Social and Professional Issues

SOCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES 1
Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Analysis of the case study..........................................................................................................2
Legal Factors........................................................................................................................2
Professional Factors.............................................................................................................3
Employment and Social factors..........................................................................................4
Personal factors....................................................................................................................5
Intrinsic factors....................................................................................................................5
Prioritisation...............................................................................................................................6
Decision and Discussion............................................................................................................7
Recommendations and Conclusion............................................................................................8
References..................................................................................................................................9

SOCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES 2
Introduction
The case study for evaluation revolves around the business of the organisation
Firestone Associates., which further connects the following listed individuals to each other.
The following report is aimed at exploring the various aspects of the case study which
involves Richard Blaine, the Senior partner and Co-Founder of the entity Firestone, Sophie
Ryder, the Technical Consultant of the firm, and Alex McLaren who is the Executive In
charge of the Project in lead. The evaluation of the various facets would be done through the
aid of the Ethical Decision Model (EDM), as designed by David Tuffley in the year 2016
(Tuffley, 2016). A varied range of intrinsic and extrinsic behaviour of each of the characters
above influence their thought processes and behaviours, leading them to recourse to different
set of actions in context of the organisation.
In addition to the above, the business strategies and controls of the Firestone
Associates and the agency of the Alex McLaren would be evaluated in the light of the
applicable ethical principles and theories, legitimacy of the business operations, effectiveness
of the internal controls, and the legal statutes and regulations. Additionally, some of the key
points that give the case study new turns and would be evaluated in detail are listed as
follows.
Analysis of the case study
Legal Factors
Factor 1: Obtaining private information to be used further without the consent of the
people
The organisation Firestone is the co-creation of Richard Blaine. The case study
revolves around the entity being engaged in the development of a marketing database namely
as Reaper, which aims to be demographic repository and is a second income stream of the
company. The database is designed through obtaining information pertaining to name,
occupation, age, marital status, hobbies, and annual income and likewise from the people.
The information is obtained when the people enter the same in hopes of winning competition
and winning the prizes in the form of holiday, products, and others. It is significant to note
that the business objective of Firestone Associates is the breach of the Australian Privacy
Principal 6 (APP6) as related to the acquisition of information from the people with the aid of
their consent, as stated in the Privacy Act 1988 (Australian Government, 2019). Thus, by

SOCIAL AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES 3
designing the demographic database without the consent of the individuals, that the same
would be further used elsewhere the company has led to serious legal violations on the lines
of the privacy, data security, and individual consent. Thus, this renders the business model of
Firestone Associates in risk, as the privacy breach suites can be initiate by the people if the
said breach is disclosed. In addition, there is a breach of the ethical principle of utilitarianism
where the utility and social wellbeing is not paid attention, rather individual business needs
are placed ahead. Further, it would be right to state that Sophie advocated preserving the
secrecy and privacy of the information of others (Australian Computer Society, 2014).
Professional Factors
Factor 2: Using the client’s platform for the access of the personal information, hence
deceiving them
While the main business of the Firestone Associates is to design creative promotional
campaigns for the clients by using the means of competition, and the organisation receives
payment for the same, Firestone uses the platform of the client that is there campaigns for the
obtaining of information from the customers of their respective clients. It is assumed that
when designing the campaigns for the clients, there must have been a condition of not to
disclose the secret information relating to the campaign or use the platform for the purposes
other than the intended. Thus, there is yet again a fault in the business model by using the
platform of other for own benefit. Thus, it can be stated that establishment of an unethical
business model describes an unethical leadership.
Factor 3: Signing of the non-disclosure agreement and the non-allowance of recording
of instructions
The fact that Sophie was made to sign a non-disclosure agreement in which she would
be required not to disclose the details about the Reaper was an employment technique that
was used by Firestone Associates to keep the secret of the their second income stream.
Further, the usage of client’s campaign for trial run of Reaper demonstrates serious business
contract violations. The clever business tactics are further descriptive when Richard and Alex
ask to cover the issue of the informed consent in the legal veil as against the will of Sophie.
Thus, unethical leadership is open characteristic of both Richard and Alex.