Modern Virtue Ethics Essay

To what extent do modern virtue ethics address the weaknesses of Aristotle’s teaching on virtues? (35) Virtue Ethics looks at a person’s good traits, known as ‘virtues’ and negative traits, known as ‘vices’; a person is considered to be a good person if they are virtuous and a morally bad person if they have developed lots of vices. Deontological and teleological ethicists argue that good or bad behaviour is far more important than a person’s good or bad characteristics whereas Virtue Theory argues it is only by becoming a better person that we will engage in the ‘right’ behaviour; Virtue Theory looks at the agent in itself and rather than the action. The key concepts of Virtue Ethics were first penned by the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle and in more recent times have been adapted and added to by Alasdair MacIntyre. Aristotle’s theory is made up of many key features, including Moral Virtues, The Doctrine of the Mean, Eudaimonia, and Friendship and the Community. According to Aristotle, everything has a purpose, for example, pens, their purpose is to write, if the pen fulfils its purpose and writes well, it is a good pen. In the same way, if we equate Eudaimonia to the pen, Eudaimonia is the supreme goal of human life, if a person reaches Eudaimonia, they are a considered a good person as the purpose was to be happy, therefore they have reached their purpose, just as the pen reaches its own. He also argued that every action comes down to this aim, every human being desires to be as happy as possible. An example of this is to ask a Doctor or a Lawyer why they chose such professions, the majority would answer that they chose this profession because it pays well and they believed that being paid well would lead to an easier and happy life, or Eudaimonia. Aristotle’s theory also says that relationships and friendships play a very important role in how we behave as people and how our actions are determined; we should all aim to individually achieve Eudaimonia, which would therefore achieve the greatest good for society as a whole as everyone would be happier; Aristotle sees our communal friendships and relationships as a vital part of our moral code and flourishing as a virtuous being. As previously mentioned, a good life involves developing a good character and these are known as moral virtues which are cultivated by habit; one must practice these good virtues in order to adopt them. Some of the key virtues Aristotle spoke of include modesty, generosity, patience, truthfulness and friendliness. Aristotle also spoke of Intellectual Virtues and Cardinal Virtues. Aristotle believed that we should aim to be virtuous people and avoid vices. Aristotle’s theory is centered around the concept of The Doctrine of the Mean; this states that there are two different vices that accompany every virtue- the Vice of Deficiency and the Vice of Excess. The Vice of Deficiency refers to a distinct lack of virtues, whereas the Vice of Excess refers to too much of the virtue being present. For example, modesty, if there is a distinct lack of this virtue, it may result in shamelessness and if there is too much of this virtue, it may result in shyness. Aristotle argued that the ‘Golden (or Virtuous) Mean’ is the middle of these to extremes and that is what people should aim to have. Aristotle’s theory is very logical and encourages people to adopt good characteristics which in an ideal world would result in every individual being as happy as possible; however there are many criticisms of this theory. For example, it is somewhat unclear of what is considered a virtue and what is considered a vice and it is also unclear of who is responsible for deciding these; as well as this, it could be argued that it is not possible to measure these virtues. It could also be argued that if every individual had exactly the same characteristics, everyone would be the same and the world be become mundane and monotonous. Virtue Ethics also does not provide clear guidelines or rules of how to act in specific circumstances and is vague and subjective. Alasdair Macintyre is a Scottish philosopher, whose writing dates to the 20th Century CE. He made an attempt to alter Aristotle’s theory in order to make it more relative and contexualise the ideas. Macintyre felt that morality had become lax and felt that they had become far hypothetical. He felt that people focused more on how an ethical theory would hold up under uncommon and unrealistic circumstances rather than situations where morality counts. He believed that we should understand the context of ethics before attempting to fix modern moral dilemmas. Macintyre’s belief in context as the central part to ethical decision making shows us that he is relative in his ideology. He believed that virtues would change over time naturally, for example, bravery for us is a person that confronts a gang of youths, throwing rocks at windows, or a police tackling a burglar, however 2000 years ago, bravery was considered as a man dying in battle, for his country. This is an attempt at addressing a weakness of Aristotelian Virtue Ethics, as it would encourage the person to look at the time and place before deciding whether the character traits are good or not. It has to be said that what may be considered good in the Congo may not necessarily be considered good in Brixton, London. Finally Macintyre addresses the issue of External and Internal goods. Internal Goods are what he calls, the qualities of a person’s character. The External Goods are the things that a person relies on, for example,food or a decent living arrangement. He states that although these are valuable to the human nature, they can be considered good or bad. However the Internal Goods are the most important. This gives more relativism than Aristotelian Virtue Ethics which can be considered an improvement. In conclusion I feel that Alasdair Macintyre has made a good attempt to improve and change Aristotle’s version of Virtue Ethics, however we can still see some weaknesses. For example, it is even more relative than Aristotle’s version and this can lead to ambiguity when facing a moral dilemma. This has not been addressed, in the modern version by Macintyre. It also does not eliminate the idea of universal virtues to achieve Eudaimonia. This is problematic. So, I feel that his attempt must be congratulated but I do not feel that it has been entirely successful as there are still elements which could be improved further.

International Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

International Human Resource Management - Essay Example The HRM policies therefore ran into several bottlenecks caused by these prevailing differences which resulted in a review of some of the policies. Since there was still a need to maintain some kind of general standard of HRM policies that applied across the board, the idea of International HRM came up. This need was further enhanced by the process of globalization which enabled organizations to do business all over the globe, including in places they could not dream of reaching before (Beardwell & Claydon 13). This paper explores the extent to which standardization of HRM policies has taken place across the globe. This will be done by examining the contribution of globalization to HRM policy standardization, the comparison of two different regions of the globe to gauge the extent of this globalization and a projection into the future of HRM practices. Globalization and Standardization of Human Resource Management The management of employees at all levels in a multinational company or conglomerate is referred to as strategic human resource management [SHRM] (K’Obonyo & Dimba 3). ... America is a liberal society that is fully focused on such things as human rights, open market policies, equal opportunities and gender equity among other things. The environment in Saudi Arabia is more religion oriented with a massive influence of Islam on day to day life. Issues such as equal opportunity and equity are just emerging but are not as important as the Islamic influence (K’Obonyo & Dimba 3). Consequently, successful human resource management policies in America may not work so successfully in Saudi Arabia. Emphasis on gender equity in the latter may raise more friction than it would in the former since certain roles are regarded as male roles that women cannot successfully handle. Attitudes are changing very slowly on the role of women as CEOs for example (Delery & Doty 802). SHRM therefore comes in to take into account such disparities in culture so as to enable effective and successful policy frameworks for human resources in diametrically different cultural en vironments. Policies are shaped according to the cultural environment rather that against them. In any case it is not the aim of businesses to change the prevailing political environment but to adapt as much as possible for the smooth running of the business and maximal output in terms of profitability (Delery & Doty 803). SHRM takes into account Cultural Value Dimensions. This term is used to refer to the empirical criteria used to determine the extent to which national cultures differ. There are four such dimensions: power distance paradigms, uncertainty avoidance mechanisms, individualism-collectivism factors and masculity-feminity issues (Hofstede 42). Power distance is the terminology for the extent to which the lower cadre

Ethical Article Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical Article Analysis - Essay Example The banks will have expectations that loans are returned in full without default. The owners of the firm will expect that some black money is not being invested in their firm; they expect of the employees that their output or productivity matches their emoluments. They may have concerns as to there should not be wastage of resources and maximum production is being ensured at minimum cost. The consumers expect that they are charged reasonable prices for goods and services and firms are not seeking exorbitant profits. Moreover, consumers’ interests are not infringed by firms’ cartels or by price discrimination. General public will expect from firms that their operations are not detrimental for their health or not generating environmental pollution. The environmentalists concerns are that firms operations are not leading to ozone-layer depletion or loss of biodiversity. Government expectations are that corporate laws are not violated and firms pay taxes without evasion. Th e employees concerns are that they are paid fully for the services they render and there is no discrimination in salaries and promotions on the basis of sex differences or on any other ground. When so many different things from different quarters enter into the scene the financial decision will naturally be affected. In the business organization referred to in the article under consideration ethical concerns are categorized on the basis of the various publics with which the financial manager has to deal; these publics include the board of directors, the medical staff, vendors, regulatory agencies, employees, and consumers. A board of directors’ member interests may be in conflict with that of the organization due to his multiple roles; the board member may also represent an organization that is in competition with the institution for certain goods or services. Ethical concerns may also come up as a result

