BMA735 - Management Ethics: Applying Moral Norms in a Case Study

This report provides a detailed analysis of a management ethics case study, focusing on the moral dilemmas faced by a protagonist in a business scenario. It explores the morally right course of action from a personal worldview, emphasizing the importance of considering the impact of decisions on employees and the local community. The report identifies and discusses the moral norms and values that influence decision-making, along with strategies for enacting these values in challenging circumstances. Furthermore, it examines the emotional, cognitive, cultural, political, and institutional enablers and disablers that affect the ability to voice moral values in such situations. The analysis is supported by relevant academic references, providing a comprehensive understanding of ethical considerations in management.

Running head: MANAGEMENT ETHICS
Management Ethics
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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a) What is the morally right thing to do in the case and why do you think it is
right, given your moral world view?
In the context of the given case study, being a protagonist with a moral view I think it
is essential to give the employees of the Tasmanian Bread Mills Pvt Ltd a notice for
the upcoming changes in the company. This is because the bread mill is the one and
the only largest employer in the small rural town of northern Tasmania (VIRTUES
PROJECT INTERNATIONAL 2007). More than half of the population of the town is
employed or engaged in employment related to the bread mill. Hence from the view
of a protagonist, I believe that sudden shut down of the mill will lead to a major
disaster to the lives and livelihood of the people residing in the city. While facing a
hard moral decision regarding the closure of the mill on a sudden notice I would
prefer to postpone the choice for some time until the point the decision can be taken
without causing any further harm to anyone. Further more, the relevant decision in
accordance with the values is important for upholding the circumstance related to the
closure of the mill. Though Robert was proposed another job opportunity with a
better designation and a better salary figure at the head office of the company. Still, it
would be morally wrong to forgo the issues that the employees and the citizens of the
city of Tasmania would face in the cost of the new and improved opportunity of
Robert. From a protagonists viewpoint, I think it is important and essential for the
managers of the company and both global strategy manager to introduce some of the
newer opportunities for the local people employed in the company for a decade. This
is because the sudden closure of the company would ruin the wellness living of many
families around the town (Crane et al. 2014, pp. 130-153). Further more I think, since
the decision of the closure of the mill was taken solely on the basis of its old
technological types of equipment and surplus requirements of the global production of

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the multinational company, the managers and the senior directors of the mill should
consider rethinking their decisions and initiate changing and upgrading their
technological equipment of the northern bread mill rather than closing it down
altogether.
b) What moral norms or values would voice, and how do they flow from your
world view?
Values tend to play an essential role in the fulfillment and integration of the desires
and basic impulses. In the context of the above-stated case study, the value is
significant for the generic experiences in the social action in attitudes and social
actions. Morals distinguish between the good and bad behavior. It furthermore deals
with the situation which enabled me to think the injury or the harm that can come up
in the context of the sudden shut down of the firm towards the living of the human
beings of the town. Moral norms of mine state that the sudden shut down of the bread
mill of the northern state without proper notice is totally wrong (Cook et al. 2015,pp.
217). From the view of a protagonist the horrendous decision of the managers and the
owner of the mill will tremendously affect the lives and the status of living of the
people and Robert as the HR manager of the bread mill, even after knowing about the
sudden closure of the mill should not avoid his basic terms and moral value as a
human being towards the welfare of the town. Though he is getting ample
opportunities and a higher designation in the headquarters of the company where he
and his wife desired to move for a long time due to their family and personal issues,
he should not act selfishly and only think about himself. Instead, he should consider
the fact that the labor market of the northern town of Tasmania had been soft for

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many years, and this sudden shut down will break and ruin the entire market. While
initiating discussion with the global strategy manager of the company, Robert must
line up the issues that may arise due to the sudden closure of the mill, like the
reactions of the industries and the local communities. Furthermore, he should also
consider that problems like proactive industrial conflicts, backlashes from the
community people of the northern Tasmania and the adverse campaigns of the local
media will be tough to handle and manage in the case (VIRTUES PROJECT
INTERNATIONAL 2007). Hence from the view of a protagonists I think it is
essential for Robert to have a good discussion with the global strategy manager of the
mill and should convince him to rethink about the decision and give at least a notice
period of 9 to 12 month to the currently employed local people before the closure of
the mill so that they can at least search for some new opportunities by the time and be
prepared for the upcoming days.
c) How would you enact these norms and values given the circumstances set
out in the case?
The five strategies that I would enact for the application of the norms and the values
in the given circumstances of the case are by speaking the languages of virtues,
recognizing the teachable moments, setting cleared boundaries, honoring the spirit
and offering companioning. These will help in providing a more peaceful, purposeful,
authentic live for the targeted people of the town (VIRTUES PROJECT
INTERNATIONAL 2007). This is because language holds the power to inspire the
people of the town. With the use of the virtue and the values for guiding,
acknowledging and correcting the best feature in the context of the moral norms
arises. Furthermore, the strategies help in needs of the virtues in the daily challenges
the people will face after the closure of the mill. As a protagonist, I will suggest

