It is helpful to have a framework to guide the decisions you make, be it for business or personal reasons. Consider the steps in the following model:
Based on a model developed by the Ethics Resource Center
Individually, think of a decision you had to make (e.g. where to go for lunch, whether to go out with friends or complete your homework, etc.). Reflect on what factors you considered in making a decision.
Go to the Forum page and complete the following:
Post the steps you use to make a decision in the appropriate section of the forum. Through discussion with your classmates, determine if any of these factors or steps would be different if you were to make a business decision instead of a personal one.
Activity
Let’s work through a case together.
Ms. I.N. Control was at the supply cupboard getting some pens for her desk, when she noticed a co-worker stuffing staplers, correction tape and sticky notes into a large tote bag. What should she do?
Using the Ethical Decision-Making Model
1. Identify the ethical dilemma
- Ms. I.N. Control has witnessed what could be theft from the company
- She is trying to decide what she should do about what she witnessed
2. List the facts and identify stakeholders
- She witnessed a co-worker stuffing office supplies into a bag
- The stakeholders are Ms. I.N. Control, the co-worker and the company they work for
3. Identify potential courses of action
- Ms. I.N. Control could confront her co-worker and ask her what she is doing with the office supplies
- She could go to her supervisor and report the incident
- She could do nothing
4. Evaluate options
- Confronting the co-worker – The individual could get defensive and/or angry and deny she is doing anything wrong. There could be a logical explanation for what she was doing.
- Report the incident to a supervisor – The company would want to know if office supplies are being stolen or misappropriated. Reporting the incident could strain relations with the co-worker and make it difficult to work with her in the future.
- The company could lose money if the incident was not reported.
5. Select an option
- Ms. I.N. Control decides to speak with her co-worker about what she witnessed to get a better understanding of the situation.
- Depending on the outcome of the conversation, she may have to report the incident to her supervisor
6. Reflection
- Ms. I.N. Control tried to deal with the situation herself first to get a better understanding of what she witnessed.
- Doing nothing and not reporting the incident would have weighed on her conscience
Time to practice! Continue to Cases.