Exam 2: Business Ethics and the Social Responsibility of Business

According to Adam Smith,the capitalistic system is composed of economic motivation,private productive property,free enterprise,free markets,competition,and limited government.

Under a strict utilitarian approach,it is ethical to force an individual to participate in a painful medical experiment if the purpose of the experiment is to develop a cure that will benefit large numbers of people.

From a Kantian perspective,for an action to be moral,it must be possible for it to be made into a universal law and it must respect the autonomy and rationality of all human beings.

The ethical decision-making approach that views ethical decisions from the actor's perspective and then judges whether the decisions were ethical is:

Although discussions have occurred,thus far legislators have not passed any statutes which seek to prevent corporate misconduct and increase corporate responsibility.

A common criticism of deontological ethical theories is that they:

Ethical relativism holds that when any two individuals or cultures differ regarding the morality of a particular issue or action,they are both correct because morality is relative.

The ethical theory that underlies cost-benefit analysis is:

Kant's approach,like that of ethical fundamentalists,asserts that universal laws stem from the direct pronouncements of God.

True cost-benefit analysis as a social theory:

How many stages are there in Kohlberg's theory of moral development?

Deontologists are sometimes criticized for rigidity and excessive formalism.

Factors leading to the need for the ethical and social responsibility of business are the demands of maintaining a competitive,fair marketplace and the size and power of individual corporations.

Deontological theories assess good and evil in terms of the consequences of actions rather than by the motives that lead to them.

How does Immanuel Kant's approach to ethical decision-making differ from that of an ethical fundamentalist?

An auto designer chooses to devote his efforts to designing an automobile that is the safest vehicle possible.He does so because he wishes to save lives and prevent disabling injuries.He believes he and his employer have a duty to provide the public with the safest possible vehicle.The designer's approach to ethical decision-making is best characterized as:

Through his observation of human behavior,psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg developed a model of moral development.Describe the stages of moral development that were studied and developed by Kohlberg and the relevance of this model for ethical business behavior.

Arguments favoring social responsibility of business entities include all but which of the following?

Most philosophers agree that people can discover fundamental ethical rules by applying careful a priori reasoning.

One criticism of utilitarianism is that it ignores justice in some important instances.