Business Ethics and Deontology free essay sample

The army considers itself to be descended from the Continental Army and thus dates its inception from the origins of that force [2] (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Describe an ethical problem you have confronted in a business situation Many may say it not a business but many others will say that it is in its own way, others will say it’s a brother and sister hood. According to reference. om the term business has at least three usages, depending on the scope — the singular usage to mean a particular company or corporation, the generalized usage to refer to a particular market sector, such as the music business and compound forms such as agribusiness, or the broadest meaning to include all activity by the community of suppliers of goods and services. However, the exact definition of business, like much else in the philosophy of business, is a matter of debate. Now the US Army provide a service to the people of the United State that service is to protect and defend the constitution of the United States. We will write a custom essay sample on Business Ethics and Deontology or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The ethical problem that I was confronted with or experienced in this business situation a few years ago was with a promotion that I was in line for, but did not get based on the very subjective opinion of my supervisor at the time. I was a young soldier with just 9 months in the service of this great country and my first sergeant who held a position comparable to that of a manager in the civilian sector was considering promoting me to the next rank, which would mean more responsibility, and place me on the fast track of my military career. My supervisor, who knew I was qualified for the promotion, would not approve of me advancing to the position of first sergeant. When asked why I was ineligible for the promotion no legitimate explanation was offered t that time, with no timeline offered to revisit or discuss what his concerns were my promotion would be delayed and ultimately derailing my movement along the fast track . During the period leading up to my promotion I participated in a very competitive and dueling appearance in front of the soldier of the month board, where I successfully scored 495 out of a possible 500 points. I also lead my section in accomplishing the title of Top Gun honors where I instruct ed six soldiers on how to successfully occupy an area and be ready for combat in the least amount of time without bringing harm to fellow soldiers. My First Sergeant and Commander recognized me for being the best amongst my peers. After reflecting on my actions and with hesitation I decided to seek out my Staff Sergeant for a private session where he could hopefully offer some insight as to why my promotion was denied. My Staff Sergeant claimed he was a Christian and often cited scriptures that he used as a moral compass to guide his decisions, he always presented himself as a fair man with an open door policy so I set up a meeting and hoped it would shed some light on my denial. He went on to explain, that while I exhibited exemplary leadership skills, and was recognized by my First Sergeant and Commander he did not feel that I warranted the promotion because it took him 14 months to get to the rank of Specialist while It would only take me 9 months, and â€Å"no one working under me no matter how competent would make that rank in less than the time it took him to make it. Describe the deontological implications of the ethical problem you have described The deontological implications of the ethical problem according to online Philosophy— Ethics this category addresses the question of what makes one action right and another one wrong irrespective of the consequences of the action. It emphasizes what is the right thing to do rather than what is the good thing to do. The term deontological derives from the Ancient Greek word for ‘duty’ which neatly encapsulates this approach. Thus, theories of this type seek to justify our duty to behave in some ways, not behave in other ways. This is in direct contrast with teleological theories. In the latter whether we are violent or not would be judged right or wrong depending on the consequences. But in deontological theories the violence would be considered in isolation: is violent behavior right or wrong in itself. The problem with having rules for anything is that they are supposed to work in all situations at all times (otherwise there is not much point in having rules). Even a fairly narrow acquaintance with life shows us that there always seems to be exceptions to rules – particularly when it comes to complex things like human behavior. So, can we do without rules (which deal in generalizing about behavior) and just decide what to do in the one situation we find ourselves in at the time? Some have thought that this can be the case. This looks attractive in that it gets us out of the problem of having rules which can’t always be made to apply. The trouble is, even a cursory examination makes the proposition look inadequate. In this case my Staff Sergeant would have to be placed in the category of using Egoism to break the rules to accommodate his personal agenda. My promotion was denied solely on the basis of resentment. There was no adherence to any religious scripture that could have justified his actions. Describe how Kants Categorical Imperative applies to your chosen business problem. Kants Categorical Imperative (Act only on that maxim whereby thou canst at the same time that it should become a universal law) provides the source of right action. Its first formulation states Act as if the maxim of your actions were to secure through your will a universal law of nature; its second formulation states Always act so as to treat humanity, whether in your own person or that of another, as an end in itself, never as a means only. Actions that conform to these imperatives (i. e. , right actions) and are, furthermore, done from a sense of duty, are the epitome of morally praiseworthy actions. Critics of Kants approach claim that his Categorical Imperative does not contain within it a way to resolve conflicts of duties. Lying is wrong can be interpreted as Never lie and thus Universal Principles can harden into Absolute Principles. In this case Kant’s Categorical Imperative applies in that his actions did not represent a sense of duty, or that of a religious person who claimed that God guided his actions and provided him with an even higher sense of purpose to do what is right. How could a man who claimed he had to answer to a higher power, engage in such an act and do so with such blatant disregard. In closing an explanation has been offered to show how the United States Army can also be compared to that of a business. I also show that the actions of my supervisor can be used to demonstrate a violation of deontological theory in that my Staff Sergeant’s reason for not allowing my promotion can only be attributed to resentment. When looking at Kants Categorical Imperative â€Å"Act as if the maxim of your action were to secure through your will a universal law of nature; He demonstrated this by allowing his past experiences to skew his judgment to prevent the promotions of soldiers and instill a sense of distrust in higher ranking officials. REF http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/United_States_Army Philosophy— Ethics http://www. phil. cmu. edu/cavalier/80130/part2/sect8. html Online Guide to Ethic and Moral Philosophy http://www. sevenoaksphilosophy. org/ethics/deontology. html http://www. reference. com/