Class - The following is taken from the ethics policy of a corporation to remain
ID: 424973 • Letter: C
Question
Class - The following is taken from the ethics policy of a corporation to remain nameless; Company X suggests the following considerations frame ethical decisions within their corporate confines.
To make an ethical decision, ask yourself these questions:
Is it legal?
Does it follow Johnson Controls policies and procedures?
Is the action or decision consistent with the letter and spirit of the Ethics Policy? (When in doubt, ask – talk to your manager or supervisor, a member of the Legal Department or contact the Integrity Helpline.)
What would others think of my decision or action? (How would it make me feel if my action or decision were known to my family? My friends? How would I explain it to those affected by my action or decision?)
How would I feel if my actions appeared in the news media, on television or on the Internet?
Is it enough to address legality or perception? Why or why not?
Do these considerations provide broad enough reach from CEO to hourly staff?
What potential gaps or problems do you see in how the standard can be supported or confounded?
(In 150 words or more)
Explanation / Answer
This given approach to determine whether a decision is ethical or not covers the company’s legal standing well. This approach also ensures that the decisions have to be evaluated ensuring the company’s reputation and brand value is not affected in public, so it addresses perception factor also.
But, the biggest gap in this approach in my view is the fact that, no consideration is given to the effective utility of the decision. That is, will the decision, ethically sound as per company’s policies, have a positive or negative impact to the larger section of the society? How many people will the outcomes of the decision affect and what will be the effect, negative or positive?
Also, the approach will fail to span from the CEO to the hourly staff level, as at the lower level of employment, it is hard for them to assess the legal and perception impacts of their decisions, and they need to consider the positive and negative impacts of their decisions in general terms to take ethical decisions.