Managerial Ethics and Social Issues - Term Paper Example

Download file to see previous pages t at the expense of labor; (2) it frees the capitalist from some labor responsibilities, denying labor some financial benefits; and most of all (3) it denies labor the sole instrument it has to protect its interest and that is the power to strike.
On the other hand, two sets of behaviors from the business worlds that are ethical but illegal are honesty and principled disobedience. Honesty is telling the truth without reservation. Telling the truth is ethical, but in business it may not be necessarily legal. For example, non-disclosure contract or a confidentiality agreement prevents employees from revealing information about the industry they work in, even if the information could reveal illegal practices of the company. Principled disobedience – declining to follow superior’s command which is perceived detrimental to greater good – is ethical, but could be illegal, because the organization’s hierarchy requires a subordinate to follow his superior. Thus by doing so, the employee could be punished for insubordination.
Answer: Kohlberg’s six stages of moral development are categorized into three levels. The first level is the Pre-conventional Stages, the most basic level, which includes the first two stages: (1) Punishment and Obedience Orientation, and (2) Instrument and Relativity Orientation, is akin to childlike morality characterized by manipulation or shrewdness, as right and wrong is determined based on the consequence of the action – Right is rewarded; wrong is punished. Hence right and wrong is viewed from an egocentric perspective. (Lamb, Hair & McDaniel 79) For example, food chains avoid using plastics in serving food not necessarily because they are environmentalist, but because they fear that the public’s negative perception of plastic use could negatively affect their business. Or giving gifts is commonly practiced to get what companies want or to expedite required processes.
The second level is the Conventional Stages, which include ...Download file to see next pagesRead More