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ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
ETHICS
Utilitarianism: calculation of costs(-) and
benefits(+)
Universalism: duty
Virtue: character
Relativism: societal consensus
UTILITARIANISM: A CONSEQUENTIALIST
APPROACH
 An action is judged as right or good on the basis of its
consequences/results
 Greatest good for the greatest number of people
 Net benefits(+) over costs(-) are greater than other choices
 2 Types of Utilitarianism:
 Act-based: calculate consequences of each action we perform,
then determine on a case by case basis whether an action is
morally right or wrong i.e. wasting time by watching TV is morally
wrong since our time could be spent on charity work for greater
social benefits
 Rule-based: a certain behavioral rule or principle is morally right if
the consequences of adopting that rule are more favorable than
unfavorable to everyone i.e. adopting moral rule: “stealing is wrong”
against theft would clearly has more favorable consequences than
unfavorable for everyone
UTILITARIANISM: A CONSEQUENTIALIST
APPROACH (CON’T)
 Use when:
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Resources are fixed or scarce
Priorities are in conflict
No clear choice fulfills everyone’s needs/goals
Large or diverse groups are in a zero-sum (one gain, one loss)
decision
 Problems with utilitarianism include:
 No agreement exists about the definition of “good” for all
concerned
 No agreement exists about who decides
 The actions are not judged, but rather their consequences
 How are the costs and benefits of nonmonetary stakes
measured?
 Does not consider the individual
 The principles of rights and justice are ignored
UNIVERSALISM: A DEONTOLOGICAL
(DUTY-BASED) APPROACH
 The means (method/ system) justify the ends of an
action
 Regardless of consequences, based on universal
principles i.e. justice, fairness, honesty, and respect
 Must do the right thing, even it’s not good for most of
people
 Categorical imperative (Kant): duty to act responsibly
and respectfully toward all individuals in a situation
 Choose to act if and only if every person on earth, in that
same situation, should act exactly the same way
 In an ethical dilemma, act in a way that respects and treats
all others involved as ends as well as means to an end
UNIVERSALISM: A DEONTOLOGICAL
(DUTY-BASED) APPROACH (CON’T)
 Major weaknesses include:
 Principles are imprecise and lack practical
utility
 Hard to resolve conflicts of interest
 Does not allow for prioritizing one’s duties
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
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A situation where one relationship /obligation places
you in direct conflict with existing relationship
/obligation
A situation in which you cannot legally be involved in
one business activity, because you have connections
with another business that would gain an unfair
advantage from your involvement
Example: The businessman who also being a politician
might has conflict of interest between his profit from
company and the wealth of nation, by imposition some
rules or taxes related to his business.
VIRTUE ETHICS: CHARACTER-BASED

Focus on long-term characteristics, general
notion of good person

A concept of living life according to a
commitment to the achievement of a clear
ideal— “What sort of person would I like to
become, and how do I go about becoming that
person?”
ETHICAL RELATIVISM: A SELF-INTEREST
APPROACH
 No universal standards or rules
 People set their own moral standards for judging
their actions
 Ethical relativism is the theory that holds that morality
is relative to the norms of one's culture. That is,
whether an action is right or wrong depends on the
moral norms of the society in which it is practiced.
 Benefits include:
 Ability to recognize and value the distinction
between individual and social values, customs,
and moral standards