ACCT600

Ethics in Business and Accounting

Week 2 Part 1

Outline

Overview:

q Ethical Relativism

q Approaching Ethics

q Thinking about Ethics

q Boundaries of Ethics

q Nine Standards

q Types of Arguments

1. Ethical Relativism

§ Definition: The notion that no single acceptable standard exists. 

§ The notion of moral progress does not exist since no since standard exist.

§ Judgement cannot be made, and sometimes, abhorrent consequences can result (Slavery).

§ The only real “judgement” that can be made is: “Is a particular society living up to their standards?”

ETHICAL RELATIVISM IS ILLOGICAL

2. Approaching Ethic (Since some standards have to exist)

§ Historically – (“historical perspective”) – What occurred in the past? 

§ Conceptually – (“conceptual perspective”) – Focusing on why it occurred, more more analysis.

3. Thinking about Ethics

§ Descriptive ethics - (“Just describes the facts”) 

§ Metaethics – (“Meaning, justification, synthesis”)

§ Normative ethics – (“Prescriptive”) – One should act a certain way.

4. Boundaries of Ethics (From whose perspective)

§ Personal – (“most detailed”)

§ Organizational – (“Collective entity”)

§ Systemic – (“Entire population of various collective entities”) 

5. Nine Standards (Very Important)

6. Types of Arguments

§ Sound (Accurate) vs. Unsound (Inaccurate)

§ Valid (Logical) vs. Invalid (Illogical)

The best arguments are sound and logical.

7. Imperatives

§ Hypothetical Imperative = You can opt out if you want (i.e. Going skiing on Sunday).

§ Categorical Imperative = You cannot opt out (i.e. Gravity)

Moral Obligations are Categorical Imperatives

8. W.D. Ross and Prima Facie Obligation

§ This is the same as intuitionalism.