The Consequential Or Teleological Theories Philosophy Essay

The Consequential Or Teleological Theories Philosophy Essay Introduction This chapter presents an overview of the literature on the concept of ethics. First, we present the different definitions of ethics in the existing literature. An overview of the ethics current theoretical developments is then presented. Section 1: Concept of ethics Contrary to what one might think, ethics is not a new pheromone (Gà ©nard, 1992). It was originally identified by Greek and Roman philosophers. Inspired by the works of his predecessors Socrates and Plato, Aristotle is considered as the father of the ethics concept (Lavorata, 2004) which had been widely discussed over several decades by many philosophers who proposed several definitions to this concept. I. Ethics definitions The word Ethics is derived from the ancient Greek word Ethikos, which mean character (Reese, 1990). According to the Universal Philosophical Encyclopedia, ethics is the science of moral and human conduct. Nonetheless, many definitions of this concept had been suggested in the literature. For example, Taylor (1975, p.1) defined ethics as an: inquiry into the nature and grounds of morality, where morality means moral judgments, standards, and rules of conduct. Gove (1976, p.210) defines ethics as the study of what constitutes good and bad human conduct, including related actions and values. For Beauchamp and Bowie (1983, p.3), ethics is the inquiry into theories of what is good and evil and into what is right and wrong, and thus is inquiry into what we ought and ought not to do. As it could be noticed, in all the above definitions the term ethics refers to the study of moral conduct (Tsalikis and Fritzsche, 1989). However, the boundaries between morality and ethics are sometimes blurred and they should be differentiated in order to clarify the concept of ethics (Shaw and Barry, 2001). 1. Ethics and morality The terms ethics and morality are derived from the same root which often causes confusion. Some authors consider that the distinction between the two concepts is unnecessary (Ricoeur, 1990; Even-Granboulan, 1998). However, others academicians make a distinction between them (Iannone, 1989; Boatright, 2000; Ferrell et al.; 2000; and Petrick and Quinn, 2001). For example, Grace and Cohen (1998, p.4) claim that there is no reason to make a distinction in meaning between ethical and moral. There is no difference in meaning which could be attributed to their etymological roots, while, Beauchamp and Bowie (2001) argued that morality is the principles of moral as defined by society, while ethics refers to individual rules. In fact, ethics concept had been also closely related to deontology. In the following, this relation is presented in more details. 2. Ethics and deontology Ricoeur (1990) identifies three components of ethics: a subjective component (life good for itself according to Aristotle), an interpersonal one (or the concern for others in reference to Kant) and a societal component (or the concern for the institution). The societal component refers to the concept of deontology. Thus, the definition of deontology is literally a set of codes of conduct specific to a profession. The following diagram summarizes the different concepts and relationships between ethics, morality and deontology. Figure 1: Definitions and relationships between Ethics, morality and deontology, (Lavorata, 2004, p.20) II. Ethics school of thoughts There are three approaches in the study of ethics: normative ethics, descriptive ethics, and meta-ethics (De George, 1982). Normative ethics Normative ethics is the study of how we should behave (Pascal, 1670; Spinoza, 1677; Kant, 1781). It attempts to justify the principles or the values of a moral system (Tsalikis and Fritzsche, 1989). The normative ethical theories are classified into three groups: 1-Consequential or teleological theories; 2- Single rule non-consequential or deontological theories; and 3-Multiple rule non-consequential theories. Consequential or teleological theories These theories argue that the evaluation of the rightness of an action is determined by considering its consequences (Ferrell and Gresham, 1985). Researchers have demonstrated that teleological theories involve several constructs such as: (1) the individuals behavior and its effect on various stakeholder groups particularly customers and employers; (2) the estimate probability that the consequences will occur to the stakeholders;  (3) the evaluation of desirability or undesirability of each consequence; (4) the analysis of the importance of the stakeholder groups (Tsalikis and Fritzsche, 1989). Moreover, according to these authors, when using teleological evaluation, the individual acts in a manner that produces at least as great a