Business Ethics and Virtue Ethics

Business Ethics and Virtue Ethics

Introduction

Mattel, Inc is one of the largest and the leading toy manufacturing company of America. In the year 1997, the company made headlines is several newspapers, not because of generating huge sales or creating a toy but due to the recalls of 21 million toys. Majority of these toys were manufactured in China. These toys were reported to have lead poisoning, and deadly magnets. These toys either contained small sized magnets which could easily be swallowed by the children or were coated in toxic lead paint. Mattel Inc managed to effectively manage the entire crises. They managed to build up close relationship with the media and took their assistance in spreading word about the hazardous toys and warn the parents. They issued a total of 5 recalls in order to gather all the hazardous toys. This paper will analyze the ethical perspectives of the entire case and will analyze the case as per the virtue ethics.

Virtues

Among the main trends that dominate today's moral philosophy, one of those who most strongly counterbalance the influence of Kantianism is what is called virtue ethics. While the ethical issues of Kantianism was rather accustomed to relativize the moral importance of the question of happiness, virtue ethics rejects the Enlightenment project that had been to base morality on reason and the agent returns leading to both the question of happiness and that of nature (Carr & Steute, 2009). Virtue is then heard in the Aristotelian sense of the term, as a form of excellence in the implementation of his being. Where there appears a configuration ethics, centered on the articulation of virtue, happiness and nature to achieve, reactive what had already set up in this regard Aristotle.

Virtues are principles and ethical values of kindness, honesty, truthfulness, uprightness and righteousness in personality and behavior that direct an individual towards moral and ethical excellence and keep him away from immorality. In other words, virtues can be defined as a good deed or action which enables a person to do something. A person feels happiness and satisfaction when he acts according to the virtues (Winter, 2012). It teaches people about the expected behavior and good deeds and how should they adopt the principles of virtue in the society.

Temperance

Temperance is mean between senseless and licentious.

A senseless individual is an individual who is not able to make a right decision due to the lack of critical thinking, understanding and common sense. Such an individual is unable to make his own decisions and follow what the others are doing. Such a person lacks the understanding and judgment qualities as well as the sense of making decisions (Gardiner, 2005). A senseless individual doesn't have a sense of belonging while licentious individual has control over his surroundings. He wants to be in control of all the situations and panics if the situation gets a little out of hand. He has control over his wishes and desires, as virtue is all about holding or restraining ...