World-Class Bull - Case Study Example

Running Header: Case Study: World-Class Bull Case Study: World-Class Bull Name Institution The main ethical dilemma(s) in the case study The main ethical dilemma this case is whether Jeremy will take action against Chris had breached ethics by providing incentives to a potential customer after getting details of the customer from a colleague. This is a deceptive business practices according the company code of ethics. Elements such as how and when to give gifts should be incorporated in the Company’s code of ethics. The employees are not expected to give gifts and other forms of favours meant to act as compensation to the customers (Humphreys, Ahmed & Pryor, 2009). Only the legitimate business relationships should be allowed. This could include gifts that are modest in value. All the business dealings should be free from any favours of personal interest for the employees. This case study that depicts the challenges by the management when trying to implement ethics and consideration for profit to gained from the business transaction. Jeremy has been on the forefront of establishing business ethics in the company and now he is faced this issue. Ethical dilemma happens due to conflicts in values or conflict in principles or difference in perception. In this case study the values are the core beliefs of the company that set up the framework for employees’ behaviour. Thus, an ethical dilemma happens when a decision based on one principle violates another principle. When the Sam and the Jeremy think differently, there was a conflict. The Christopher Knox best interest of the company was not the overall best interest of the company(Humphreys, Ahmed & Pryor, 2009). This factors lead to ethical dilemmas. In this case Jeremy he is to sticking to values such as being a good person rather than focus on specific ethical principles violated by Christopher Knox(Humphreys, Ahmed & Pryor, 2009). However thinking about the consequences of the action and then take the decision. Ethical dilemmas made decision making difficult in the context of business practice. The main aim of these professional codes is on having good company-customer conduct, minimize the risks to the customer, to respect the customer’s autonomy, to be fair to all customers and to protect the customer. Apart from the professional codes, ethical principles also help in providing a framework for good decision-making. Based on ethical principles it can be deduced that ethical dilemmas may be solved through respect for the autonomy of persons, ensuring informed consent and acting in the best interests of the customer. The agreement between the customer and the Chris should be free from coercion or manipulation. If Chris was observing ethical practices, he would have not used the tacts employed to get the contract, regardless of the cost. Ethics dictate that Chris has the responsibility to protect the customer and methods that not only meets the standards laid down by the company. In the case of Jeremy has a fiduciary duty to protect the business because they have an obligation to their customers and to their other stakeholders . By failing to uphold this duty, they have also failed to become ethical. The managers have also put the company at risk of many types of crimes. Compare and contrast the utilitarian, libertarian, deontological and virtue ethics perspectives on the dilemma(s) you have identified. Utilitarianism From other ethical perspectives, it appears that the actions of Chris are not an ethical actions. In order to understand the ethical implications and moral validity of an acts, the different aspects including the act itself, the actors and the consequences must be observed under a single pretence. As such, the utilitarian theory appears to must aptly describe the morality and ethical value of his action. It describes and highlights the facts that the acts are not ends; rather the acts are means of achieving ends (Kalman 2009). And the actors intend to achieve these acts for personal gain or social benefit (Descartes 2008). It states that the moral worth of any action can be gauged from the consequential satisfaction that the performer of the act experiences. In simpler words, the Utilitarian theory states that the ends justify the means (Kalman 2009). This statement that the end justifies the means is often criticized for being too broad enabling immoral acts to be included among the moral acts (Kalman 2009). The statement does not imply that immoral acts are moral if they lead to apparently moral conclusions (Baggini 2005). Rather the end justifies the means that if at the consequence of action happiness is attained then that action is by all means moral and ethical. Considering the plight of the customer and the company, Chris action is a moral and ethical choice. However, Considering foreseen consequences may be wrong because actual consequences of an action may turn out to be different(Consequentialism / Utilitarianism). In order to measure the utility of an action, the extent to which it satisfied people should be considered. There can be some other who will think about the consequences of the action and then take the decision (Consequentialism / Utilitarianism). Deontology focuses on the rights of people and their intentions, which are associated with particular behaviour and its consequences. It states that equal respect should be given to all people in the society. In addition, it also indicates that people should not take wrong actions in order to maximize their utility. This is an important moral framework for dealing with corrupt businesspeople that carry out wrong practices to maximize profits in their businesses. Deontology also considers the nature of moral issues to be permanent and stable and thus complying with them would lead to ethical behaviour. The framework thus states that individuals in the society have various rights such as freedom of speech, consent and privacy. In order to decide whether a behaviour is ethical, conformity to issues of morality must be examined. Deontology is also determined by confirming the relationship between the basic rights of the people and the set of rules governing their conduct. This would enable people to be equitable, fair and impartial when enforcing their decisions. The framework could thus be of great help to Sam and Jeremy in their efforts to fight unethical acts of Chris. Libertarians - The libertarians are of the belief that there should not be any rules for individuals to follow because they happen to consider that the power of freewill outweighs the power of determinism (Duncan & Machan, 2005). They tend to ignore the existence of determinism and assert that it is impossible for an agent to exist freely if there is an existence of deterministic elements of universe. This particular philosophy was introduced by the