Utilitarian Analysis of Wages and Working Conditions in Bangladesh

This essay delves into the application of utilitarian ethics to the context of worker wages and working conditions in Bangladesh. The introduction establishes the significance of ethics in both personal and professional spheres, highlighting its role in distinguishing right from wrong. The main body of the essay applies the utilitarian approach, which prioritizes actions that maximize happiness and minimize pain, to analyze whether it supports increasing wages and improving working conditions for workers in Bangladesh. The essay discusses the poor working conditions, low wages, and exploitation faced by workers, particularly in the fashion industry. It argues that the utilitarian approach supports the regulation of wages and working conditions to improve the overall well-being of the workers. The essay provides several reasons for this support, including fulfilling the ethical duties of multinational corporations, preventing the spread of global diseases, improving the living standards of workers, and improving the health and economic conditions of Bangladesh. The conclusion reiterates the key findings, emphasizing the utilitarian perspective on actions that promote happiness and reduce suffering. This essay is a student contribution to Desklib, a platform providing AI-based study tools and resources, including past papers and solved assignments.

Ethics Theory Essay

Contents
Contents...........................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................1
Application of Utilitarian to analyses whether they support increasing wages rate as well as
working condition of workers......................................................................................................1
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................5

INTRODUCTION
Ethics refers to set principle which defending as well as recommending between right and wrong
behaviours (Fryer, 2016). Ethics are important in real life as well as business or at work. These
ethical helps an individual to differentiate between right as well as wrong actions. This project
includes case study of workers living in Bangladesh and their working condition in which they
are working. This project report includes application of Utilitarian approach and analysis
whether they support increase in wages rate and improving working condition of people living in
Bangladesh. It also includes reason behind support of this approach to workers of that country.
MAIN BODY
Application of Utilitarian to analyses whether they support increasing wages rate as well as
working condition of workers
Utilitarian analysis: Utilitarian analysis is one of ethics theory in which an action is ethically
right if it creates happiness whereas an action would be wrong it is creating pain and unhappiness
(HUNT, 2016). It does not only affect performer of action but everyone involved in that.
According to this theory, actions are analysed on basis of consequences of those actions. This
theory is against self-interest of people and is different from ethical theory as ethical theory
include rightness and wrongness of action taken by a person. Whereas according to utilitarian
theory rights thing can be done by a person for bad motive. The main focus of this concept is one
that a person should act in a way which maximise happiness and minimise pain and unhappiness.
In this case, Bangladesh is one of poor country where there is high rate of poverty. There is
also high rate of unemployment and due to this labour available here is at cheap rate. Many
industries specially fashion industries are using labour from Bangladesh as it reduces their
production cost. Working condition for worker of this country is very poor as owners does not
provide them with necessary facilities. Even after global pandemic, owners are not providing
them safe environment instead laid off workers without any payment. They are also forcing to
work in unsafe condition which support to spread in dieses. This country is providing their good
to multinational corporation including Zara, H&M, Sainsbury, Walmart and many more. Their
cheap good provide profit to organisation but these companies are not improving human rights of
working their living conditions. After Covid-19, industries have stopped their production, which
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can lead in cancelling their order without payment of production cost. Many factories have sent
their worker at home without making any payment to them.
Utilitarian approach in this case support to regulation to increase wages rate as well as working
condition for labour. As this theory support to increase happiness and reduce pain and
unhappiness of people (Jones, 2016). Workers paly important role in profit of business sit is their
duty to make them happy and satisfied. Labour in Bangladesh is working to earn their livelihood
and contributing to make profit to factories owner and multinational organisation. They are
working in miserable condition which is not good for companies. They should support for their
human rights and it is their corporate social responsibility for their workers which in turn helps
business to increase their reputation and market image. These support helps these labour to get
good working condition which improve their productivity as well as good wages rate helps to
increase their living standard. These thigs increase happiness level of people living in
Bangladesh and reduce their pain of working in miserable conditions. There is various reason for
which this utilitarian approach supports to increasing wages rate as well as working condition of
people living in Bangladesh. These reason to improve working condition of labour are as
follows:
Fulfil ethical duty of Multinational corporation: Utilitarian approach supports to increasing in
wages rate and working condition of people living in Bangladesh as it helps multinational
corporation to fulfil their ethical duties (Magelssen, Pedersen and Førde, 2016). If multinational
corporation contribute in improving condition of workers and labour working in that country
than it will improve their market image. It also increases trust between labour and companies for
which they are working. This will also result in improving their performance level and allow
