Foundations of Business Ethics - Essay Example

There are various facts that can be identified in the case. There is the aspect of the business having a culture that is committed towards the promotion of good values. The values include honesty, integrity and the basic importance of each person. Everyone in the organization is regarded to be an asset and hence the good progress of the company. There are, however, various issues that have arisen, and now the values of the organization are being challenged. The ethics of Rayburn Limited are at stake since they have to handle the issue raised with care. There is the employee who was caught tapping into the computer system of the company. There is also the vice president who has been discovered to be hooked to pornography.

There are various ethical issues that need to be properly addressed at an individual level. The employee who was tapping into the computer system was engaging in a practice that is not right. He was intruding on the privacy of the organization. There is also the issue of reading people’s email to find out the websites they had visited. This was also an ethical issue that the employee was not doing appropriately. The confrontation of the employee may have been done in a better way since it depicted a form of harassment. This may have irritated the employee and pushed him to tell Al to ask Lindley, who was the associate vice president on the way he uses his computer. The associate vice president, Lindley was hooked on pornography hence going against the ethics of the workplace that do not approve the viewing of such material during work hours. On the other hand, questioning Lindsey on who was a senior staff in the company can also be termed as going against the limits of the privacy of an individual. That was his personal life, and it should not have been intruded.

At the organizational level, the ethical issue that can be identified is on how to deal with employees who are caught going against the values of the organization. There is a challenge of how Al should have dealt with the employee who was tapping into the computer system of the company. The immediate termination may have seemed like a harsh punishment for him but still if he would have been left in the organization, he would have continued to intrude into the privacy of other staff.

At the societal level, the employee utilizing the resources of the firm for their pleasure is not right. The company should be committed to serving the society by focusing on what they are expected to do in the provision of goods and services. The employee who was caught tapping into the computer system and looking at the websites that others viewed may have discovered that most staff do not focus on their work. This is considered time wastage and it may have deterred the organization from fulfilling its set objectives and commitments to the society. The engagement of pornography by the vice president does not depict a good image if it is known to the public. Being the vice president, he was required to set a good example and especially to the employees of the firm. There is a high possibility that the indulgence into pornography may be known to the society. The immediate termination of the employee without giving him a chance to explain why he was doing such a thing was not appropriate. This may have irritated the staff, and it is likely that he may leak the information to the community that may then develop a negative opinion of the firm.

The employee should have, however, sought other methods to tap into the computer system of the company. A safer method should have been appropriate although it would still be a violation of integrity.

The employee should have apologized for his actions towards the company of tapping into the computer systems. He should have asked for a second chance in the organization and promised not to commit the offense again. He should have ensured that he understood the ethics of confidentiality before engaging in such an act.

Al should have approached the employee politely when questioning him about the offense of tapping into the computer system. Forming a rapport with the staff would have enabled Al to find out more about the engagements of the other staff and not only Lindsey. Being friendly while questioning the staff would have also enabled him to find out more the extent of the confidential issues in the organization. Some of the employees may be engaging in practices that may involve leaking information on the secrets of the company, and this may interfere with their progress. Al would have further found out who were the loyal employees in the firm and those that are disloyal. It would be easy to evaluate them at the end.

Lindley, on the other hand, should have sought the use of other resources for the purpose of viewing the pornographic content. The act is shocking and especially since he was the vice president of the firm. He also admitted that he was ashamed to confide in anyone about the matter showing that he understood the repercussions of his actions. Lindley further admitted that even his wife did not know he was hooked on pornography. The whole act of the vice president indulging in pornography could further taint the image of the organization if it is not dealt with promptly.

Al questioned Lindley politely and did not seem to be offended by what he had done. However, the employee who was tapping into the computer systems of the firm was not given an opportunity to explain like what was done with Lindley. This portrays an act of unfairness by Al. He did not hesitate to terminate the employment of the staff caught tapping information but has a second thought about the fate of the vice president who may end up damaging the image of the firm to the society. This issue may further be known by the staff who may wonder what has happened to the organizational culture of the organization that is committed to honesty, integrity and the basic value of every person. In this case, the values have been violated, and the other staff may have a negative attitude towards their boss, Al. The negative attitude may further be transferred to their performance at work or output that may reduce. The output will not be as it was before the matter arose.

