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1. Sample Essay on Ethics
Ethics is defined as the comprehension of what is right and what is
wrong within the moral context and different cultures and communities
have a different perception of right and wrong depending on their
individual regulations, religious beliefs, as well as cultural practices.
Regardless of the setting, ethics are usually formulated to ensure that
individuals choose right over wrong when faced with different
decisions. The business world has various codes of ethics that have
been written to guide the professionals of different fields.
Nevertheless, despite the existence of these codes, the ethical
dilemmas are more often than not difficult to resolve. Utilitarianism,
egoism, deontology, virtue ethics, and care ethics are some of the
ethical theories that philosophy has cited in resolving ethical dilemmas.
Such theories are designed with intention of preventing ethical
violations which may pave way for the exploitation of those who are
less powerful within the business world. Quotes from famous
philosophers in the world are evidence and implications of the
existence of such exploitation as rooted in history. Some of these
quotes include‘Charity is no substitute for justice withheld’ by St.
Augustine and ‘The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs
is to be ruled by evil men’ by Plato. This paper gives an in-depth analysis
of the connection between different ethical aspects.
The quote ‘Charity is no substitute for justice withheld’ by St. Augustine
has raised a debate with regards to charity versus justice. Both charity
and justice are very noble social aspects because they reflect the will
and desire to help another individual. Charity, for instance, is the act of
giving to the less fortunate in the society with the intention of
improving their lives. On the other hand, justice entails enforcing fair
conducts and distributing these equally to make sure that every person
has a chance to lead a better life. St. Augustine asserts that the role of
these two important social aspects differs and as such it is impossible

2. for charity to substitute the need for justice. This essentially gives
justice an upper hand because it has longer lasting and global impacts
as compared to charity. For instance, since charity is a one-time act, it
cannot pull many people out of poverty. Furthermore, charity also
tends to degrade its recipient while on the other hand, the giver
assumes superiority because of his financial ability to offer the favors.
On the other hand, fair distribution of resources can make sure that
each individual has a constant and sustainable source of livelihood. This
can therefore help people to have control over their lives and gain their
individuality and independence, (Hoffenberg 71).
When Plato stated that ‘The price good men pay for indifference to
public affairs is to be ruled by evil men’ he was reflecting on the need
for citizens to participate in public affairs. This quote reveals Plato’s
acknowledgement of the existence of good men in the society and
these are men that possess excellent leadership skills and genuinely
concerned about the welfare of the citizens. Nevertheless, such men
tend to be indifferent and nonchalant about public affairs hence giving
evil men an upper hand in making decisions with regard to how public
affairs are run. This is particularly evident in cases where voters fail to
turn up in good numbers to cast their votes and elect the best
candidates into power. The responsibility of bad leadership therefore
lies on the shoulders of the good people who fail to participate in
choosing their own leaders (Martinson 93).
Despite having been constructed several decades ago, both quotes are
still relevant today. For instance, the fact that the country is yet to
achieve a hundred percent value during elections shows that voter
turnout is still a major concern. However, there has been an
improvement on the number of individuals participating in the process
of making decisions in the country and this can be mainly attributed to
democracy, civic education, as well as the availability of more
communication channels. On the contrary, the quote by St. Augustine’s
quote remains relevant today within the same context as it was 1500

3. years ago. This is mainly due to the existence of several charity
organizations despite the increasing inequalities that are still evident in
the economic world. One of the key evidences of this quote’s relevance
is stemmed in the fact that underdeveloped countries continue to
receive aid from the developed countries even in this century. Further,
this charity is often used to substitute justice by the developed
countries and their main aim is to actually gain control over the
receiving countries (Wytsma 82).
An ethical dilemma is the type of situation that demands the choice
between two opposite options by an individual and it is usually tough
because neither of the options is morally acceptable. When faced with
such conflict in decision-making, it is necessary to exercise ethical
standards to resolve amicably. In most cases, doing the right thing
ethically may cause harm and this demands that one selects the option
that has a more favorable outcome for the highest number of people
affected by the situation when faced with an ethical dilemma (Garber
1). An example is given of a train driver who is faced with the ethical
dilemma of either choosing to save the life of his son or the lives of the
hundreds of passenger on board. Even though the driver is obliged to
save his son as a father, it is also his duty to save the lives of his
passengers as a professional. As such, despite the fact that it will have
negative consequences later in his life, such a father should run over his
son is the best choice because it results in the optimal good for the
society as a whole.
Ethical dilemmas are very common in the business world and this is
attributed to the need by professionals to make decisions that require
critical thinking in order to optimize societal, organizational, and
personal good.For such professionals to strike a balance among these
differing obligations, they are often compelled to sacrifice some of their
values (Brenkert and Tom 161).
The case of Wal-Mart is a good example of a real-life ethical dilemma.
As one of the leading retail stores in America, Wal-Mart is renowned for

