Discuss about the Empirical Business Ethics Research.
The reflection on the case of Professor Ballistico requires consideration of ethical dilemma. It can be observed that the professor is doubtful whether to publish his findings regarding the detrimental impacts of frozen food additives ‘Longlife’ and ‘Rotnever’ on human health. As per Blay et al, the dilemma is primarily due to the funding offered for the research by Foodcorp, the company which provided 2.3 million Euros to the BigCity University for institution of the Foodcorp center for food science where professor Ballistico serves as the director (Blay et al., 2016).
Despite numerous revisions, the professor concluded that the efforts of the assistant researcher in the data analysis part are concrete and hence his dilemma proliferated. It is imperative that the professor has different options which could be evaluated and considered according to their feasibility. According to Crane & Matten, the options which can be presently accessed by the professor include communication of the findings to Foodcorp or BigCity University, consideration of repeating the research activity and making the research findings public (Crane & Matten, 2016). The ethical concerns of the professor would definitely indicate that publishing the findings would be the most feasible alternative in such scenario.
However, the concerns of grants for future research must not be neglected by the professor since they are the prime sources of funds for the research center headed by professor Ballistico. On the contrary, DesJardins & McCall said that if the findings are communicated to the president of the university then they are most likely to be turned down due to the inclinations towards a massive source of external funding (DesJardins & McCall, 2014). From a critical perspective, the best course for professor Ballistico would be to inform Foodcorp about the research findings which could derive distinct courses of action for tackling with the issues evident in the research outcomes.
Upon acquisition of information related to the long term impact of Longlife and Rotnever, Foodcorp could introduce changes in production of the two additives or publicly disclose the findings themselves as a sign of ethical responsibility for the society alongside a promise for resolving the setbacks. The case reflects on the proliferation of ethical dilemmas primarily due to the involvement of private organizations in formation of research centers which should have been undertaken by government. The involvement of private organization such as Foodcorp exerts influence on the freedom of researchers such as professor Ballistico to publish groundbreaking research outcomes (Freeman, 2014). The ethical concerns involved in the case also include the dependence on financial resources of corporate organization for research activities which is a formidable question on the credibility of research outcomes.
The probable course of action from an ethical point of view that can be perceived from reflection in this case is the exchange of information with senior management and communicating the pitfalls in the existing operations of the organization to the senior management. Fernando & Moore said that the senior management is primarily formed of the director of public works, CEO and the human resources director (Fernando & Moore, 2015). The decision to implement services of internal staff for the completion of a project was rejected by the director of public works on the grounds of timely completion of the project.
The assumption laid forward by the superior manager i.e. the director of public works depicted that contractors would be able to complete the project within the specific deadline. As a civil engineer, I could utilize my position to ensure a dialogue with the CEO, the human resources director and the director of public resources in a meeting to communicate my apprehensions related to job role. I have to report the inclusion of outside contractors in different tasks within the organization despite the availability of full staff complement and capabilities of existing staff to complete projects. As per Floyd et al, the feedback from supervisors pertaining to their negligence due to the assignment of significant projects to contractors could also serve as a potential document for the human resources director for identifying the probable causes for dissatisfaction among supervisors.
The claims of the manager pertaining to rejection of my plan with validation of the CEO can be justified only if the CEO indicates reviewing the plan earlier (Floyd et al., 2013). According to Hoffman, Frederick & Schwartz, I could describe the significance of quality over time in completion of the projects in order to satiate the ethical responsibility of fulfilling the needs of internal staff rather than emphasizing on external sources of productivity. The factors which can be considered as prominent influences on such decision were the personal traits of adhering to ethical behavior and perceiving information as a source for validating opinions (Hoffman, Frederick & Schwartz, 2014).
The role of authority can be perceived in the case study with the director of public works, human resources director and the CEO which suggests that moving to the higher level of authority in case of ethical dilemmas is plausible. As per Hartman et al, even though my manager, the director of public works, has potential authority to supervise and moderate plans and recommendations suggested by me as well other subordinates.
However, the exertion of authority can be challenged in my position as the civil engineer (Hartman et al., 2014). Reflection on the case further indicates that any other individual in such ethical dilemma scenario would not prefer to make similar decision owing to the perception of closeness among the senior management members such as HR director, CEO and the director of public works.