There are also the special interest groups in the organization whose purpose in the organization is to provide the staff members with opportunities to exchange ideas and be informed of any developments that are taking place. This group is therefore in constant interaction with the staff. The issue with Lindsey of viewing the pornographic content has a high possibility of being known by the other employees. As previously mentioned, the sacked staff may retaliate by leaking the information to the rest of the team or the society. This may then be known by the special interest group through the staff. This issue may cause the withdrawal of their services in the organization. The group may also be concerned with the staff and the type of leaders they are exposed to daily. Lindsey will be seen as a bad example to the staff and who may not help them in any positive way such as being a good example. The special interest groups will also be concerned with the quick decision made by Al to terminate the employment of the staff found tapping the computer systems. It may jeopardize their engagements with the rest of the team since they may see that the organization has failed in its commitment to the organizational culture of being committed to honesty, integrity and the essential values of every individual.

The special interest groups may further raise questions on the sacking of the employee. These groups are known for the promotion of democracy in the country and fighting for the rights of those who do not belong to the majority. They can call for a demonstration due to the sacking of the employee and why Lindsey has not been subjected to the same, yet he is the one with a bigger offense. The groups may further raise the attention of the media who may have a huge impact on the way the issue is handled. The groups may further call for the rights of every person in the organization to be upheld that may lead to a conflict between them and the management or Al, the boss of the firm. However, it is essential to note that that the groups are susceptible to issuing threats to the firm to bribe them, or they expose their deeds to the public. They may then decide to extort money from the firm and go silent over the whole matter with Lindsey and the sacked employee. This may also affect the trust of the staff with the groups, and it may result in misunderstandings s between them.

My alternative would be to engage Lindsey in a counseling program that will help him curb the problem of being hooked to the pornographic materials. The counseling would also help him to evaluate the choice he makes in life and even be in a position to tell his wife of what he was going through and be further assisted. However, this is only in as far as Lindley is concerned. For the staff, they would probably raise questions on how a vice president would indulge in such an act of being hooked to pornography. This would result in gossip among them that would then affect their progress in work. It is necessary to assist the staff to overcome the mentality they have formed towards the vice president, Lindley. It is, therefore, important to plan a conference or forum that would involve the staff. The forum would discuss various issues such as the right practices at work. They would be enlightened on what websites to view with the work computers and what to avoid. The significance of upholding the values of the firm is also essential, and the staff would also be enlightened about this issue. This would be in matters of performing their duties effectively and leaving leisure to be an after-work affair.

The other action I would recommend would be to lock all the websites that are not related to work from being accessed by the employees. This would be done with the help of information technology experts. This action would, however, be confidential to avoid receiving complaints from the staff.

The image of the firm is also significant for it to continue existing and indulging in business activities. It is, therefore, essential to boost the image of the firm in case the pornography case will leak and damage their reputation. This can be done by engaging in voluntary activities in areas of the environment. The surroundings are one of the simplest things that the firm would engage themselves. Among the activities that the firm would engage in would be to clean the environment and engaging in charity practices such as helping the less advantaged. The company can set aside some funds to facilitate the visiting of the less privileged in the society.

The staff in the company may take the act of being involved in the educative conferences since they may perceive it as a way to make them forget about Lindley being hooked on pornography. They may then attend the meeting but not absorb what they will be taught there. They may also fail to recognize the lessons taught in the forums since it would be a form of the firm covering up for Lindley and his shameful act.

As for the society, not all of them may be aware of the pornographic case and as such may not see the charity works by the firm as a form of acting to protect their image. However, some of them who may be aware of the act may turn down the assistance extended by the company to them. They may take it negatively and even organize demonstrations against the firm.

The negative feedback from the employees’ attendance at the educative forum may be dealt with by giving them a condition that if anyone is caught engaging in the acts that have been prohibited in the conference may lose their job. This would motivate them to take the lessons positively and ensure that they take in everything they are told. The staff would also be given a positive motivation that those who act within what they are taught when performing their duties will receive promotions or salary increments. This would then help the staff to eliminate any negative feeling or thought that they may have towards the measure undertaken by the firm.

The society members who have a negative attitude towards the move by the firm can also be assisted by informing them of the positive consequences of engaging in charity work even at the individual level. This would eliminate any negativity that they have formed towards the charity actions by the company. It may then help them to see only the positive side of the business and forget about the negative aspects that may have been developed.