ethics final

BP and their words and actions do not match up with the whole Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill... proclaimed values do not match with procedures... Provide evidence for this disconnect and then discuss why you think it existed. Discuss specific tactics that organizations can undertake to ensure that their values are more than just words on paper. How can organizations incorporate their values into the fabric of the organization.

BP consistently claimed that safety was their top priority, and after bad events happened they claimed that they were constantly working to improve their safety. This was not supported by their actions. BP decided to cut corners in order to cut costs anywhere they could and even in places they should not have. In regards to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill BP was forcing their people to focus on speed instead of safety. And they made it clear that the main priority was to do whatever they had to in order to stay on schedule. Organizations can do a lot of things that would help to align their values on paper and their actions. One thing they could do that would really help them would be to not accept any actions that go against their proclaimed values. If they stopped accepting all of the unethical behvior a new culture would emerge where people would mostly be ethical... all of their policies, codes, rewards, and performance measurement systems would have to align with their proclaimed values as well

What is the 9th step in the nine step model?

Check your gut

What is actions you are contemplating?

come up with a list of things you can do... what are your options in this dilemma?

Define Moral Relativism. Do you think the 60 minutes baby research supports the idea of moral relativism? Do you think a moral relativism approach to ethics is helpful? Why? What else can we learn about the source of morals and ethics from the research on small babies and children?

Moral relativism is the idea that there is no universal definition of what is right and wrong, but rather our ideas of what is right and wrong comes from the cultures of the communities we are in. The 60 minutes case does not support this idea... it clearly shows that babies have a sense of right and wrong even though they have not yet been enculturated I think that the moral relativism approach is somewhat helpful, but not completely. I think that moral relativism helps us to understand that different cultures accept or tolerate actions differently and they do have their own definitions of ethics. Therefore, there is no universally agreed upon definition of ethics, so it help us to understand why people make the decisions that they make. However, I do believe that there is a universal innate definition of right and wrong in all humans.. even if it is not in writing. However, through the 60 minute video we can see that cultures can either foster this innate definition or change it. It was clear that the older the children in the tests were, they more they based their decisions off of what their culture had taught them was right.

Describe concept of multiple ethical selves, what are the implications of multiple ethical selves for you personally as you seek to be an ethical person? What are the implications of multiple ethical selves for managers? What can you do as a future manager with this knowledge?

multiple ethical selves is the ability of people to act or react differently to the same thing when in differnet contexts. I knwo that I have the ability to do this tooa dn it is importnat for me to know my values so that I know what I stand for

President Ed Ray stated "it never matters how small or big the impact is, it's about doing the right things for the right reasons." Which prescriptive approach is he subscribing to and why do you think that?

he is subscribing to the deontological approach because he is saying that no matter what, the focus needs to be on doing what is right when it comes to decision making. with the deontological approach doing what is right is considered to be the right way to go about decisions making. the right thing in this approach is based on a set of abstract universal principles such as everyone should tell the truth, have respect, and keep promises. not the consequentialist approach because he implies that the consequence or outcome of the decision does not matter. not virtue ethics because he is not saying to always adhere to what your community defines as the right thing to do.

What is getting the facts?

separating fact from story... x,y,z, happened... leave out opinions facts are what can be observed by anyone stories are conclusions using judgements or evaluations of facts

What is identifying duties/obligations?

what duty do you owe each stakeholder? How do your actions align with stakeholders' interests? If you have more interest in one stakeholder... then they win

What is checking your gut?

what is your gut telling you about this dilemma? did your gut increase your awareness that this was an ethical dilemma... what made it an ethical dilemma? What does not feel right about it?

what is defining the ethical issue?

what values are in conflict? answer: why am I so conflicted in this situation

What is identifying the stakeholders?

who are they, what do they want and why do they want it (their interests)

Can you identify all 9 steps in the nine steps model right here and now?!?! READY, GO!

