Ethical Dilemmas

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Feb 20, 2024

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Ethical Dilemmas: Taking Things That Don’t Belong to You Saying Things You Know Are Not True Giving or Allowing False Impressions Buying Influence or Engaging in Conflict of Interest Hiding or Divulging Information Taking Unfair Advantage Committing Acts of Personal Decadence Perpetrating Interpersonal Abuse Permitting Organizational Abuse Violating Rules Condoning Unethical Actions Balancing Ethical Dilemmas Rationalizing dillemmas: Everybody Else Does It If We Don’t Do It Someone Else Will That’s The Way It Has Always Been Done We’ll Wait Until The Lawyers Tell Us Its Wrong It Doesn’t Really Hurt Anyone The System Is Unfair It’s a Gray Area I Was Just Following Orders We All Don’t Share The Same Ethics Tests For Resolving Ethical Dillemmas Above All Do No Harm ‘priminum non nocere’ Have you defined the problem accurately? How would you define the problem if you stood on the other side of the fence? How did this situation occur in the first place? To whom and what do you give your loyalties as a person and as a member of the corporation? What is your intention in making this decision? How does this intention compare with the likely results? Whom could your decision or action injure? Can you engage the affected parties in a discussion of the problem before you make your decision? Are you confident that your position will be as valid over a long period of time as it seems now? Could you disclose without qualms your decision or action to your boss, your CEO, the board of directors, your family, or society as a whole? What is the symbolic potential of your action if understood? If misunderstood? Under what conditions would you allow exceptions to your stand? Blanchard-Peale Model Is it legal? Is it balanced? How does it make me feel? TheWall Street Journal model for resolution of ethical dilemmas consists of three com-ponents: (1) Am I in compliance with the law? (2) What contribution does this choice ofaction make to the company, the shareholders, the community, and others? And(3) what are the short- and long-term consequences of this decision? Steps for Analyzing Ethical Dilemmas and Case Studies in Business 1. Make sure you have a grasp of all of the facts available. Be sure you are familiar with all the facts. 2. List any information you would like to have, but don’t, and what assumptions you would have to make, if any, in resolving the dilemma. 3. Take each person involved in the dilemma and list the concerns they face or might have. Be sure to consider the impact on those not specifically mentioned in the case. For example, product safety issues don’t involve just

engineers’ careers and company profits; shareholders, customers, customers’ families, and even communities supported by the business are affected by a business decision on what to do about a product and its safety issue. 4. Develop a list of resolutions for the problem. Apply the various models for reaching this resolution. You may also find that as you apply the various models to the dilemma, you find additional insights for questions 1, 2,and 3. If the breach has already occurred, consider the possible remedies, and develop systemic changes so that such breaches do not occur in the future. 5. Evaluate the resolutions for costs, legalities, and impact. Try to determine how each of the parties will react to and be affected by each of the resolutions you have proposed. 6. Make a recommendation on the actions that should be taken. Question 1 Which is one of the categories of ethical dilemmas according to your textbook? "Violating the Law" "Not Completing Your Homework" "Taking Things That Don't Belong to You" "Committing a Sin" Taking something that does not belong to you is similar to stealing. Question 2 Which of the categories of ethical dilemmas might an arbitrator face when there is an arbitration clause in your employment contract that specifies that the employer is paying the arbitration fees? Creating false impressions. Engaging in a conflict of interest. Hiding information. Perpetrating interpersonal abuse. The arbitrator will have a financial incentive to rule in favor of the employer . Question 3 Under which ethical theory do we create a rule from our behavior that everyone must follow? The Categorical Imperative. Utilitarianism. Virtue ethics. Divine Command. The analysis involves creating a rule from our behavior that everyone else must follow. Question 4 When you make a list of “pros and cons” when you are making an ethical decision that reflect the pressures of the moment, which ethical theory are you practicing? Utilitarianism. Moral relativism. Ethical egoism. Virtue ethics. Use your values as a guide, rather than the pressures of the moment. Question 5 Using religious beliefs to determine the resolution to ethical problems is which of the following?

Virtue ethics. Ethical egoism. Utilitarianism. Divine Command Theory. Religious rules are important to follow, but business issues are not always addressed in religious doctrines. Question 6 How you would analyze an ethical dilemma using ethical egoism? You would do the greatest good for the greatest number of people. You would ask, “How would I feel if I was on the other side of the fence?” You would do what is in your self-interest. You would ask, “How does it make me feel?” Ethical egoists do what is in their own self-interest. Question 7 Which of the following is an example of a rationalization? "Someone else does this a different way." “It really doesn’t hurt anyone.” "We will need to consult with an expert in this area." "We need to find a better price for this item." This is rarely a true statement. Identify the stakeholders and analyze their interests. For example, people often think that buying counterfeit goods is a victimless crime, but these goods are often of poor quality and may use illegal labor. Studies show that often the proceeds of counterfeit goods are used to finance terrorism. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-109shrg21823/html/CHRG-109shrg21823.htm Links to an external site. Question 8 Which statement is a rationalization? "Usually the bid goes to the supplier with the lowest price." "No one wants to do business with someone who has a poor reputation." "You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." "If we don't do it, someone else will" In this case, it appears that you are anticipating that someone else will do something unethical, so you want to beat others who might take that opportunity. Question 9 Why do people relabel their behavior from something like "stealing" to "permanent borrowing"? They want to follow the company's code of conduct. People do this to make their conduct seem more ethical so they will feel better about their actions. They want to lie. They want to explain what they do to their supervisors. Relabeling occurs when someone gives a nice-sounding label to unethical behavior in an effort to make the behavior appear to be more palatable.

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