Ethical Dilemmas: How to Resolve Conflicting Moral Imperatives in Organizations - Essay Sample

Introduction

Ethical dilemmas are decision-making issues that take place when making a choice between two potential moral imperatives. The two imperatives are neither unambiguously acceptable nor are they absolutely preferable. The conundrum in such choices occurs because of the decision to support one imperative result in a transgression of the other. The following is a discussion of an ethical dilemma in an organization that identifies an ethical situation using ethical frameworks and explains the dilemma by providing a recommendation on how to deal with the situation. When making ethical decisions, the best choice should always be the one that is supported by logic and a majority consensus, doctrines or policies.

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Ethical Dilemma

Identification of the Ethical Dilemma

The ethical dilemma presented in this case is whether Jasmin should report Isaac to her supervisor for taking $32,000 from a dormant bank account where he works. In this case, Jasmin is Isaac's friend and she knows that Isaac needed $32,000 to pay for a critical medical operation for her daughter. Isaac has already started paying the money she took from the dormant account, which intensifies Jasmin's dilemma on whether to report or not to report him to the supervisor.

Explanation of Why It Is an Ethical Dilemma

The issue is an ethical dilemma because by not reporting Isaac to the supervisor, Jasmin will infringe the ethical standards required from all personnel in the bank. On the other hand, Jasmin knows that Isaac desperately needed the money for the operation, failure to which his daughter would have died. Also, Isaac has already started paying the money back which also appears to be the right course of action for the case. As such, by reporting Isaac, Jasmin might risk losing Isaac as a friend and also placing under serious problems like termination from work and being sued for criminal allegations.

Reason Why the Bank Being a Business Can Make the Ethical Issue Hard To Resolve

The ethical issue presented by Isaac and Jasmin's case can be hard for the business to resolve. Additionally, that is because the decision taken by the supervisor against Isaac may affect all the key stakeholders of the organization. In the first scenario, by terminating Isaac from work or by filing a lawsuit against him, Isaac might be unable to pay the amount that he had taken all together. Also, that is because it is already clear that he did not have the money for performing an operation in the first case. As such, the bank may end up losing the funds altogether.

In a different perspective, the supervisor and the bank might opt to give Isaac a chance to repay the money by defining an interest rate that he should be charged. Additionally, that is because Isaac has already portrayed goodwill of paying back the money he had taken. However, making this decision will be an infringement of the ethical requirements imposed on the financial institution in the market. It will be a bad example for the other employees in reference to promoting ethical conducts in the workplace. As such, both cases pose negative repercussions to the bank as a business establishment and the best choice would be the one that promotes the overall wellness of the bank.

Impact of Organization's Forces on the Decision Chosen

The forces in the bank might affect the decision to be made on Isaac's case. Such forces might include the opinions of the board, management, and fellow employees. For instance, after considering Isaac's case, the board might decide to take disciplinary action against him. On the other hand, the managers might decide to retain Isaac until he repays the whole amount that he had taken. Contrary, the personnel might decide to be sympathetic to Isaac's plight and opt to appeal for his retention at work until he repays the amount taken with interest. Collectively, such forces might influence the final ethical decision in reference to Isaac's case.

Using Ethical Frameworks to Explain the Ethical Issue

Application of the Utilitarian Ethics

Utilitarianism is a concept of normative ethics that define the morality of people's actions and the theory was invented by Jeremy Bentham as well as John Stuart Mill (Marques, 2015). The theory determines the right and wrong in an ethical issue by paying a special focus on the outcome of a decision. As such, the theory is considered to be part of a consequentialism model (Marques, 2015). In reference to this model of ethics, the right decision in an ethical issue should be the one that does the largest benefit for the most people (Marques, 2015).

In reference to Jasmin's ethical issue, the best decision that she should make should be the one that does the greatest good to all the stakeholders of the bank. In this case, Jasmine should report Isaac to the supervisor. Additionally, that would ensure that the bank, the dormant account holder and shareholders of the bank might not be impacted negatively by Isaac's actions if he fails to return all the money he had taken. Not reporting Isaac will only benefit Isaac himself and it will not be good for all the other stakeholders of the bank

There is one primary disadvantage that is associated with using the utilitarianism theory in making ethical decisions, like Jasmin's dilemma. The disadvantage is that utilitarianism is only focused on analyzing the outcome of a choice made and not on the act perpetrated itself. As such, by using the utilitarianism theory, there are no moral judgments made on the actions themselves, which a person may choose to take. As such, the only consequence that could occur is if the outcome chosen fail to maximize an individual's happiness in some manner. As such, to some extent, it may not be considered the best methodology of making ethical decisions.

