Corporate Moral Responsibility

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how humans possess the ability to choose between right and wrong, giving us a sense of morality. The paper goes on to discuss how this sense of morality coupled with free will result in human freedom. According to the paper, with this human freedom comes a moral and social responsibility. The paper further discusses how the corporate world has a moral and social responsibility.

Outline:
Introduction
Defining Moral Responsibility
Ethics and Business
Individual Ethics vs. Business Ethics
Examples from the Business World
Stakeholders
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"If a corporation can make a goodwill gesture and act in such a manner as to appear to make this an intentional gesture, then even though it is the individuals that make the decision, they are no longer acting as individuals, but are acting as a group (Coffee 1998). Group psychology now comes into play and the role of the individual, as well as the idea of diffusion of responsibility. Each individual within a group loses a part of their autonomy. Their preferences may not always rule and they must sometimes make compromises that may go against their true wishes. The individual no longer acts as a single entity, the play a lesser role in the actions of the group. The group now appears to replace the individual. If this is true, then the corporation can act in an ethical manner, just as an individual does. The corporation can make its own decisions and now acts as if it were an individual."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bentham, J. 1996. An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. Clarendon Press.
• Coffee, J. 1998. Modern Mail Fraud: The Restoration of the Public/private Distinction. American Criminal Law Review. Vol. 35. no. 3.
• Dwyer, S. 2003. Moral Development and Moral Responsibility. The Monist. Volume: 86. no. 2.
• Evans, M. 2003. World Citizenship and the Ethics of Individual Responsibility. International Journal of Politics and Ethics. Vol. 3. no. 1.
• Feinberg, J.1968. Collective Responsibility, Journal of Philosophy, vol. LXV, no. 21 (November 1968), pp. 222-51.

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