4. making millions of profits from its dealings and it mainly uses charity
drives to give back to the community the extra profits it makes. By
doing this, Wal-Mart is able to meet its social responsibility through
making the lives of the less privileged much better and doing kind
deeds. Nevertheless, Walmart does this at the expense of its
employees, most of whom are paid peanuts for salaries and even live
below the poverty line. This situation is an example whereby the more
privileged in society use charity to substitute justice in society. Even
though the employees of Wal-Mart deserve higher pay as they are the
ones who make the profits for the company, the managers of Wal-Mart
prefer to give the returns to charity and control their employees and
other poor people (Wilson 10).
This is a circumstance where ethical dilemma at the workplace is
evident because Wal-Mart has to choose between fulfilling societal
needs and fulfilling the needs of its employees. Justice demands that
the organizational returns and profits be divided to all its stakeholders
especially considering their contribution towards making that profit.
With an increase in profits, there should be an increase in the
compensation or remuneration that employees get. For instance, many
people expect Wal-Mart to pay its employees well given the handsome
profits that it makes as a company. This is, nonetheless, not the case for
many big organizations which prefer to pay low or meager salaries to
their employees and give to charity because by so doing they stand to
gain power and a good reputation in the public. Therefor, such
companies view charity work as a marketing strategy rather than a
fulfillment of social responsibility. This is why choosing to compensate
employees highly over charitable donations presents an ethical
dilemma for majority of the companies (Kendzior 1).
There are many ethical theories that can be used to explain the basis of
most processes that regard ethical decision-making. Such theories
provide a variety of ethical considerations that guide the process of
making decisions which is quite essential in resolving an ethical

5. dilemma as it helps an individual select the most viable option.
Utilitarianism, care ethics, egoism, deontology, and virtue ethics are
among the well known ethical theories but even though each of these
theories is usually applied in real life situations when resolving ethical
dilemmas, the utilitarianism ethical theory remains the most intriguing
(Werhane 62).
J.S. Mill and Jeremy Bentham are the most famous proponents of the
utilitarianism theory and they are philosophers who believed that when
faced with an ethical dilemma, people must be guided by the principle
that ensures the greatest benefits for most of the people involved. They
attributed this to the fact that the outcome of an action can be a useful
factor in determining whether the act in itself is good or bad and as
such the theory is intended to make sure that the happiness of other
people is taken into account when making decision. This concept is
often referred to as the “Greatest Happiness Principle” and it can be
applied by any organization including Wal-Mart, in which case the
company may decide to consider the happiness of its workers and thus
increase their compensation. The key factor to consider when making
this decision is therefore the number of people affected positively or
negatively by an action and this should be considered without any
regard of the effect of the action on the individual (Fullerton 128). For
instance, in the train driver analogue mentioned earlier, utilitarianism
theory demands that the driver runs over his own son in order to save
the hundreds of passengers in the train and their dependents. This is
mainly due to the consequences of such an action as it will maximize a
positive outcome for most of the people involved. However, if taken,
the same action will maximize the pain for the driver, considering that
the victim is his son.
The main assumption of the utilitarianism theory is that the greatest
good that people seek is happiness, characterized by the absence of
pain, and as such proponents of this theory believe that morality can be
weighed by happiness universally because people across the universe

6. desire it. In fact, the advocates of the utilitarianism believe that man
constantly searches for happiness and one of the means of achieving
this is by upholding justice and human rights. Due to its assumptions,
there have been many criticisms directed towards this theory. Critics
have often argued that happiness cannot be used as a true measure of
morality in every situation and across all cultures involved. Happiness is
relative and has a complex meaning for different people and as such,
this theory cannot protect all the human rights and offer justice to
everyone based on these assumptions only (Werhane 84).
Different ethical approaches ought to be applied in different situations
to facilitate ethical decisions at all times. This can help one to get rid of
any of the biasness brought about by the limitations of using just one
ethical approach. For example, the egoism theory can be applicable
when making personal decisions, especially because it advocates for
decisions that improve the self, and factors such as individual needs
and happiness are the main determinants of what is wrong and right.
This theory is nevertheless not appropriate for making decisions that
affect many people. Critics of this theory have stated that in some
cases, the pursuit of fulfillingindividual needs may affect other people
negatively and this may result in legal and moral issues. Professional
decisions can easily be made by applying the deontology theory
(Brenkert and Tom 161). This theory places a lot of emphasis on
fulfilling an individual’s duty and may also apply in the social setting,
because it requires a prior understanding of one’s responsibilities. The
theory of care ethics, on the other hand is more focused on the
decisions that foster good relationships with other people, especially
those that are vulnerable. In organizing the charity drives for its
employees, Wal-Mart applies this approach. Finally, the virtue theory
compels people to consider the virtues that are valued within a society
in making their decisions. The fact that different cultures have different
interpretation for what is right and what is not poses a limitation to this
theory. Ultimately all the above theories are meant to guide the