The reflection on the case indicates potential ethical issues which are proliferated from inherent values. Personal values refer to the concerns for child labor and compassion. As a product manager, my gut reaction in such case would be to devise approaches needed for redirecting the profits acquired from the transition to the Thai supplier from the Portuguese supplier towards establishment of workshops and educational opportunities for children of the toy manufacturers.
As per Jennings, the acceptance of norms of life in Thailand could be considered as validation for the practice of employing children in manufacturing toys in hazardous conditions (Jennings, 2014). Therefore the gut reaction to such scenarios would be vested in addressing the situation of child labor without compromising the organization’s initiative to procure low cost supplies. It can be observed from the case study that the Thai manufacturer employs 30 men whose families assist in completion of the task of manufacturing toys in their homes without any manufacturing workshop.
The time taken for completion of the task can be estimated to be almost 10 hours which could be strenuous for a single family thereby leading to employment of children in the jobs. According to May, Luth & Schwoerer, the immediate decision as a product manager in such case would be to consult with the senior management on the issue and the potential impacts which association with the Thai manufacturer can inflict on the organization’s reputation (May, Luth & Schwoerer, 2014). The management has to consider the consequences of being related to a manufacturer producing toys through the employment of children which could be highly detrimental for the reputation of the organization.
As per McMurrian & Matulich, this may lead to ceasing of the agreement between me and the Thai manufacturer or consideration of revised conditions for the Thai manufacturer such as institution of a workshop for manufacturing toys and refraining from inclusion of children in any stage of manufacturing (McMurrian & Matulich, 2016). The prominent reasons which could be estimated as influences on the decision taken by me would be vested in the inability of families to support the education of their children, institution of a work-life balance and acquire suitable opportunities for remuneration (Swanson & Frederick, 2016).
My inherent values of compassion and reasonability are assumed as formidable influences on the reasons. Another profound measure which could be implemented in such scenario is to refer the case of the Thai manufacturer to civilian authorities for protection of employment and child rights. Such initiatives have to be implemented in accordance with an ethical perspective since the Thai manufacturer’s trust on me while showing the manufacturing process must not be violated (Swanson & Frederick, 2015).
The notable ethical issues which can be noticed in this case indicate the dilemma between academic qualification and social behavior. As per Swanson & Frederick, the consideration of two candidates for the post of a new team member for assisting in clinical trials of a new pharmaceutical product of AllCure Pharmaceuticals has been subject to short listing of two female candidates who have adequate academic experience for the job (Swanson & Frederick, 2015).
However, the requirements of the job indicate primary requisites of a credible and efficient work schedule alongside the additional needs of social engagement skills in context of clinics, the different departments of the company and the approving authorities. Therefore social media has been assumed as a platform for evaluating the feasibility of each candidate in terms of the requirements for social interaction in the professional domain. As per Weiss, one of the candidates was found to be easily accessible on social media website such as Facebook while the other was very hard to locate (Weiss, 2014).
The posts on Facebook of the first candidate were indicative of her sociable nature and her inclination towards travelling. On the other hand, West said that the second candidate was not easily accessible on Facebook and has maintained a socially constrained profile on the site which can be accessed only by friends. However, the images posted on her account in Facebook depict her taking her shirt off during parties, engaging in heavy alcohol consumption and in some cases she was also seen consuming illegal drugs (West, 2014).
The ethical concern primarily arises in context of the superior performance of the second candidate as compared to the first candidate. The awarding of the job could not be solely judged on the basis of drinking or partying habits of the candidate or the restricted nature of her social interaction on social media websites such as Facebook. According to Stanwick & Stanwick, it can be reflected that people with minimal involvement on social media platforms are capable of developing and sustaining prolific social behavior. However, the preferences of the second candidate for intake of illegal drugs can be a potential indicator of her existing or long term involvement in illegal activities (Stanwick & Stanwick, 2013).
