STE610: Sustainability and Environment - Ethical Dilemma Case Study

This case study examines an ethical dilemma experienced in the workplace, specifically within a sustainability and environmental context. The assignment begins with a description of a personal ethical dilemma faced by a final-year student, involving a potential bribe during a job interview. It then presents a second, more detailed ethical dilemma involving a software engineer offered a bribe for confidential customer data. The core of the assignment involves resolving this dilemma using various ethical frameworks, including utilitarianism, Kantian imperatives, virtue ethics, and ethics of care. The analysis of each framework includes a discussion of its strengths, weaknesses, and how it applies to the case. The student ultimately makes a decision based on virtue ethics, rejecting the bribe and justifying the choice based on their personal ethical nature, while acknowledging the limitations of this approach. The assignment concludes with a brief discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of each ethical principle.

SUSTAINABILITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

ETHICAL DILEMMA -
“A moral quandary is an ethical circumstance in which a decision must be made between two
similarly bothersome alternatives” (Boylan, n.d.). It might develop out of frustration of individual
character, difficulty of individual characteristics and definitive objectives, hierarchical
destinations versus social characteristics, etc moral issues are fairly challenges which is difficult
to get it. Thus, the capacity to locate the ideal answer for moral predicaments is basic to
everybody.
An example of ethical dilemma that experienced in the workplace
I am a final year student in this college. I am from a very needy and ethical family. As my theory
exam has just finished and attending compassing process that has already been started. I am
expecting a job as early as possible with good package so that I can share my family expenses. A
multinational company is coming next week. I am taking preparation for this company. There will
be 2 rounds -1st written test and 2nd is personal interview. I always have been a good student so my
family and teachers are having high expectations. Now suddenly I came to know from my room
mate that the interviewer is highly corrupted. And I think some of the students are planning to
bribe him. “I have come from a dignified and religious family and I am not used to bribe or giving
money for the shake of marks or job. At the same time I can not afford to fail interview. So, I am
in ethical dilemma (Ethical Dilemma Examples, 2019)”.
WORK ETHICS –
“Hard working attitudes is a pertinent good science and it investigates every single moral issue in
business life. Work morals focuses on the utilization of the benchmarks to activity arrangements
and its foundations and its treatment (De George, 2014)”. “Working ethically, performing as
indicated by guarantees, inclination of ecologically well disposed profitable procedure, supply of
worker rights, stopping unlawful exercises and giving equity are subjects which are accentuated in
hard working attitudes (Velasquez, n.d.)”.
A business quandary exits at the point when a various levelled pioneer faces a choice between no
less than two decisions that will have different effect on:
a. The organization’s profitability and competiveness
b. It’s customers / clients
c. It’s employer
d. Shareholder of the company
The results of a moral choice can not be anticipated with any level of exactness or accuracy. None
can make certain climate the choice has been made is correct or off-base.
(1) An ethical dilemma that I can relate to, in a corporate setting
I am a software engineer of a big multinational company. I deal with the customer database and
also heads the customer care department under the direct control of the CEO of the company. I
had been approached by the CEO of a competing company to share some vital formation of three
leading customers of our company with them against an under-hand payment of Rs.25 lakh. I had
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been given the assurance that the CEO of the company will take care of the risk factor involved in
this matter and my job will not be at any risk.
I am in urgent need of a large amount of money for releasing his hypothecated house from a
financial institution. I think that if I accepts the offer I will be disloyal to my present employer and
be a part of the financial scam that is going to happen. If I do not accept the offer I may have to
face harassment caused by him and it may be difficult for me to continue working in this
organisation by going against the request of the CEO of the concern. I am in a great dilemma.
RESOLVE THE DILEMMA
“The centre for ethics and business offers a brief three-step strategy (Derbyshire, 2008)”.
a. Analyse the consequences – ethical dilemmas that arise in the business should be resolved
within the bare minimum of law and legal framework .and there will be a no of consequences
connected with all the course of actions and those consequences can be positive or negative.
