Humanitarian doctrine of responsibility to protect
Critically evaluate the political and ethical implications of the humanitarian doctrine of responsibility to protect
1- Includes footnotes and excludes bibliography
2- The essay should demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical literature on war and security studies, the relevant concepts, and an ability to
integrate theory with references to contemporary examples.
Use at least three (3) quality references Note: Wikipedia and other related websites do not qualify as academic resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
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Defenses to Malpractice and Risk Management Techniques
Defenses to Malpractice and Risk Management Techniques
Order Instructions:
Look at this case and respond to the 3 main points raise in the question, it is critical that the writer detail out the respond to the question clearly using credible sources and past case laws to support your stand on the case.
Take the malpractice case below and discuss the defenses that may be raised in that case. Discuss how the incident could have been prevented. What risk management techniques could have been used?
Case Study : Malpractice Action Brought by Yolanda Pinnelas
People Involved in Case:
Yolanda Pinnelas-patient
Betty DePalma, RN, MS-nursing supervisor
Elizabeth Adelman, RN, recovery room nurse
William Brady, M.D., plastic surgeon
Mary Jones, RN-IV insertion
Carol Price, LPN
Jeffery Chambers, RN-staff nurse
Patricia Peters, PharmD-pharmacy
Diana Smith, RN
Susan Post, JD-Risk Manager
Amy Green-Quality Assurance
Michael Parks, RN, MS, CNS-Education coordinator
SAFE-INFUSE-pump
Brand X infusion pump
Caring Memorial Hospital
Facts:
The patient, Yolanda Pinellas is a 21-year-old female admitted to Caring Memorial Hospital for chemotherapy. Caring Memorial is a hospital in Upstate New York. Yolanda was a student at Ithaca College and studying to be a music conductor.
Yolanda was diagnosed with anal cancer and was to receive Mitomycin for her chemotherapy. Mary Jones, RN inserted the IV on the day shift around 1300, and the patient, Yolanda, was to have Mitomycin administered through the IV. An infusion machine was used for the delivery. The Mitomycin was hung by Jeffrey Chambers, RN and he was assigned to Yolanda. The unit had several very sick patients and was short staffed. Jeffery had worked a double shift the day before and had to double back to cover the evening shift. He was able to go home between shift and had about 6 hours of sleep before returning. The pharmacy was late in delivering the drug so it was not hung until the evening shift. Patricia Peters, PharmD brought the chemotherapy to the unit.
On the evening shift, Carol Price, LPN heard the infusion pump beep several times. She had ignored it as she thought someone else was caring for the patient. Diana Smith, RN was also working the shift and had heard the pump beep several times. She mentioned it to Jeffery. She did not go into the room until about forty-five minutes later. The patient testified that a nurse Updated: June 2014 MN506- Unit 9 Page 3 of 5
came in and pressed some buttons and the pump stopped beeping. She was groggy and not sure who the nurse was or what was done.
Diana Smith responded to the patient’s call bell and found the IV had dislodged for the patient’s vein. There was no evidence that the Mitomycin had gone into the patient’s tissue. Diana immediately stopped the IV, notified the physician, and provided care to the hand. The documentation in the medical record indicates that there was an infiltration to the IV.
The hospital was testing a new IV Infusion pump called SAFE-INFUSE. The supervisory nurse was Betty DePalma, RN. Betty took the pump off the unit. No one made note of the pump’s serial number as there were 6 in the hospital being used. There was also another brand of pumps being used in the hospital. It was called Brand X infusion pump. Betty did not note the name of the pump or serial number. The pump was not isolated or sent to maintenance and eventually the hospital decided not to use SAFE-INFUSE so the loaners were sent back to the company.
Betty and Dr. William Brady are the only ones that carry malpractice insurance. The hospital also has malpractice insurance.
Two weeks after the event, the patient developed necrosis of the hand and required multiple surgical procedures, skin grafting, and reconstruction. She had permanent loss of function and deformity in her third, fourth, and fifth fingers. The Claimant is alleging that, because of this, she is no longer able to perform as a conductor, for which she was studying.
During the procedure for the skin grafting, the plastic surgeon, Dr. William Brady, used a dermatome that resulted in uneven harvesting of tissue and further scarring in the patient’s thigh area where the skin was harvested.
