Case Study Analysis: Joe

This report outlines a brief discussion on the case study of Joe, who works as an ICT technician in an organization. He has confronted ethical issues in his work place and this report depicts a clear understanding of the ethical dilemma and how to eradicate this dilemma.

Running head: CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
Case Study Analysis: Joe
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note:

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CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
Table of Contents
1. Introduction............................................................................................................................2
2. Discussion..............................................................................................................................2
2.1 Facts in Fair and Balanced Way.......................................................................................2
2.2 Identification of the Stakeholders....................................................................................3
2.3 Major Ideals that play a role in the Decision...................................................................3
2.4 Selection of Criteria to be Emphasized............................................................................3
2.5 Kind of Obligation Owed or Identification of the Most Pressing Ethical Issues.............4
2.6 Identification of Likely Consequences for Each Stakeholder..........................................4
2.7 Actions Harming the Stakeholders...................................................................................4
2.8 Actions Benefitting the Stakeholders...............................................................................5
2.9 Each of the Stakeholders Wanting to Happen in the Company.......................................5
2.10 Solution for Satisfying all the Stakeholders...................................................................5
2.11 Actions showing Care and Respect for Persons and bringing Balance of
Consequences.........................................................................................................................6
2.12 Recommendation of the Best Action.............................................................................6
3. Conclusion..............................................................................................................................6
References..................................................................................................................................8

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1. Introduction
Ethics can be defined as the type of moral philosophy, which includes
systematization, defending as well as recommending of concepts for correct and incorrect
conduct (Noddings 2013). The significant matters of values are considered here and hence
human morals and attributes are some of the major factors of this ethics. Any person, who is
following the moral ethics in his or her professional and personal life, is termed as ethical in
nature. Ethical issues are also extremely common in these scenarios (Frank 2013). The
following report outlines a brief discussion on the case study of Joe, who works as an ICT
technician in an organization. He has confronted ethical issues in his work place and this
report depicts a clear understanding of the ethical dilemma and how to eradicate this
dilemma.
2. Discussion
2.1 Facts in Fair and Balanced Way
Joe is an ICT technician in an organization. This particular company comprises of a
large number of staffs, who are the major members of Union. Recently negotiations are
taking place in the company on pay and few conditions are being held within the Union and
the Management. These negotiations have been stalled and the senior management has hence
asked that the staff emails should be secretly monitored by the negotiating group and then
reporting to them. This negotiation team even intend in using the relevant information within
the emails for assisting them to finalize the negotiations. Joe, however has found out this to
be unethical and has suggested to the management that the staffs would not be happy when
they would found out about this incident and as per Joe, it is a type of invasion of privacy.
However, management has replied that the emails that are being sent on the accounts of the
business are considered as the business properties and thus business has their right on these

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email contents. Moreover, supervisor of Joe has directed him in accessing as well as reading
the negotiating members’ emails for advising the management team of emails, which might
impact negotiations.
2.2 Identification of the Stakeholders
Stakeholders refer to the persons, groups as well as organizations that has concern or
interest within any company. These stakeholders could easily affect or could be affected by
the actions, policies and objectives of the company (Fromm 2013). The major stakeholders of
this case study are senior management, Joe, staff members and negotiation team. Since, any
organization gets negative impact within their business from stakeholders, it is important to
maintain ethics and morality in the work.
2.3 Major Ideals that play a role in the Decision
Decision making is one of the most significant factors in any company. For
maintenance of ethics in decision making, the following ideals play distinct role:
i) Establishment of the facts in a situation.
ii) Decision whether that situation includes ethical or legal issues.
iii) Identification of options and possible consequences.
iv) Evaluation of probable alternatives.
v) Selection of the best alternative (Peters 2015).
vi) Implementation of the decision.
2.4 Selection of Criteria to be Emphasized
In this case study, the criterion of proper decision making should be emphasized for
maintenance of ethics in the organization (Crane and Matten 2016). Joe is being instructed by
his supervisor to access and read the emails that the negotiating team will be checking

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regarding the negotiations on pay and condition that is being held within management and the
Union. Hence, it is highly required to maintain an effective relationship with the other
employees by involvement of ethics in decision making process.
2.5 Kind of Obligation Owed or Identification of the Most Pressing Ethical Issues
The respective organizational management and negotiation team has decided to check
the electronic mails of the staff members regarding the negotiation that is being going on
between the Management and the Union (Niebuhr 2013). Due to this negotiation, the
negotiation team has decided to check the emails of their staffs secretly. Joe is an ICT
technician of the company and his supervisor has instructed him to access and read the emails
without notifying the staffs. According to Joe, it is unethical. Hence, the obligation is owed
on Joe’s supervisor, senior management and negotiation team.
2.6 Identification of Likely Consequences for Each Stakeholder
The stakeholders are senior management, Joe, staff members and negotiation team.
The major likely consequence of the senior management is that they might be sacked from
the organization. The long term and short term consequences would be that they might be
suspended for short time or longer time (Keown 2016). The major, long term and short term
likely consequences of Joe are that he might be demoted from his position or even suspended.
The major, long term and short term likely consequences of staff members are that they might
resign for their post. Finally the negotiation team might be demoted from their post or even
sacked for this type of unethical act.
2.7 Actions Harming the Stakeholders
Any type of complaint against the stakeholders by Joe could be extremely vulnerable
or harmful for the stakeholders, who are involved in this unethical act of checking emails