The consequences includes
 Who are the beneficiaries of my actions?
 Who are going to be harmed by my actions?
 What is the nature of benefits and harms?
b. Analyse the actions – after analysing all the consequences need to identify the best possible
actions. I am proceeding to analyse all the actions that can be taken care.
i. Utilitarianism- Utilitarianism is a hypothesis about what dispassionately should be done;
that is, it is a hypothesis about what a specialist should do in conditions as they really seem
to be, not only as he trusts them to be. The individuals who hold that a sufficient moral
hypothesis must discount the likelihood o f authentic difficulties guarantee that as per this
standard, in any event, utilitarianism is a strong moral hypothesis. Utilitarianism is an
improbable hypothesis since it doesn't take into consideration veritable good quandaries.
Utilitarianism is a basic hypothesis and its outcomes are anything but difficult to
apply(Arntzenius, 2014)”. It likewise takes into consideration degrees of good and bad,
and for each circumstance the decision between activities is obvious: dependably pick
what has the best utility.
According to Utilitarianism I have to think about “the greatest happiness for greatest
number” and it’s wrong to the extent that it produces “the greatest unhappiness for greatest
number”. Now lets look closely to our case study if I accept the offer my CEO and
company will face some serious issues in market. And I will solve my family financial
problems.
And if I don’t accept no issues will occur other than not getting the money.
So thinking about happiness for greatest no I need to choose the 1st option i.e. not
accepting the offer.
ii. Kantian Imperatives- Kant held that “nothing is great without capability aside from a
positive attitude, and a cooperative attitude is one that wills to act as per the ethical law
and keeping in mind that law as opposed to out of common tendencies”(Rivera, 2006).
This hypothesis likewise named as catagorical imperative (duty based). Kant contended
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that catagorical basic is to represent the shake of obligation as it were. Means it is the main
great to act. As indicated by Kant on the off chance that I feel useful for good acts this is a
bonus. According to Kant a demonstration ought to be useful for the shake of duty. This
approach looks all the more carefully at the individual and his decisions, as opposed to the
real outcomes of what he does. The principle issue with the absolute basic is its
inflexibility.
Now according to Kantian Imperatives my action will be the basis of my decision neither
of someone else’s happiness nor my betterment of life. So in my case of dilemma action
should never allow me to take bribe for that offer so the chance of accepting offer is zero.
Now as per the consequences of if I don’t accept 1st of all I have face some issues and
there is chance that someone else also can be given that offer and he is thinking to accept.
So for both the cases no betterment is going to happen. I need to stop this from the core.
For this I can bring this mishap in notice of my CO. So that they can take care of this
incident.
iii. Virtue ethics – “this hypothesis accentuate the job of character and ethicalness in good
theory as opposed to either carrying out one's responsibility or acting so as to realize great
results. It is worried about building up the ethical character chief. Aristotle said that an
ethical individual is somebody who has perfect character qualities ("Virtue Ethics - By
Branch / Doctrine - The Basics of Philosophy", 2019)”. These characteristics get from
standard tendencies, yet should be bolstered; regardless, when created, they will finish up
stable. Standards ethics is individual rather than action based: it looks reasonability or
great character of the individual completing an action, instead of at good commitments and
rules, or the aftereffects of explicit exercises. Doesn't concern right or wrong activity -
these restrictions don't see what the correct strategy would be when in a moral pickle,
fundamentally delineate what kind of qualities one should make.
According to this this I being a virtuous person my actions will be based on my nature. I
am not going to find the rightness or wrongness of my actions. My nature will provide the
guidance to formulate the decision. Here without thinking anything I will reject the offer
only because my nature ask me to do this. But one disadvantage is this theory doesn’t look
in to the consequences. And as this decision is completely based the nature of particular
human being sometimes it can can be harm full for other people. For this case study if a
person has the habit of bribing he would have choose accepting the offer. And that will
effect badly on the company.
iv. Ethics of care – This speculation surmises that there is moral importance in the pivotal
segments of associations and conditions in human life. This speculation hopes to keep up
associations by contextualizing and propelling the flourishing of parental figures and care-
recipients in an arrangement of social relations. The disposition of relations is key to the
morals of consideration. As per Nodding’s, each minding connection comprises of no less
than two individuals, the "one-giving it a second thought" and the "thought about."