1. get the facts 2. define the ethical issue 3. identify stakeholders 4. what are all of the possible actions you could take? 5. what are all of the consequences to those actions 6. What are your duties/obligations 7. Check your integrity 8. Think creatively about your solutions 9. Check our gut

Dan Ariely's research on cheating has shed light on the fact that all people have a fudge factor. According to his research what can be done to minimize this fudge factor? How can these findings be applied in the workplace to promote more ethicality?

According to Dan Ariely's research the fudge factor can be mitigating by reminding people of their morals. In his research, when people were told to swear on the bible, recite the 10 commandments, or sign an honor code, they were a lot less likely to cheat. These findings can be applied in the workplace by creating an environment where the company has strong values and the employees are constantly reminded of them and how important they are. Dan Airley's research also suggested that when someone in the ingroup clearly cheated and got away with it, all of the other people in the ingroup were a lot more likely to cheat. The findings here can be applied to the workplace by the company making sure they creat e a culture and environment where cutting corners and being unethical is 100% not okay or acceptable. The company should strive to make the norms of the business support ethical behavior.

What is the 4th step in the nine step model?

Actions are you contemplating to resolve your dilemma

What does it mean to be an ethical leader? Provide an example of an ethical leader from class or the reading? Provide an example of an unethical leader?

An ethical leader is someone who supports, encourages, and in some cases demands ethical behavior. Not only will an ethical leader do these things, but they will also be an example of how to be an ethical person by making ethical decisions and conducting ethical behavior. An example of an ethical leader from class and in the readings is a former CEO of Johnson and Johnson, James Burke. When James took on the role of CEO, he made all of the managers come together a revise the credo of the company. They decided to put customers first. James made all company decisions based on this credo. When there was a scare with some Tylenol poisoning around the Chicago area, James made the decision that the company would stop advertising Tylenol until eh problem was resolved and made a nationwide recall and told everyone not to buy Tylenol even though it was a big part of their company's profits. This decision was the most ethical one he could have made in this terrible situation. An example of an unethical leader from class and the readings was Iacocca from Ford. He made some very unethical decisions such as not giving any thought to the safety of his consumers, even when the car he pushed for was proving to kill people in accidents. He set a bad example for what ethical decisions should look like and he created a culture that did not tolerate any sort of exception to his unethical ways.

What is considering your integrity?

Are you choosing your decision based on what someone else is pressuring you to do or because you have too much of an obligation to them? Or are you making the choice that you believe is best? Or do you only have your own interest in mind? You should name and identify the virtues that you want to live by and practice in this situation and then choice see if your decision is aligning with them. If your decision does not align, then you do not have integrity.

What is the 5th step in the nine step model?

Identifying the consequences of each of your options

What is the 7th step in the nine step model?

Consider your integrity

What is the 2nd step in the nine step model?

Define the ethical issues

Describe and define Employee engagement. Discuss how employee engagement and ethics are linked. Then, name and describe each of the four key elements of the employee engagement culture we discussed in class. Finally, discuss how these four key elements are instrumental in creating employee engagement.

Employee engagement is a measure of how actively engaged and enthusiastic employees are with their work. The more engaged employees are , the more likely they are to act ethically and make ethical decisions because they have more buy in to the business and its success. The first key element of employee engagement is called line of sight. Line of sight describes how well an employee understnad the direction and goals of a company. It also encompasses their understanding of how the business makes money. This is instrumental in creating employee engagement in that the employee know how their contributions are are playing a role in the success of the company and they have a bigger buy in. The second key element in employee engagement is involvement. Involvement describes how how much an employee gets to contribute their ideas and opinions in the direction of the company or the way they do things . This creates employee engagement by letting the employees know they are heard and can give input and their thoughts are valued. The third key element of employee engagement is information sharing. Information sharing is when the necessary information get to the right people at the right time so that people can do their jobs effectively and efficiently. This creates employee engagement because it keeps an open company... information is always flowing an people can participate and know that ethical issue will be resolved immediately instead of brushed under the rug. The fourth element of employee engagement is rewards and recognition. This is when business goals and values are clearly spelled out for employees and they know. This creates employee engagement because employees know what they need to do in order to recieve recognition and get rewarded.