The Risk Manger is Susan Post, J.D. who works in collaboration with the Quality Assurance director Amy Green. Amy had noted when doing chart reviews over the last three months prior to this incident that there were issues of short staffing and that many nurses were working double shifts, evenings and nights then coming back and working the evening shift. She was in the process of collecting data from the different units on this observation. She also noted a pattern of using float nurses to several units. Prior to this incident the clinical nurse specialist, Michael Parks, RN, MS, CNS, was consulting with Susan Post and Amy Green about the status of staff education on this unit and what types of resources and training was needed.
Resources
Anselmi, K. K. (2012). Nurses’ personal liability vs. employers’ vicarious liability. MEDSURG Nursing, 21(1), 45–48.
Essentials of Nursing Law and Ethics
Chapter 5: “Defenses to Negligence or Malpractice”
Chapter 6: “Prevention of Malpractice”
Chapter 7: “Nurses as Witnesses”
Chapter 8: “Professional Liability Insurance”
Chapter 9: “Accepting or Refusing an Assignment/Patient Abandonment”
Chapter 10: “Delegation to Unlicensed Assisted Personnel”
SAMPLE ANSWER
Defenses to Malpractice and Risk Management Techniques
Introduction
It is the mandate of every medical practitioner to take care of the clients entrusted under his care. The doctor should not harm the patients, and neither should they make the existing illness worse. This case involves Yolanda Pinellas a 21 year old cancer patient entrusted under the care of Jeffrey Chambers. The client was admitted at Caring Memorial Hospital for chemotherapy but suffered massive injuries after being left unattended for over forty minutes. Despite the fact that she rung the bell, the medical staff in charge did not hurry to assuage her pain. Medical malpractice occurs when the treatment administered by the physician leads to further injury to the client (Infusion Nurses Society, 2010). Notably, there was an infiltration to the IV and as a result Yolanda suffered necrosis of the hand requiring her to go through multiple surgical procedures, skin grafting, and reconstruction. During the skin grafting process, the surgeon, Dr. William Brady, used a dermatome resulting to uneven harvesting of tissue, further scarring the patient’s thigh area where the skin was harvested.
The Defenses In This Case
While medical practitioners together with the other health care providers are not required to be perfect they have the duty to act responsibly and use reasonable care in their medical profession (Wickham, 2006). In the case of Yolanda VS Caring Memorial Hospital, Diana Smith, working during the shift heard the pump beep several times. She immediately alerted Jeffrey who was entrusted to take care of the client. Jeffrey did not take swift action as required, Diana went to the room after 40 minutes and discovered that IV had dislodged for the patient’s vein. She cross-checked and found that there was no evidence that the Mitomycin had gone into the patient’s tissue. Later it was discovered that indeed Mitomycin had gone to her tissue leading to massive injuries.
In Diana’s case, the practitioners were not apathetic, Diana responded to the patient’s bell. She took the right precautions by immediately stopping the IV, notifying the physician, and providing the necessary care to the hand. The major cause of the harm caused to Yolanda was not as a result of negligence. The Risk Manager Susan Post had noted over the last three months prior to the incidence that there were challenges of short staffing. Moreover, the nurses were working double shifts like Jeffery and this could compromise on their performance. Often the hospital assigned float nurses to several units (Sauerland, 2007). The hospital was in the process of implementing a training program to bolster the staff performance. In this case the damages that Yolanda occurred can be blamed on multiple acts of negligence, the burden of proof lies with the plaintiff to proof that more likely than not, the injuries she incurred were as a result of a particular negligent act.
How The Incident Could Have Been Avoided
This incident could be avoided by foremost ensuring that the ward in which Yolanda was admitted was sufficiently staffed because there were critically ill patients admitted in that ward. Infiltration which caused the leaking of the IV fluid could have been avoided if only one practitioner was assigned to conduct the operation. The staff who inserted the IV was not the one who administered the drug through the infusion machine. The practitioner should have applied a splint for stability and to prevent dislodging the IV infusion machine (Infusion Nurses Society, 2010).The hospital should have ensured that only qualified, chemotherapy-certified nurses trained in venipuncture are allowed to allowed administer vesicants. When Diana Smith heard the first bell from the client she should have respondent aptly knowing that the ward comprised of critically ill patients.
Management techniques That Could Have Been Used
During the administration of IV fluid the practitioner should have chosen a large vein with good blood flow for the placement of infusion machine. This would have minimized chances of infiltration (Ener, 2004). The venipuncture site must have been monitored closely to make sure that there was no infiltration, pain or discomfort.
References
Ener R., A. (2004). Extravasation of systemic hemato-oncological therapies. Ann Oncol. June;15(6):55-62.
