Week 1 Discusion

   

Utilitarianism, Deontology, and Virtue Ethics: Case Study: Starbucks

   

This discussion assignment requires you to submit at least four posts: an initial post, two reply posts to fellow students in threads other than your own, and a revised post in response to the professor’s feedback.

   

Prepare: The initial post in this discussion must be informed by the required material for this discussion. Your preparation should focus on three classical ethical theories that are fundamental in any ethical analysis: utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. Since the subject of your examination is the Starbucks case, make sure to view the relevant multimedia carefully with an eye toward the various ethical problems that this company has had to confront.

   

Reflect: Keep in mind that although the notion of the moral good will vary among ethical theories, they often produce the same or similar results. So you should focus on the differences in (a) the intent and (b) the consequences of the action under examination. In utilitarianism, for example, the consequences of the action are weightier than the intent. Accordingly, even if the intent was morally questionable, the action is nonetheless morally good if it achieves good consequences for most. The opposite would be the case if the action were being examined from a deontological point of view. These reflections will aid your selection of an ethical theory for your initial post, as well as your critical examinations of the analysis from fellow students.

   Write: Start your initial post by identifying two characteristics of utilitarianism, two characteristics of virtue ethics, and two characteristics of deontology. Organize this part of your post so that it is clear which characteristics belong to which ethical theory. You can do this by means of subtitles, or by presenting a table. You should aim to write one complete and clear sentence for each characteristic rather than just one or a few words.

Then, take the position that Starbucks is guided by utilitarianism and analyze how the notion of the moral good in utilitarianism leads to a unique approach to ethical problems. The way to do this is as follows: First, present an ethical problem confronted by Starbucks. You can choose one such ethical problem from the video. Then, apply the characteristics of utilitarianism that you identified for this discussion in the attempt to solve this problem. After this, analyze how the notion of the moral good present in utilitarianism, and the characteristics that you identified in particular, shape the approach to solving this problem.  

 

Week 1 Quiz

 

               

Question 1.                

The idea that character traits can contribute to or take away from a happy and meaningful life describes

                                       moral relativism.

                                       duty theory.

                                        virtue ethics.

                                       care ethics.

 

                

Question 2.                

If Mr. Swanson, a college professor, says that there is no such thing as right and wrong and treats questions regarding what is good and evil as relative to an individual’s values and culture, this is an example of the theory of

                                       cultural objectivism.

                                        cultural relativism.

                                       deontology.

                                       utilitarianism.

 

                        

Question 3.                

An example of an intrinsic value for an employee would be

                                        accomplishing something of real value.

                                       getting a pay raise.

                                       receiving a bonus.

                                       being rewarded with a gift card.

 

                        

Question 4.                

The idea that we are born with basic moral principles that we use to judge people’s actions describes __________ theory.

                                       psychological altruism

                                        duty

                                       virtue

                                       utilitarian

 

  Question 5.               

Which theory of ethics says that we should make decisions that produce “the greatest good for the greatest number”?

                                       Kantian

                                       Duty

                                        Utilitarian

                                       Egoism

 

Question 6.                

Which of the following ethical frameworks explains that our decisions should be based on the overall consequences of our acts?

                                       Virtue ethics

                                       Duty theory

                                        Utilitarianism

                                       Social contract theory

 

  Question 7.               

The idea that women place a high value on caring and nurturing others is the _____ theory.

                                      utilitarian

                                       duty

                                        care ethics

                                       virtue ethics

 

Question 8.                

Which of the following would be an immoral act but not usually considered an illegal act?

                                       Lying on the witness stand

                                       Stealing from an employer

                                       Driving over the speed limit

                                        Cheating on an exam

 

                

Question 9.                

The main idea of utilitarianism is its focus on

                                      principles of virtue.

                                        the importance of the consequences of your actions.

                                       personal character.

                                       following rules with no regard to consequence.

 

  Question 10.             

Which of these statements about moral values is true?

                                       We are born with them.

                                       We learn them in ethics classes.

                                        We learn them from family and friends.

                                       We inherit them from our parents’ genetic make-up.

 

                        

Question 11.              

According to philosopher John Locke, which of the following statements about human rights is true?

                                       Human rights are created by governments.

                                        Each human has basic rights to life, health, liberty, and possessions.

                                       What human rights you are entitled to depend on where you live.

                                       Human rights do not stay with us during our entire life

 

                

Question 12.              

Janelle gives to charity because she enjoys the gratitude and recognition from the people she helps. This is an example of

                                        psychological egoism.

                                       altruism.

                                       care ethics.

                                       virtue ethics.

 

  Question 13.             

Which of the following ethical frameworks would support child labor if the consequences produced better overall results than the available alternatives?

                                       Deontology

                                       Virtue ethics

                                        Utilitarianism

                                       Moral relativism