MANAGEMENT ETHICS
offering a helping hand and companionship by being deeply present and listening to
the issues of the people with utmost compassion so that the community heals fast and
grow steadily. Some of the languages of virtues I will use for enacting the values and
the norms include acknowledgment, guidance, and correction. While communicating
with the global strategy manager, Mr. Smith firstly I will thank him for his kindness
towards providing Robert such a good opportunity to work in the headquarters of the
company with such a lucrative package. Then I will request him to be considerate
about the issues and the lives of the local people in the town who have been employed
in the bread mill for generations and the sudden closure of the mill will only leave
them and their lives in a huge dilemma of existence. This is because the bread mill is
the one and only largest employer in the small town and the closure of the mill
without any proper notice will provide the employees with zero or no time to search
for some new opportunities to avoid the trap of unemployment. Finally, I will initiate
the manager of the global strategy, Mr.Smith to be kindful and considerate towards
the targeted employees who will suffer major issues due to the sudden closure.
d) Identify the emotional, cognitive, cultural, political, and institutional
“enablers” and “disablers” that would likely influence your ability to voice your
moral values, in the circumstances described in the case.
In the context of this case, some of the enablers of emotion,cognition,culture,politics
and institution includes acceptance, appreciation, assertiveness, charity,compassion,
courage, creativity, determination, dignity, diligence, fidelity, generosity, helpfulness,
honesty, honor, humanity, justice, kindness, love, mercy, modesty, nobility, openness,
peacefulness, prayerfulness, respect, reliability, sacrifice, serenity, strength,
thankfulness, tact, thoughtfulness, unity, wisdom and zeal (VIRTUES PROJECT

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INTERNATIONAL 2007). These will help in influencing my inner values and the
moral norms that I carry in the above circumstances. As a protagonist, I believe that it
is not right to shut down the bread mill which in the general terms brings bread and
butter to the localities of Tasmania. The above-stated enablers influence my inner
norms regarding the morality towards the targeted group of people residing in the
small town. Some of the disablers of the above-stated factors that is emotion,
cognition, culture, politics, and institution are mainly the act of selfishness, self-
concerns, self-help and everything that is related to the betterment of self. Though it
not right and ungrateful towards the localities regarding the sudden shutdown or
closure of the bread mill, one of the major disablers regarding the stated factors is the
self-concern. In the above-stated case study, Robert, the current HR manager of the
bread firm has been provided an opportunity to work for the headquarters with a
lucrative salary. He and his wife have been long wandering and desiring to travel to
Hobart for work and reasons related to the family. This is creating a dilemma and a
moral conflict whether to choose the welfare of the community or the self-
development. From the viewpoint of a protagonist, I think this is the hardest barrier
for the HR manager while pursuing Mr.Smith with the values of the voice and while
expressing with the use of virtues and languages during the meet.

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References
Cook, C L, Cottrell, C A & Webster, G D 2015, No good without God: Antiatheist prejudice
as a function of threats to morals and values. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, vol. 7,
no. 3, pp. 217.
Crane, A, Palazzo, G, Spence, L J, & Matten, D 2014, Contesting the value of “creating
shared value”. California management review, vol. 56, no. 2, pp.130-153.
VIRTUES PROJECT INTERNATIONAL 2007, The Five Strategies [PDF]. Retrieved from
http://2303756_1190018789_5VirtuesStrategies.pdf
VIRTUES PROJECT INTERNATIONAL 2007, The Virtues Project. Retrieved from
https://www.virtuesproject.com
VIRTUES PROJECT INTERNATIONAL 2007, HOW TO SPEAK The Language of
Virtues[PDF]. Retrieved from http://2303756_1190018789_5VirtuesStrategies.pdf
VIRTUES PROJECT INTERNATIONAL 2007, VIRTUES: The Gifts of Character [PDF].
Retrieved from http://2303756_1190018789_5VirtuesStrategies.pdf