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Real life examples of ethical dilemmas in the workplace
Ethical decision making model case study
Analyzing ethical dilemmas in the workplace
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Ethical Decision Making
It would be wonderful if people were always oriented towards the collective good of everyone. Unfortunately selfish ambitions and conflicting values sometimes drive people to make questionable decisions. Desires for profit, power and political influence can take organizations off course if there is no consideration for ethical principles. Organizations have an opportunity to address concerns of ethical principles by the structure of decision making. This paper will examine some models for ethical decision making.
Biblical Model
The Bible provides direction for resolving conflict with someone whose actions are a sin against another. The one who identifies the wrongful action, should go to the offender privately to report
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Following this definition, step two and three allow for seeking guidance, support and determining all possible decision alternatives. The policies, legal, universal and self truths associated with the PLUS filter are used one again to evaluate all the alternatives identified. Step five is making the enlightened decision. Once this decision is implemented with an action plan, the final step utilizes the PLUS filter to evaluate the decision and action plan for assurance the momentum gained from the decision continues to comply with associated ethics. (Ethics & Compliance Initiative, …show more content…
Those who cannot comply have to depart from group membership.
A work towards the greater good for society is deemed to be worthy by all who benefit from the collective efforts. Protecting the worthiness includes a duty to address both potential and actual breeches related to defined ethical standards.
Organization Example One example of how an organization prepares to resolve ethical problems concerns a public nonprofit hospital. Core values expressed by leadership include, honesty, excellence, appreciation, respect and trust ( Erlanger 2015). Ideally, concerns of an ethical breech are addressed at the level of discovery. Staff is empowered to speak respectfully to those who threaten the integrity of the organization. If for some reason, those closest to the offender are not comfortable confronting the action, business and personnel matters with ethical concerns may be reported anonymously to outside entities, onsite compliance officers, or human
This paper is an analysis of the ethical business decision matrix developed by The George S. May Company (May), a management-consulting firm. The paper will also compare how these guidelines were used by John D. Beckett (Beckett) in his company and how the author’s firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLC (PwC), uses them. The guidelines are meant to be used by employees. These guidelines are specifically a measure of moral and ethical principles tied to business ethics in acceptability of right and wrong behaviour in the workplace.
When determining wether a business decision is ethical, three models can be used in the classification process. Briefly summarised the three models can be seen to be:
The ethical code of an organization illustrates the importance of being honest, acting with integrity, and showing fairness in decision making (Bethel, 2015). Ultimately, “laws regulating business conduct are passed because some stakeholders believe they cannot be trusted to do what is right” (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2015, p. 95). In the last couple of years, culture has become the initiator for compliance, which means from the top down there has to be a commitment to act in a way that represents the company’s core values (Verschoor, 2015).
The method of ethical decision making which was developed by Dr. Cathryn A. Baird presented two components contained in all ethical decisions which are; The Four ethical Lenses and the 4+1 Decision process. The Four Ethical Lenses issue claims that different ethical theories and the means in which we tend to approach the situations which form part of our ethical traditions are looked at in four different perspectives. From each perspective there are different values on which to decide whether the action taken is either ethical or not and each lens also lays emphasis on determining whether the decision made is of ethical requirement. In the 4+1 Decision Process, people who are responsible for making final decisions in an organization do it using four specific decision making steps and eventually will end up with one extra decision which gives a chance to reflect. The 4+1 decision process allows the decision makers to give solutions when faced with complicated ethical issues (John Muir Institute for Environmental Studies, 2000).
To apply this system of moral values effectively, one must understand the structural levels at which ethical dilemmas occur, who is involved in the dilemmas, and how a particular decision will affect them. In addition, one must consider how to formulate possible courses of action. Failing in any of these three areas may lead to an ineffective decision, resulting in more pain than cure.” Ken Blanchard states, “Many leaders don’t operate ethically because they don’t understand leadership; these executives may have MBA’s from Ivey League schools or have attended leadership training; they may routinely read the best-selling management books, however, they don’t understand what it means to be a leader.” They don’t model a way of ethical behaviors.