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CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
without notifying the staff members (Sorokin 2017). Such complaints could even take the
jobs of few stakeholders of the organization and thus they would be in grave danger.
2.8 Actions Benefitting the Stakeholders
If the stakeholders would be getting the access of all type of emails of the staff
members, they would be extremely benefitted from the process and hence unethical activity
would be enhanced majorly (Moor 2017). For Joe, if this type of unethical activity would be
stopped, he would be eventually benefitted.
2.9 Each of the Stakeholders Wanting to Happen in the Company
Joe wants to stop the unethical activity of reading personal electronic mails of the
staffs secretly and stealthily (Dewey 2016). This is absolutely illegal in respect to the work
ethics and hence effectiveness should be maintained. The senior management as well as the
negotiation team wants to monitor the staff emails since they think that these emails belong to
the office property and hence they have a right to check these emails even without proper
notification to the company’s staffs. On the other hand, the staffs are the parts of the company
Union (Gatens 2013). They want to negotiation regarding payment as well as few other
conditions. For this purpose, the management has taken the decision to check their emails and
thus causing invasion of privacy.
2.10 Solution for Satisfying all the Stakeholders
There are few stakeholders in this particular case study of Joe. Each of them wants to
resolve the issue of negotiation that is being held between management and the respective
Union. Since, all of them have different requirements and different solutions according to
their personal choice, an unethical activity of secretly sneaking into the emails of the staffs is
going to take place (Trevino and Nelson 2016). It is vital to find one solution that could
satisfy all stakeholders, without involving any unethical activity. The most basic and

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important solution for satisfying each of the stakeholder is by arranging a meeting with the
management and the Union members. As the staffs are wanting to discuss about the payment
and conditions; it is the duty of the organizational management to take necessary actions
regarding this matter. This particular solution would be extremely effective and efficient for
the case study and each and every issue would be resolved.
2.11 Actions showing Care and Respect for Persons and bringing Balance of
Consequences
The few actions for resolving the problems and issues regarding the invasion of
privacy and professional ethics for showing care as well as respect for the persons and hence
bringing balance within the consequences are as follows:
i) The first and the foremost action in this case study is by arranging a meeting with
the management and the staffs (Keown 2016).
ii) The second action in the case study is to engage people for checking that any
unethical activity is not present in the organization.
iii) The next distinct action is to deal with the negotiation issue effectively.
2.12 Recommendation of the Best Action
The recommendation of the best action in this particular case study is to arrange a
meeting for dealing with the negotiation issue and pay conditions. This would hence ensure
that no unethical activity is being involved and every stakeholder would be satisfied.
3. Conclusion
Therefore, from the above discussion, it can be concluded that professional ethics are
few principles, which effectively govern the significant behaviour of any group or person
within a business environment. This professional ethics even requires to be integrity within

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work for an individual. This integrity is the core concept of consistency of actions, values,
methods, expectations, outcomes and principles. In ethics, the subsequent concept of integrity
is considered as the accuracy or truthfulness and honesty of the actions of an individual.
Professional ethics effectively encompasses the corporate as well as personal standards of
behaviour that are expected by the professionals. The above report has clearly provided a
brief discussion on the case study of Joe in an organization. The ethical breach has been
clearly made understand and proper recommendations are also provided here.

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References
Crane, A. and Matten, D., 2016. Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and
sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press.
Dewey, J., 2016. Ethics. Read Books Ltd.
Frank, A.W., 2013. The wounded storyteller: Body, illness, and ethics. University of Chicago
Press.
Fromm, E., 2013. Man for himself: An inquiry into the psychology of ethics. Routledge.
Gatens, M., 2013. Imaginary bodies: Ethics, power and corporeality. Routledge.
Keown, D., 2016. The nature of Buddhist ethics. Springer.
Moor, J.H., 2017. What is computer ethics?. In Computer Ethics (pp. 31-40). Routledge.
Niebuhr, R., 2013. Moral man and immoral society: A study in ethics and politics.
Westminster John Knox Press.
Noddings, N., 2013. Caring: A relational approach to ethics and moral education. Univ of
California Press.
Peters, R.S., 2015. Ethics and Education (Routledge Revivals). Routledge.
Sorokin, P., 2017. Social and cultural dynamics: A study of change in major systems of art,
truth, ethics, law and social relationships. Routledge.
Trevino, L.K. and Nelson, K.A., 2016. Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to
do it right. John Wiley & Sons.