Application of Different Moral Philosophies to Individual Decision Making - Assignment Example

Application of Different Moral Philosophies to Individual Decision Making Part A Ethics is a topic that is often talked about and discussed with extreme importance by the companies. Most of the company websites and annual reports contain a lot of words about the corporate governance and ethical business practices to emphasize about the importance of ethics in business operations (Boxall & Purcell, 2007). However, still for some reasons the cases of ethical violations by the companies or some of the employees of the companies tend to come in to public. Over the years there have been various cases of unethical business practices. The most famous one would be that of related to Lehman Brothers that lead to a global economic disaster (Shaw, 2007). The consequences of the ethical violations of the present case may not be the exact same but yet the ethical implications and the issues related to the present case is most certainly a reflection of the ethical violations in the business practices. The case study has Carla and Jack as the two central characters and all the aspects related the business ethics revolves around those central characters only. One of the first ethical issues related to the case could be the listed as the denying of Jack from a potential partnership deal by the organization. As per the case study, Jack has been working for sixty to seventy hours a week for the last ten years. The contribution made by jack towards the organization can be analyzed. Hence it can be said that based on the contributions and the amount of time spent by Jack in the company (more than 17 years), the company could have decided to provide a partnership deal. Although it has been identified as a potential issue, it has to be said that the reasons for which the company decided to deny Jack from the partnership deal has not been mentioned in the case study. The next ethical issue is the behavior of Jack after being denied of the deal. As per the case study, Carla one day found out that Jack has been behaving strangely. Also it was found that Jack was copying some software used by the company for consulting and auditing purpose. It is also believed that Jack had got hold some clients from the internal database of the company and was using them for own benefit. Jack also had a plan to open a new firm. Next case of ethical violations is associated with Carla. As per the case study, Carla has been using the office phones for personal calls and other issues like using the company machine for personal usage. Although the magnitude of the violation may not be as immense as the ones conducted by Jack but it may be notified as a case of ethical violation. However the next phase of the case could lead to severe consequences. Carla decided to keep some of the facts in mind that she has been using the company resources for personal usage also. Add to that Jack has been with the company for a long period of time and the company may not believe her. She also did not want to leave the job. Such a behavior may lead to potential disaster for the company not from a financial perspective but also it may actually threaten the existence of the firm also. Answer 2 Teleology is one of the most important among the six major types of moral philosophy. It describes the acts by any human beings according to a specific situation where the acts need to be acceptable or morally right in terms of achievement of expected results (no author, Chapter 6, 2006). An example of teleology is clear understanding of utility or self interest. Therefore, according to the behavior of Jack with respect to the specific situation in the case, it can be stated that teleology would be the most suitable moral philosophy that describes the behavior and acts of Jack in the case. To be really honest the readers of the case would have full sympathy with Jack, for denied a position of partner but not for the acts after being denied. The probable options for Jack have been discussed in this section. There is very little doubt over the fact after putting all the efforts for such a long time, Jack probably deserved the position more than anybody. But unfortunately Jack was denied and as expected Jack was angry and upset. But Jack did not consider the reasons for which the company denied him as one of the partners. Here it needs to be mentioned that Jack was not denied forever. Even Jack believed that he would have been offered a position of a partner in a few years down the line. By putting ourselves in the shoes of Jack it could have been said that if Jack felt undone by the decision which he most certainly did, the best option available for him was to look for a new job and leave the company with dignity. This would have sent a strong message to the management and Jack would have also kept his integrity and dignity intact. Here it has been assumed that, Jack with all his expertise would have probably managed to find a job of equal or higher payment along with a designation of his choice in an organization of repute. Another option available for him was to wait for a few years to get the positioned that he most certainly deserved. In this way also he would have been able to keep the integrity intact and the organization would have been benefited through his expertise and experience. Jack also could have decided to start his new business which would have provided him the much required boost financially. Also Jack could have opted for part time consulting. In all the mentioned option, Jack would have got the financial boost and he would have also been able to keep his dignity. But the options chosen by him just cannot be supported. It not only questions the integrity but also the motive of Jack. Jack also did not want to believe that he was actually providing consultation to the clients of the company. All in all it can be said that Jack could have chosen any of the options mentioned above apart from the one that he actually decided to choose. Answer 3 Among the six major types of moral philosophy, Deontology is one important moral philosophy. It indicates the preservation of rights of an individual. Also it focuses on the intentions attached to a particular type of behavior but do not focus any type of future consequences. According to the situation in the case, Deontology would be the most appropriate moral philosophy that can well explain the behavior of Carla with respect to the specific situation in the case. Carla had some options and each of them along with the probable consequences has been discussed in this section. One of the most obvious choices for Carla would have been to let the matter drop and act like she did not know anything. This might lead to a legal consequence in terms of the existence and the financial position of the firm. The next option available for Carla could have been the option of going out in public regarding the mishaps of Jack. Again this could have created a situation of chaos. The authorities may or may not have believed her. If the authorities would have believed her then they would probably showed Jack the door rather unceremoniously. If the authorities would not have believed her then the same fate as Jack’s would have been probably waiting for her. Either ways the results would have been nice. Another way could have been adopted by her. This would have been a lot more subtle approach leading to productive results. Carla could have first of all stopped using the office properties of the company. The next step could have been a proposal to the management regarding revamping the corporate governance practices of the company. This would have helped Carla avoiding the chaos and yet could have produced a lot more productive results. This solution would not only prevent Jack but also other members of the organization to fiddle with the confidential company data. In this way the company would have successfully adopted policies through which the company does not have to take actions against Jack or anyone as the regulations and monitoring would be done in such a way so that such instances would not even occur. Answer-4 Although the case study has reflected the ethical issues involved in modern day businesses quite well, it has to be said that some information if added, would have made the case study a bit more appropriate for the ultimate decision making. At first and foremost, it is to be known the exact reasons due to which the management decided to say no to Jack regarding the partnership deal. From the case itself it can be made out that Jack was hard done by the decision. Jack has put all the hours for such a long time and yet he was denied. But the exact reasons for which, Jack was denied from the post has not been mentioned. Also the case study does not talk about anything about the values, ethics and the existing corporate governance policy of the company in discussion. This would have provided a fair idea about the ethical policies adopted by the organization. In this way the gap between the policies adopted and policies practiced by the organization could have been understood and hence it would have provided an opportunity for a lot more in-depth analysis. Also the decision making would have been a lot more complete if the information mentioned were present in the case study. References Boxall, P., & Purcell, J. (2007). Strategy and human resource management (2nd ed.). London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2nd edition. No Author. (2006). Chapter 6: Individual factors: Moral philosophies and values. Shaw, W. (2007). Business ethics. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. Read More