Question

Explain the deontological and teleological orientations, then give an example showing how they could lead to solving the same problem in different ways.

Answer 1

Deontological orientation focuses on the duties or rights that are morally binding to the individual and do not consider the outcomes while taking ethical decisions. The rightness in the act depends on our duty. Teleological orientation decides the ethics in making decisions considering the consequences or end results of the actions. The course of action is chosen according to teleological perspective to provide maximum benefit. When the managers in a company follows deontological approach, they would take decisions only as per their duties and would never try short cuts or unethical practices like compromising on quality to reduce the cost and increase the profit. They would make decisions analyzing what is expected from them according to the duties assigned and if the decision leads to loss for the company also they should not deviate from their decisions. But if the manager follows teleological approach, they would take decisions that would benefit the company by reducing cost and increasing the profit. They would not consider whether the actions were wrong but focuses on reaching the final goals set. For example if the manager needs to take decision on supplier selection, the manager would select the supplier who supplies the best quality material for production through proper channel without considering the cost according to deontological orientation because his duty is to find a supplier who can provide the best materials for production following the rules set. But at the same time the manager would select supplier who provides maximum cost benefit for the company through short cuts and may not follow the rules defined to select the supplier according to teleological orientation. According to him his ethics lie in providing maximum cost benefit to the company.