ratio of good to evil as any other course (Tsalikis and Fritzsche, 1989, p.697). The two major consequential theories are egoism and utilitarianism. Egoism holds that individuals act in a way that creates the greatest gain for their self-interest (Hunt and Vitell, 1986). Contrary to ethical egoism, utilitarianism holds that the individual behaves in a manner that produces the greatest good for everyone (DeConinck and Lewis, 1997; Loo, 2004). These theories only look at the consequences of actions, not at its foundations (the end justifies the means) (Bougerra et al., 2011). Single rule non-consequential or deontological theories Some researchers contend that to determine the morality of an action, many other factors should be taken into account other than its consequences. These theories appeal to a single rule. The two main single rules non-consequential theories are: the golden rule: Do unto others as youd have them unto you. In other words, we have to treat individuals the way we want to be treated (Tsalikis and Fritzsche, 1989). The other single-rule non-consequential theory is Kants categorical imperative (Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end.). Multiple rule non-consequential theories These theories claim that the moral rightness or  wrongness is determined by moral rules that cant be reduced to a single moral rule. These theories are a mixture of teleological and deontological theories. 2. Descriptive ethics The second approach is descriptive ethics and it deals with the human behavior. This approach aims to study and describe what is moral and immoral, as well as the factors affecting the evolution of moral principles and values (Rich, 1994). According to Pera and Van Tonder (2005, p.7), descriptive ethics does not pass moral judgments on conduct or beliefs; it merely describes what certain people believe to be right or wrong without judging these beliefs. Desjardins and McCall (2000, p.5) noted that the distinction between descriptive and normative ethics is related to the difference between what is and what ought to be. In the same vein, Beauchamp and Bowie (2001, p.6-7) claimed that normative moral philosophy aims at determining what ought to be done, which needs to be distinguished from what is, in fact, practiced. 3. Meta-ethics The third approach was defined as the study of moral reasoning (Tsalikis and Fritzsche, 1989). It analyzes ethical concepts, which explains why it is also called analytical ethics (Rich, 1994). Meta-ethics analyses questions about the meaning of right and wrong or good and bad (Pera and Van Tonder, 2005). According to Creasia and Parker (1991), meta-ethics is the linking between ethical beliefs and the real world. Section 2: Business ethics As we stated before, research on business ethics, and most importantly on marketing ethics has begun to expand since the publication of Bogarts article (1962) The Researchers Dilemma (Jones and Kavanagh, 1996; Rao and Singhapakdi, 1997; Tsalikis and Fritzsche, 1989). It has gained growing interest among marketing scholars in the 1980s (Hunt and Vitell, 1983; Chonko and Burnett, 1983; Gresham, 1985). Studies in this domain had taken two main orientations: normative one or positive one. Normative studies aimed to develop guidelines and rules for marketers. Positive studies, in particular, in the last three decades focus on the description and the development of models and theories (Chonko and Hunt, 2000). But, what are the reasons behind this interest to study ethics in marketing? I. Reasons of the growing interest in business ethics According to Lavorata (2004), this growing interest in business ethics can be explained by several reasons: 1- external reasons and 2- internal reasons. 1. External reasons The integration of ethics by organizations can be explained by external reasons such as consumers pressure (Mercier, 1999). According to a survey conducted by the Foundation of France in 1997, 63% of consumers claimed to be sensitive to firms supporting a humanitarian cause. Thus, Ethics becomes a way to retain consumers. In fact, competitive pressure incited firms to look for new positioning and for means of differentiation from their competitors. Implementing strategies based on social responsibility and ethical practices is considered as a means to achieve this objective. Indeed; this may boost one firms public image and contribute in building long-term relationships with clients (Schwepker and Hartline 2005; Thomas et al., 2004). Moreover, the awareness about ethics importance and consequences seems to be boosted by top managers as a result of many scandals that had shaken the business world: WorldCom, a huge accounting scandal estimated at $11 billion. Enron, fraud and conspiracy in January 2006. Merck and GlaxoSmithKline, pharmaceutical companies, have had to retire drugs that have been considered unsafe for public use. Each new disgrace seemed to create a buzz for organizational change (Barnes, 2006). As a matter of fact, in 1920, Henry Ford wrote: A company must make profits otherwise it will die. But if we want the company to only run for profit, it will also die since it will have no reason for being. In 2001, the CEO of Lafarge B. Colomb has echoed these ethical concerns: Far from being expensive, ethics is a critical success factor. 