Associate Level Material
Appendix B

Ethical Theories Chart

Complete the chart below using information from the weekly readings and additional research if necessary. Include APA formatted in-text citations when applicable and list all references at the bottom of the page.

|Ethical Theory | | | |
| | | | |
| |Utilitarianism |Deontological |Virtue ethics |
| |
|Definition | |Making choices that determine the sole |Describes the character of a moral agent as |
| |A consequentialist theory in a |purpose of morally required, forbidden, or|a driving force for ethical behavior rather |
| |normative ethics holding that the |permitted. |than by rules, consequences, or social |
| |right decision making is the one | |context. |
| |that maximizes overall happiness. | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|Ethical thinker associated with| |Highly ethical person (The Germans who hid|Aristotle |
|theory |Stakeholders (the involving |the Jewish family from the Nazi’s) Corrie | |
| |parties affected in the decision) |ten Boom | |
| | | | |
| |Mark Felt | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|Decision-making process | |In order to make a decision, an individual|An individual will make a moral decision |
| | |must examine the choices through a moral |based on the person’s professional |
| |The decision making process is to |compass. |association, the regulatory community, their|
| |think about all the stakeholders | |religious community, family, society, and/or|
| |that can be affected by the | |the company’s ethics office. |
| |decision. Making sure the person | | |
| |determine their decision by the | | |
| |moral worth of an action based on | | |
| |the resulting outcome. Think about| | |
| |the societal harms and benefits of| | |
| |an action. | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|Workplace example | |An employee has been overworked for the |A customer left their wallet. Company policy|
| |An employee was spotted by another|last two days. The employee need the hours|states to report any lost and found |
| |employee stealing baby pampers |but is too tired to focus. The manager |merchandise. The morally and ethical thing |
| |from the company. Before making |made the decision to let the employee stay|would be to turn the wallet in. The |
| |the decision of reporting the |on the clock, but go to the break room and|temptation that will be wrong in this |
| |employee think if the outcome will|rest for thirty minutes. It is against |situation will be to take the money and |
| |be better for overall harm |company policy to ride the clock. |throw away the wallet. Because of the |
| |/benefit. | |religious beliefs I would turn the wallet |
| | | |in. |
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| |

Reference: DECIDING WHAT’S RIGHT: A PRESCRIPTIVE APPROACH, Trevino, L., & Nelson, K. (2011). Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right (5th ed.). Ch. 2 pp.38-51, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.