Ethical Dilemmas in Business Decisions

1. Double Salary?

Justify: 'Accept the offer'

• In USA business is governed by law and contract. There is apparently no relevant non-compete (stand-down) clause in her current contract.
• She should show them the new offer and ask them to pay her more than the new offer, or perhaps to match it. They had evidently been underpaying her.
• Point out that the other company evidently has found a way of making better use of her skills in order to serve the market or customer 'needs', that is, 'to drive forward the industry of mankind' for the common good; so she arguably has a moral obligation to accept it and move into that position

2. Wendy's Ads

Justify: Continue to advertise

• Our tests validate our claim and our ads refer to our tests only. It obviously depends how you measure the 'juice', so to speak.
• These adverts work, they increase demand, and so we are behaving competitively which is quite proper in a business-as-usual context or capitalist
• This provides the public with cathartic pleasure and some happiness, in a sad and tough world. Pleasure and happiness are also human goods, by the way

3. Bob Cummings Organic Vitamins

Justify: 'Not proper' to accept the gift

• He is already wealthy and one might therefore say that it is a matter of distributive justice. Tell them to give the gifts to charities instead.
• Tell them that he knows himself all too well (self-awareness) and feels that gifts like the free use of the yacht might induce him to act in a biased way in the future, or against the shareholders (or stakeholders) best interests

4. John Walker (Coach)

Justify: Suspend them for several games

• Suspend them for several games: this sends a signal that gift acceptance is not allowed. It's a useful gesture that helps to block a 'slippery slope' towards 'throwing the game' for money.

5. Sadhu

Justify: It was ok to leave him

• Taking him down would put other members of the party at risk
• Taking him conflicts with achieving a mission
• In this expedition we knew we were risking our lives
• Many arguments to the contrary, moral high ground, but this time as a leader I would go for the mission.

6. Foreign Assignment (Sara & Vitam)

How might Vitam have handled this better?

• Although it may be difficult to change his views of culture, Vitam could have still demanded respect for his employees from her clients
• He could change the uniform of the receptionist
• He could have introduced her as his equal and that they were working on together so that clients were still comfortable, having a male hand on the wheel, but she retained her authority and was not demeaned as his subordinate
• It's an international business, perhaps Vitam could suggest that she might prefer country X. Vitam might be able to help her with that move.