2. Internal reasons The internationalization of organizations has led to a weakening of the corporate culture and in particular a loss of collective benchmarks (Lavorata, 2004). Moreover, individual ethics is the subject of an ongoing dilemma (Seidel, 1995). In fact, the organization must ensure its profitability and profit: its objective is then to reduce costs while boosting employee productivity (Mercier, 1999). Conclusion Despite its historical origins, ethics remains a subject matter of a special concern for contemporary academicians. In fact, it has been shown that ethics domain has undergone major changes in its foundations. This current widespread preoccupation among researchers about ethics led to an increased awareness about business ethics. The marketing is seemingly even more concerned. Indeed, the activities in this domain are often considered to be unethical (Baumhart, 1961; Brenner and Molander, 1977; Murphy and Lazcniak, 1981). According to Chonko et al. (1996), ethical abuse may take place as marketing professionals and particularly salespersons often face bothersome ethical problems in business. In fact, sales representatives are under great pressure and they are constant targets of ethical criticism (Mantel, 2005; Abratt and Penman, 2002). In this context, according to a survey of 1,324 workers including salespersons, managers, and executives conducted by USA Today, 48% of workers admit to do unethical or illegal acts (Jones 1997, p.1). In the same line, Jolson (1997) argued that for a long time, the sales representative was a person who put pressure on his customer by questionable techniques and whose only philosophy was increasing sales regardless the means used. The following chapter deals more in details with the (un)ethical behavior of sales representatives in marketing literature.

Top 10 Commercial :: GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Top 10 Commercials Introduction We are said to spend two years of our lifetime watching commercials on television. If we spend that much time on watching something, that something better be very good and worthwhile. The video Top 10 Commercials ranks ten America’s favorite commercials of all time based on the commercial’s creativity, originality, inventiveness and style. Commercial clips are one genre of art form with a very different objective from any other art—to sell goods. These commercials are very successful achieving their AIDA, and they do so in various forms; the commercial clips amused me very much, and they just did what they are supposed to on me. Video Contents— Categorizing the ranked commercials It was a very interesting learning experience to see how different commercials have different ways of achieving the same goal of â€Å"selling†Ã¢â‚¬â€some of them spot their target market and focused only on the TM, where others may want to be â€Å"catchy† to any potential viewers or to be a pure attention grabber. Commercials Focused on Their TM Bartles and Jaymes Wine Cooler commercial and Life Cereal commercial can be categorized in this type. Mr. Bartles speaks in Southern accent in a very calm tone and tells us how their wine cooler can be so soothing after working hard for a day with his non-speaking buddy Mr. Jaymes. This commercial intentionally picked these two Mid West guys to represent the product for its TM to relate to these men—very genuine, somebody just like themselves. Life Cereal had overlooked who its real target market was until the company realized that the children were the ones who eat the product. Again, Life Cereal also used characters the TM children would relate to in the commercial, and let them speak their â€Å"own language† just like Bartles and Jaymes spoke good old American Southern English—â€Å"Mikey likes it!† The Noxzema Shaving Cream can be also sorted into this category, as well as being a great attention-getter, because the woman is not â€Å"seducing† the wives or the girlfriends who have to buy shaving cream for their men, but the user themselves. She wanted men in America to â€Å"take it all off†, and the guys didn’t feel too bad about it either. â€Å"Catchy, Catchy, What a Cutie Speedy is!† Jingle, characters and animated icons and catch phrases make the commercials stick to consumers’ heads and they keep doing their jobs outside of their airtime.

