The actions of corporations ought to be held to the same moral standards as the actions of individua

(side note: the value premise is the premise I think the round should be judged on and the value criterion is what I employ to fulfill the premise……. BEFORE VOTING PLEASE READ) I Stand to affirm the resolution. Resolved. The actions of corporations ought to be held to the same moral standards as the actions of individuals. First I will now provide definitions to clarify this round Corporation is defined as A body formed and authorized by law to act as a single person although constituted by one or more persons and legally endowed with various rights and duties including the capacity of succession Ought is used to express duty or moral obligation Individual is defined as a single human being, as distinguished from a group My value premise for this round will be morality as it is implied in the resolution. Morality can be defined as conforming to the ideals of right human conduct. Morality, and the moral standards based on morality exist to protect individuals within a society. Therefore when the society achieves protection and fairs well morality is upheld. Because it best achieves morality societal welfare will be my value criterion for this round. Contention 1: Both corporations and individuals are able to make rational discussion's in which they can consider morality as well as take into account surrounding circumstances. Because a corporation is defined as a body formed and authorized by law to act as a single person, corporations are just as capable of making smart and well thought out decisions as individuals. Because they both can react and base their actions on knowledge it serves society best for them to do what is right and be moral. Because corporations are essentially a group of individuals working as one it is only logical to expect that they also be forced to follow the same moral standards of individuals not part of a corporation. At the point at which there are benefits for an individual to be held to higher standards there are benefits for a corporation to be held to the same higher moral standards. Since both corporations and individuals are moral and rational actors when one of them is being held to higher standards those benefits are also achieved when the other is held to those same higher moral standards. For example, at the point in which it benefits a community for individuals to be held to the moral standard of not committing murder it also benefits the community for the corporation to be held to that standard, because when they are the result is less murder within a society. With societal welfare being achieved in this example when both are held to the same standards protection of the individuals within the society is also achieved and there so is morality because moral standards are for the purpose of protection. Corporations must be held to the same moral standards as individuals because they are both part of society and both receive benefits from society. Since corporations are part of society and making the same gains as the society they should also be regulated to comply with the same moral standards as the society. This works out very well in terms of societal welfare in that corporations can gain consumer trust while being moral and doing what's right and the individuals of the community get the benefit of a corporation that is able to logically plan out situations using the same moral standards as the others in the society. We must look to the action before the agent of the action before accessing punishment or worry about moral standards. For example, if a corporation and an individual both put pollutants into a river and cause the death of live forms in the river, the moral standard of not putting pollutants into a river must be looked at first before the agents that committed the crime are looked at. Although corporations have the ability to do this on a much larger scale, what must be accessed first, before the agent of a certain action is the action itself. Is putting pollutants in a river the right or moral thing to do? No, and that must be looked at before who put the pollutants in the river. Contention 2: Corporations must be held to the same moral standards as individuals because they are more powerful and have significant potential for abuse of these standards. Because corporations are generally more powerful than individuals they can also cause more harm. Negating and allowing corporations to be held to different standards has a bad effect all around on societal welfare and morality as a whole. If corporations are being held to lower standards they can abuse their power which would take its toll on the society. An example of corporations which are being held to lower moral standards and abuse this would be diamond corporations in Africa. By exploiting workers for financial gain and forcing them to mine diamonds these corporations are being held to a very low moral standard, if that can even be considered a moral standard, and are not achieving societal welfare and are certainly not doing what is right therefore not achieving morality Corporations being held to a higher standard is also problematic because when they are being held to higher standards their incentive's to exist decrease because they cannot run as effectively. This is because with stricter limitations on corporations it is harder for them to function and therefore it is harder for them to succeed. When corporations cannot run effectively many lose profits and cease to exist. This causes problems because corporations are essential to business which is necessary for individuals because it is how they get their material goods. The best solution is to find a medium between restricting corporations to a point where they cannot prosper and a laissez-faire policy in which corporations are not bound by any sort of moral standard. This can only be achieved when corporations look out for societal welfare. Not by exploiting the members of the society for profit or by adopting a set or moral standards that makes running a corporation next to impossible. When corporations are being held to higher moral standards societal welfare, and therefore what is right, morality, is not achieved. Only when being held to the same standards as individuals is societal welfare and morality achieved. Another reason corporations cannot achieve morality with higher moral standards is that corporations are essentially a unit authorized to act as a single person. And how can one single person be expected to maintain moral standards higher than another. It is for all these reasons I urge you to affirm.