This theory is based on care for relationship. Here I am having relationship with my
company CEO so I would not like make our relation bad. But I have some family
responsibilities also. There is personal relationship. If accept the offer and take the money
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my family commitments will be fulfilled. On the side I have professional relationship and
some commitments also.
c. Make a decision – having considered every one of the variables that lead to decisions among
different choices, I have to examine every one of the results cautiously and afterward take a
reasonable choice.
Course of action that I took in the situation – As I am a virtuous person I will choose virtue of
ethics as my solution and I am not going to find the rightness or wrongness of my actions. My
nature will provide the guidance to formulate the decision. Here without thinking anything I will
reject the offer only because my nature ask me to do this. But one disadvantage is this theory
doesn’t look in to the consequences. And as this decision is completely based the nature of
particular human being sometimes it can can be harm full for other people. For this case study if a
person has the habit of bribing he would have choose accepting the offer. And that will effect
badly on the company.
I would choose the course of action – after the analysis I came to know some advantages and
disadvantages of the four ethical principle
 Utilitarianism is a flexible theory but conflicts may arises up at the end because this theory
completely based on greater no happiness.
 If I choose Kantian Imperatives my actions will talk. Neither acceptance nor rejection is
needed to resolve I will the approach where the problem will be solved for long term. My
company will be alert.
 Prudence of morals doesn't concern what the correct game-plan would be when in a moral
predicament, simply portray what kind of attributes one should create. With the time we
all changes our nature our choices so these kind of important decisions should not be based
on this.
 And for care of ethics where relationships are the most important matter for taking
decision. It allows us to focus our energy and concern on those who are closest to us. So
for the shake of relationship we can’t solve this problem.
After all the analysis of all the four possible decisions I found the most effective one is Kantian
Imperative because here my action will be on the basis of my decision neither on someone else’s
happiness nor my betterment of life. So in my case of dilemma action should never allow me to
take bribe for that offer so the chance of accepting offer is zero. Now as per the consequences of if
I don’t accept 1st of all I have face some issues and there is chance that someone else also can be
given that offer and he is thinking to accept. So for both the cases no betterment is going to
happen. I need to stop this from the core. For this I can bring this mishap in notice of my CO. So
that they can take care of this incident.
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REFERENCE
Velasquez, M. Business ethics (12th ed.).
Spence, D. (2011). Ethics committees: an ethical dilemma. BMJ, 343(sep21 1), d6002-
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Blanchard, K., & Peale, N. (1988). The power of ethical management (18th ed.). New
York: W. Morrow.
Rivera, F. (2006). Kantian Ethical Duties. Kantian Review, 11, 78-101. doi:
10.1017/s1369415400002259
Monga, M. (2007). An ethical dilemma. Monash Business Review, 3(3), 34-35. doi:
10.2104/mbr07046
Melden, A. (2013). Ethical Theories (18th ed.). Read Books Ltd.
Fox, W. (2000). Ethics and the built environment (5th ed.). London: Routledge.
Dewey, J. (2016). Ethics (10th ed.). Read Books Ltd.
Derbyshire, S. (2008). The Ethical Dilemma of Ethical Committees. Sociology
Compass, 2(5), 1506-1522. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-9020.2008. 00143.x
De George, R. (2014). Business ethics (6th ed.). Harlow, Essex: Pearson.
Centore, M. Environment & sustainability (6th ed.).
Boylan, M. Business ethics (3rd ed.).
Virtue Ethics - By Branch / Doctrine - The Basics of Philosophy. (2019). Retrieved from
https://www.philosophybasics.com/branch_virtue_ethics.html
Ethical Dilemma Examples. (2019). Retrieved from
https://examples.yourdictionary.com/ethical-dilemma-examples.html
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