Summary: The Utilitarianism Theory

Ethical and unethical conduct and decision often result from the emergence of a situation that advances either an ethical deliberation or concern. According to Ferrell and Fraedrich (2016), an ethical issue represents a challenge, opening or situation necessitating an individual or organization to choose from a range of options and that must be appraised as morally right or wrong. Notable, It is important to understand that ethical issues can be interpreted in various ways and are uncertain in the future. Also, ethical issues can be problematic because they induce or incorporate some form of dilemma. In fact, a study by Shapiro, Stefkovich, and Gutierrez, (2014)) has identified moral intensity of an issue and dilemma as critical factors …show more content…
The moral principle of the theory states that an act is considered morally right if it generates maximum benefits to the society as a whole (Conway & Gawronski, 2013).Unlike the ethical egoism theory, the utilitarianism theory concentrates on an action that will lead to a long-term benefit to the society. Based on the definition, the theory requires Jill to consider the benefits of each action and identify the one that would more likely lead to greatest net advantage to the greatest number of personnel’s. Worth noting, Henry success in the current position indicates his competency in holding a managerial position, which would in return lead to increased overall productivity in the organization. Hence, the theory insists on recommending the candidate for maximum benefit of …show more content…
The dilemmas incorporate a range of options to a specified problem making it difficult to come up with a more appropriate ethical decision. Besides, choosing an option from a variety of choices does not guarantee the morality of the decision. Nevertheless, some theoretical approaches have been suggested to help in decision-making including ethical egoism, utilitarianism, and deontological theory. The ethical egoism concentrates on the individual interest while the utilitarianism theory concentrates on the outcome of a decision. Additionally, the deontological theory insists on making an ethical decision based on organization rules and obligation. Needless to say, the utilitarian theory tends to be the best approach towards making the most appropriate ethical decision on the given scenario because it is concentrated on its impact of the action to the general organization and not for individual