternative course of action, then this action is the right one and the one we
should
perform.
business egoism
✓ ~~~ egoism—the view that it is morally
acceptable (or even morally required) for individuals to pursue their economic
interests
when engaged in business
categorical imperative
✓ ~~~
consequential theories
, ✓ ~~~ the moral rightness of an action is determined solely by its results.
egoism
✓ ~~~ The view that equates morality with self-interest
human rights
✓ ~~~ Moral rights
that are not the result of particular roles, special relationships, or specific
circumstances
hypothetical imperative
✓ ~~~ They tell us what we must do on the assumption that we have some particular goal.
hedonistic imperative
✓ ~~~ the view that pleasure
(or happiness) is the only thing that is good in itself, that it is the ultimate good,
ideal
✓ ~~~ some morally significant goal, virtue, or notion of
excellence worth striving for.
legal rights
✓ ~~~ Your right to drive under certain conditions is
derived from our legal system and is thus considered a legal right.
, maxim
✓ ~~~ maxim, Kant meant the subjective principle of an action, the principle (or rule)
that people in effect formulate in determining their conduct.
moral rights
✓ ~~~ Some of these moral rights derive from special relationships, roles, or circumstances
in which we happen to be. For example, if tom has an obligation to return Bob's car to him
on Saturday morning, then Bob has a right to have tom return his car.
moral worth
✓ ~~~ only when we act from a sense of duty
does our action have moral worth. when we act only out of feeling, inclination, or
selfinterest, our actions—although they may be otherwise identical with ones that
spring from the sense of duty—have no true moral worth.
negative rights
✓ ~~~ reflect the vital interests that human
beings have in being free from outside interference. The rights guaranteed in the Bill
of
rights—freedom of speech, assembly, religion, and so on—fall within this category,
as do the rights to freedom from injury and to privacy.
nonconsequentialist theories
✓ ~~~ theories contend that right and
wrong are determined by more than the likely consequences of an action.
