The object of this essay is to establish whether there is an ethical theory that can be successfully applied to business organisations. In order to answer this question, it is necessary first to define the major ethical theories, which are utilitarianism, deontology and virtue ethics, before determining whether there are any other options. After that, the ethical needs, problems and limitations of work organisations will have to be examined so that the different theories can be evaluated in this context. It will also be important to draw a distinction between the terms "accurate" and "useful" as these actually result in two different questions the answer to which need not necessarily be the same. Another essential part of this discussion is the more general question why there should be ethics in work organisations in the first place, and to what extent ethical behaviour is feasible in the business world. Hopefully this will provide a framework within which the answer to the essay question can be included.
To begin with, the "traditional" approaches to solving moral problems will be defined, namely those of act-utilitarianism and deontology. …