Marketing Strategy, SOUTHWEST AIRLINE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Marketing Strategy, SOUTHWEST AIRLINE - Essay Example Due to this the competition has become rigorous as the airlines are forced to cut down cost and jobs and fill the seats. Southwest is a low cost carrier which has always offered low fair deals to its passengers. In the case too it is offering lower rates and deals. These new rates though are not for all the destinations and flights, they are only specific to certain locations and restrictions are applied. Then there are other deals offered by hotels like Sheraton, they are offering discounts on early bookings along with Southwest. All these are as a result of the recession, competition and off season in the airline industry. Southwest is using sales promotion as a marketing strategy to overcome the crisis of reduced sales. This is just one way it can counter the problem. The company can respond to such financial crisis through liquidation, taking government subsidies, improving the efficiency and by forming alliances with other carriers. These are some of the strategies that are used by various airlines. The key problem these airlines are facing is the high cost and low sales. The key issue is the rising cost of the company which has lead to reduction in sales due to which marketing strategies are to be applied. Since it is an oligopolistic market structure hence other key players are going to follow the strategy too. One of the ke Problem statement One of the key problems that the company is facing at the time is the low sales. The company has come up with various tactics and one of them is the sales promotion in order to attract passengers. The passengers will get the same service at lower rates but fewer destinations and conditions apply. Alternate solutions There are other ways of marketing too. Southwest can make an ad campaign which shows that the airline is offering lower rates at times of recession too which shows that they are concerned. This will leave a positive impact in the eyes of the customer and intact the customer loyalty. The company can close its less productive routes because at this time the aim is to reduce cost and offer lower rates to the customers. This will save costs and that can be passed on to the passenger in the form of sales promotion. The company can come up with different promotional deals which can be advertised on the internet or the television. This will be costly but will create awareness among the customers. ' ' ' Selected Solution They should close down their unprofitable routes and focus on the ones which can generate high profits for them. This is very important because fuel price are already fluctuating and cost minimization should be the top most priority. Expected results It will save costs; moreover the employees need to understand the situation so that they do not bargain on wages or any other matter. The entire firm will have to work together and bring down the cost. Once the cost is saved then that advantage can be passed on to the customer through marketing efforts and spending that on low fares and more advertising. Negative results The passengers who travel through that route would face problems now since that service would be closed now. This will leave dissatisfied customers. However, there could be one way which is that the company doesn't completely close down the service but make it less like once a week instead of three so that customers do not find it inconvenient.

Legal memoranda Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Legal memoranda - Research Proposal Example The episode has also attracted class action for damages under ss 82 of the Trade Practices Act by a number of customers, led by the Pharmacists Association of Australia. Can any agreed statement of facts between DIARCOR and the ACCC be used as evidence against DIARCOR in any subsequent civil damages proceedings that its former clients may be seeking to bring against it Any agreed statement of facts between DIARCOR and the ACCC is bound to cover issues that the former clients of DIARCOR may be seeking to bring against the latter. It is difficult to predict with certainty whether the statement of fact could be used as evidence by aggrieved clients. It depends on the nature and extent of punitive measures ACCC metes out to DIARCOR. It also depends on the contents of the statement of facts and the court's verdict. As statutory authority, ACCC is in the right position to consider damages under ss 45, 45A and 82 of the Trade Practices Act and submit a proposal to the court that must assuage the grievances of the clients besides settling with a deterrent fine for DIARCOR. (Focus on Competition Law July 2001) The statement of facts is not a single format. It comes in various forms. Ideally, statement of facts must leave no scope for dispute. However, this is not possible all the time. In some cases, there may be certain points of dispute or contention where the two parties have agreed to disagree for the time being, or which a statutory authority like ACCC has allowed to be left pending due to insufficient time or data with an undertaking to wrap up the pending issues within a certain time limit. (Preparation for Hearing) There is also the issue that DIARCOR cannot be tried two or more times for the same offence. The relevant factors that the Court will take into account when assessing the quantum of the pecuniary penalty The main charge against DIARCOR, DISY and CALENDEX is that they have been involved in the nefarious activity of price fixing for quite some time. The managing director of DIARCOR has informed that they have been involved in the price fixing cartel for about five years. The price fixing arrangements were done verbally in secret rendezvous so that they do not leave any paper trial. The court will rely on circumstantial evidence in the absence of material proof. The court will also go into the enormity of the contraventions under ss 45, 45A and 82 of the Trade Practices Act 1974. Under these subsections, the court will examine the extent of gains made by unfair means by the price fixing cartel under ss 45, evidence of the price fixing charges regardless of any loss to competition under ss 45A, and losses and/or damages suffered by competition due to the cartel and the quantum of penalties to be imposed on the cartel as fines under ss 45 and 45A (Local Government and the Trade Practices Act), and recoveries for loss suffered on behalf of the competition

