LES 305 Exam Study Guide- Latest 2025 and
Verified
primum non nocere
"above all do no harm"
ethical egoism
we all act in our own self-interest and limit our judgements to our own conduct, not the
conduct of others.
Blanchard and Peale
Is it legal? Is it balanced? How does it make me feel?
virtue ethicists (Plato & Aristotle)
develop virtues and determine conduct by those virtues
utilitarian theory
greatest good for the greatest number of people
categorical imperative (Kant)
one ought only to act such that the principle of one's act could become a universal law of
human action in a world in which one would hope to live
rights theory
everyone has a set of rights and it is the role of the government to enforce those rights
contractarians and justice
putting ethical standards in place by a social contract; using rational thinking people to develop
a set of rules for everyone
Front Page of the Newspaper Test
, "Contemplating any business act, an employee should ask himself whether he would be willing
to see it immediately described by an informed and critical reporter on the front page of his
local paper, there to be read by his spouse, children, and friends."
Laura Nash
(1) Have you defined the problem accurately?
(2) How would you define the problem if you stood on the other side of the fence?
(3) How did this occur in the first place?
(4) To whom and what do you give your loyalties as a person and as a member of the
corporation?
(5) What is your intention in making this decision?
(6) How does this intention compare with the likely results?
(7) Whom could your decision or action injure?
(8) Can you engage the affected parties in a discussion of the problem before you make your
decision?
(9) Are you confident that your position will be as valid over a long period of time as it seems
now?
(10) Could you disclose without qualm your decision or action to your boss, your CEO, the board
of directors, your family, or society as a whole?
(11) What is the symbolic potential of your action if understood? If misunderstood?
(12) Under what conditions would you allow exceptions to your stand?
Steps to follow for analyzing an ethical dilemma
1. make sure you have grasp of all available facts
2. list any info you would like to have but don't and what assumptions you would have to make
to resolve the dilemma
3. take each person involved and list the concerns they have
Verified
primum non nocere
"above all do no harm"
ethical egoism
we all act in our own self-interest and limit our judgements to our own conduct, not the
conduct of others.
Blanchard and Peale
Is it legal? Is it balanced? How does it make me feel?
virtue ethicists (Plato & Aristotle)
develop virtues and determine conduct by those virtues
utilitarian theory
greatest good for the greatest number of people
categorical imperative (Kant)
one ought only to act such that the principle of one's act could become a universal law of
human action in a world in which one would hope to live
rights theory
everyone has a set of rights and it is the role of the government to enforce those rights
contractarians and justice
putting ethical standards in place by a social contract; using rational thinking people to develop
a set of rules for everyone
Front Page of the Newspaper Test
, "Contemplating any business act, an employee should ask himself whether he would be willing
to see it immediately described by an informed and critical reporter on the front page of his
local paper, there to be read by his spouse, children, and friends."
Laura Nash
(1) Have you defined the problem accurately?
(2) How would you define the problem if you stood on the other side of the fence?
(3) How did this occur in the first place?
(4) To whom and what do you give your loyalties as a person and as a member of the
corporation?
(5) What is your intention in making this decision?
(6) How does this intention compare with the likely results?
(7) Whom could your decision or action injure?
(8) Can you engage the affected parties in a discussion of the problem before you make your
decision?
(9) Are you confident that your position will be as valid over a long period of time as it seems
now?
(10) Could you disclose without qualm your decision or action to your boss, your CEO, the board
of directors, your family, or society as a whole?
(11) What is the symbolic potential of your action if understood? If misunderstood?
(12) Under what conditions would you allow exceptions to your stand?
Steps to follow for analyzing an ethical dilemma
1. make sure you have grasp of all available facts
2. list any info you would like to have but don't and what assumptions you would have to make
to resolve the dilemma
3. take each person involved and list the concerns they have
