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Law, Ethics and Sustainability

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Submitted By MoeR94
Words 3666
Pages 15
Student ID: 1500119
BUSM1813: Law, Ethics and Sustainability
Tutor: Doug Wotherspoon

My wife and I recently moved to a village. Since our move there we have become very friendly with our nearest neighbour, who is an organic dairy farmer living with his wife and son. Ever since moving here the farmer has been very helpful in welcoming us to the neighbourhood, He has offered and done some work around the house and garden.
I have been aware that he and his family are finding it particularly difficult in making ends meet, due to the fall in the price of milk. We recently had a conversation where the farmer has confided in me saying he has plans to sell some of his dairy herd. After further questioning, the farmer admits to use the money from the sale to convert one of his barns into accommodation suitable for the intensive rearing of chickens, this is where I am faced with an issue of ethics.
The farmer plans on applying for a loan from the co-op bank of which I am a member, and saying that he intends to purchase solar panels with the loan. However, he intends to use all the money from the loan to buy a flock of chickens. Being a member of the Co-op and currently seeking to be a part of the Co-op council, I am faced with a dilema.
In this case study I will be discussing and evaluating three different ethical theories to help make a final decision as to what is the best solution to this problem. I will be using ethical egoism, utilitarianism and ethics of right and justice.

Ethical Egoism
Ethical egoism – act in the best interest of yourself, provided you act within the law of the land. "By the grace of reality and the nature of life, man -- every man -- is an end in himself, he exists for his own sake, and the achievement of his own happiness is his highest moral purpose" Pojman (1977). If I were acting in the interest of myself, I would have to question

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