Ethical Theories of Utilitarianism and Kantianism Essay

Ethical Theories of Utilitarianism and Kantianism - Essay Example According to the paper the manager Michael has faced an ethical situation in his family’s business of metal components. The current economic crisis has created strong challenges to Michael in sustaining his family business. On the other hand, one of his unskilled, but loyal workers, John, who started working for the company even at a time when Michael’s grandfather was running the business, has developed some unhealthy behaviors at the workplace which caused Michael lot of headaches. Michael knows that John’s wife and only son died in a car crash a year ago and that, to cope with his loss, John has taken to drinking alcohol. Michael has repeatedly talked with John about this problem but this has not changed John’s behavior. Even though Michael decided to cut down all the unproductive sectors including the unproductive problematic employees also, he decided to keep John on. This paper briefly analyses Michael’s decision to keep John on the basis of e thical theories of utilitarianism and Kantianism. This study outlines that the main ethical issue involved in this case was about John’s future. He has started his career even when Michael’s grandfather was running the business and moreover John has spent majority of his healthy periods for the company and worked hard for the company as a loyal worker. Right now he is rapidly approaching the end of period of his life both as a worker and a human being. Is it right to fire a worker who spent majority of his life for the wellbeing of a company during a period when he was about to retire? Another ethical issue involved in the above case was that John has lost his entire family in an accident and left alone in this world by destiny. Apart from his family, the company was the second entity in which John was constantly interacting. Is it right for the company to fire such a loyal worker when he was left alone in this world, especially when considering his earlier services to the organization?