presents
Ethical
Theories
BY LARRY CHONKO, PH.D.
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
AT ARLINGTON
Ethical Theories
Ethical Principles
Beneficence
Least Harm
Respect for Autonomy
Justice
Ethical Theories
Ethical Theories
Forms of Ethical Theories
• Deontology – people should adhere to their obligations
and duties
• Utilitarianism – the choice that yields
the greatest benefit to the most
people is ethically correct
• Rights – rights established by
society are protected and given the
highest priority
• Virtue – judges a person by his/her
character rather than an action that may
deviate from normal behavior
Ethical Theories
Ethical Theories
SELECTED PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL CONDUCT
 KANT’S CATEGORICAL IMPERATIVE: Act in a way that you
believe is right and just for any other person in a similar situation.
 CARR’S CONVENTIONALIST ETHIC: Bluff and take advantage
of all legal opportunities and widespread practices and customs
 THE DISCLOSURE RULE: Ask how it would feel to see the
thinking and details of the decision disclosed to a wide audience
 THE GOLDEN RULE: Look at the problem from the position of
another party affected by the decision and try to determine what
response the other person would expect as the most virtuous
Ethical Theories
Ethical Theories
SELECTED PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL CONDUCT
 THE HEDONISTIC ETHIC: Do whatever you find to be in your own selfinterest
 MOORE’S INTUITION ETHIC: Go with your “gut” feeling or what you
understand to be right in a given situation
 SMITH’S MARKET ETHIC: Take selfish actions and be motivated by
personal gains in business dealings
 MACHIAVELLI’S MEANS-END ETHIC: Ask whether some overall good
justifies any ethical transgression
 NIETZSCHE/MARX MIGHT-EQUALS-RIGHT ETHIC: Seize what
advantage you are strong enough to use without respect to ordinary social
conventions and laws
Ethical Theories
Ethical Theories
SELECTED PRINCIPLES OF ETHICAL CONDUCT
 THE ORGANIZATION ETHIC: Ask whether actions are
consistent with organizational goals and do what is good for
the organization
 GARRETT’S PRINCIPLE OF PROPORTIONALITY: Do
whatever you will if there is a proportional reason for doing so
 THE PROTESTANT ETHIC: Do only that which can be
explained before a committee of your peers
 THE REVELATION ETHIC: Pray, mediate, or otherwise
commune with a superior force or being
 BENTHAM/MILL’S UTILITARIAN ETHIC: Determine whether
the harm in an action is outweighed by the good
Ethical Theories
Ethical Theories
ETHICAL TYPES
DESCRIPTORS
Hedonist
1. Make physical pleasures the supreme goal in their
lives.
 KEY QUESTION: Which course of action will yield the
greatest pleasure?
Profit-maximizer
2. Goal of making as much money as possible
 KEY QUESTION: which course of action will make the
most money?
 All their feelings and associations can be melted down
to dollars
Socialite
3. A social butterfly, a party animal
 KEY QUESTION: Which course of action will help me
best get along with the group?
 If you want to know what this person thinks, find out
who spoke to him or her most recently
Ethical Theories
Ethical Theories
ETHICAL TYPES
Politician
DESCRIPTORS
4. Life centers around power and glory.
 KEY QUESTION: Which course of action will increase
my power and glory?
 These people have enormous egos, boundless
ambitions, and undertake reckless actions.
Self-actualizer
5. Spiritual values predominate
 KEY QUESTION: Which course of action will help me
become a better person?
 These people have new insights, reform old ways,
initiate new ways of thinking, strike out on new paths
Craftsman
6. A technician
 POSITIVES: Creative, knowledgeable, independent,
self-reliant, hardworking
 NEGATIVES: Sadistic, forceful, manipulative, nontrustworthy
Ethical Theories
Ethical Theories
ETHICAL TYPES
DESCRIPTORS
Company Person
7. Main goal in life to belong to an organization
 POSITIVES: Service oriented, loyal, responsible,
humble, sensitive to the needs of others, dependable,
pleasant, trustworthy
 NEGATIVES: Fear, worry, dependency, lacking vision,
risk aversive, low drive, indecisive, change resistant
Gamesman
8. Dominant goal in life to gain prestige, glory, fame
 POSITIVES: Inventive, flexible, change oriented,
competitive, team player, independent, risk taker,
impartial, high energy, idealistic
 NEGATIVES: Lack of conviction, rebellious,
manipulative, lack of intimacy, lonely
Ethical Theories
Ethical Theories
Personal Ethical Development
Organizational Ethical Development
1. Physical consequences determine
ethical behavior. Avoidance of
punishment and deference to
power are typical of this stage
Social Darwinism - Fear of extinction and
the urgency of financial survival dictate
ethical conduct. The direct use of force is the
acceptable norm.
2. Individual pleasure needs are the
primary concern and dictate
attitudes toward behavior
Machiavellianism - Organizational gain
guides actions. Successfully attaining goals
justifies the use of any effective means,
including individual manipulation
Ethical Theories
Ethical Theories
Personal Ethical Development
Organizational Ethical Development
3. The approval of others
determines behavior. The good
person is one who satisfies family,
friends, associates.
Cultural conformity - A tradition of standard
operating procedures and caring groups.
Peer professional pressure to adhere to social
norms dictates what is the right and wrong
behavior
4. Compliance with authority,
upholding of the social order, and
“doing one’s duty” are primary
concerns
Allegiance to authority - Directions from
legal authority determine ethical standards.
Right and wrong are based on the decisions
of those with legitimate hierarchical power
Ethical Theories
Ethical Theories
Personal Ethical Development
Organizational Ethical Development
5. Tolerance for rational dissent and
acceptance of majority rule
become primary ethical concerns
Democratic participation - Participation in
decision-making reliance on majority rule
become organizational ethical standards.
Participative management becomes
institutionalized
6. What is right and good is a matter
of individual conscience and
responsibly chosen commitment.
Ethicality is based on principled
personal convictions
Organizational integrity - Justice and
individual rights are the ethical ideals.
Balanced judgment between competing
interests shapes organizational character
which, in turn, determines the validity of the
behavior
Ethical Theories