Sample Thesis Paper
The Principle of Utility holds that actions and decisions that are right and morally correct are ones that seek to increase happiness and decrease unhappiness. Utilitarianism is a doctrine under this theory through which all acts should produce reasons to be happy and decrease reasons to be unhappy. In the context of an organization, utilitarianism comes into play when policies have to be formed and conflicts have to be resolved (Shaw and Barry). Utilitarianism also entails the achievement of results through morally sound decision making. There are six different constituents of a decision that is made under this doctrine; each of which shall be elaborated upon through individual examples.
Firstly, if a decision is being taken in an organization to take one fourth of the staff on vacation, then utilitarianism will require that the extra workload on the three fourths of the remaining staff is taken into consideration before doing so. Secondly, a decision taken to raise the height of the divider between two cubicles out of the intention of generating increased privacy for the two shall require that the other people in the office are taken into consideration for the sunlight that the raised divider will block out for them. Thirdly, giving an employee a promised raise will not be an action that submits to the principle of Utilitarianism if the maintenance of the promise comes at the cost of giving the employee’s subordinates pay cuts. Fourthly, Utilitarianism holds that a decision cannot be taken to temporarily increase happiness and promote unhappiness in the long run (Shaw and Barry). For instance, taking the employees on a picnic will not be justified if they are made to work extra hard for the rest of the month. The fifth element is that the decision should be taken with the best of intentions in cases where the future cannot be subjected to estimation or approximation. The sixth element of Utilitarianism can be observed through the example that a manager does not need to give the employees a raise if it means that the manager will be giving them their increased salaries out of his own salary. Utilitarianism therefore requires prevention from exercising biasness in the establishment of decisions (Shaw and Barry).