Running head: ETHICAL CONTRIBUTIONS 1 (Including a Running head and page numbers help to keep your assignment organized.) Are Contributions to Political Campaigns Ethical? Joanna Student SOC120: Introduction to Ethics & Social Responsibility (Course Section) Week 5 Final Paper Dr. Ashford Instructor July, 1, 20XX Sticky Note Please be sure to note the format for the final paper. This paper contains a an organized heading, a succinct and relevant title, page numbers and a running header. ETHICAL CONTRIBUTIONS 2 Ethical Contributions to Political Campaigns A question that comes up frequently in political discussions is whether organizations like corporations have too much influence over the political landscape today. Corporations have many resources through which to effect political change, including lobbyists, quid pro quo back door arrangements and campaign contributions. Because these funds can have a large influence on who wins elections and the legislation that politicians support, it is important for an educated citizenry to be aware of these contributions, and to consider their ethical implications. I will argue that from the utilitarian perspective, indirect contributions to political campaigns by organizations like corporations and unions can be ethical and should be allowed so long as there are sufficient regulations in place to prevent undue harm that might result from giving large organizations too much influence over the political process. I will contrast this view with that of ethical egoism, which would argue that such contributions are ethical inasmuch as they allow corporations to pursue their own long term interests. According to the Federal Elections Commission (2004), "The Federal Election Campaign Act (the Act) places monetary limits on contributions to support candidates for federal office and prohibits contributions from certain sources." However, corporations are allowed to create separate bank accounts and then make donations from these accounts to political campaigns as long as they are not connected directly to the operation of the business. Regarding this type of donation, the FEC (2004) stated that, "Contributions may…be made from separate segregated funds (also called political action committees or PACs) established by corporations, labor organizations, national banks, and incorporated membership organizations.” In other words, corporations can set up PACs that in turn give large amounts of money to support candidates. Because these funds can have a large influence on who wins elections and the legislation that Sticky Note This section includes a comprehensive introduction and a clear thesis statement that effectively reflects the argument of the paper and links the chosen ethical theories and perspective to the chosen social issue. Sticky Note Government websites can be useful sources of information. Consider using info ...

1. Running head: ETHICAL CONTRIBUTIONS 1
(Including a Running head and page numbers help to keep your
assignment organized.)
Are Contributions to Political Campaigns Ethical?
Joanna Student
SOC120: Introduction to Ethics & Social Responsibility (Course
Section)
Week 5 Final Paper
Dr. Ashford Instructor
July, 1, 20XX

2. Sticky Note
Please be sure to note the format for the final paper. This paper
contains a an organized heading, a succinct and relevant title,
page numbers and a running header.
ETHICAL CONTRIBUTIONS 2
Ethical Contributions to Political Campaigns
A question that comes up frequently in political discussions is
whether organizations like
corporations have too much influence over the political
landscape today. Corporations have
many resources through which to effect political change,
including lobbyists, quid pro quo back
door arrangements and campaign contributions. Because these
funds can have a large influence
on who wins elections and the legislation that politicians
support, it is important for an educated
citizenry to be aware of these contributions, and to consider
their ethical implications. I will
argue that from the utilitarian perspective, indirect
contributions to political campaigns by
organizations like corporations and unions can be ethical and
should be allowed so long as there

3. are sufficient regulations in place to prevent undue harm that
might result from giving large
organizations too much influence over the political process. I
will contrast this view with that of
ethical egoism, which would argue that such contributions are
ethical inasmuch as they allow
corporations to pursue their own long term interests.
According to the Federal Elections Commission (2004), "The
Federal Election Campaign
Act (the Act) places monetary limits on contributions to support
candidates for federal office and
prohibits contributions from certain sources." However,
corporations are allowed to create
separate bank accounts and then make donations from these
accounts to political campaigns as
long as they are not connected directly to the operation of the
business. Regarding this type of
donation, the FEC (2004) stated that, "Contributions may…be
made from separate segregated
funds (also called political action committees or PACs)
established by corporations, labor
organizations, national banks, and incorporated membership
organizations.” In other words,

4. corporations can set up PACs that in turn give large amounts of
money to support candidates.
Because these funds can have a large influence on who wins
elections and the legislation that
Sticky Note
This section includes a comprehensive introduction and a clear
thesis statement that effectively reflects the argument of the
paper and links the chosen ethical theories and perspective to
the chosen social issue.
Sticky Note
Government websites can be useful sources of information.
Consider using information from relevant Government websites
to support an argument related to the paper. When quoting
sources, keep direct quotes brief and phrase related ideas in
your own words.
Sticky Note
It is often good practice to follow up a quotation with a quick
summary in your own words of the most relevant point.
ETHICAL CONTRIBUTIONS 3
they support, it is important for an educated citizenry to be
aware of the potential ethical impacts
of these contributions. The sections that follow address how two
of the most important moral
theories would address this issue.

