Religious Teachings and Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Religious Teachings and Business Ethics - Essay Example The Utilitarian approach holds to the idea that societies should strive for the best for the most people. Jeremy Bentham eighteenth-century philosopher wrote, "The greatest happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of morals and legislation" (Fisher & Lovell 2003, p. 95). The writer/philosopher John Stuart Mills also wrote extensively on Utilitarianism (Daft 2005). Individualism is viewed as the essentially opposite of Utilitarianism. The Individual approach maintains that right moral choices lead to what is in the best long-term interest of the individual. German economist and sociologist Max Weber's influential essays on capitalism emphasized individual efforts and the accumulation of personal wealth (The Free Encyclopaedia 2007). The Moral Right approach values fundamental human rights and identifies six moral subcategories; free consent, right to privacy, right to freedom, of conscious, right to free speech, right to due process and the right to life and safety (Daft 200 5). Finally, the Justice approach promotes the idea of moral decision making and is based on standards of equity, fairness, and impartiality. Daft identifies three distinct forms of justice(2007). Distributive justice governs the right of people to be treated fairly without discrimination based on arbitrary characteristics. Procedural justice proscribes that rules should be applied consistently and compensatory justice argues that people should be compensated for injury and loss (Daft 2007). Certainly, all four of these perspectives can be identified in most major world religions. In order to set a proper stage for the discussion of religion and its place in business ethics, it is important to provide an overview of the historical influences on the matter. One of the first moral codes to impact mankind stemmed from the religious society of Judaism. In the books of the Bible, there are plentiful references as to how the faithful should conduct themselves in relation to their neighbors, family, and friends. The figures in the Old and New Testaments of Bible; Solomon, David, Moses, and Jesus of Nazareth; were most certainly well known for their ethical teachings. Important philosophers and ethical teachers can be identified throughout human history.  Ã‚