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Utilitarianism and Bribery

Airplane Manufacturing Case


An airplane manufacturer has spent a great deal of money developing a new airplane. The
company badly needs cash because it is financially overextended. If it does not get some
large orders soon, it will have to close down part of its operation. Doing that will put
several thousand workers out of jobs. The president of the company bribes a foreign
minister to insure the purchase of the planes, arguing that the good done overall justifies
the use of bribery.
Answer:
In this case, the president takes an action which bribes a foreign minister to insure
the purchase of the plane. The president considers the action he takes is morally right i.e.
the good done overall justifies the use of bribery due to the consequence about several
thousand workers will out of jobs if the action does not implement. Some arguments
emerge to this case. There is a theory to support the case and briefly explain about the
case whether it is morally right or wrong.
Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that holds that an action is right if it produces,
or if it tends to produce, the greatest amount of good for the greatest number of people
affected by an action. In this case, the greatest number of people will be affected by an
action is the several thousand of workers. Utilitarianism adopts a teleological approach to
ethics and claims that actions are to be judged by their consequences. According to this
view, actions are not good or bad in themselves. Actions take on moral value only when
considered in conjunction with the effects that follow upon them. The action that the
president take to bribe the foreign minister to insure the purchase of the planes bring out
the direct consequences which are the airplane company will normally operation and the
several workers will keep their job. Thus, the president arguing that he does a good done
in this case although he uses bribery method.
Applying Utilitarianism in this case, there are some objections to it. Utilitarianism
is unworkable because no one has the time to calculate all the consequences of an action

beforehand and we cannot know the full results of any action, nor can we accurately
weigh the different kinds of good and evil that result. The calculation is artificial and not
practical. According to the case, the president barely considers about the short-term
consequences which is the financial problem of the company and the job of the several
thousand of workers. Due to the presidents action, these are good consequence to the
workers and company. But some indirect effects will not emerge obviously in this case.
The president should weigh the consideration in it. If applying the utilitarianism to this
case, there is indirect effect and bad consequence takes place which is the legal system of
the country will be weaken due to the use of the bribery method after several years. Legal
system is a foundation to our country and it is a veil to protect our country. Therefore, the
presidents lack of consider about the long-term consequence which is the legal system.
In conclude, in our group opinion, it is morally wrong in this case due to the
long-term consequence i.e. legal system. The short-term consequence can be solved by
using another method without using the bribery method. The workers able to find another
job after out of job and the president able to issue some share or bond to allow investors
invest in the company in order to the company can normally operation. Besides the
method of suggestion that mentioned above, there are many methods that the company
and president can use to solve this kind of problem without using the wrong method.

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