5. Utilitarianism
Utilitarianism is the moral theory that actions are right or wrong
in proportion to the
degree to which they promote the happiness of all concerned
(Mill, 2015). Accordingly, whether
or not corporate campaign contributions are ethical will depend
on the overall consequences of
such contributions. If a corporation’s making a contribution
results in better overall
consequences than not making it, or than making a different
contribution, then the contribution
would be considered ethical. On the other hand, if the
contribution results in more harm than
good, then the contribution would be unethical. For instance, a
contribution to a candidate could
be unethical if it results in benefits to the corporation itself, but
does so at the expense of many
others in the society. The primary question of this paper is not
whether particular cases of such
contributions are wrong, but whether corporate contributions to
political campaigns are wrong in
general; that is, does permitting them have greater overall
consequences than banning them
would have? I will argue that with careful oversight, the

6. benefits of such contributions can
outweigh their potential harms, so allowing them is ethical from
a utilitarian point of view.
There are various reasons that representatives of a corporation
may want to make
donations to a political campaign. Corporations may be trying
to advance their particular
organizational objectives or they may stand to garner an
economic benefit. While a corporation
will always be concerned with its own future profits, this does
not necessarily conflict with the
interests of society as a whole. In many cases, attempting to
have a political influence that
benefits the corporation can also benefit society as a whole. For
example, a contribution that
Sticky Note
This section thoroughly describes an ethical theory in an
accurate, clear, and concise manner.
Sticky Note
It is good to begin with a clear statement of the meaning of the
moral theory, followed with a citation.
Sticky Note
Examples can help to clarify important points.
Sticky Note

7. This passage clarifies the specific issue being addressed and the
thesis of the paper.
ETHICAL CONTRIBUTIONS 4
helps a corporation to succeed in the market place can result in
the continued employment of
thousands of people, as well as the provision of important goods
and services at lower prices.
Another example of the positive use of political contributions
comes not from
corporations but from unions. According to the Center for
Responsive Politics (2016), the largest
all-time contributors to campaigns has been labor unions such
as the Service Employees
International Union (SEIU) which ranked number one with
$228,096,452 in donations since
1989. They were far ahead of the next two contributors which
were the National Education
Association with $96,619,681 in donations and the American
Federation of
State/County/Municipal Employees Union with $96,445,616 in
total contributions. The millions
of dollars from these political contributions have served to
promote the goals of their union,

8. which in turn promote the well-being of the many members of
the American work force that they
represent.
In the case of the unions, the PACs representing them contribute
to political campaigns in
an effort to maximize the benefits to their union members. The
SEIU represents members from
many different industries with varying and diverse concerns and
needs. According to Center for
Responsive Politics (2016) the SEIU's top issues for lobbying
are Health Issues, Labor/Anti-
Trust and Workplace, Immigration, Federal Budget and
Appropriations, and Economics and
Economic Development. Considering the fact that the unions are
frequently made up of service
industry employees like healthcare workers, janitors, security
guards, public service employees,
home care workers, building service workers, probation and
parole officers, the SEIU political
lobbying can benefit not just members of the union but also
millions of other workers engaged in
similar professions. Legislation passed to support the interests
of SEIU members can thus be

9. beneficial to the American workforce in general and thus to
society as a whole. It would seem
Sticky Note
Taking a few key examples that can be referenced throughout
the paper is a good way to tie ideas together. In this paper, the
learner references the SEIU as an ongoing case study.
ETHICAL CONTRIBUTIONS 5
that in cases like these political contributions from
organizations can have great overall benefits
and thus be ethical from a utilitarian perspective.
Even though such contributions can be ethical in particular
cases, however, this does not
necessarily mean that it would be ethical to legally permit all
such contributions. It’s also
possible for political contributions by organizations to be
harmful to society. Corporations have
sometimes used their considerable influence to create
legislation that is harmful to workers,
human rights, and the environment (Burley and Hoedeman,
2011).
While there are certainly negative consequences that can result
from allowing corporate

10. contributions, rather than banning them outright, we can put in
place regulations designed to
limit the amount of harm that might result from them. For
instance, we could require
transparency that would enable the public to know which
corporations are closely connected to
which PACs, and thus whether a politician is (indirectly)
receiving large contributions from a
particular corporation. This could, in turn, shed light on
whether certain laws and policies are
being passed primarily for the benefit of those corporations,
rather than for the public good. With
such regulations in place, allowing corporations and unions to
contribute to political campaigns it
is more likely to do more good than harm and thus be ethical
from a utilitarian point of view.
Ethical Egoism
Ethical egoism is the moral theory that one should do whatever
is in one’s own interests
(Mosser, 2013). This does not mean that one should do whatever
one feels like in the moment,
but that one should work hard to promote one’s greatest long
term success. When corporations
donate to political campaigns they generally will do so with the

11. goal of promoting their own
financial interests, and thus are acting ethically according to the
egoist theory. Some may feel
Sticky Note
Taking into account arguments on the other side can help to
make your thesis more refined and can clarify how it can stand
up to common objections.
Sticky Note
This section also begins with a clear statement of the theory,
followed by a clarification of what it means.
ETHICAL CONTRIBUTIONS 6
that this kind of self-interested influence is unethical. One can
imagine a business supporting
legislation that promotes its own interests to the detriment of
society as a whole. For example,
corporations have often used their considerable influence to
create legislation favorable to their
own interests but not to the interests of employees, human
rights, or the environment (Burley and
Hoedeman, 2011). Because a lot of harm can come to society
from such influence, some may
feel that this degree of power in the hands of self-interested
corporations should not be allowed.

