Major Ethical Theories (Utilitarianism and Deontology)

The video for 5CO02 AC 1.5 examines two of the most significant philosophical frameworks in applied ethics: utilitarianism and deontology. It centres on the foundational thinkers associated with each tradition — Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill in relation to consequentialist reasoning, and Immanuel Kant in relation to duty-based ethics — and considers how their philosophical positions translate into the kinds of decisions HR professionals are regularly required to make. Alongside these theoretical roots, the video addresses Kant's categorical imperative as a specific moral test and the principle that people must be treated as ends in themselves rather than merely as instruments of organisational purpose.

Rather than treating these theories as abstract philosophy, the video grounds both frameworks in recognisable HR scenarios, including redundancy programmes, capability and performance decisions, and the consistent application of workplace procedures. It examines the internal logic of each perspective — why a utilitarian calculates overall benefit and harm across all affected stakeholders, and why a deontologist holds that certain actions are inherently right or wrong irrespective of their outcomes — and considers the genuine criticisms that can be levelled at each approach, including utilitarianism's capacity to justify outcomes that disadvantage minorities and deontology's rigidity when rules conflict with compassionate responses.

The video also draws a direct line between deontological thinking and concepts such as natural justice and the right to be heard, which sit at the foundation of employment law and fair procedure in the UK. By working through how each ethical perspective can produce different rationales for the same workplace dilemma, the video directly addresses what AC 1.5 asks students to do: assess how contrasting ethical standpoints shape decision-making rather than simply describe what those standpoints are.