Key Concepts in Advertising and Ethical Theories

Basic justification of advertising

It informs consumers, supports competition, and helps allocate resources efficiently.

Critiques of advertising

It can manipulate desires, promote materialism, and distort consumer autonomy.

Intrinsic value

Valued for its own sake.

Instrumental value

Valued as a means to an end.

Anthropocentrism

A human-centered view that values nature primarily for its utility to humans.

Biocentrism

The belief that all life has inherent worth, not just human life.

Holism in environmental ethics

The belief that ecosystems and the whole environment have moral value.

Free rider problem

When individuals benefit from resources or services without contributing to their cost.

Tragedy of the commons

Overuse and depletion of shared resources due to self-interested behavior.

Externalities

Unintended side effects (positive or negative) of economic activity that affect others not directly involved.

Environmental regulation options

Command-and-control regulation, market-based incentives, and tradable pollution permits.

Civil liberties in the workplace

Rights like freedom of speech, privacy, and protection against discrimination at work.

Role of labor unions

To protect workers' rights, negotiate wages, and improve working conditions.

Right to Work law

Legislation that prohibits making union membership a condition of employment.

BFOQs (Bona Fide Occupational Qualifications)

Legitimate qualifications that allow for discrimination in hiring when necessary for job performance.

Polygraph Protection Act

A U.S. law that restricts private employers from using lie detector tests on employees.

At-will employment

An employment arrangement where either party can terminate the relationship at any time, for any legal reason.

Just cause employment

Employment can only be terminated for a documented, legitimate reason.

Eminent Domain case study

Government seizure of private property and ethical concerns about fairness and compensation.

Nestlé Water case study

Corporate extraction of water resources and its environmental and social impacts.

Walmart case study

Labor practices, wages, and effects on small businesses and local communities.

Catastrophe in Bangladesh case

The Rana Plaza collapse highlighted global supply chain ethics and corporate accountability.

NYT American Economy audio case

Shifts in economic inequality and structural changes in the U.S. economy.

Fordasauras case

Corporate cost-benefit analysis in product safety decisions.

Redwoods case

Conflict between environmental preservation and corporate logging.

Advertising's psychological influence

Influence on consumer desires and decision-making.

Honest Advertising (web)

Ethical boundaries and truth in advertising practices.

Ben and Jerry's case

How business ethics and social responsibility are integrated into company policy.

Webporn at Work case

Workplace privacy, internet use, and employer monitoring.

Free Speech and Malt Alcohol case

The tension between corporate advertising and public regulation.

AIDS and Café case

Workplace discrimination and health-related ethical issues.

Guns in the Parking Lot

Gun rights vs. workplace safety and employer policies.

Unprofessional Conduct case

Defining and handling inappropriate behavior in the workplace.

She Snoops to Conquer

Ethical issues in surveillance and employee trust.

Swedish Daddies case

Gender roles and parental leave policies in workplace ethics.

Deontology

Ethics based on duty and adherence to moral rules, not consequences.

Kant's Categorical Imperative (1st formulation)

Act only on maxims you can will to become universal laws.

2nd formulation of the Categorical Imperative

Treat humanity as an end, never merely as a means.

3rd formulation of the Categorical Imperative

* you are a legislator in a kingdom of ends.

Kantian intent

Morality is based on intention, not outcome.

Role of reason in Kantianism

Reason determines moral duty.

Duty in Kantian ethics

The necessity of acting from respect for the moral law.

Good will according to Kant

The only thing that is good without qualification.

Critiques of Kantianism

Rigid, too abstract, can lead to moral conflict with no resolution.

Greatest Happiness Principle

Actions are right if they promote the greatest happiness for the greatest number.

Quantitative vs. qualitative pleasures

Quantitative: amount of pleasure; Qualitative: type and depth of pleasure.

Act utilitarianism

Evaluates each action individually by its consequences.

Rule utilitarianism

Follows rules that generally promote the greatest good.

Critiques of utilitarianism

Can justify immoral actions, ignores justice, and demands too much.

Consequentialism

The ethical view that the morality of actions is based on their outcomes.

Nature of the human being in egoism

Humans are self-interested and pursue their own good.

Hedonistic egoism

The belief that individuals should act to maximize their own pleasure.

Psychological egoism

The theory that people always act in their own self-interest.

Goal-oriented egoism

Egoism focused on long-term self-interest and personal goals.

State of nature

A hypothetical condition before society where life was 'nasty, brutish, and short.'

Social contract

An agreement among individuals to form a society and abide by its rules.

Sovereign ruler in social contract theory

An authority who enforces the contract and maintains order.

Critiques of egoism

Promotes selfishness, lacks universality, and undermines cooperation.