Introduction
Business ethics can also be referred to as corporate ethics. They are a form of applied ethics that focuses on moral behaviors in the business environment. The study of business ethics focuses on business policies, as well as business practices that guide or help in defining issues that could be regarded as controversial.
These could be issues like bribery, poor governance, discrimination within an organization, failure of the organization to embrace corporate social responsibility acts, as well as fiduciary responsibilities, among others (Timmons 148). There are behaviors that may be regarded as acceptable in the business environment, depending on the society in which the business organization is situated. However, the same behaviors may not be acceptable in a different society.
It should be noted that moral behaviors differ depending on the location of the business organization. In other words, good behavior in one location may be viewed as bad behavior in another location. This may depend on the cultural beliefs and norms of society. Business ethics apply to all aspects of the business. They are also applicable to the people in the organization, as well as the various departments within the organization (Adams 53). Business ethics can be discussed in two dimensions; namely, normative dimension and descriptive dimension.
Film directorship is one position where one has to work with different races of people. The film directors are required to make decisions on the races they wish to cast their movies on, as well as the gender to cast their movies on. This is a difficult decision because the choice one makes as a director will have consequences that may affect the business in one way or the other (Kowalski 35).
The consequences could be positive or negative, based on the choice made. The choices can be guided by deontology theory or by consequentialist theory. This essay will use the evaluative consequentialist theory to help guide the dilemma film directors are faced and the ultimate decisions they choose. It will also give a brief highlight of the deontology theory.
Deontology Theory
This is a moral theory that was developed by a man known as Immanuel Kant. The theory is also referred to as the Kantian theory. Under this theory, the right actor a wrong act is chosen by rationality. The course of action to be chosen has to be in line with the given universal laws.
The action of an individual should be good, according to the moral principles (Waluchow 173). However, this is not enough for moral law. A t should be by the universal laws for it to conform to the laws of morality. Deontology theory can be classified as a normative ethical principle, judging actions according to the rules. It can also be defined as the obligation or the duty that one is responsible for fulfilling. Rules usually oblige and bid one perform certain duties. Deontology ethics is a contrast of consequentialism.
Evaluative consequentialist theory
According to this theory, an action is only considered to be morally ethical only if it produces the greatest goodness or pleasure to individuals affected by it (Timmons 212). In other words, an action is said to be good if its consequences are good, or the results are considered to be acceptable. It means that a means that is not very acceptable or a bad means can be used in achieving a certain outcome, as long as the outcome is good and acceptable.
Encapsulating the theory in an English saying, it can be summarised as: “the end justifies the means.” The results that will be achieved will be used to justify the means that were used to achieve the results. The difference between this theory and deontological theory is that according to the latter, an action does not have to produce maximum goodness for it to be considered ethical, as long as it adheres to the rules and laws of the universe (Hurley 241).
The means have to conform to the natural rules or other rules to be good. The results do not necessarily have to be acceptable for an action to be considered ethical. Moral behaviors are those behaviors where the right rules have been followed. However, the rules are chosen based on the results of certain behavior.
Rules should not be used as the only means to determine whether an action is moral or not. The rules may be good, but they may result in the wrong consequence. In such a case, for one to act morally, they need not follow the rules and should focus on achieving the right results (Kowalski 45).
In the position of a movie director, one has to choose the people who to cast the movie about. This is a very difficult decision as one has to ensure that all people affected are satisfied. Sometimes, it is difficult to get the right cast from all genders and races. Therefore, one may be forced to overlook some genders and some races.
This is a decision that is likely to draw criticism from the races or the gender that has not been included in the cast (Kowalski 36). If one chooses a certain gender for the movie cast, then this may be regarded as being egocentric. It could be the same thing if a certain race is chosen, especially if the director is from that chosen race or gender.
Ethical egoism is a branch of the consequentialist theory that explains such an action. In this case, the results of action may be detrimental to other people who will be affected negatively. The consequences of the director will be regarded to be more important than all other results. The director may be regarded to take such actions, to please himself more than he pleases the other people (Kowalski 44).
However, it is a decision that may, probably, have been taken after serious evaluation. The decision may be aimed at producing a good film that will be accepted. However, the means through which this will be achieved will be questioned by many people. In the event that there are no fully qualified people to form part of the cast, the director will have to make a decision on the people he should choose.