them to get high quality of goods. This will make these workers happy and satisfied for
companies which is moral duty of company.
Stop spreading for Global dieses: Utilitarian approach also supports to improving working
condition of labour as it helps owners to be focused with health as well as safety of employees
working these. As due to Covid-19 situation, industries are cancelling their orders in Bangladesh
and also laid of worker without payment. But now production has started again and to avoid
spread in dieses, it is important for them to factories owners to provide good working condition
to their workers. As spread of dieses again shut their factories which can also affect their
profitability level. As due to poverty level, health treatment in Bangladesh is not sufficient.
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Country does not have that much resource to overcome these resources which can affect health
all over country. To prevent this situation, working condition as well as wages rate of worker
should improve.
Improve living standard of people: This approach also supports for purpose of improving
living standard of workers of Bangladesh. Wages rate helps them to improve their living
condition as they can provide good education to their children, can eat better quality of food. It
also helps the against poverty and provide them better life (Nicholson and Kurucz, 2019).
Working condition helps them to work efficient which increase quality for their work as well as
their performance which increase demand of their work. They are providing excellent work a
low cost which is beneficial or owners as well as labours as they are getting better condition It
also helps them in getting better employment opportunities which also helps them in improving
their overall living standard. This improved living standard improve economic condition of
country.
Improving health of people living in Bangladesh: Working condition also helps to improve
health of workers who are working in factories in miserable condition. This will also help them
in reducing their expenses and also helps them to save money for further expenses (Sofronas,
Wright, and Carnevale, 2018. Condition of health and safety in Bangladesh is not good as they
do not have sufficient resources to overcome from this. Improving working condition also helps
to reduce mortality rate of country as it de not affect their health and reduce case of accident at
work place. To reduce these accidents at work place, factories owner can provide training to their
labours which helps them in improving health level of people living in that country.
Improved economic condition: Improve working condition of labours also helps in improving
economic condition of Bangladesh. As it helps them in improving health, reducing mortality rate,
improving living standard which also improve economic condition of country as it helps to
increase their buying power (Sandler, 2017). As people living their also increase their demand
level which is important to maintain economic balance. These things help them to improve
themselves and also increase peace and happiness in country. Utilitarian approach supports
increase in wages as it helps them to improve overall economic condition of people living there.
All these factors help to analyses that utilitarian approach supports increase in wags rates as
well as improve working condition of people as it helps them in increasing their satisfaction level
with work as well as also increase their happiness. These things also help to reduce of their pain
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of less wages rate, health issues, mortality rate. These things also help them to reduce spread of
dieses which is threat for all over world as countries do not have sufficient resources to
overcome these threats. It helps them to fulfil ethical duty of companies, factories owners as well
as government of that countries.
CONCLUSION
From above mentioned project report, it can be concluded that Utilitarian approach is one of
those approach which helps to leads to action that increase happiness of people whereas prevent
those action which increase pain and unhappiness. People living in Bangladesh are suffering
from bad working condition and also countries are taking advantage of them as there are cheap
labour which reduce their production cost. These workers are not getting sufficient payment and
also suffering from laid off from work without any payment. They have to work in unsafe
condition even in situation of Covid-19 which is not good for their health. Utilitarian approach is
supporting increase in wage rate for these workers and also to improve their working condition
which is beneficial for both employers as well as these labours. It also increases peace as well as
happiness in people living in that country and reduce their problem as well as pain. It helps
organisation to fulfil their ethical duties which helps these workers to over their problems.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Fryer, M., 2016. A role for ethics theory in speculative business ethics teaching. Journal of
business ethics, 138(1), pp.79-90.
HUNT, S., 2016. Personal moral codes and the Hunt-Vitell theory of ethics. Business Ethics:
New Challenges for Business Schools and Corporate Leaders: New Challenges for
Business Schools and Corporate Leaders, p.18.
Jones, T.M., 2016. Instrumental stakeholder theory: A synthesis of ethics and economics. The
Corporation and Its Stakeholders, pp.205-242.
Magelssen, M., Pedersen, R. and Førde, R., 2016. Four roles of ethical theory in clinical ethics
consultation. The American Journal of Bioethics, 16(9), pp.26-33.Meyers, C., 2016.
Universals without absolutes: A theory of media ethics. Journal of Media Ethics, 31(4),
pp.198-214.
Nicholson, J. and Kurucz, E., 2019. Relational leadership for sustainability: Building an ethical
framework from the moral theory of ‘ethics of care’. Journal of Business Ethics, 156(1),
pp.25-43.
Sandler, R., 2017. Environmental ethics: theory in practice.
Sofronas, M., Wright, D.K. and Carnevale, F.A., 2018, October. Personhood: An evolutionary
concept analysis for nursing ethics, theory, practice, and research. In Nursing forum (Vol.
53, No. 4, pp. 406-415).
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