Introduction to Business Ethics an der TU München

1. ➢ Greed→main cause of Economic Misconduct
   ➢ Mistrust→against certain population groups (bankers, speculators) 

3. ➢ Criticism→to people involves, not structures

• At least 2 individuals

• Environment of scarcity➔leads to conflict

• Business Ethics begins when Friday comes to the Island

• Individual problems → become Social problems

• Focus is on interaction

1. 1)Combat→fight 2)Altruism→give to others 3)Cooperation→mutual benefit

1. →How to split?

   • Existing quantity is given

   • Distribution based on rules

   • Split as equitable as possible

1. →How to improve supply to satisfy more demand?

   • Best allocation of production factors (labor, material, capital)

   • Scarcity problems should be understood as allocation problems

1. ➢ Virtue ethical question→“What should I do?”

   • Makes Robinson give up half to Friday

   • Result?➔nobody gets enough to eat

2. ➢ Decoupling of motive and result

   1. Morality is interpreted as an unintended result of intentional action

Business ethics:
• Based on conditions, NOT on actions and their motives

Reasons:

1. 1)  Individual virtues cannot solve structural problems

2. 2)  Interaction and Interdependence problem

3. 3)  Conditions of the Modern world

   • −  Rising degree of complexity in modern relationships

   • −  Prevalence of mutual interdependence between individuals, firms and nation states

1) Theoretical

➢ Ontology→What does exist?
➢ Metaphysics→What is the order of the world?
➢ Epistemology→What can I know?
➢ Philosophy of language→What is the relation of language and reality?

2) Practical

➢ Ethics→ What should I do?
➢ Economics→What is the best means to achieve an end? ➢ Political philosophy→What is the best order of society?

3) History of Philosophy

➢ Ancient thinkers
➢ Try to understand what sb. Wanted to say

➢ Ancient thinkers
➢ Try to understand what sb. Wanted to say

1. Ethics

   • Theory of morality

2. Morality

   • Rules and norms that should determine peoples’ actions

• Meta Ethics
  • Normative Ethics
    • Virtue Ethics
    • Deontological Ethics
    • Consequentialist Ethics
      • Utilitarianism
        • Act Utilitarianism 
        • Rule Utilitarianism 
      • Contractualist Ethics 
  • Descriptive Ethics

➢ Description, systematization, explanation of normative systems

• Statement that describes something

• NO evaluation

  ex. Ethnology, Moral psychology, Evolutionary biology, Behavioral economics 

• According to German Law human dignity is inviolable.