Can D freely decide what to do? Is D an autonomous moral agent?

What are the likely causal consequences of D’s alternative decisions?

Can D freely decide what to do? Is D an autonomous moral agent?

Are there any conditions present that excuse D from morally accountability?

Is anyone coercing D?

Is anyone deceiving or manipulating D?

Does D have all the information that we can reasonably expect D to obtain?

What do the various ethical theories say about whether to hold D accountable for D’s decision?

Does anyone share moral responsibility with D?

Is the organization, of which D is a member, solely or partially moral responsible for the situation?

Should D consider the owners of the business? (shareholder view)

Should D consider employees, suppliers, customers, and the local community? Who? (stakeholder view)

Should D consider the global community, posterity, or the environment? Which? (comprehensive view)

– individual virtues?

– community?

– corporate character?

Should D exhibit certain virtues, such as honesty, courage, etc.?

Should D avoid vices, such as sleaziness, timidity, etc.?

How can D contribute to making D’s community/organization flourish?

Does the character of D’s organization help cooperation in a market society?

Does D’s organization have traits that prevent any parties from flourishing?

Does D’s organization need to change its structure? E.g. an ethics policy?

– relationships?

– responsibilities?

Should D pay particular attention to anyone’s emotional needs?

Which relationships should D help to flourish?

Does enhancing these relationships give D special responsibilities?

-motivation?

– prima facie duties?

– Kantian duties?

Are D’s motives in accordance with justified ethical principles?

What duties should D fulfil?

Does D have any obvious duties that further reflection may override?

Can D claim that everyone can consistently fulfil these duties?

Is D treating anyone as a means rather than an end?

– autonomy?

– deception?

– crucial interests?

– harm principle?

Does D have any general rights that others must respect?

Are these rights positive or negative?

Is anyone’s ability to make informed decisions at stake?

Is there any lying or deception going on?

Will D’s decision affect anyone’s crucial interests?

Are these interests really crucial, or are they merely preferences?

Does D’s obligation not to harm others limit D’s liberty of action?

– contracts?

– promises?

– expectations?

Are there any legal contracts involved?

Did the parties agree on the contract, or are the terms specified by law?

Are these legal contracts ethically free and fair?

Are there any explicit promises involved?

Do any promises arise from contracts involving offers and acceptances?

Are there any implicit promises involved?

Do any promises arise from customary expectations and practices?

– retributive?

– compensatory?

– distributive?

Is D deciding to treat people differently for morally arbitrary reasons?

Does anyone deserve praise or blame in the case?

Should anyone receive reward or punishment?

Does anyone deserve compensation for a harm, rights violation, or injustice?

Will D’s decision distribute benefits and burdens fairly?

Does D’s decision promote equality of opportunity?

Is sexual or racial harassment involved?

Are there institutional barriers to women or parents of small children, etc.?

Is affirmative action permitted or obligatory?

Does D’s decision respect property rights and contracts?

Does D’s decision help the least advantaged?

– self-interest?

– wide self-interest?

– cooperation dilemma?

Which decision is in D’s self-interest?

Should D also consider family, friends, community, or more?

Should D consider others as psychological egoists?

Will D’s strategic decision involve a prisoner’s dilemma situation?

utilitarianism

– pain/pleasure?

Whose feelings will D’s decision affect?

Can D measure the strength of these feelings and sensations?

Can D add up the quantities involved?

Can D widen the scope of this utilitarian reasoning to include everyone?

Can D see how to maximize net positive feelings?

utilitarianism

– wants?

– desires?

– choices?

– preferences?

Whose preferences will D’s decision affect?

Can D measure the strength of these preferences?

Can D see how to add up the quantities involved?

Can D widen the scope of this utilitarian reasoning to include everyone?

Can D see how to maximize preference-satisfaction?

– willingness to pay?

– cost-benefit analysis?

Whose financial position will D’s decision affect?

Is willingness to pay a good measure of the strength of people’s preferences?

Should D perform a cost-benefit analysis of the alternative decisions?

How wide is the scope of D’s cost-benefit analysis?

Can D widen the scope of this cost-benefit analysis to include everyone?

Will D’s decision contribute to the efficiency of the economic market?

Will D’s decision create external costs for nearby, distant, or future people?

– policies?

– rules?

If not, is there a policy that D could follow that will maximize well-being?

Is there a universal rule that will maximize aggregate well-being?

Should D follow a rights-based or virtue-based policy?

Should D’s organization write a good policy to cover this decision?

Absent such a policy, should D decide as if such a policy did exist?

That is, should D apply utilitarian reasoning indirectly?

consequentialism

If people had full information, would they have different preferences?

If D aggregated only informed preferences, would this change D’s decision?

Would D’s decision to promote virtue lead to rights violations or utility reductions?

Would D’s decision to care for special relationships lead to partiality and unfairness?

Would D’s decision to respect general rights lead to unjust distributions or to utility reductions?

Would D’s decision to respect special rights lead to unfairness?

Would D’s decision to promote distributive justice lead to entitlement loss or to overall utility loss?

Would D’s decision to maximize self-interest lead to vice, injustice, utility loss or rights violations?

Would D’s decision to maximize self-interest lead to problems with cooperation?

Would D be able to measure and aggregate utility in this case?

Would D’s decision to maximize aggregate utility lead to rights violations or unjust distributions?

Would D’s decision to maximize people’s aggregate financial position actually maximize their utility?

Would D’s decision to follow a utility-maximizing rule be overly harsh and authoritarian?

Does our analysis of D’s ethical situation lead us to require more information about the case?

Which of the alternative decisions is the best from a business point of view?

Does D face an ethical dilemma where no decision is ethically permissible?

Does D have several possible decisions that are roughly equal, but better than the other alternatives?

Does D have just one decision that, on the balance of reasons, is best from an ethical point of view?