Question

question 8
5 pts
fred is an engineer working in country x, where he needs a building permit. the normal wait for a permit is one to two weeks, but the official says there is a back - load, and it might take six months to get the permit. however, for a non - trivial payment, the license can be issued by the end of the week. an act utilitarian would make which of the following arguments in opposition to fred’s paying a bribe to this official?

by bribing an official, fred would undermine the moral autonomy of local officials to decide for themselves which buildings should be built in their communities

fred must ask, “would i be willing for officials in my country to be bribed by foreign companies?”

fred would be wrong to pay a bribe in this instance, because he and his company could be setting a bad precedent for future decisions

in general, bribes are wrong because they greatly decrease the efficiency of conducing business overseas, harming the customers of multi - national corporations; thus, fred would be wrong to bribe

Explanation:

Act utilitarianism evaluates actions based on their overall consequences for the greatest good. The correct argument focuses on the broader harm of normalizing bribery: if Fred pays the bribe, it sets a precedent that reduces business efficiency, harms customers of multinational corporations, and creates net negative outcomes for the largest number of people. The other options rely on deontological (rules/duty-based) or universalization principles, not act utilitarian focus on concrete consequences.

Answer:

In general, bribes are wrong because they greatly decrease the efficiency of conducing business overseas, harming the customers of multi-national corporations; thus, Fred would be wrong to bribe