Ethical Decision Making: Approaches, Issues, and Resolutions Report

This report delves into the multifaceted realm of ethical decision-making, presenting a detailed analysis of various approaches including the utilitarian, rights, justice, common good, and virtue approaches. It emphasizes the importance of trained sensitivity towards ethical norms and behaviors within organizations. The report outlines the key steps involved in applying each approach, such as identifying available courses of action, assessing their impact, and choosing the option that yields the greatest benefit with the least harm. Furthermore, it addresses ethical dilemmas that business leaders often face, such as workplace discrimination, and suggests the utilitarian approach as a suitable method for resolving such issues by focusing on morally apt laws and actions. The report uses real-world examples, like the case of Olwen Renowden, to illustrate the practical application of these approaches and the consequences of unethical decisions. Finally, the report suggests practical resolutions, such as implementing performance-oriented practices, fostering a strong workforce culture, and taking legal actions against discrimination, to promote ethical conduct within organizations.

RUNNING HEAD: ETHICAL DECISION MAKING
Title: Ethical Decision Making
Name of Student:
Name of University:
Author Note:

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Approaches to ethical decision making:
The incorporation of the ethical decision making requires a trained sensitivity towards the
issues that are highly related to the ethical norms and behavior. The proper application of
decisions also needs the proper analysis and exploration of the ethical aspects of the taken or
thought to have taken a decision that can effectively impact the course of action or the
organizational vision (Jeanes, 2017).. The appeal to the values is an essential factor that leads to
the resolution of an ethical factor. The following are the main approaches identified by the critics
to deal with the issue of decision making:
1. The Utilitarian Approach: conceived in the 19th Century, the Utilitarian Approach was the
brainchild of Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill that focused mainly on guiding the
legislators of the contemporary era to determine the most morally apt law for the situation
concerned (Mattison, 2000).. The steps required in analyzing the moral issue under the
light of this approach are first the identification of the variety of courses that are mostly
available to suit the purpose, then introspecting on the matter as to who will be affected
by the course of action and to what extent. The final step is the choosing of the action that
would yield the maximum benefit and the least amount of harm (.Trevino, 1986). This
approach can be used to a large organizations as it creates the balance between the good
and the bad.
2. The rights Approach: this approach is considered to be the second most important
approach towards decision making that has its origin rooted with the philosophy of
Immanuel Kant and other 18th Century thinkers who stressed on the idea of Individual
rights to choose their own selves. These thinkers were on the opinion that human beings

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has the rights to assert their own choices and cannot be manipulated from outside (.Jeanes
2017). Among the various types of rights that exists according to them, the most notable
ones are:
a. The right to the truth: every individual has the right to get informed about the truth of
factors that will affect the eventual choices.
b. Right to Privacy: Individuals poses the right of saying, believing and doing anything they
chose to do in their personal lives as long as it is not violating the rights to other
(Bulgaru-Iliescu 014)..
c. The right not to be injured: Every individual posses the right that they cannot be harmed
or injured unless they willingly and consciously do something that can result to the
punishment.
Thus in analyzing the decision making process in this approach, it must be considered
whether the decision is violating any rights of the individual. The degree of violation is
directly proportional to the degree of wrongfulness in the action.
3. Justice Approach: this approach bears its origin the teachings of Aristotle that has the
fundamental assumption that “equals should be treated equally and unequal should be
treated unequally.” This assumption basically evaluates the fairness in the actions. This is
the right approach to determine whether an action has taken place out of favoritism or
discriminations (.Walters,1988) Both of the parameters are however, wrong and Unjust.
This approach is debated since it takes into account only the procedures and does not take
into account the consequences.
4. The Common Good Approach: this approach correlates with the idea of Rousseau on the
theory of greater good for the greater mass. This idea holds the view that the good of an