Infusion Nurses Society (2010). Infusion Nursing. [3rd edition] 2010
Sauerland C,. A.(2007). Vesicant extravasation part I: Mechanisms, pathogenesis, and nursing care to reduce risk. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2007 Nov 27;33(6):114-41.
Schrijvers DL. Extravasation: a dreaded complication of chemotherapy. Ann Oncol. 2003;14 Suppl 3:iii26-30.
Wickham, R.(2006). Vesicant extravasation part II: Evidence-based management and continuing controversies. Oncol Nursing Forum. November 27;33(6):1143-50.
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Describe how you’d feel if you had to take a psychological test or an honesty test either as an employee or as a precondition for employment. Under what conditions, if any, would you take such a test?
Every human being has personal privacy that he or she would not like exposed to any other party (Muchinsky, 2012). The questions asked during honesty test or a psychological test tends to infringe on private information of an individual. Take for example a question like “Are you strongly attracted to members of the same sex?” This is a very private information that I feel should not be disclosed to any other person. After all, it is none of his business to know whether I am or not. I would obviously feel beleaguered but then because it is a precondition for employment, I would assume my feelings and take the test to answer the question for the sake of the job.
How useful or informative do you think such tests are? Is their use of a reasonable business policy? Assuming that tests like those described are valid and reliable, are they fair? Explain.
Honesty tests are very informative to the employer. There are some questions that would lead the employer to automatically detect whether his prospective employee is honest or dishonest with his answers. In a question like, “Do you always tell the truth?” the answer should be automatically “NO” because anybody who has attained the employment age has lied at any one given point in his lifetime. Should the respondent say yes, then the employer would be informed that he is likely to be a dishonest employee.
There is a business policy that states that personal privacy should remain confidential and they should only reveal them if they feel free to do so. In an honesty test, the employees or the prospective employees are compelled to answer questions regarding themselves, which under normal circumstances they would not reveal to anyone, not even their confidant, but because it is a matter of survival, employment for that matter, they are forced to take the tests and answer the questions as they come. This, therefore, implies that there is no use of a reasonable business policy.
The honesty tests described above are actually not fair. Even if they are valid and reliable, they are more of nagging to the employees and any other person would not want to take the tests if they had an alternative.
Do you think tests like these invade privacy and, if so, is this invasion justified? Explain why or why not.
Tests of this kind actually invade privacy and the invasion is justified. Inasmuch as the privacy of the prospective employees is invaded, the invasion is necessary because it is not only important but also safe for the employee to know the real character of the individual he is employing. It has been in the public domain that some employees end up with some characters that would sabotage the organization and send it crumbling. Such characters like theft can be detected in a person through the tests and therefore the tests are justified.
What ideals, obligations, and effects must be considered in using psychological tests as pre- employment screens? In your view, which is the most important consideration?
Previously, it was the person taking the honesty tests that felt nervous, riddled with angst or tensed (Shultz & Schultz, 2010). To this day, the employers administering the tests to the employers or the job seekers would also find themselves suffering from anxiety or feeling tensed too. This is because there have recently developed a number of obligations, ideals and effects that have to be considered when administering psychological tests (Shultz & Schultz, 2010). The legal hurdles and threats to employment testing have been quite significant. The employer have to consider whether or not he is infringing the employees’ or the applicant’s’ civil rights (Shultz & Schultz, 2010). He also has to take into consideration the psychological effect that the person undertaking the test would have after the completion of the test.
The most important consideration in this case is the consideration whether civil rights are being violated. It is a universal human rights requirement that everybody’s civil right is to be protected and from violation and anybody who violates it should be subjected to legal justice. The employer should try as much as possible to respect the civil rights of the employees or the job seekers as much as possible.
If you were an employer, would you require either employees or job applicants to pass an honesty exam? Explain the moral principles that support your position.
I would require job applicants to or my employees to pass an honesty test. Any other employer would want to have honest employees to be certain that their organizations are safe from vandalism by dishonest workers (Fancher & Rutherford, 2012). As an employer, I would not expect anything less either. Even if not all the questions would enable the employer to identify honest workers, most of them will and, therefore, if they are passed, then the employer would be sure to have a very honest team that would deliver to the organization through honest means, thereby assuring the success of that organization.
References
Fancher, R. and Rutherford, A., (2012). Pioneers of psychology. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.
Muchinsky, P., (2012). Psychology applied to work. North Carolina: Hypergraphic Press.
Shultz, J. and Schultz, D., (2010). Psychology and work today. New York: Prentice Hall.
