There are a number of moral theories that are used in life, as well as businesses.
throughout the world to justify why we do the things that we do. The most common theories that
are used fall under one of these: Deontology (Duty Based), Relativism (Experience Based).
Divine Command (Higher Power Based), Virtue Ethics (Self Improvement Based), Egoism (Self-
Interest Based), Natural Rights Theory (Human Rights Based) and Utilitarianism (Consequences
Based). Utilitarianism is the most common moral theory that is used in the world today
Utilitarianism is "Utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory that places the locus of right and
wrong solely on the outcomes (consequences) of choosing one action/policy over other
actions/policies. As such, it moves beyond the scope of one's own interests and takes into
account the interests of others" (Cavelier, n.d.). The Utilitarianism theory is also associated with
being a philosophical theory that had been made popular by the British Philosophers Jeremy
Benthan and John Stuart Mill in the 19th century explaining that the best way to make a moral
decision is to first consider the consequences of the choices that are available and choosing the
one that either gives you the most happiness or has the least effect on suffering to yourself or
others (Murrell, 2019).
One of the pro's for using the Utilitarianism theory is taking all elements into account
when making a decision. This means that a person is making an action-based decision on how it
effects their happiness and nothing else will matter to them for this decision. The majority of
decisions that are made by people are based on how the decision will benefit that person. I do it
on a daily basis at work when adjusting the manpower that I have to make my job easier on
myself as well as in my personal life with the decisions made for buying a new golf club that I
really didn't need. When making these choices, they have had a positive impact on myself yet
they may have affected others in a more negative way. A con for using the Utilitarianism theory
is that the desired ethical consequences that result from a particular action doesn't always happen
immediately (McCartney & Parent, 2015). This is seen more and more every day in the law
enforcement community when making a decision. I see an example of this quite often in my city
of residence with the law enforcement community. There is a terrible drug epidemic in my town,
as well as towns/cities across the nation, and I have seen instances where police will make an
arrest for a simple possession charge and use that as leverage in getting information on the
person that they had obtained the drugs from to build a case that will possibly ebb the flow of
drugs into the community. By lessoning the charge, in some cases dismissing it completely, may
not cause the person to clean themselves up. The effects are un-known when the decision is made
and the end