The director will have to choose people from a certain race and omit those of another race for the betterment of the film. He may also be forced to choose people from a certain gender and omit those of another gender. Better still, he may choose a gender composition that is not balanced.
The main aim of a movie director should be to make the best film that will be acceptable by most people and fetch as much money as possible (Kowalski 56). The director should try to make a movie that will hit record sales. To achieve this, the movie has to be good. The starting point of a good movie has the best cast. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the film director to choose the cast based on qualification and abilities.
It is imperative to note that in the end, the performance of the director will be judged by the success of the film. An acceptable film will justify the means used to select the cast. As a director, it is also important to realize that racism is unethical behavior. Thus, one should not be racial at all. Instead, all races should be given equal treatment. No race should be treated as being inferior to another. In selecting the cast, therefore, the director should try to be as less racist as possible.
In other words, he should try to include all races in the film with equal proportions. This happens to be the biggest ethical dilemma that the director will be faced with. Choosing a cast that includes all races is the hardest decision that one has to make because not all races have people who qualify for the cast. The director is, on the other hand, expected to include all of the races and produce a good movie at the same.
This is where the decision he makes needs to be guided by the consequentialist theory. In other words, the end product will justify the means through which the results were achieved. The film should be the best, regardless of who made it to the cast. This should be the main objective of the film director (Kowalski 61).
On the other hand, gender equality has been one of the most significant issues in the field of ethics. Organizations need to find a gender balance in their employee composition. Similarly, there should be gender balance in a movie cast. The movie director should ensure that both genders are represented and the ratio should be a balance. This means that men should not be too many compared to women and women should not be too many compared to men.
However, this may depend on the theme of the movie. There are movies that might require a certain gender to dominate. All this will be the decision that the film director will be supposed to make. The bottom line in relation to ethics is that gender representation should reflect the theme of the movie or be balanced. Whatever the gender choice the director will make, he should ensure that the results are acceptable.
He should also ensure that the movie is good and meets the required standards. That way, the end will have justified the means. The director should ensure that the consequences are good enough and all genders will like the consequences, despite the means used to choose the cast.
Before making any decision, the film director should think through it and evaluate all the possible means and the related outcomes. He should then evaluate the consequences of each outcome, as every choice will have its consequences, whether good or bad. Once he carries out this evaluation, guided by the consequentialist theory, he should then choose the one that has the best results, regardless of the means used to achieve that fate.
The directors normally handle this and similar dilemmas in this way because their main objective is to achieve the best result possible. They need to produce a movie that will generate as much income as possible. Therefore, they need to compromise some races and some genders in the cast for them to produce the best. The way in which the directors achieve this would be criticized, but the movie will be accepted and it will achieve its objectives in the end.
In a similar position, making a decision guided by the deontology theory could be different because the director will have to follow certain rules of the universe in making the decisions (Corrigan 207). This means that they have to balance the racial composition in the cast. Gender will also be balanced.
According to the rules of the universe, not balancing the races may indicate that one is being a racist and unethical. However, balancing the races, despite being ethical as per the rules, may lead to the production of a movie that will not meet the required standards. In addition, the film may not be acceptable in the market. This will cause a failure on the side of the film director and a failure of the movie to achieve its objectives (Kowalski 98).
Conclusion
The decision that one makes should always be ethical, as this is a business requirement that can give the organization a competitive advantage. The means through which a certain fate is achieved should be chosen with caution to adhere to ethical requirements. However, there are cases where the means may be compromised for the best result to be achieved. This calls for decision making, based on consequentialist theory.
Works Cited
Adams, M. Robert. A Theory of Virtue: Excellence in Being for the Good. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.
Corrigan, Richard H. Ethics: A University Guide. Gloucester: Progressive Frontiers Press, 2010. Print.
Hurley, Paul. Beyond Consequentialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print.
Kowalski, A. Dean. Moral Theory at the Movies: An Introduction to Ethics. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2012. Print.
Timmons, Mark. Moral Theory: An Introduction, 2nd ed. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2013. Print.
Waluchow, J. Wilfrid. The Dimensions of Ethics: An Introduction to Ethical Theory. Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2003. Print.