CASE STUDY
One day you run into a friend from college, who is operating a direct mail company which is in the business of gathering and selling names for marketing ventures. Her company has no privacy policy and she does not provide an opportunity for people to "opt-in" or "opt-out" of the marketing lists. You have a database of contacts based on your own sales efforts. She offers you the opportunity to share databases - for each name you submit to her marketing database, you will receive $100. Your database currently has 6,000 names from people who have asked you for information about the product and to whom you have made presentations. Many of the people in the database are your current customers.
Be Reasonable: Explore the Options 1. Components of the Practice
Choose three options to analyze. You will analyze multiple options to help ensure that you choose a reasonable option to implement.
After brainstorming with the leadership team, you have identified four options:
1.Sell the current database list without the consent of the customers.
2.Sell the current database list but only for those customers that have agreed to do so through an "opt-in" marketing consent form.
3.Sell the current database list but only for those customers who do not submit an "opt-out" marketing consent form.
4.Do not sell the current database list.
1. In this step, identify the components of the practice as defined by the ethical agent. Please consider four elements: (1) standards of excellence; (2) rules that must be followed; (3) internal goods achieved; and (4) external goods achieved.
Expectations of the Community
Now -- what are the expectations of the community, the stake-holders, for a person who is excellent in this practice? Any option which does not meet the basic competencies is by definition an unethical option.
3.Core Virtues
Next, considering your options, which one best meets the requirements of the core virtues: integrity, courage, justice, and civility?
4.Unity of Life
Now, reflecting on the options, which one best meets the ethical actor's requirements for unity of life? Which one best exemplifies the standards of a life as a whole?
5.Core Commitments
Finally, consider which option is most consistent with the ethical actor's core commitments. Which option has the potential to energize and transform both the ethical actor and the community?