Introduction
The moral issues that I will personally face in my planned managerial occupation are ethical responsibility, discrimination, and marketing ethical concepts. The paper will analyze three ethical managers face in the business. Moreover, the paper will illustrate two cases of people faced by ethical problems. A natural law approach will be applied to explain the how to solve the ethical dilemma. The paper will address the application of natural law theory in solving the cases of the business leaders (Badaracco 3).
In this contemporary world, the managers face the ethical problems of ethical responsibility. The managers have to be assertive of their decisions because they will certainly be at conflicts with someone’s likes at that period. Managers have to be aware of the ethical issues in the field of corporate social responsibility and how to apply them to make tough decisions. ’Even though the managers are bound to receive persistent criticisms from the public, they should display their assertiveness. Less confident managers tend to worry the impact of their actions on their colleagues, and this often taints the image of the brand (Palazzo et al., .325)
Discrimination
Another moral issue that managers face is the ability to avoid discriminating the workers at the workplace. The managers are forced to make more efforts to educate themselves more about discrimination and elude preferring certain persons. The managers are fond of making recruiting and promotion choices on favoritism rather than conducting an assessment on the skills and experience of the individual. The historical discrimination is based on ethnic background or sexual orientation (Palazzo et.al 325).
The managers are tasked with the responsibility of on how to deal with the cases of discrimination that occur at the workplace. Therefore, the manager risks losing his job if he doesn’t practice discrimination in their institutions. Business decisions are at the core of moral and ethical principles. In the periods that these managers fail to uphold high standards, then significant consequences are viewed to occur.
Marketing
Another ethical problem that the managers are tasked with the responsibility of participating in marketing activities that are not transparent at all. Marketing involves the managers understanding the values attached to the marketing activities. Also, an effective marketing activity is associated with wooing the people about the practice of educating the people. However, some of the managers feel disturbed by these activities (Beeri et al. 61).
Though some managers are too diligent, they are forced by the stakeholders to engage in activities that may ensure job security. When the consumers realize this form of cheating, they tend to lose the brand trust. During such occasions, the management finds it difficult to regain trust from the public. The managers together with the marketing departments are forced to create fake characteristics on their products to lure clients to invest in their products (Beeri et al..61).
An example of a person who faced ethical issues in their career is Binta Niambi Brown. Binta is currently the CEO and founder of Fermata Entertainment Ltd. The latter holds a bachelor degree in law from a recognized university. Brown had a lot of information and data on a certain business deal. In addition, the monetary value of the deal ranged approximately $3 billion. The associate partner to Brown was not available for open talks and Brown was forced to make a choice on his own to be able to land the business deal (Giang).
The most appropriate options that Brown was forced to choose from were either to remain numb and wait till the business agreement is finalized or Brown could disclose all the information she had on the deal to the client and increase the likelihood of losing the deal. Nevertheless, Brown reached the conclusion that the most appropriate decision was to disclose all the information to the client (Giang).
Brown’s decision to disclose the confidential information to the client allowed mutual benefits between the two parties. The chief executive officer believes that the ability to live by one’s principles, and do what one feels allowed her career to reach maximum heights. He viewed that being assertive was the key turning point in her career. Ironically, she thought that the act could taint her reputation, but it curved itself to become her triumphing moments of her career.
She reckons that the people should be ready to make wise decisions regardless of the impact it could have on the close people that she has. She asserts that whenever managers like her make decisions that are for her allies, then he or she is bound to make bad decisions that hurt individuals. The manager says “People are afraid their piece of the pie is going to be cut up and given to someone else, and so that motivates some of what you see in the business context (Giang)." She concludes by viewing that the fruits of our wise decisions will bear fruits that are evident in the future.
Analysis
The natural law theory is typically a legal theory that highlights the law and morality as closely linked. Morality is connected to the correct and wrong and good and evil. The natural law scholars assert that human laws are described based on their morality rather than their political profile (Beauchamp 7). The natural law approach helps to solve ethical dilemmas with the basic presumption that every person has the right to live their life. The theory, therefore, believes in the moral and legal concept of self-defense.
Undeniably, Brown’s first decision is to disclose information to her client. Her first choice might be to disclose to the client information and increase the risk of losing the deal. With this choice, she increases the ability to close the deal with the client and bring mutual benefit to the company. He judges the risk of revealing the information to be in conformity with the risk to his job. He views it as the riskier of the two evils. A natural law approach would Brown to focus on his choice rather than improve the humanity of herself and others.