Therefore, the plausible course of action in such scenario would be to hire the first candidate since her skills in the academic context can be improved through provision of opportunities for continuous learning in the workplace. As a human resource manager, it is justified to proceed with the hiring of the first candidate. However, the consideration of the use of Facebook by potential employers has to be moderated to a certain extent and the observation of images on social media cannot be assumed as completely reliable as they could be obtained from an earlier time.
The arguments which can be placed for the actions of Lola can be indicative of the acquisition of revenue for the store without any prominent dissatisfaction for customers on account of Lola’s lying. However, arguments against Lola’s actions can be presented as indicators of long term consequences such as loss of customer loyalty and reduction in the levels of customer retention. Such practices followed by Lola are common in sales situation only with the detriments of improper perception by customers. Even if a salesperson has sold a product to a customer with slight modification of facts, the customer appreciates the former and in case they are able to find that they were lied to, then the chances of their repeated visit to the store can be limited.
Customers appreciate sellers who adhere to business ethics in sales activities and in case of Lola, I would have thought that she is offering me the products which suit me the best while as a coworker I would refrain from activities ensued by Lola and I could also consider reporting the actions of Lola to senior management of the store (Jennings, 2014). The impact of the incentive scheme is considered as an underlying factor prompting Lola to substantiate sales despite the use of malicious efforts. Acquisition of commission on every sale alongside regular remunerations accounts for a formidable motivation for an individual to leverage their ethics for performance in the workplace (Hartman et al., 2014).
As Lola’s manager, my foremost initiative would be to inform her of the long term consequences of her activities on her professional career as well as the reputation of the store. Consulting with Lola on the positive aspects of her sales techniques such as creating sense of urgency among customers and providing suitable alternatives for clueless customers could be considered as reasonable improvements in her sales techniques.
References
Blay, A.D., Gooden, E.S., Mellon, M.J. and Stevens, D.E., 2016. The Usefulness of Social Norm Theory in Empirical Business Ethics Research: A Review and Suggestions for Future Research. Journal of Business Ethics, pp.1-16.
Crane, A. and Matten, D., 2016. Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press.
DesJardins, J.R. and McCall, J.J., 2014. Contemporary issues in business ethics. Cengage Learning.
Freeman, R.E., 2014. Management Ethics: Placing Ethics at the Core of Good Management, by Domènec Melé. London: Palgrave MacMillan, 2012. ISBN: 978-0230246300. Business Ethics Quarterly, 24(01), pp.142-143.
Fernando, M. and Moore, G., 2015. MacIntyrean virtue ethics in business: A cross-cultural comparison. Journal of business ethics, 132(1), pp.185-202.
Floyd, L.A., Xu, F., Atkins, R. and Caldwell, C., 2013. Ethical outcomes and business ethics: Toward improving business ethics education. Journal of business ethics, 117(4), pp.753-776.
Hoffman, W.M., Frederick, R.E. and Schwartz, M.S. eds., 2014. Business ethics: Readings and cases in corporate morality. John Wiley & Sons.
Hartman, L.P., DesJardins, J.R., MacDonald, C. and Hartman, L.P., 2014. Business ethics: Decision making for personal integrity and social responsibility. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Jennings, M.M., 2014. Business ethics: Case studies and selected readings. Cengage Learning.
May, D.R., Luth, M.T. and Schwoerer, C.E., 2014. The influence of business ethics education on moral efficacy, moral meaningfulness, and moral courage: A quasi-experimental study. Journal of Business Ethics, 124(1), pp.67-80.
McMurrian, R.C. and Matulich, E., 2016. Building customer value and profitability with business ethics. Journal of Business & Economics Research (Online), 14(3), p.83.
Swanson, D.L. and Frederick, W.C., 2016. Denial and leadership in business ethics education. Business ethics: New challenges for business schools and corporate leaders, pp.222-240.
Swanson, D.L. and Frederick, W.C., 2015. Are business schools silent partners in corporate crime?. Business, Capitalism and Corporate Citizenship: A Collection of Seminal Essays, p.74.
Stanwick, P. and Stanwick, S.D., 2013. Understanding business ethics. Sage.
Weiss, J.W., 2014. Business ethics: A stakeholder and issues management approach. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
West, A., 2014. Ubuntu and business ethics: Problems, perspectives and prospects. Journal of Business Ethics, 121(1), pp.47-61.
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