What is the 1st step in the nine step model?

Get the facts

Bernie Madoff says life in prison is much better for him than it was before he got caught... despite the fact he still has trouble sleeping and is haunted by nightmares. If his life of crime was so miserable why do you think her persisted in his fraud? What lessons can we learn from his experience that might help us to avoid making the same mistakes? Do you think that with all of his decades of guilt he is just a bad apple or is there more to it? Support your claim.

I believe that Bernie Madoff persisted in his frad because he got into a cycle of making bad choice and it became nearly impossible for him to get out. I think he continued to make bad choice after bad choice because he justified them to himself. In the podcast, Bernie kept claiming that he was sorry and he had all of this remorse, but he kept slipping in statements that supported the idea that he did not think that what he did was all that bad compared to how bad everyone else thought it was. From Bernie's story I think we can learn how important it is for us to define our values and stick to them 100% so that we don't go down a slippery slope or get caught in a cycle of bad decisions like Bernie. I think we can also learn how important it is to consult other people when making decisions in order to get multiple perspectives. Bernie did not think some of what he did was all that bad, but had he asked someone else, I am sure they would have set him straight. I think that Bernie maybe had a remorseful side to him that could support the idea that he was not completely a "bad apple." However, I do not necessarily think he was a "good apple" in the wrong context. The unethical decisions he made were not small. They impacted a lot of people in big ways for a long time. The way the podcast made it sound was that maybe he had some mental issues that allowed him to get away with what he did for as long as he did. So even if he did not have malicious intent and he felt bad, his actions surely were those of an innocent person.

Bias affects decisions making in general, and ethical decision making specifically. Which biases do you think you are most easily impacted by when it comes to your ethical decision making? What, if anything, can you do to heighten your awareness of when you are being affected by these biases? How does your awareness of bias in general potentially help you make better decisions?

I think my biases that affect my ethical decision making the mot would be my own personal interest bias and the bias I have toward my friends and loved ones. The best thing i can do to hiethen my awareness of when I am being affected by my biases is to know what my biases are. This way I can take the time to recognize if I am making a decision based on hat bias, or if it does not have to do with my bias. My awareness of my biases will help me in general becuase I will be able to differentiate if I am making a decision because it supports my biases or if I am making it because it is the right decision.

What is the 6th step in the nine step model?

Identify duties/obligations

What is the 3rd step in the nine step model?

Identify the stakeholders

Ford pinto case seems like the unethical stuff could have easily been avoided... however Gioia's experience proved that the context of the situation made it easy to influence even the most moral people. What were the organizational and leadership influences that contributed to an environment where such a situation could occur? What are the lessons for future managers and leaders that can help such situations to be avoided in the future? What specific advice does Gioia give to you as future business people?

The leadership of Ford during the time of the designing and producing of the Pinto created a very cut throat organizational environment. The leader made it clear that the focus of the company was to only be on designing the Pinto extremely fast and making it cheap. any ideas that did not support those two things were a hinderance to the company. The leader was focused on beating the competition. His attitude set an example for everyone to follow. This created the perfect environment for some unethical business decisions and behavior. Some lessons that managers can take away from this situation is that it is really important to realize how much influence leaders can have on a company and its direction. it is important to always keep ethics in mind as a leader and be goo example for those under you so that an ethical culture can permeate throughout the company. Gioia gave us advice to define our values for ourselves and know them and be strong in them. This way when there are forces that go against your values, you are aware and you can do the right thing. Gioia also said to be aware of how you think and process information and be aware of how the company changes the way you think and process information. Knowing the difference between the two will help you to know when the company is changing the way you think. It is best to work for a company that has you think in a similar way you normally would.

What is identifying the consequences to your actions?

Think about consequences good and bad and choose the one with the most good or least bad

What is the 8th step in the nine step model?

Think creatively about your solutions

What is thinking creatively about your solutions?

What result do you really want, what do you want to accomplish? Are all of your action options you came up with able to create that result? can you find an action that satisfies both your interest and the stakeholders' interests? have you asked others for their help, have you asked for time to think about it?