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.