Application of Aristotle's Virtue Ethics

Aristotle definition of morals and ethics was that an individual should have the disposition to do the right thing or behave in the right manner when at a mean of two extremes - deficiency and excess (Curren, 2016). Aristotle's ethical theory can be applied to Jasmin's dilemma case, whereby she should make the most rational decision by comparing the two extremes she is facing. In this case, the deficiency extreme is having the burden to cover up for Isaac at the bank's expense. On the other hand, the excess is to report Isaac to the bank's supervisor so that the institution can protect itself from any loss in the event he fails to pay.

In this case, the best and most rational extreme that Jasmin should take when making the ethical decision is the excess consideration which is to report Isaac to the supervisor. The decision is also the most rational between the two when analyzed using Aristotle's virtue ethics theory. However, there is one primary weakness that can be associated with using the Aristotle virtue ethics framework in making a decision on Jasmin's dilemma. The weakness is that the Aristotle model only considers one extreme of the decision made (deficiency or excess) and fails to acknowledge the repercussions of failing to make the other decision.

Application of Kantian Ethics

The Kantian ethical theory is a deontological model of making moral decisions (Saunders, 2016). The theory asserts that the rightness or the wrongfulness of making a decision is not dependent of the consequences but rather than on the person's ability to fulfill his/her duty at a workplace (Saunders, 2016). Immanuel Kant believed that a person should have a supreme principle of exerting his/her morality and described it as the categorical imperative (Saunders, 2016). In reference to Jasmin's dilemma, she should report Isaac's misconduct to the supervisor since she has a moral duty to report such acts while in the workplace. Nevertheless, there is a primary challenge of using the Kantian ethical model because it only informs an individual what are actions are good or bad. As such, the model does not inform a person the right thing to do in handling the repercussions of such actions.

Recommendation

Based on the evaluation of the three ethical frameworks, one of the best and most effective theories that can be used to make a decision on Jasmin's dilemma is the utilitarianism theory. In this case, Jasmin should report Isaac to the supervisor because it is the decision that will yield the most benefits to many people at the bank. Failure to report Isaac will help him alone at the expense of the bank's stakeholders. However, by reporting Isaac, Jasmin will be able to help the bank to take action in protecting itself from losses that might occur if Isaac fails to make full payment of the money he had taken. Subsequently, the bank's shareholders will not be affected by losses that might be incurred by Isaac. Also, Jasmin's decision to inform the supervisor about Isaac's misconduct would be supported by the Kantian ethical theory. According to the theory, Jasmin has a duty to report any misconduct that she might experience at the workplace.

Conclusion

In conclusion, when making ethical decisions, the best choice should always be the one that is supported by logic and a majority consensus, doctrines or policies. In addition, ethical dilemmas are decision-making issues that take place when making a choice between two potential moral imperatives. In addition, according to the Utilitarian ethics, the right decision in an ethical issue should be the one that does the largest benefit for the largest group of persons. Contrary, based to Aristotle virtue morality model, an individual should have the disposition to do the right thing or behave in the right manner when at a mean of two extremes - deficiency and excess. Lastly, Kantian theory asserts that the rightness or the wrongfulness of making a decision is not dependent of the consequences but rather than on the person's ability to fulfill his or her duty at a workplace.

References

Curren, R. (2016). Aristotelian Versus Virtue Ethical Character Education. Journal of Moral Education, 45(4), 516-526. doi:10.1080/03057240.2016.1238820

Marques, Joan (2015) "Universalism and Utilitarianism: An Evaluation of Two Popular Moral Theories in Business Decision Making, "The Journal of Values-Based Leadership: Vol. 8: Issue. 2, Article 3.Available at: http://scholar.valpo.edu/jvbl/vol8/iss2/3

Saunders, J. (2016). Kant and the Problem of Recognition: Freedom, Transcendental Idealism, and the Third-Person. International Journal of Philosophical Studies, 24(2), 164-182. doi:10.1080/09672559.2016.1152286