Reaction paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Reaction paper - Assignment Example In essence, his memories were also buried alive within him, as Azucena was in the rubble. The first night, Carlà © â€Å"kept talking in the darkness, to assure her that he was still there and to overcome the menace of uncertainty† (Allende 324). However, the next day, slowly but surely his past comes back haunting him, and â€Å"the torrent of all that had lain hidden in the deepest and most secret layers of memory poured out† (Allende 327). Though he could not talk to the girl about it all, while he lay there consoling the girl, Carlà © was forced to relive and confront his past. Throughout his life as an adult, Carlà © had attempted to bury his painful memories of growing up in an abusive household where his father not only mistreated him and his mother, but also his mentally disabled sister. The humiliation he suffered at his hands, or the pain he received when he saw his mother’s humiliation, had been buried deeply within himself. His life as a journalist fared no better either. Witness to the atrocities of war, and genocide, he could not make peace with life in a world where people were so cruel to each other. With his self-made professional sojourn, whereby he lay in wait with the girl, hoping for her to be rescued or for some help to come, he was forced to face his past. He discovered that all the demons that he had buried, all his painful memories, had not died or diminished with time. In fact, they had been alive within him. In essence, buried alive like the girl, Azucena, was in front of him. Her suffering caused him to remember his own, and he ended up having to confront and battle his painful past. The ordeal changed him completely, as did the death of the girl, causing him to be â€Å"not the same man† (Allende 331). Not only had he to deal with his past, but the death of the innocent young girl, caused by the bureaucratic inefficiencies of the country. However, he had to face these demons he had buried alive within himself, as he had to

Media Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Media Analysis - Essay Example The discussion will also connect cultural norms pertaining to sexually explicit materials and the public utilization of it. The infringement of human dignity will also be explicate, and lastly, the conclusion. Numerous commercials today are penetrating the world of television, especially in the United States. Representations are often instilled with amatory fantasies and desires (D’Emilio & Freedman, 1989, as cited in Gould, 1994, p. 73). Nevertheless, such representations are consistently facing manifold accusations of contesting the ethics and morality of humanity in which most of them come from the Americans (D’Emilio & Freedman, 1989, Foucault 1990, as cited in Gould, 1994, p. 73). This concern in advertising has been dubbed by Boddewyn (1991) as a â€Å"soft tissue,† which has the foundation of being subjective and community generated roots and values (as cited in Gould, 1994, p. 73). Furthermore, there are many forms of sexual appeals that may be perceived differently from other perspectives. The publicity of lewd materials should consider the potential feedback of the populace. Sexual appeals present in commercials are of manifold classifications and may comprise various factors. This can be made through the utilization of gorgeous models that would portray different levels of bareness and implications (Severn, Belch, & Belch, 1990, as cited in Gould, 1994, p. 73). These visual attractions are sometimes incorporated with verbal factors (Severn et al., 1990, as cited in Gould, 1994, p. 73) and other factors, such as sounds and scents. Deliberation should be done in order to stipulate on terms specifying the TV commercial if it may depict unethical or ethical concerns in the perspectives of the public (Richins, 1991, as cited in Gould, 1994, pp. 73-74). Also, such measures should be implemented because the commercial should receive positive recognition from the p ublic (Gould, 1994, pp. 73-74). However, even if there