The Ethical Framework Of Deontology

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In the campaign, the practitioner 's duty to their employer was met under the utilitarian ethical framework. Utilitarianism, as an ethical framework, states the right course of action in any situation is the one that results in the greatest balance of benefits for anyone affected (Markkula Centre For Applied Ethics, 2014). Bentham wrote in the principles of moral and legislation what made a consequence ethical under utilitarianism was how much happiness, pleasure or benefit was created for all involved (Bentham cited in Panza & Potthast, 2010, p 126). Within the campaign there was great benefit created for a majority of the involved individuals including the practitioner 's employer, PPR. As the campaign was successful, it generated a lot …show more content…

Deontology is an ethical framework which places emphasis on moral rules and the concept of duty (Duignan, 2011, p 69). Although one individual’s concept of duty and moral law can differ to another, under this framework there are a few universally agreed upon ethical acts including honesty, promise keeping, reparation, and justice. As previously stated, within the campaign there were some issues of deception (Duignan, 2011, p 69). Attached to the public relations profession there is a negative connotation that practitioners are ‘spin doctors’. The term ‘spin doctor’ is a slang for a deceptive public relations practitioner (Sumpter & Tankard, 1994, p19). It is based around a common belief public relations will use dishonesty and deception in order to achieve a favourable angle on a situation, person, story or campaign (Sumpter & Tankard, 1994, p19). Since the 1950’s when the term was first coined, consumers and publics have become very aware of the practice and become very critical of practitioners who use deception to achieve a goal (Sumpter & Tankard, 1994, p20). As the campaign didn’t disclose that the corporates weren’t actually homeless, and as members of the public were secretly filmed, this campaign used deception to achieve a favourable result. This then reflects badly upon the profession and adds to the negative ‘spin doctor’ perception. By not …show more content…

The main tension is created between the differing views the frameworks have on justice, honesty and fairness. There are instances where using Utilitarianism ethics can produce great benefits for the majority, but the actions to achieve these benefits may not be fair, honest, and just or uphold societal/personal duties (Markkula Centre For Applied Ethics, 2014). Within deontology however it is unacceptable to disregard moral rules such as honesty and fairness (Alexander & Moore, 2012). Although deontology is about upholding moral duties and producing a more just and fair society, sometimes tension between different moral duties can hinder this (Alexander & Moore, 2012). For example in this campaign it is the moral duty to keep others from harm, but it is also a moral duty to be honest. As the campaign didn’t meet both moral duties, the practitioner didn’t meet uphold its duty to society. These differing views created tension between the practitioner 's duty to the employer and

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