Utilitarianism
One of the characteristics of utilitarianism is consequentialism. The theory holds that what matters for an action to be considered morally right is the consequences, whether good or bad ( An Introduction To John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism, 2019 ). The second characteristic of utilitarianism is universalism. It holds that morality is universal, and the same moral standards apply to all people and all situations.
Virtue ethics
The theory emphasizes the virtue of mind and character that a person embodies. It is based on the wisdom of a person and the benevolence gained from a particular action ( Introducing Virtue Ethics, 2019 ).
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Deontology
The chief characteristic of deontology is that how one should act is defined independently of the moral good. It derives morality from reason without an appeal to any theory of good ( Kant Ethics, 2019 ). An act is morally right regardless of the consequences for the human welfare or theory of good as long as such action is within the duty of an individual.
Starbucks
An ethical problem faced by Starbuck is the use of anti-competitive tactics to get rid of their competitors. They try to buy out all other small coffee shops near them and sign a lease agreement with landlords to stop them from renting their shops to other coffee competitors ( Starbucks faces monopoly charges in the lawsuit, 2019 ).
Applying the utilitarianism theory to Starbuck, consequentialism feature of the theory comes to play. Utilitarianism theory focuses on the consequences of an action to determine whether it is morally right or not. By using anti-competitive tactics to lock out competitors, it creates more negative consequences on these competitors as well as the customers in its attempts to attain monopoly.
An act is morally good if it has more good consequences than bad on the individuals or group. In the case study, the use of anti-competitive tactics to lock out competitors tends to bring more bad than good to a large number of people. While it helps it increase its profitability, the negative consequences are more than the positive and affect more people, thus making the act morally wrong and unethical.
References
"Introducing Virtue Ethics." Youtube , 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHVuzec6s0c&=&feature=youtu.be .
"Kant Ethics." Youtube , 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQcC1qYP08s&=&feature=youtu.be .
"An Introduction To John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism - A Macat Politics Analysis." Youtube , 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LD5-2oj7DA&=&feature=youtu.be .
Starbucks faces monopoly charges in the lawsuit - Sep. 26, 2006. (2019). Retrieved from https://money.cnn.com/2006/09/26/news/companies/starbucks/
