FIRST EXAM STUDY GUIDE:

Classical Theories of Ethics

• Gower: Preface
  • What is the law? What is its primary function? How does it serve its primary function?
     
    
  • How is law affected by morals?
     
    
  • Understand how law and ethics differ from each other?
     
    
  • Why is it important for public relations and advertising practitioners to know and understand the law and their ethical responsibilities?
  
   
  
• Gower: Ch. 1 (pp. 1-9)
  • How is the practice of public relations related to ethics?
     
    
  • What is ethics?
     
    
  • What is meant by business, professional and personal ethics?
     
    
  • Understand the classical theories of ethics and how they are applied to public relations, both in the abstract and to specific situations. What are the pros and cons of each theory? How does the application of different theories to the same situation result in different solutions?
    • Golden Mean - Aristotle
       
      
    • Utilitarianism
       
      
    • Deontology - Kant / Ross
       
      
    • Situational - Fletcher
       
      
    • Distributive Justice - Rawls
       
      
    • Enlightened Self-Interest / Egoism
    
     
    
  • Understand the theories of business ethics. How they are applied to public relations, both in the abstract and to specific situations? What are the pros and cons of each theory? How does the application of different theories to the same situation result in different solutions? Are the ethical considerations of a privately-held corporation or a not-for-profit organization different from those of a publicly-held company?
    • Profit Maximization - Friedman
       
      
    • Social Responsibility
  
   
  
• Spence: pp. 1-13
  • Understand the definition, interactions and relationships among the primary role of a professional practice, role morality and universal public morality?
     
    
  • Ethics is defined as ...
     
    
  • What are the cardinal virtues? What role do they play in motivating people to act ethically under difficult and challenging circumstances?
     
    
  • Explain why acting morally would ultimately be in one's self-interest?
     
    
  • Know and understand the components of ethical reasoning: justification, motivation and compliance
     
    
  • Know and understand how ethical reasoning occurs at the individual, organizational and institutional levels
     
    
  • Under what circumstances does government regulation become necessary to compel ethical behavior?
     
    
  • What are deductive and inductive arguments? How are they employed in ethical theories?
     
    
  • What is meant by deontological, teleological and consequentialist ethical arguments? How do they differ from each other? How do they apply to advertising, both in the abstract and to specific situations? For example, what would Kant say about ethics of deceptive advertising?
    • Categorical Imperative
       
      
    • Principle of Generic Consistency
       
      
    • Promises and Contracts
       
      
    • Role Morality
       
      
    • Consequentialist/Utilitarian
       
      
    • Universal Public Morality
    
     
    
  • When role morality and universal public morality are in conflict, which takes precedence? Why? Understand the relationships and interactions between the two and how they apply to advertising.
  
   
  
• Spence: pp. 13-16
  • Understand the two essential methodological functions that deontological, teleological and consequentialist arguments provide. How does this apply to advertising? How does each ethical principle apply to advertising that is deceptive or stereotyping?
     
    
  • What is meant by "worldview"? What determines a person's worldview? Why does a person's worldview play an integral role in that person's ethical decision-making process?
     
    
  • Understand Boylan's "personal worldview imperative." Why should a person strive to have one worldview? How does this affect ethical decision-making?
     
    

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