...Introduction The purpose of this case assignment centers on the examination of the how the Adelphia Communications’ executives violated the trust of the company’s shareholders and the trust of the community through the analytical view of deontological ethics. This analysis will be achieved by defining deontological ethics and Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative. A review of the Adelphia Communications Scandal will be conducted with a general assessment of what ethical issues were present based on deontological ethics and Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative. The Adelphia Communications Scandal The Adelphia Communications Corporation was the sixth largest provider of cable services in the United States prior to filing bankruptcy in 2002 due to a major accounting scandal. Adelphia’s management intentionally misled investors by falsifying financial statements to give the appearance the organization was financially solid and performing well above normal, by excluding billions of dollars of debt from financial statements. The auditors fail to find any fraudulent action in the financial statements. John Rigas was the original founder of the corporation and later joined with his brother and sons. The Adelphia Communications Corporation (investors) provided over $2.3 billion worth of personal loans to the Rigas family. The Rigas family received assets via fund transfers from the Adelphia Communications Corporation through journal entries to purchase...
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...Swartz MGMT 368 16 June 2011 Immanuel Kant Immanuel Kant was born in 1724 in the capital of Prussia what is now Kaliningrad a city in Russia. As a young scholar, Kant was sent to Collegium Fredericianum before attending the University of Konigsberg by the age of 16. In 1749 Kant had his first philosophical work published, Thoughts on the True Estimation of Living Forces. In it “he argues against the vix mortix view supported by Wolff and other post-Leibnizian German rationalists that proposed that bodies have no essential force, and claimed that, instead, the existence of an essential force can be proven by metaphysical arguments”(“Thoughts on the True Estimation”). In 1755 he became a lecturer at the University teaching on the topic of Metaphysics after winning the Berlin Academy Prize for his discovery of the retardation of the earth’s rotation in 1754. Kant eventually went on to turn his attention to philosophical issues writing a number of works throughout the 1760’s including: “The False Subtlety of the Four Syllogistic Figures, a work in logic, Attempt to Introduce the Concept of Negative Magnitudes into Philosophy, and The Only Possible Argument in Support of a Demonstration of the Existence of God, Observations on the Feeling of the Beautiful and Sublime and then was second to Moses Mendelssohn in a Berlin Academy prize competition with his Inquiry Concerning the Distinctness of the Principles of Natural Theology and Morality” (“Immanuel Kant.” Wikipedia). In 1781...
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...Facilitator: __ Ethical Theory Comparison of Ethical Theories Utilitarianism Ethics Deontological Ethics Virtue Ethics Definition “Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that holds that an action is right if it produces, or if it tends to produce, the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people affected by the action. Otherwise the action is wrong. According to utilitarianism, we should evaluate an action by looking at its consequences, weighing the good effects against the bad effects on all the people affected by it. If the good outweighs the bad, it tends to be a good action; if the bad outweighs the good, it tends to be a bad action” (DeGeorge, R. T. (2005). “The deontological approach to ethics denies the utilitarian claim that morality of an action depends on its consequences. Deontologists maintain that actions are morally right or wrong independent of their consequences. Moral rightness and wrongness are basic and ultimate moral terms. The deontological approach is not dependent on good and the production of, or the failure to produce, good. A person’s duty is to do what is morally right and to avoid what is morally wrong, regardless of the consequences. “Virtue ethics is currently one of three major approaches in normative ethics. It may, initially, be identified as the one that emphasizes the virtues, or moral character, in contrast to the approach which emphasizes duties or rules (deontology) or that which emphasizes the consequences of actions...
