The philosophy of universal ethics states that every decision made is acceptable only if it is applied universally in similar situations. This is also known as the “categorical imperative”. According to Kant, individual moral commitments are considered categorical imperatives, and these commitments exist for a reason. The categorical imperative also states that a person must follow the rules regardless of the outcome and should not be influenced by any desires. The theory of the categorical imperative is divided into four different formulations. These different formulations support the same concept of following the universal command regardless of the outcome that may result. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Kant's second formulation of the categorical imperative can be a useful method for making moral decisions. The second formulation is a principle that tells us what we should do in each type of situation. He states that you should act so as to always treat humanity, whether in your own person or that of another, never merely as a means but always at the same time as an end. Simply put, we should not use people as objects, but instead recognize the value and abilities we all have. If we looked at some business issues through Kantian ethics, we would be able to get to the root of the problem much more quickly. An example of how Kantian ethics might be applicable to a business-related issue would be retail theft. This is a huge ongoing problem in the retail industry. Suppose an employee who is angry with his manager for a justified reason steals from the store. Now, a universal agreement that allows theft could never exist. This is because goods have a limited supply and collective ownership is impossible, private property develops. If a statement authorizing theft were universally accepted, private property would not exist. If we were all free to take from each other, nothing could ever be owned. Since we need some form of private property, a declaration that allows theft would be counterproductive. Bottom line, if the employee steals from his manager, the theft is morally wrong. Another example I found through research is something that happened with General Motors under Jose Lopez. He tore up long-standing contracts, ended many relationships and demanded lower prices to reduce costs for the company. But this stratagem would fail the test of the categorical imperative. If a rule allowing the breaking of a contract were made legal, there would be no contracts. People wouldn't enter into a contract if they knew the other party wouldn't honor it. Even a blanket rule allowing contract breaking would be counterproductive. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay To conclude, I really believe that Kantian ethics could be useful in a world where all people followed the categorical imperative. The problem is that many people reject this practice or are unable to act freely. While it may give us a clear idea of ​​what is moral, it may be useless when it comes to making many practical, everyday decisions..