Ethical Decision Making and Cases - Essay Example

In an organization, this is complicated further by the larger numbers of people involved. What might be important to one individual may not be so to others. As the textbook notes, “no one operates in a vacuum” (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell 126). Thus, many organizational factors influence the process as well. This can be factors like the corporate and ethical cultures, which affect how the organization views its “values, beliefs, goals, norms, and ways of solving problems” (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell 126).

“Obedience to authority,” how likely employees are to obey, can influence the process by how eager employees are to “resolve business ethics issues by simply following the directives of a superior” (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell 127). Opportunity is “the conditions in an organization that limit or permits ethical or unethical behavior” (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell 127). These internal and external rewards can affect the process by making people more or less likely to act in a way that is ethical.

For instance, if there is more of an opportunity to do unethical things due to bad ethical culture, people will be less likely to make decisions ethically.