Question

A complaint of sexual harassment by a part-time worker in a hardware business was upheld when the Tribunal found that the employer had failed to take sufficient action in relation to the employee's report of inappropriate behaviour. The alleged sexual harassment included kissing, touching her breasts and leg, persistent requests to have a drink outside work hours despite an ongoing refusal, asking for cuddles, telephoning her at home and making repeated unsolicited sexual remarks. Based on any four ethical theories, explain how these acts constitute unethical behaviours at the workplace.

Answer 1

Business Ethics

Business ethics means the rules and regulations an organization must follow or obey. It simply means the code of conduct a business should follow. Ethics helps business to identify the right and wrong activities.

Theories of Business Ethics

Following are the main four theories of Business Ethics;

1. Utilitarianism

2. Right

3. Justice

4. Egosim

Theory of Utilitarianism

It was proposed by Jeremy Bentham. It proposes what makes something good or bad, right or wrong. If it produces the amount of pleasure or lack of pain for the greatest number of people.It is the assessment of net benefit, which means the happiness over the pain. It includes;

* One should chose the action which will lead to greatest happiness

* Maximizing positive outcomes for the largest number of people and negative outcomes for minimum number of peope.

* One's own pleasure and pain only as much as any other person's affected.

Theory of Rights

Right is a person's claim about something. It includes Legal rights and Moral Rights. The Legal rights defined by a system of laws and the Moral rights is based on ethical values. The purpose is to pursue certain actions without the disturbance from others. Also there are positive rights and negative rights. Positive rights means a peron has a duty to help others to pursue their rights. Negative rights means do not disturb other's right.

Theory of Justice

It includes the balance of benefits and burdens.It results from the application of rules, policies or laws.

Theory of Egoism

It was proposed by Ayn Rand, Adam Smith. It includes what makes something good or bad, right or wrong. It includes Individual Ethical Egoism and Universa Ethical Egoism.

Individual Ethical Egoism: it judges actions only by their effects on one's interests

Universa Ethical Egoism: It include the interests of other when assessing one's action. It also considers the interests of others because the person wants others to do the same.