7. decision making process with the aim of improving access to justice and
equality for all. These theories can be applied depending on the
situation that a person faces in the process of decision making
(Werhane 80).
The entrepreneurial world operates on profit optimization standard
and this is particularly important considering that business operations
depend on the profits made on the capital investment. In essence,
different employees work together to make maximum profits for the
organization, despite the fact that each individual has his or her own
responsibilities to enhance organization. This brings into the picture the
issue of rank whereby every employee is compensated commensurate
to his or her job description. The issue of rank, in turn, introduces
division of power within the organization from the executive to the
grassroots. For leaders, the choice to use the theory of egoism solely in
the process of decision making can result in the exploitation of
employees because of the need to maximize profits for oneself
(Fullerton 128). There are those individuals who have failed to exercise
their power appropriately, and as a result of their abuse of power, they
exploit their subjects. Resistance to such leadership can often result in
the looming threat of salary cuts, demotion, or even work discontinuity.
On the other hand, those who comply with the actions and demands of
such leaders are usually rewarded at the expense of erosion of
individual values. This presents an ethical dilemma in which individuals
struggle to maintain their autonomy and at the same time avoid losing
their sources of livelihood. At individual, societal, and international
levels, those with less power are the most affected by exploitation
(Wilson 8).
At the individual level, every person is negatively affected by
exploitation and this stems from the universal human need for respect
and appreciation when rendering services. Exploitation is therefore
demeaning to the subject and it can breed feelings of failure and
bitterness.

8. In addition it also tends to affect the performance and productivity in
the workplace due to issues of low self-esteem. Employees may further
develop feelings of fear and dread, and thus create an unhealthy
working environment. Exploitation definitely acts as a hindrance to
financial development of the employees, and this may result in the
suffering of the entire society because when those in less power are
exploited, the poverty rates skyrocket. Cheap compensation for long
working hours tend to demoralize a society and reduce their value as
well as living standards. The Wal-Mart example is very suitable in
describing the fate of exploited workers and this is because the
employees live in utter poverty despite the fact that they generate a lot
of profit for their company. Such a situation can spill over to
international spheres depending on the form of exploitation. An
example of the international levels spillover effects is the exploitation
of whole countries by the more powerful ones which perpetuates high
poverty rates and underdevelopment (Wilson 10).
It is therefore apparent that exploitation tends to have far-reaching
adverse effects that can range from individual to international levels.
There is thus need to develop an effective strategy to prevent such
situations. A change of policies in how public affairs are run can help
the world to reduce exploitation levels. This is only possible is there is a
complete overhaul of those who hold powerful positions. Democracy
demands that every stakeholder be given the chance to select their
leaders and elect them into power. Nevertheless, the indifference of
people to matters concerning public affairs has resulted in the rule by
evil men as was noted by Plato. This therefore calls for the participation
in world affairs in order for the world is to curb the problem of
exploitation (Martinson 93). For example, in order to balance between
the allocations of money for charity and employee compensation at
Wal-Mart, there is need for the workers to exercise their right by taking
part in the decision-making processes of the company (Kandizior 1).

9. In brief, the challenges of ethical aspects are caused by several factors
and approaches that are used in resolving them. For example, the use
of egoism ethical approach in solving an issue is different from using
the utilitarian approach because while the former is egocentric in
nature, the latter is other-centered (Garber 1). Violations of ethics can
have adverse effects on the people with less power since it can cause
exploitation while those in power strive to maximize profits for
themselves. Exploitation can come in many forms including
overworking individuals and compensating them poorly despite the
profits they amass for the company (Fleischacker 161). Wal-Mart store
which amasses a lot of profit but compensates its workers poorly in
order to indulge in charity work clearly exemplifies this scenario hence
reflecting on the applicability of St Augustine’s quote ‘Charity is no
substitute for justice withheld.’ To prevent the adverse effects of
exploitation and other injustices, it is necessary to apply Plato’s
ideology by getting involved in public affairs to prevent evil men from
becoming rulers.
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10. Works Cited
Brenkert, George, and Tom L. Beauchamp. The Oxford Handbook of
Business Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print.
Fleischacker, Samuel. A Short History of Distributive Justice. Cambridge,
Mass. [u.a.: Harvard Univ. Press, 2005. Print.
Fullerton, George. A handbook of ethical theory. London: Indo-
European Publishing. 2011. Print.
Garber, Peter R. The Ethical Dilemma. Amherst: HRD, 2008. Print.
Hoffenberg, Galston. Poverty and Morality. New York: Cambridge
University Press. 2010. Print
Kendzior, Sarah. “Charity is not a substitute for justice: Poor Americans
need higher salaries, not food drives”. Aljazeera. 2013. Web.
Martinson, Lee. A Heavenly College Education: On an Earthly Budget :
Double Your Financial Aid, Double Your Degree’s Value. Indianapolis, IN:
Dog Ear Publishing, 2008. Print.
Werhane, Patricia H. Business Ethics in Theory and Practice:
Contributions from Asia and New Zealand. Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1999.
Print.
Wilson, Kathryn. Technology usefulness and impact on school food-
service employees’ perceptions of organizational support. New York:
ProQuest. 2007. Print.
Wytsma, Ken, and David Jacobsen. Pursuing Justice: The Call to Live and
Die for Bigger Things. Nashville, [Tenn.: Thomas Nelson, 2013. Internet
resource