Holly Bobo

It is not completely known that an actual crime has occurred, there hasn’t been enough evidence to prove that there has been a crime. I would want to interview her 25 years old brother, Clint. He reported seeing her being taken into the woods by a white male with all camouflage clothing. He said he only saw the back of this male and thought it was her boyfriend until he walked outside and saw some blood in front of their house. I would interview Clint because he was the last person that saw Holly and he also saw the man that kidnapped her. I would ask questions about the man who he saw take her. Also, about the path that this man took her. Finally, if he has noticed any weirdness from his sister the past couple of days or weeks. Then, I would want to interview Heather Sullivan, which is a woman in her town, she was approached by a man a couple of months before Holly’s disappearance, but she was so startled that she dropped the glass lamp that she was holding. When she dropped it got her boyfriends attention and he scared the man off. I would like to get from her details about the man that tried to kidnap her and see if Clint and her details maybe match up. Finally I would like to interview Whitney Duncan, which is her cousin. I would want to find out how close they were and if they talked on a regular basis and if she noticed anything not normal with her. I would obtain criminal records from each of these people and see if they’ve had any criminal history in the past that might pertain to this case. Also, I would want to obtain phone and text message records from each person. I would want to identify if there were any subspecies phone calls or text messages. I would want to collect the hair that was stuck to the piece of duck tape. This evidence could tell investigators who the hair belongs to and what part of the body it has came from. Also, I would want to collect her cell phone, this can prove to investigators who she made calls to and if there were any strange or threatening text messages. Also, it could have finger prints other than Holly’s. I would investigate the blood that was found at her home to find out if it belonged to Holly. Finally, I would want to obtain the lunch box that was found in the woods. It could provide investigators with finger prints if their were any other than hers. All the evidence would be carefully placed in the right kind of container or bag. Once it is placed in the right container, it would need to be tagged with the time, location, name of the person that collected it; then it is sent off to the lab to be investigated. Once they are done it is sent off for more investigation and it should be labeled with the names of the person sending it off, the time, and location. The primary scene is Holly’s home from where she was abducted from. This is the primary because it is the main place as to where the abduction occurred. The secondary scene is the woods. This is because this was the place where she was taken to after being abducted from her home. Then, there is another scene that the public or investigators don’t know about yet because there hasn’t been any other evidence leading to another scene. As for the other persons that would be investigated and records obtained from I would also obtain the phone and text messages records from Holly as well. These records would be important because it would tell investigators if there were any unusual phone calls or text messages sent or received from Holly. Also, I would investigate her Facebook and Myspace to find out if there were any unusual things going on through her social network sites. The locard exchange principle can apply to this case if her body has been found mostly. It is possible that other fibers can be found on the duck tape that the hair is stuck to. Also, some could be on the cell phone near the ear piece if the perpetrator used her cell phone. His DNA can possibly be on the ear piece of the phone. If people that Holly knew were ruled out I would suspect that maybe a neighbor that has been stocking her could be a potential perpetrator. It could be anyone that knew her schedule and her parents schedule. Whoever abducted her had to have known that her parents were gone and that she left for school at a certain time. I would document where all the evidence was found, the times it was found, and who found the evidence. I would document all the details that witnesses know about the perpetrator that abducted her. I would find out if anyone in the neighborhood saw a complete stranger just hanging around. If someone saw that then it could be a potential stalker of Holly. I would have of course TBI because it did happen in Tennessee so they would have to be involved in this case. I would also have FBI involved in this case because it is possible that they have traveled out of the Tennessee area. Of course volunteers