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individual is related to the good of the community. Thus, this approach focuses on the
facts that the social system, policies and institutions are set up to cater to the greater
benefits.
5. Virtue Approach: the theory is on the opinion that the decision making needs to be based
on certain consistent ideal virtues that are related to human development. This approach
is totally based on the approaches based on humanity and thus, can often be guided by
emotions. This approach also emphasizes on the importance of role models in a person’s
life. (Mattison, 2000).
Ethical Dilemma:
The business leaders often found themselves amidst argument and dilemmas that needs to
be solved ethically so that the corporate social responsibility is not hampered and ethical codes
prevail in the culture (Karačić, Stanić,, & Majdak,m2015). The right approach often proves to be
problematic in business as safeguarding all the rights of all individuals will lead to a collapse.
However, the use of Utilitarian Approach can be best suited to resolve the ethical dilemmas as
it conforms to the idea that there will be definitely some good and some bad in every situation
and the reactions taken. Since an organization is a large group, no actions can be taken hat will
be equally good or bad for all.
Ethical issues:
Ethical issues are the state of situations where the rise of situation has occurred that is in
conflict with the ethical and moral codes of the organization or institution. One of the major
ethical issues that the organizations in recent times face is the racial discrimination or

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harassment. Since this is an ethical issue actively violating the ethical codes, there are laws
implemented to the organizations that assure the equality in opportunity (Tebele,& Odeku 2014).
However, there are many subtle ways where these codes are broken. This may include the
harassment based on race, gender, ethnicity etc, by means of off-color jokes or a more pervasive
group-think (Sangiorgio, & Pessione, 20170.
This issue can be resolved by the Utilitarian Approach. Since the particular approach
focuses on the usage of the morally apt law in the organization, it can be assumed that this
approach will lead the management authority in the organization to find out the laws that will
subdue this immoral act. Moreover, discrimination creates a undermining of the potentials which
affects the organizations negatively and does not seem to produce a better end which is the main
concern of the Utilitarian Approach.
Resolution:
The Utilitarian Approach specifically aims at the moral codes and laws that are ethically
correct. Thus the organization can use this approach and
1. Prepare for the performance oriented practice for the employees.
2. Makes a strong workforce culture and communicate those to the employees in both
written and verbal manner.
3. Takes legal actions upon such discriminations.
In the case of Macro economist specialist, Olwen Renowden, she was discriminated because of
her sex at the grade six level of ONS where only male candidates were allowed. Such
discrimination led her to apply to the Employment Tribunal where it agreed that it was a case of

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discrimination. The company was asked to pay compensations to Renowden. (Tebele,& Odeku
2014)
Reference List:
Bulgaru-Iliescu, D. (2014). Value and limitations of the Informed Consent. Revista Romana de
Bioetica, 12(1).
Tebele, S. M., & Odeku, K. O. (2014). An analysis of workplace discrimination based on sexual
orientation. The Anthropologist, 18(2), 609-617.
Jeanes, E. (2017). Are we ethical? Approaches to ethics in management and organisation
research. Organization, 24(2), 174-197.
Karačić, Š., Stanić, T. K., & Majdak, M. (2015, September). Professional position and ethical
dillemas of Social Workers in Justice system. In IFSW European Conference and Social
Services Expo.
Kovacevic, J., & Rahimic, Z. (2018, October). MANIPULATIVE LEADERSHIP, GENDER
AND ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING IN ORGANIZATIONS. In 9th International
Conference of the School of Economics and Business (p. 175). University of Sarajevo,
School of Economics and Business Trg oslobodjenja–Alija Izetbegovic 1, Sarajevo,
Bosnia and Herzegovina.

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Mattison, M. (2000). Ethical decision making: The person in the process. Social Work, 45(3),
201-212.
Poole, G., Sangiorgio, A., & Pessione, 2017 S. HM 14-HARASSMENT AND
DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE.
Trevino, L. K. (1986). Ethical decision making in organizations: A person-situation interactionist
model. Academy of management Review, 11(3), 601-617.
Walters, J. W. (1988). Approaches to ethical decision making in the neonatal intensive care
unit. American Journal of Diseases of Children, 142(8), 825-830.