12. Such concerns, however, assume that the metric by which we
measure the ethicality of an
action is based on its overall social consequences, which
reflects a utilitarian perspective.
According to ethical egoism, one is not responsible to society as
a whole, but to one’s own long
term success. According to this theory, a corporation’s only
responsibility would be to its own
long term interests. Such a view is reflected in the work of the
economist Milton Friedman, who
argues that increasing its own profits is the sole ethical
responsibility of a business (Friedman,
1970).
One can even argue that the corporate pursuit of self-interest is
actually beneficial to
society as a whole. If corporations did not seek to promote their
own financial success, then over
time they would collapse, and all of their employees would be
out of work. Capitalism itself
works by assuming that companies and individuals will seek to
increase their own financial
success. This results in competition, which in turn ensures that
product quality, supply levels,

13. and prices find an optimal balance between the interests of
corporations and consumers (Smith,
2007). Without this egoistic perspective, it can be argued, our
economy would collapse. With it,
our economy grows and prospers.
One can think of the balance of interests involved in corporate
contributions with the
analogy of a courtroom. In a trial, it is the duty of the
prosecution and defense attorneys to
Sticky Note
Considering strong objections is sometimes the best way to
strengthen your points.
Sticky Note
Scholarly sources are used throughout this paper to support the
arguments being made. These sources are supplementary in
nature so the learner is referencing an idea in his or her own
words but acknowledging the original author.
ETHICAL CONTRIBUTIONS 7
defend opposite sides of a case as well as possible. It is through
this balance that we achieve an
approximation of fairness in the courtroom. So it is with
corporate political contributions. There
are political contributions made on all sides of political issues.

14. There are PACs representing
environmental, regulatory, workforce, human rights, corporate,
and other interests. With the
contributions of all of these parties, various interests groups are
able to have their voices heard in
the American political process so that a proper balance can be
struck.
Conclusion
Donations from organizations to political campaigns can drive
legislation and thus have a
major influence on public policy in this country. While this
influence can have positive and
negative impacts, this paper argues that such contributions
should be allowed as they satisfy the
ethical egoist goal of allowing corporations to promote their
own interests, and, at least when
regulated, can satisfy the utilitarian goal of a promoting a
happier society as well. One significant
difference between the two approaches is that the utilitarian
view would insist on certain
regulations designed to limit the harmful results that could
result from organizations donating in
ways that promote their own interests. However, the ethical
egoist would disagree, and maintain

15. that the freedom of organizations to promote their interests has
the highest priority; thus, the
egoist would likely oppose most kinds of regulations on
political contributions by organizations.
Both theories appear to agree, however, that, at least when
carefully regulated, corporations
should be allowed to make political contributions that further
their long term interests.
Sticky Note
This learner ends this paper by providing a clear succinct
conclusion that reiterates the central arguments being made in
the paper.
Sticky Note
It is nice to close with a brief reiteration of one’s thesis.
ETHICAL CONTRIBUTIONS 8
References
Burley, H., & Hoedeman, O. (2011). The best influence money
can buy – the 10 worst corporate
lobbyists. New Internationalist Magazine. Retrieved July 11,
2016 from
https://newint.org/features/2011/01/01/10-worst-corporate-
lobbyists/.

16. Center for Responsive Politics (2016). Service employees
international union. Retrieved July 1,
2016 from:
http://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=d000000077
&cycle=2010.
Daigle, C. (2006). Nietzsche: Virtue Ethics… Virtue Politics?
Journal of Nietzsche Studies 32, 1-
21.
Federal Election Commission (FEC). (2004, February).
Contributions (Updated February 2016).
Retrieved May 8, 2016, from:
http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/contrib.shtml#Corporations
_Labor_Banks.
Friedman, M. (1970, September 13). The social responsibility of
business is to increase its
profits. The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved July 11,
2016 from
http://umich.edu/~thecore/doc/Friedman.pdf.
Kelsen, H. (1948). Absolutism and relativism in philosophy and
politics. The American Political
Science Review 42(5), 906-914. Retrieved May 22, 2016, from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1950135.

17. Mill, J. S. (2008). Utilitarianism. In J. Bennett (Ed. & Rev.)
Early Modern Philosophy. Retrieved
July 11, 2016 from
http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/mill1863.pdf
Mosser, K. (2013). Ethics and social responsibility 2e.
Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1950135
http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/mill1863.pdf
Sticky Note
The reference page is separate from the main body of the paper
and is composed in an APA format.
ETHICAL CONTRIBUTIONS 9
Smith, A. (2007). An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the
Wealth of Nations. Retrieved
July 11, 2016 from
http://www.ibiblio.org/ml/libri/s/SmithA_WealthNations_p.pdf.
Teachout, T. (2001). Prime-time patriotism. Commentary
112(4), 51. Retrieved from:
https://www.commentarymagazine.com/issues/.