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...Stuart Mill vs. Immanuel Kant The aim of this paper is to clearly depict how John Stuart Mill’s belief to do good for all is more appropriate for our society than Immanuel Kant’s principle that it is better to do what's morally just. I will explain why Mill’s theory served as a better guide to moral behavior and differentiate between the rights and responsibilities of human beings to themselves and society. Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill are philosophers who addressed the issues of morality in terms of how moral customs are formed. Immanuel Kant presented one perspective in The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals that is founded on his belief that the worth of man is inherent in his skill to reason. John Stuart Mill holds another belief as presented in the book, Utilitarianism, which is seemingly conflicting with the thoughts of Kant. What is most unique about the ethics of morality is the idea of responsibilities to particular individuals. According to both Mill and Kant, moral obligations are not fundamentally particularistic because they are rooted in universal moral principles. Both philosophers have made great impacts in their niche areas in the field. An analysis of their theories may help develop a better understanding of them and their theories. Mill holds an empiricist theory while Kant holds a rationalist theory. Kant explains morality through forms that he believes are essential to free and sensible judgment. Mill’s utilitarian approach is a form of...
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...AS Philosophy & Ethics Course Handbook 2013 to 2014 [pic] OCR AS Level Religious Studies (H172) http://www.ocr.org.uk/qualifications/type/gce/hss/rs/index.aspx OCR AS Level Religious Studies (H172) You are studying Philosophy of Religion and Religious Ethics and will be awarded an OCR AS Level in Religious Studies. The modules and their weightings are: |AS: |Unit Code |Unit Title |% of AS |(% of A Level) | | |G571 |AS Philosophy of Religion |50% |(25%) | | |G572 |AS Religious Ethics |50% |(25%) | If you decide to study for the full A Level you will have to study the following modules at A2: |A2: |Unit Code |Unit Title |(% of A Level) | | |G581 |A2 Philosophy of Religion |(25%) | | |G582 |A2 Religious Ethics |(25%) | Grading | ...
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... 20th January AO1: Explain how a follower of Kantian ethics might approach the issues surrounding the right to a child. Immanuel Kant was a respected ethicist of the 18th Century. He is known mostly for his works on the ‘Groundwork of metaphysics of morals’ and it is within this work Kant proposes the Categorical Imperative, an absolute, deontological, objective and secular approach to making moral decisions. Kant’s theory is based on the principal that the only thing which is truly good is a good will or duty. He continues to say that we must endeavour to use our reason to ensure we have done our duty. This essay will use the principles of Kant’s ‘Categorical Imperative’ in order to display how a follower of Kantian ethics might approach the issues surrounding the right to a child. A Kantian ethicist would believe that desiring a child does not make it a right as any moral decision should be made through reason and based on duty alone - not through overwhelming emotion or desire. However, this still means women have negative rights to a child as the removal of the ability to have children cannot be universalised. And so they may therefore not be seen as having natural, human or positive rights to a child. There are many methods of having children for baron or single women, these methods surrounding a baron or single woman’s right to a child are IVF, AIH and AID. Kant’s Categorical Imperative maintains three formulations. One of these formulations being...
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...between deontology and utilitarianism Difference between deontology and utilitarianism Conclusion In 2013, the movie, The Wolf of Wall Street portrayed the dishonest dealings of people involved in securities exchange and trades of foreign and public companies. The actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, had an sensational thirst for wealth and learned of greed from his superior. This movie portrays the idea that greed, an unethical behavior, is an acceptable behavior that business individuals must cultivate to increase their wealth. So what is ethics? According to Spiceland, Sepe, and Tomassini (2007), ethics is “a code or moral system that provides a criteria for evaluating what is right and wrong” (Spiceland, Sepe, and Tomassni, 2007). Deontological theories base morality on certain duties or obligations and claim that certain actions are right or wrong regardless of the consequences that may follow from the actions. Deontology is a moral theory that depends on scriptures that are governed by rules, moral laws, and intuition. The word deontology is derived from the Greek term “deon” and “logos” which means the “study of duty” (Moreland, 2009). Moreland (2009) describes three features of deontology. The first is that “duty should be done for duty's sake” (Moreland, 2009). Moreland's (2009) second feature is for individuals to treat each other as “objects of intrinsic moral value” (Moreland, 2009). Individuals with this point of view believe that “some actions cannot be justified...
