A Different Approach to Ethical Decision Making

The ethical approach to decision making selected is the utilitarian approach. The utilitarian approach to ethical decision making is an approach which involves considering the consequences and the benefits that will result from the decision to be made. It is based on the idea that the best ethical decision is the one that will produce the most good and the least harm to the individual members and stakeholders of the organization ( Kahane , 2015). It focuses on the need to recognize the impacts that our actions will have on individuals, groups, and organizations. Once the consequences of the actions are analyzed, the most ethical decision is the one with the least negative consequence and the greatest positive impacts. The reason for choosing this approach is because it ensures that every ethical decision made has very little or no harm to individuals or groups and this promotes happiness. Also, it promotes a sense of purpose by enhancing the need to make decisions based not only on the individuals but on all the stakeholders of the organization. It is also the most appropriate approach for making ethical decisions that involve a large number of people or groups because it focuses on the consequences of a larger group, thus it is most useful for ethical decision making within the organizations. 

While making ethical decisions using this approach, several steps and activities are involved. While the utilitarian approach to ethical decision making was developed in the 19th century by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart to help the legislators identify the laws that were morally best for the nation, its use has expanded over the years and the approach is currently used not only at personal level but also in making decisions involving groups and organizations. Every ethical decision that is made, be it at personal level or at the organizational level, there is always a way in which such a decision will impact another person, either positively or negatively, hence the need to consider the consequences of the alternative decisions and settle on the one with the least harm and greatest good. 

If the ethical issue in the assignment 3 was to be handled using the utilitarian approach, various processes would have been involved. In the first step of this approach, one identifies the many various ethical courses of actions that are available for the exploration. This requires getting sufficient facts before settling on a given number of possible ethical decisions that could be used to solve the issue. After identifying some possible courses of actions, let’s say four alternatives, the next step is to identify who will be affected by each of these actions as well as the benefits or harms that will get out of each of the actions. This will require carrying out a detailed analysis of each of the available courses of actions to understand their impacts on the individuals. A step by step analysis of each possible ethical decision can be essential in getting to understand the harms and the benefits that each of the actions will have not only at the individual level but also to other people or groups. 

The third step will then involve choosing the action that will produce the least harm and the greatest benefit to oneself as well as to individuals. An ethical decision is the one that will produce the greatest good and the least harm for a large number of people. The utilitarian approach to ethical decision making focuses on the consequences of the policies or actions on the well-being of most people. The aim is to identify the people who will be directly or indirectly affected by the decision. While most people may view benefits or harm differently, the principle of the utilitarian principle is that out of any two actions, only one will produce the greatest good and the least harm. 

This approach to ethical decision making is used by many people in their daily lives while making certain decisions. It is usual to hear people say that they have a moral duty or obligation to perform a certain duty because of the good that will come out of the action or the harm it will help prevent. Legislators, business analysts and even scientists use the utilitarian approach on a daily basis on making ethical decisions when deciding policies that will have the least harm and greatest benefit. This approach provides a more straightforward method of making a decision that is morally right for any given particular course of action that people find themselves in. 

Compared to the approach used in the assignment 3, utilitarian approach is more beneficial in arriving at the best ethical decision for any ethical issue. It is different in that while the other approach relies much on the individual justice and freedom to decide what is moral, the utilitarian approach relies on the identification of the consequences that the action will have not only to the individuals but to the majority of the people. It is based on the idea that better have one person suffer so that the majority can benefit instead of having an individual benefit at the expense of the majority. The utilitarian approach does not focus on an individual but on the need to make a decision that takes into consideration other stakeholders so that all people or the majority of the people can benefit and not an individual. 

The benefit of the utilitarian decision making is that it focuses on the well-being of many rather than just an individual. While making a decision using this approach, the best course of action that is selected is the one that will highly benefit the majority of the people. It is therefore important as it takes into consideration the impacts that every decision made will have on other people in the community. This helps void confrontations with other people for decisions that might have adverse effects on them. It also provides a strong sense of purpose while making a decision. It allows one to take a broader view of decision rather than just focusing on just an individual. The approach is also essential in making decisions in cases where there are tough choices. When faced with a situation that requires an ethical decision involving a tough choice, it gets easy to settle on one best decision by simply applying the principles of the utilitarian approach. 

However, certain problems usually accompany the utilitarian approach to ethical decision making. The first problem is that this approach usually requires an individual to assign values to the harms and benefits that come out of each course of action and make a comparison with other available courses of actions before settling on the best course of action. However, it is usually very difficult or sometimes even impossible to measure and even compare the values of certain courses of actions. The second problem with the utilitarian approach to ethical decision making is that it fails to take into consideration the issue of justice. While some actions may be of great benefits to the society as a whole, they may be unjust. While justice is an important aspect of the society or business community, utilitarian approach to ethical decision making does not go together with justice, and where utilitarian approach applies, justice may have to be sacrificed. 

Reference

Kahane, G., Everett, J. A., Earp, B. D., Farias, M., & Savulescu, J. (2015). ‘Utilitarian’ judgments in sacrificial moral dilemmas do not reflect impartial concern for the greater good.  Cognition ,  134 , 193-209.