One of the four essential elements of an authentic life is reproduction which encompasses the welfare of others. Cheating is a practice that taints one’s authentic humanity. In case, that Brown remains silence till the papers are signed fails to shield the liberty to truth and violates the human rights. Dishonesty contributes to the evil and corruption of Brown’s allies. The personal example of cheating risks the humanity of the customers by bad illustration. Deceitfulness includes the risk of losing everything, for instance, the deal and going for corporal punishment. The ethical options may cost, the CEO Brown breach of conduct in winning the deals.
Tim Hooks is currently the CEO of Apple Company, and he faces a significant ethical dilemma in Wuhan. The Ethical Dilemma is because the workers threaten protests amid their poor working conditions. Tim took the leadership from Steve Jobs, who passed away. Under the leadership of Tim, the company was able to accrue $278 million (Hinks). The firm is recognized for its creativity and innovation. The company boasts of about $90 billion in excess reserves. However, Foxconn Company faces a mass suicide which is becoming an ethical dilemma to Apple Company. Foxconn firm is the largest producer of electronics currently. Nearly 150 employees were threatening to kill herself by leaping from the factory roof to protest over the harsh conditions in their workplaces (Hinks).
Apple is well positioned to make a significant impact on the continuous protests currently. Despite declarations from Apple on its social media platforms that it is committed to the highest standards of social responsibility across its global supply chain, the evidence presented illustrates that Foxconn employees are seriously distressed with their working environments (Hinks). The conditions presently evident in Foxconn have not started today.
A chain of Apple products such as iPad, iPhone have been viewed as products that have assisted to change how we use technology to live our lives.Nonetheless, it looks like the work force at Foxconn that helps to develop these apple products relevantly. Additionally, the loyal Apple consumers desire their Apple products. However, it appears there is a darker side on how the Apple products will get back to the market. Persistent and continued coverage of the working conditions at Foxconn may affect the client’s perceptions of the Apple’s brand (Hinks).
Analysis.
Arguably, Tim’s first concern is to protect the reputation that the people have on Apple Brand. His first choice may be to improve the issues of the Foxconn’s workers without notifying the suppliers. With this choice, he protects his reputation of the company. He judges the threat of being caught in alignment with the risk attached to the Apple Company. A natural law approach would assist Tim to focus on his choice that enhances the genuine humanity of himself. One of the key basic goods of a normal human life is reproduction which implies the health of the people at Foxconn.
Consistent lying to others often corrupts one’s authentic humanity. Foxconn stakeholders who lie that they pay their 150 Chinese employees fails to safeguard the right to truth and violates the human rights. Cheating in this example helps to facilitate and allow in the vices and corruption of others. The corporate case of cheats threats the sincere humanity of customers and its business partners. Dishonesty encompasses the risk of being caught and apparently losing properties and sometimes being punished for a jail term. Apple’s ethical options may cost them massive financial losses.
Conclusion
As clarified above, three ethical problems have been thoroughly discussed. The ethical issues of corporate social responsibility, marketing and discrimination highlight the moral issue that hit headlines on every manager of any corporation. The blog articles of Binta Niambi Brown of Fermata Entertainment Ltd and Tim Hooks of Apple Company highlight the issues of discriminations in the corporate world. The natural law approach is useful because it vividly explain the cases and assesses them in chronological order. Moreover, the natural law approach helps to offer solutions on the best choice that the people could approach their ethical dilemmas. The managers should not place value on short-term benefits at the disadvantage of long-term outcomes in a catastrophe.
Work Cited
Badaracco Jr, Joseph. Defining moments: When managers must choose between right and right. Harvard Business Press, 2013.
Beauchamp, Tom L., Norman E. Bowie, and Denis Gordon Arnold, eds. "Ethical theory and business." (2004).
Beeri, Itai, et al. "Advancing ethics in public organizations: The impact of an ethics program on employees’ perceptions and behaviors in a regional council." Journal of business ethics 112.1 (2013): 59-78.
Giang, Vivian. "7 Business Leaders Share How They Solved The Biggest Moral Dilemmas Of Their Careers | Business + Innovation." Fast Company. Fast Company, 6 Feb. 2015. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
Hinks, Paul. "Apple’s New Leader Faces Ethical Dilemmas at Foxconn." Leaders We Deserve. Leaders We Deserve, 11 Jan. 2012. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
Palazzo, Guido, Franciska Krings, and Ulrich Hoffrage. "Ethical blindness." Journal of Business Ethics 109.3 (2012): 323-338.