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...Immanuel Kant adheres to Deontological ethics. His theory offers a view of morality based on the principle of good will and duty. According to him, people can perform good actions solely by good intentions without any considerations to consequences. In addition, one must follow the laws and the categorical imperative in order to act in accordance with and from duty. Several other philosophers such as Hannah Arendt discuss Kant’s moral philosophy. In her case study: “The Accused and Duties of a Law-Abiding Citizen”, Arendt examines how Adolf Eichmann’s actions conformed to Kant’s moral precepts but also how they ran of afoul to his conception of duty. In contrast, John Stuart Mill adopts a teleological view of moral philosophy. He exposes his view of consequentialism and utilitarianism to argue that an action is morally right only to the extent that it maximizes the aggregate happiness of all parties involved regardless of the motive. In the present paper, I will expose Kant’s moral precepts and the importance of duty in his Deontological principles. Then, I will evaluate Arendt’s report on Adolf Eichmann to analyze the ways in which his actions were in accordance to or against Kant’s moral philosophy. I will conclude my discussion with an evaluation of Mill’s approach to morality in order to examine the differences between his teleological philosophy and Kant’s ethical principles. Kant’s moral philosophy is based on the categorical imperative (CI), good will, and duty. According...
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...Kant Versus Mill On Morality Philosophy Essay Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher born in 1724 and died in 1804. His philosophical writings influenced people, not only in Europe but the world over. Centuries later, his works still form a major point of reference in studies carried out in the modern world. His writings were such that they brought a new dimension in religion, law and history. Among his many works was the ‘Metaphysics of Morals’ which form the basis for this paper. His view of morals is that our desires and emotions are categorically imperative, meaning that they are conscience driven. His philosophy is closely related to the golden rule which states that one should always act in accordance to the outcome that will give him the best outcome, while the categorical imperative rule of Kant seems to suggest that actions must be universal for them to be classified as either moral or immoral (Thomas, p10) John Stuart Mill on the other hand was a British philosopher born in 1806 and died in 1873. He also strongly contributed to the development of philosophical views that have continued to influence different aspects in different disciplines like sociology, politics and economy. Among his many developments is the utilitarianism theory that explains morality. Mill argues that the usefulness or moral worth of an action is determined by its utility (pleasure or satisfaction derived from the consequences of the action). Mill seems to suggest that our emotions and desires...
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...Immanuel Kant was an eighteenth century German philosopher whose moral views continue to be influential. His ethical theory is based on a deontological point of view, where the act itself has moral value regardless of the consequences. Kant dismisses emotions such as pity and compassion as irrelevant to morality and thought that making a choice based on feelings or fulfilling our desires is irrelevant when making a morally correct decision. His beliefs oppose that of moral relativism, in which a morally good act is entirely dependant on the circumstances or culture in which it takes place, instead believing in the necessity of a perfectly universalisable moral law. A significant area of ethical study for Kant was the investigation into human reasoning. His views were in response to that of the empiricists and rationalists. The rationalists attempted to prove that we can understand the world purely be using our reasoning, on the other hand empiricists argued that all of our knowledge originates from experience. Although he thought that neither approach was entirely successful, his beliefs were more closely linked with those of the rationalists. He explained that we only have knowledge of the world as it appears to us through our senses, and that humans never know the true reality of the world as we experience it through our own minds, of which various categories of thought have been built into. Therefore our scientific knowledge is only of our own experiences and perceptions...
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...The case study by Moberg and Romar (2003) points out WorldCom’s experience with fraudulent accounting to hide the true costs emerging in future quarters after an acquisition. WorldCom Corporation was known as the second largest telecommunications company in the world. It handled approximately 50 percent of Internet traffic in the United States and 50 percent of data communications worldwide (Obringer, n.d.). The growth strategy that was utilized by the corporation was the acquisition of other companies and mergers. Throughout the course of its operation, WorldCom successfully acquired a total of 65 companies while accumulating a debt of $41 billion. This approach did not have a long-term benefit to WorldCom since it became difficult for the company to integrate the new and old organizations to run smoothly as a single business (Moberg and Romar, 2003). The problem when acquiring or merging with a new company is how to continue the same level of customer service with a seamless transition of accounting practices. In 2002, WorldCom filed for bankruptcy after an internal audit team discovered that accounting irregularities and unethical business practices has occurred in the company’s books. This occurrence has been pinned to the lack of ethical business conduct by the management body and its accounting personnel. The failure of corporate governance was the major cause of WorldCom’s financial disaster (Thornburgh, 2004). The top management of the corporation had unethical...
