Business Ethics and Absolutism - Research Paper Example

If the auditors, by any chance, get to know about Woods’s activity, there is little to no likelihood that Alex would be held responsible for that as the authorities would consider the fact that he is new. The best course of action for Alex is to remain silent about the matter, and pretend as if he does not know anything about it. The auditors would come, and most probably, would not be able to learn about Woods’s adjustments in the bills.

There are two main options in front of Alex; either to tell what Wood has been doing to the auditors and get him fired, or remain silent and see what happens. There is no guarantee that Alex would be able to convince the auditors to let go of Woods if they come to know what he has been doing, and if Alex does try to convince them to do so, they might find it offensive and report the case to the authorities accusing Alex of cheating. On the other hand, this fact cannot be overlooked that whatever Woods has done has benefited the company in general and the department, in particular, one way or the other. In addition to that, the overall effect of Woods’s adjustments is negligible as the funds affected amount to perhaps five percent of the plant's annual earnings. These points impart the need to overlook Woods’s mistake and consider the benefits drawn as a result of it.

Utilitarianism is one of the most widely employed theories of ethics. Utilitarianism, as the name indicates, places emphasis upon the utility of an action. “Utilitarianism states that the moral standard should be the promotion of the best long-term interests of everyone concerned” (“Nine theories of ethics”). In other words, if the end result of a certain action is good, this justifies the action irrespective of whether or not it is against the rules or principles. Analysis of the case under consideration suggests that whatever Woods has done has generated favorable results for the company.

Absolutism is another theory of ethics that believes in a universally applicable system of values and norms. This system is applicable to everyone at all times. Absolutism places a lot of emphasis upon rules and does not make any exceptions. Analyzing the case under consideration in light of the theory of absolutism, it can be said that Woods has done wrong as he has breached the rules.