Of the many possible ethical dilemmas that people could face in the business world, the article: “The ‘Do Whatever It Takes’ Attitude Gone Wrong” portrays particular ethical situations in todays business world that are very common: poor social responsibility and its negative effects. Social responsibility is considering what affects business decisions and products have on society. The article reveals what goes on behind the scenes at a business in terms of poor ethical decision making and how often it occurs. It mainly focuses on how business decisions are made without consideration
An integrative model for understanding and managing ethical behavior in business organizations. Journal of Business Ethics, 9(3), 233-242. Doi: 10.1007/BF00382649
Ethics in business is a highly important concept, as it can affect a company’s profits, salaries paid to employees and CEOs, and public opinion, among many other aspects of a business. Ethics can be enforced by company policies and guidelines, set a precedent when a company is faced with an important decision, and are also evolving thanks to new technology and situations that arise due to technology usage. Businesses have a duty to maintain their ethical responsibilities and also to help their employees enforce these responsibilities in and out of the workplace. However, ethics and the foundation for them are not always black and white. There are many different ethical theories, however Utilitarianism, Kant’s Deontological ethics, and Virtue ethics are three of the most well known theories in existence. Each theory is distinct in that it has a different quality used to determine ethicality and allows for a person to choose which system of ethics works best with both the situation and his or her personal ethical preferences.
Establishing and implementing a strategic approach to improving organizational ethics is based on establishing, communicating, and monitoring ethical values and legal requirements that characterize the firm's history, culture, and operating environment” (p. 129). Ethics programs ensure satisfactory relationships with all stakeholders by aligning with all of their demands and needs, and determine conduct with customers and relationships with regulators, shareholders, suppliers, and employees (Ferrell, 2004). Values are a core set of beliefs and principles, one or many. A number of factors contribute to the development of values. These include membership in a community or culture, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.
For this paper Washington Mutual has been selected to show how the ethical decision making process can be achieve. When it comes to business ethics in the workplace Washington Mutual has designed what can be considered a well balanced workplace with behaviors that are aligned with their moral values and business ethics. Business ethics are sometimes depicted as resolving conflicts where one option can appear to be the correct choice. There are many different ethical dilemmas that are faced by managers and leaders everyday that are highly complex and have no clear choice or guidelines to assist in making the choices for resolution. There are times when an employee has to decide whether or not to cheat, lie, steal, or break their contract. These ethical decisions are real-life situations where they are forced to make on a daily basis. This is why it is ultimately important that all employee know the six steps to ethical decision making that the company uses.
...s of Business Ethics are saying that people typically use three different ways to base their decision. These three ways are the actions, agents, and ends. Some people look at the actions and if that action was a good choice. Others may look at how the decision will affect the person or their character. There are some people look at the how the decision will affect their goals in life, specifically the consequences.
Making good ethical decisions requires a trained sensitivity to ethical issues and a practiced method for exploring the ethical aspects of a decision and weighing the considerations that should impact our choice of a course of action. Having a method for ethical decision making is absolutely essential. When practiced regularly, the method becomes so familiar that we work through it automatically without consulting the specific steps.
Many ethical dilemmas are philosophical in nature, an ethical issue can be described as a problem with no clear resolution. In order to solve the issue or dilemma a consensus between the parties involved must be reached. There are several reasons to come to an agreement over an ethical dilemma, it is the basis for all aspects of personal and professional dealings. Each one of us is part of a civilized society and as such it is our responsibility to be rational, honest and loyal in our dealings with others. (Alakavuklar, 2012) states that individuals make decisions for different situations in business life involving various ethical dilemmas. Each time either consciously or unconsciously individuals may follow some ethical approaches
The following five-step model can help employees make appropriate decisions when faced with an ethical dilemma. The first step is to recognize the issue. Knowing what is the root cause and the main issue can help determine what ethical issue is at hand. The next step is to get the facts of the situation. Eliminating bias opinions and knowing the information source can increase the chances of making a good decision.
... deliberations that should affect our selection of a way of action. Having a process for ethical decision creation is extremely effective. When adopted consistently, the method develops into a recognizable system that people can manage to work with automatically in devoid of consulting the precise steps. Although all decisions should be handled equally, balancing act takes precedence as to what options are better because pleasing both sides may at times be untenable.