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...Ethical Theories In today’s society, especially in business the question of what is ethical is a dilemma that a great deal of individuals is faced with every day. Ethics vary from person to person and culture to culture. What is unethical in the United States of America may be completely ethical in China. Dictionary.com defines ethics as the moral principles that govern a person’s or a group’s behavior. There are many different theories of ethics, and which one a person chooses to live by, depends on which theorist the individual believes to be more in line with their own personal moral beliefs. When business ethics is discussed it is hard to speak about it without mentioning the name of Milton Friedman. Milton Friedman was an economist that theorized business ethics as monetarism. He is essentially responsible for promoting the economic growth of a company and the benefits to their shareholders. The primary goal and motivating force in business is to make a profit, and try to maintain efficiency while making a profit. Friedman’s theory is in correlation with the philosophy of corporate law. In corporate law the shareholders own the company, and they vote on the Board of Directors. The greatest duty is owed to the shareholders as owners of the business. Typically the Board of Directors makes the important decisions because they ensure the company is running efficiency while making a profit at the same time. Making a profit is the primary reason any company is in business...
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...humans should behave with each other. These theories give guidance and define what is right and wrong and how such behavior can aid in building a unified society. There are three major types of ethical theories; deontological, utilitarian, and virtue ethics and each theory brings with it a different set of strengths and weaknesses. While the three types of ethical theories contain great meaning, time has shown that universal ethical principles cannot be achieved because ethics is a learned behavior and cultural relativists will argue that right or wrong is decided by each individual culture. Deontological Theory Immanuel Kant is a philosopher most famous for his rationalism of the deontological theory. According to Kant, deontological theories are based on a duty that humans have a moral obligation to behave according to certain principles or laws. Kant questions what the fundamental source of morality and duty is, as well as what actions are committed by humans to justify an evaluation of those actions as right or wrong. Kant’s conclusion is that the ability we possess to rationally make decisions and our free will is the source of morality. Kant further concludes that rationality is the only action that can dictate the rules of morality (Kantian, n.d.). Kant’s categorical imperatives are certain rules that are a requirement or demand of how humans need to act and there are no exceptions to the rules. Kant provides several versions of the categorical imperative and an idea...
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...ETH501 The following sample from student papers is meant to establish some guidelines on how to approach your essays. The first sample shows an excellent introduction to the first case. The student author provides his/her own approach and allows the reader to know what is going to be discussed. The second example simply uses a long quotation that is not properly formatted. It does not lead the reader into the critical ethical analysis that is required. The third and forth examples show a part of the critical ethical analysis. Remember, if you have any questions, please ask. An excellent source for finding your own voice in academic writing is: http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/academic/4bi.html. This cite has good examples with explanations. Sample 1: You do not have to discuss that it is a paper. You do have to tell the reader what you will be discussing. Note also that there is a Heading. Introduction The purpose of this assignment is provide a critical analysis of the 2002 collapse of the WorldCom telecommunications empire as seen through the lens of deontological ethics. This analysis will be accomplished by defining deontological ethics and the Categorical Imperative (CI); by generally establishing what ethical problems were inherent in the WorldCom case; by evaluating the WorldCom model according to a deontological ethics; and finally by using Immanuel Kant’s construct of the CI to assess the WorldCom scenario. For the purposes of this limited discussion,...
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...In this paper I argue that taking early screening test for diseases such as Dementia is a better approach than waiting for symptoms to occur. I begin by discussing what Kantian deontology is and the three formulations of Kant’s categorical imperatives before applying it to the case. I then weigh both sides of the argument before proving using Kantian theory my argument in addressing the dilemma in the case. Deontology is a kind of normative ethics wherein the moral rightness of an action is based on the adherence of duty or obligation (Alexander & Moore). The concept of deontology is in opposition against consequentialism in which the moral rightness or wrongness of an action depends on the consequences. Among philosophers, Immanuel Kant is...
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