they can be a big help in trying to find clues that lead to the end of a crime. I would also keep posting it on TV because some things can jog someone’s memory and that could lead you to your suspect. One possible motive could be that it was someone that wanted to date her and she didn’t want to date them so they wanted to get at her and her boyfriend and cause harm to her. Another could be that it was an ex-boyfriend and she didn’t want to have any contact with him or they ended on bad terms, which could have set him off and caused him to do this to her. Finally, another motive could have been just some random stranger that had been stalking her and knew that she left at a certain time in the morning for school and knew that her parents were gone and didn’t know her brother was still in the house and he could have just wanted to cause harm to her. I think these are viable motives because really it is only possible that someone that knew her schedule could commit this. A theory could be that her ex-boyfriend wanted to still be with her and he knew that she was with someone else and he didn’t like that she was. So he wanted to get back at her. He knew that she was on her way to school so he parked his car on a road behind the woods and when he saw her at her car went and grabbed her and made her come with him. He could have put the duck tape over her mouth and she ripped it off and that’s when he made her walk to his car. She had the lunch box still in her hand when they went in the woods and he could have made her drop it and then they drove off and went to another location. Another theory could be that a stalker could have just been planning to kidnap and harm this young lady. So he would watch her a lot and see the times her parents and her left and then the morning of April 13th he walked through the woods and went and grabbed her and made her walk through the woods to a car and he took her to another destination. It is possible that maybe her parents owed someone money for something that they were doing on the side and since they weren’t home and they saw that Holly as leaving the house they decided to abduct her and harm her as well. Finally, it is possible that a coworker could have had some kind of beef with her about something and they wanted to come abduct her and take her away from her family. So they watched her throughout a couple of days and figured out the times nobody was home and when she was on her way to school. And when she went out to her car someone jumped out of the woods and grabbed her and took her with them and they are at another location that investigators haven’t discovered yet.

Aldous Huxley s Brave New World - 1564 Words

Envision a world where everybody is happy, there is no sorrow or suffering, no fear of death, no misery, everything is pleasant, and the government doles out happy pills, known as Soma. Aldous Huxley’s novel â€Å"Brave New World† describes this world. Is everyone truly happy, and what do the citizens sacrifice in exchange for living in this utopia? Huxley helped shape the modern mind with provocative theories about humankind s destiny, and he was concerned with the possible social and moral implications that advances in science and technology could hold. Set in a dystopian London six hundred years into the future, the novel follows future citizens through the â€Å"Brave New World.† The novel is a warning for any religion-deprived, heavily†¦show more content†¦He prefers to deal with his emotions, even if they are dismal. Bernard’s companion is Lenina Crowe, and unlike Bernard, Lenina is happy to accept life in the new world and takes Soma regu larly. Offended by frivolous sex, Soma, and the cloned human beings, John, also known as the Savage, is the main character in the novel. Desiring the right to be unhappy and knowing the truth will allow John to experience being human. At the conclusion of the story, he hangs himself to escape the â€Å"Brave New World† (Huxley 152). Helmholtz Watson, another friend of John and Bernard’s, has a shared dislike of the â€Å"World State† and is dissatisfied with his life. Material possessions do not create contentment for these men. In the â€Å"Brave New World,† people remain happy, they acquire everything they desire, never become ill, and they have no fear of death. The citizens have no responsibilities that come with children and relationships (Huxley 128). However, if something should go wrong, there is always Soma to alleviate suffering. In this futuristic society, the world is comprised of the â€Å"World State† and is controlled by a dictatoria l government that provides citizens with a drug called Soma to ensure happiness. The drug is a symbol of the dominant influence of modern technology and science. Used as a metaphor in the novel, Soma removes individual freedoms and promotes social stability. The story doesn’t explain the