free-thinkers of the enlightenment age. The notion is based upon the ideology that an agent or an individual is free to exercise his will in every situation. He is not to be restricted to one choice because he is free to choose in certain circumstances. The libertarian thought is divided into two domains; non-physical though and physical thought. According to the non-physical theory, the brain of an agent can act in a certain way that he becomes incapable to physically challenge the action that he performs. The non-physical theorists are of the belief that it is the soul of an individual that overpowers his physical causativeness. According to Libertarianism, no one has the right to impose anything on other people because everyone has the liberty to exercise their freewill in every possible way. There is a concept of positive and negative freedom in place. Even if a person is free to do whatever he can, it is important for him not to do anything that hurts others. In this case Chris is not hurting anyone thus there is no ethical violation. Ethics of virtue is a theory that focuses on the moral integrity of people in the society. According to Aristotle, this theory is meant to address contemporary issues such as business ethics. Ethics of virtue mostly consider the character, intention and motivation of corrupt people in the society. According to this theory, some people pretend to be good in order to exert benefit themselves. This theory addresses people’s character in terms of their principles such as honesty. These frameworks also suggest that individual character is defined by the relevant morals of the community in which one lives. It is therefore important to think about the community when defining an individual’s behaviour. The community holds the highest ethical standards and should therefore be addressed first when fighting corruption in a country. In addition, the ethics of virtue assume that people’s identity as moral actors is important. Ethics are therefore important aspects since they define an individual’s character and behaviour in the society. An ethical perspective that you think will work best in the situation The code of ethics in Specialty Fleet Services demands that there Integrity as a strong point in this organization’s code of ethics(Humphreys, Ahmed & Pryor, 2009). The organization purposes to work with the employees and customers in an open manner. In addition, sincerity and honesty are valued. If the company claims to be able to do something for its clients, it is in fact able to do it. Moreover, if the company is unable to meet the client’s needs, this is openly communicated to the client. Proper communication in this organization demonstrates the strength of its code of ethics. Communication in this case involves talking and listening to each other. This is because they believe that information has to be shared because it enhances good relations. As a company, Specialty Fleet Services does not entertain bribes or lavish gifts for special favours or to attain certain position. In addition, privileges are only given to those who deserve them through working hard. Appointments are also given with fairly and with honesty, which demonstrates the strong point of the code of ethics found in this company. The actions taken by Chris enabled the company get contract that eluded them for many years. He used unethical means to get the contract. The ethical matters are also apparent when carrying our business across borders. Specialty Fleet Services should bear in mind ethical regulations of intended market as well as the accepted conduct. This alertness implies that marketers should realize the pertinent ethical matters that are: corruption and unfair practices. Specialty Fleet Services, having been an industry for numerous years, to acquire triumph in the one customer, they should bear in mind and adopt to the ethical matters and different strategies of business. The elements of the code of ethics are important in any company or organization. The code of ethics applies to the many different levels present within an organization. For Specialty Fleet Services, the code of ethics will be important since it will improve the culture of the company. The code will establish expectations on ethical issues for the management of the company and the employees. Enforcement mechanisms would be established through the code of ethics and thus the consequences of not complying with the rules would be well understood by all. The code of ethics would therefore be analysed and understood. Through proper analysis, the code could be followed and enhanced by enforcing it. Such guidelines would ensure that the Specialty Fleet Services is protected (Ferrell, 2012). Through the adoption of a suitable code of ethics, conflicting interests would be considered and reasonable actions taken according to the code of ethics. A code of ethics remains a vital component in any business. The breach of any agreements with consumers could result in the company facing troubles with the government authorities. The code would enable the company to keep its confidentiality confined within its premises. With the ethical code, decisions would be easier to make at all levels since communication would be clearer to all the employees and managers. The rate of ambiguity would be reduced through effective communication. Individual perceptions on ethical issues would be considered. With the inclusion of a good code of ethics, the company would have a framework with which everyone could identify. The reputation of the company would therefore be protected. The codes of ethical conduct remain an important aspect in establishing companies and organizations References Baggini, Julian. What's it all about?: philosophy and the meaning of life. Granta, 2005. Boatright, John. Ethics and the Conduct of Business Upper Saddle. River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.,2009 Descartes, René. Meditations on First Philosophy: With Selections from the Objections and Replies. Oxford University Press, 2008. Duncan, Charles, and Machan, T. R. Libertarianism: For and against. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005. Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, John., & Ferrell, Linda. Business ethics : ethical decision making and cases. New york: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008. John Humphreys, Zafar U. Ahmed, AND Mildred Pryor. HBR Case Study : World-Class Bull. Harvard Business Review 104 (2009): 35-39. Kalman, Bobbie. What Is Culture? Crabtree Publishing Company, 2009. Mill, John Stuart. Utilitarianism. Oxford University Press, 2008. Wilson, Fiona. Organizational behaviour and work: a critical introduction (3rd ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. Wuthi-Udomlert, V.. Corruption in International Business Transactions. Munich: GRIN Verlag, 2007. Read More