Your task

Part A

(a) Explain the purpose of normative ethical theory, and how the theories in Module 2 conflict with each other.

(b) Show your charitable understanding of one of:

1. Utilitarianism
2. Kantian moral theory
3.  Virtue ethics.

(c) Present your understanding of what you think are the strongest two criticisms of the ethical theory you outlined.

Part B

Select a real-life business situation that requires a particular agent to make an ethical decision. Preferably the situation should be sourced from your own experience, or from the experience of someone you know. The situation can also be sourced from a newspaper article or journal.

(a) Briefly outline the business situation. State your source for this situation. Clearly identify the agent(the decision-maker)you will focus on and their options for action in the situation. Briefly indicate the implications of these options for those involved or affected.

(b) Choose an ethical theory from Module 2 that is not the theory you criticized in Part A.

Briefly outline your chosen theory in a paragraph. Use this ethical theory to analyze each of the agent’s options. Justify your recommendation for what the agent should do using this theory only.

In this assignment you are expected to show the following:

1. You understand the purpose of ethical theory. What does any normative ethical theory(such as you are presented within Module 2)aim to do? How are Are these ethical theories incompatible?
2. You understand the positions of two major ethical theories.
3. You understand the force of strong criticism against a theory.
4. You can select and analyze a real business situation that presents an ethical decision for a particular agent, identifying the alternative options available to the agent and the implications for those involved or affected.
5. You can apply an ethical theory to analyze each of the agent’s options in your chosen business situation and use that theory to make a justified recommendation on what option(s) the agent should take.