pharmacology of Soma;Show MoreRelatedAldous Huxley s Brave New World1334 Words   |  6 Pageso read Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is to understand the fear for the future during the 1930’s. Widely considered ahead of its time, Brave New World is one of the most influential novels regarding the destructive outcome of genetic and public manipulation through regime control. The story contrasts two worlds: the traditional world where the â€Å"savages† reside and the new World State: a negative utopia where unrestrained sexual freedom, reproductive technology, and mind numbing drugs run rampantRead MoreAldous Huxley s Brave New World1329 Words   |  6 PagesIn Aldous Huxley, Brave New World, life is peaceful without any rebellion from its citizens. The society is called ‘The World State’, where scientist can finally produce eggs, without women getting pregnant. As a result, there is no such thing as a â€Å"family†, and the word ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ are consider as obscene. â€Å". . . the loathsomeness and moral obliquity of childbearing –– merely gross, a scatological rather than a pornographic impropriety† (Huxley 159). They use the Bokanovsky Process, inRead MoreAldous Huxley s Brave New World1080 Words   |  5 PagesComplete Control† Today, one s perceptions of happiness are more often than not associated with material achievements, advancements, or perhaps, love. In Brave New World, however, happiness is based upon the pursuit of stability and emotional equilibrium Aldous Huxley s dystopian novel, Brave New World serves as a warning of the ominous. Set in London, the totalitarian regime instills the motto of stability, community, [and] identity(Huxley.1.1) in its citizens. Huxley s dystopia attempts to findRead MoreAldous Huxley s Brave New World Essay1800 Words   |  8 PagesAccording to Webster’s New World Dictionary, bravery is â€Å"possessing or exhibiting courage or courageous endurance† (Agnes 178). Oftentimes, people are commended for acts of bravery they complete in the heat of a moment or overcoming a life-changing obstacle. Rarely one is commended for simply living a brave life, facing challenges they do not even understand. The characters in the Aldous Huxley’s Brave New Wor ld live a peculiar lifestyle demonstrating bravery for just breathing. Although Huxley’sRead MoreAldous Huxley s A Brave New World1649 Words   |  7 PagesAldous Huxley has presented us a compelling story in the 20th-century called a Brave New World. One of the most notable dystopian novels, it calls for a reader to conceptualize a world, in which society and science are synonymous with each other, history had faded far into obscurity, and Henry Ford, the creator of the assembly line, becomes a deity to many uniformed individuals. The book was about how humans are no longer created by the conventional means of mating, rather artificially, throughRead MoreAldous Huxley s Brave New World1904 Words   |  8 PagesAldous Huxley’s Brave New World, published in 1932, is a masterpiece of science fiction. 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They are educated that when an object or good is in need of fixing, they must get ridRead MoreAldous Huxley s Brave New World2645 Words   |  11 PagesTimes: Aldous Huxley was born into a family of renowned scientists in 1894. He lost his mother at age 14, became virtually blind due to illness three years later, and lost his older brother to suicide at age 21. Despite these setbacks, he went back to school after dropping out of Eton and earned a degree in English literature from Oxford. Because of his blindness, he was not able to do the scientific research he had previously wanted to do, and turned to writing. He wrote Brave New World in fourRead MoreAldous Huxley s Brave New World2041 Words   |  9 Pagesâ€Å"I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself†- Aldous Huxley. Throughout Aldous Huxley’s life he encountered malicious experiences that changed him drastically. He found out that he was a great writer through the dreadful and exceptional events in his life. In the novel Brave New World, Huxley uses conflict and characterization to illustrate how the adv ancement of technology can potentially cause human destruction and how individual motivationRead MoreAnalysis Of Aldous Huxley s Brave New World1420 Words   |  6 Pagesexcessive effort to become perfect can be counteractive and lead to dysfunctionality. In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, characters live in a dystopian society that sprouted from the human yearning for perfection. Although the citizens in Brave New World are genetically engineered to be perfect individuals and are on soma constantly to keep them happy and efficient, they lack individuality.. Brave New World is a novel that clearly demonstrates that trying to create a perfect society can result in