Case Scenario:
Some might think that discussing ethical misconduct at work should focus on big issues, such as conflict of interest and corruption. However, this often overlooks how rationalizing small, ethically dubious issues can eventually lead to damaging ethical misconduct. When ethically dubious behavior is seen as unimportant, a culture that does not uphold integrity in all things can take root in the organization. This can lead to much more damaging behavior. This activity starts a discussion surrounding these small behaviors that we often overlook to determine the ethical nature of the activity.
Read and reflect upon the following:
- Read Case: Ethically Dubious Employee Conduct.
- Examine Brenda's list from both the utilitarian and the Kantian perspectives.
- Some might argue that some of the things listed as ethically dubious are really employee entitlements. Assess this contention.
Address the following:
Question 1: What arguments can be given for and against the conduct on Brenda's list? Is the rightness or wrongness of some items a matter of degree? Can an action (such as taking a pad of paper) be both trivial and wrong?
Question 2: What obligations do employees have to their employers? Do companies have moral rights that employees can violate? What moral difference, if any, is there between taking something that belongs to an individual and taking something that belongs to a company?