Describe the concepts - Morality, Utilitarianism and Human Values.

Explain what ethical issues are

faced by corporations in business functions and decisions, at global level and in India.

Morality

Moral is generally taken to mean behaviour that conforms to some code of conduct which is held to
be authoritative in matters of right and wrong. The set of principles that define what is right and
wrong being called 'morality'. Morality for some is a set of rules. For others, morality is based upon
a set of principles. Some accept morality as the teachings of parents or society. Others believe
every individual is capable of determining morality. Some believe that what is relevant to the
discussion of morals is that you can believe what you want until it affects someone else. Others
believe that morality includes private ideas that may affect only the individual holding the idea.

The Purpose of Morality

1. To lead people to behave in accordance with the wishes of a divine authority.

2. To lead people to behave in a way that benefits society at large rather than their own narrow
self-interest.

3. To lead people to control their desires and aversions in the belief that this will result in a more
satisfying, rewarding and contented way of life.

Religion clearly plays an important part in many people's moral decisions, and for those with a
religious faith moral behaviour is often seen as being necessary, both as an act of obedience to God's
wishes and as a requirement for spiritual development.

Not all codes of conduct are moral. There are etiquettes, regulations, laws and religious observances,
all of which seek to order our lives, but breaches of which might not be thought morally wrong.
Wearing pyjamas to a business meeting might be a breach of etiquette, accidentally overstaying on a
parking meter may be unlawful, but neither of these acts would normally be thought to be immoral.

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism is the idea that the moral worth of an action is determined solely by its usefulness in
maximizing utility and minimizing negative utility (utility can be defined as pleasure, preference
satisfaction, knowledge or other things)

Utilitarianism is a philosophical theory of morality and "how one should act". It states that one
should act so as to maximize the amount of happiness in the world (focuses on the CONSEQUENCES
of actions). The essence of Utilitarianism is in its concept of pleasure and pain. Utilitarian philosophy
sees “good” as anything that increases pleasure and reduces pain. It is a philosophy of outcomes. If
the outcome of an action serves to increase pleasure and reduce pain, then the action is considered
good.
Human Values

Human values are cognitive representations of human motives. They are not direct
perceptions of needs nor are the other feelings. Values are conceptions, by reason reshaped ideas of
what is good and desired for an individual. Human values are an individual matter, because each
person judges what is good and important and what is not.

These judgments relate to things that are good and important for him personally, for a
social group he belongs to or the society as whole and in general.
Human values can be classified in different ways. There are positive values and negative values.
Positive values are those that lead us towards freedom, peace, fulfilment and happiness. They are
warm, shining and uplifting hence it is directed upwards.

Negative values are those that lead us towards bondage, conflict, sorrow, dark and debasing. Hence
negative values are directed downwards.

Ethical issues faced by corporations in business functions and decisions

Many ethical conflicts develop from conflicts between the differing interests of company owners and
their workers, customers, and surrounding community. Managers must balance the ideal against the
practical—the need to produce a reasonable profit for the company's shareholders with honesty in
business practices, safety in the workplace, and larger environmental and social issues. Ethical issues
in business have become more complicated because of the global and diversified nature of many
large corporations and because of the complexity of government regulations that define the limits of
criminal behaviour.