Utilitarianism and Universal Ethics, Essay Example

Facts

Luke is an employee of ABC Company. His boss commanded him to work on a project that entailed to create and develop an adult entertaiment retail shop near his brother’s house, Owen.Luke knows the price of real estate located around this area will slump extremely when people know the adult store will open here in next month.Given his position in the company, Luke must keep the information confidential especially for the sake of protecting the concerns of the company.

Should Luke divulge his company’s plan to his brother or should he keep it secret ? In this ethical problem, there is a contrast between two good characteristics: generosity and loyalty. Luke must choose between advising Owen to accept the offer and sell his house at current market price or to take his responsibility towards his company of keeping the matter a secret under the rules of confidentiality?

Analysis

The choice on whether to submit his responsibilities to either his company or his brother is the real ethical dilemma that Luke has to face in this case. Noticeably, it could be understood that the desire to give his brother an idea of the real worth of his property at present [since he is already set to sell it anyway] is an ethical responsibility to drawn out by the fact that they are connected by blood. Herein, it could be agreed upon that he has such a role of giving his brother a better sense of his decisions especially in crucial situations such as this one. The value for his brother’s money and property is based upon the real valuation of personal ethical measures that Luke has to respond to as the keeper of his brother [a natural born role that Luke is expected to take because of the blood-lineage they share as defined through the application of familial ethics].

However, as a worker who has signed the contract of loyalty to his company, it is not only a personal reason that ought to push Luke to recognize his need to keep the matter confidential for the company. The said responsibility is also governed by the legal sanctions of the law of employment and contract protection. Should he choose to divulge the information to his brother, he would not only be questioned for his loyalty towards the company he works for but also for the value he places on the legal factors that governs the ways by which he functions for his organization.

Recommendation

Luke should consider utilitarianism as one of the bases for making his decisions. Utilitarianism stands for the idea that a decision is ethical if it benefits a majority of stakeholders.  When using this rule we must define who are our stakeholders. Typically, stakeholders include any person, entity, or thing that may be affected by the decision – the decision maker, the employer, other employees, the shareholders or creditors, the community, the environment(GENB4350 Week 3 Ethical Reasoning). Revealing secret to his brother will definitely have a negative impact on his prestige. Luke have to acknowledge that his decison will not only affect himself, but also his company, his brother and people living around this area.

For instance, if Luke decides to tell Owen about the company project, then Owen will immediately sell his house with high price; it is then expected that the reaction of Owen to this decision would be highly positive as he would of course be very appreciative of Luke’s concerns. However, the new owner of Owen’s house will likely feel frustrated and betrayed because their new house value drop substantially after a month of moving into the location.  The new owner may regret and feel cheated on by purchasing Owen’s house. Also, if Luke discloses Owen the secret, Owen may tell others about the matter. As a result, the community around this area will be uneasy and might make hasty decisions that are dependent on the condition of developing a more decisive plan that would make them sell their properties immediately [which will hurt the company’s financial assets later on]. Moreover, the community may go on strike in order to protest the opening of future adult store. The company may face a big issue and lose a lot of money.Finally, if Luke’s boss figure out what Luke have done, Luke may lose his job.

If Luke to choose to lie to Owen, he can keep his code of ethics, but the relationship between Luke and his brother can be worse if Owen figure out Luke know the project but do not want to tell him about it. In a much simpler picture, Luke’s decision would have a negative impact and a positive one depending on how he handles it. Owen’s reactions would have a jeopardizing impact to their personal connection; nevertheless, this would protect a larger value not only for the company he works for, but for the whole community where Owen lives.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Emmanuel Kant believed that there were certain ethical principles that were universal and that a person should, always and without exception, act as though his or her actions were to become a universal law that everyone would follow all of the time (GENB4350 Week 3 Ethical Reasoning). It should be understood then that the value of the greater number of individuals relying on the impact of the decision to be made ought to be carried into a much serious concern; hence probing Luke to recognize his responsibility towards his company at a much higher cost compared to the supposed responsibility he has towards his brother. Explaining the matter to his brother later on may smoothen out the situation.

Works Cited

Gauthier, David (2003). Practical Reasoning: The Structure and Foundations of Prudential and Moral Arguments and Their Exemplification in Discourse. Oxford University Press.

Gay, John (2002). “Concerning the Fundamental Principle of Virtue or Morality”. In Schneewind, J. B. Moral Philosophy from Montaigne to Kant. Cambridge University Press.

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