Moral Judgment on Business Practices
The article argues about ethics in business practices. Different people have diverse moral judgment concerning business practices. Business relations rely on collective insights regarding the suitable norms of behavior. The article is argued on the basis of four moral philosophies. Each philosophy is right in its context. Situationists abstain from general moral principles but persist on the idea that one has to produce positive consequences that benefit parties involved. For acts to be moral, they must produce the best good for a large number of people. Essentially, the repercussions of actions are justified by their moral value. Subjectivists are not optimistic regarding the prospect of accomplishing positive outcomes for each individual involved. They believe that there is no moral judgment that can be considered valid not unless it is in reference to personal behavior. The only moral act in business practices is that everybody should act to promote his or her own self-interest instead of focusing on producing positive outcome for others in general. Absolutists assert that individuals must attempt to produce positive outcomes while maintaining strict adherences to universal ethical principles. Individuals with this school of thought revile actions that go against essential moral absolutes and those that can harm people. Exceptionists do not consider harm as an avoidable aspect of life. In addition, they argue that innocent people do not warrant full time protection. However, they favor moral principles as guiding principle for deeds since they offer a framework for making choices and acting in ways that tend to produce the best results for all that are concerned. For smooth running of business practices, cognitive and situational factors should be allowed to mediate individual’s moral judgment.
References
Forsyth, D. R. (1992). Judging the Morality of Business Practices: The Influence of Personal Moral Philosophies. Journal of Business Ethics, 11(5/6), 461-470.