James Theis
BUS 363-001
Snow Day Exercise – 3M N95 Masks
1. What are the four methods of ethical reasoning?
The four methods of ethical reasoning are Virtues, Utilitarian, Rights and Justice. Virtue
Ethics was the first ethical theory which is based on values and personal character. It
focuses on character traits that what we deem a "good person” should possess. Some of
these values include courage, self-control, charity, silence, toughness, and countless
others. Utilitarian focuses on the overall amount of good that can be produced by one’s
actions or decisions. Utilitarianism basically states that the right choice to make is that
benefits the most amount of people. Human rights states that people are entitled to certain
liberties, like rights to live, safety, free speech, etc. Denying anyone these rights is
viewed as unethical. This reasoning states that individuals are treated as valuable ends in
themselves just for being human beings. The fourth method, justice, or this could be just
called fairness. This exists when benefits and burde3ns are distributed equitably
according to some rule. For society, that means income and wealth, etc.
2. The perceived moral intensity of an issue (based on its characteristics) can impact
how individuals make ethical decisions. Explain why.
According to the textbook, moral intensity is defined as a person’s perception of how
morally severe an ethical issue is. Moral intensity is influenced by probability that the
action of a decision will lead to consequences that are predicted. For example, the moral
intensity of the N95 case the moral intensity pretty high. The covid-19 pandemic made
this have high perceivable consequences, since lack of PPE available for healthcare
providers would lead to more deaths. This is why President Trump took the actions he did
to ensure that America’s interests were held above foreign. 3M didn’t hold these same
interests since 3M masks are made in multiple countries, with only two in the US and
multiple vendors from China.
3. Do you agree with the statement from Mike Roman, CEO of 3M, responding to the
letter demanding 3M turn over any and all N95 masks to the US government? Why
or why not?
The CEO of 3M responded to the memorandum stating that 3M looked forward to
working with FEMA. He stated his concern that the halting of the exports of 3M masks,
that it would provoke other countries including China. Personally, I don’t think it’s any of
3M’s concern as to who the US government provokes in terms of a situation like this.
The US will need to have their own citizens safety as their number 1 priority. I believe
that President trump had the ethical viewpoint of Utilitarianism, where the net benefits
outweigh the net costs, while Mike Roman has the ethical viewpoint of Justice, where the
benefits and costs are fairly distributed to everyone.