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Applying Ethical Frameworks
The 2011 National Business Ethics survey reported that 45% of respondents witnessed ethical misconduct at work, a record low for the survey; 63% of those respondents reported the misconduct, a record high. Of those whistleblowers, 22% reported retaliation (Ethics Resource Center, 2012).
These statistics seem to indicate increased attention to ethical business practice. However, they also point to an ongoing need to continue to strengthen commitment to ethical business practice. Business professionals and scholars need to know how to face ethical dilemmas and make sound ethical decisions. DBA students should have a basic understanding of various ethical frameworks and understand how these frameworks influence real-world business decisions. Northouse (2013) stated, “ethical theory provides a system of rules or principles that guide us in making decisions about what is right or wrong and good or bad in a particular situation. It provides a basis for understanding what it means to be a morally decent human being” (p. 424). Ethical values are used daily for decision making in business. Understanding and analyzing various ethical frameworks will enable you to better solve ethical dilemmas.
Use academic justification and two scholarly resources, in addition to those presented in the Learning Resources, to support your solution.
•By Day 7 of Week 6, read all of your colleagues’ posts and respond to three colleagues. Provide scholarly critiques of their analyses. For each response, be sure to include all of the following:
•Two strengths of your colleague’s analysis
•Two weaknesses of your colleague’s analysis and solution
•Suggestions of ways to improve upon the weaknesses
•An alternative solution
Be sure to include at least one new scholarly resource to support each response.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Applying Ethical Frameworks
Two strengths of my colleague’s analysis
Colleague #3’s analysis has two significant strengths, first of which is that he provides a framework of the virtues that guided him in arriving at his ethical decisions and the hierarchy of importance of the various values (Bagozzi, Sekerka & Hill, 2009). This framework is especially useful for anyone questioning the basis of his ethical decisions and it is a crucial strength in his solution, despite the final decisions being either ethical or unethical. The decision-making chart is a perfect example of a leader teaching his followers how to make ethical decisions even in scenarios that are ambiguous based on a set of values and their personal importance. The second strength is in the decision, which was totally appropriate as it incorporated all the virtues and attributes of leaders just as stipulated by Northouse (2013). There was no doubt about the leader’s decision.
Two weaknesses of my colleague’s analysis and solution
The first weakness identified is in colleague #1’s response. I find it too general, as it does not recommend any specific actions that the individual faced with the ethical dilemma can take to resolve the dilemma (Jackson, Wood, & Zboja, 2013). The virtue and deontological ethical theories might apply in this scenario, but the question remains, how do they apply? The second weakness identified lies in colleague #2’s response, which gives a lot of detail about what motivates individuals to choose the ethical response. He clearly states that most individuals are motivated by their inner need to do what is right or their fear of consequences. His teleological and deontological solutions are both his strengths and weakness because they advocate for the individual to act ethically for fear of the consequences of his actions. However, a question arises as to how the individual would act in a scenario where his actions would have no visible negative consequences for the accused employee.
Suggestions of ways to improve upon the weaknesses
My suggestion for the improvement of colleague #1’s response is that he should recommend a specific action that the leader should have taken so as to act ethically in accordance with the supporting theories he has given (Morales-Sánchez & Cabello-Medina, 2013). An example of such an action would be the leader saying no to his friend and reporting his actions based on his virtue of honesty and personal responsibility. My next suggestion is for the improvement of colleague #2’s response, which I find to be quite appropriate, but I do feel that it lacks the aspect of the inner personal desire to do what is right. According to Abrhiem (2012), people are motivated to act ethically based on their sense of duty for what is right or wrong and my colleague’s response does not take this fully into account. I believe that as a leader he should have allowed the officers a chance to rethink their actions by making them personally responsible through articulating the consequences of their actions.
An alternative solution
An alternative solution would be to combine both the strengths of colleague #3’s response and the weaknesses of the other two colleagues and to combine them with the suggested improvements. The alternative solution should have a decision-making chart that clearly explains the decision-making process and highlight the values used by the leader in making his decision just like #3’s solution suggests. Lastly the solution should incorporate an element of training where the leader gives the individuals an opportunity to show him that they have learned how not to make unethical decisions again, just as suggested in the improvements section (Thiel, Bagdasarov, Harkrider, Johnson & Mumford, 2012).
References
Abrhiem, T.H. (2012). Ethical leadership: Keeping values in business culture. Business & Management Review, 2(7), 11-19.
Bagozzi, R., Sekerka, L., & Hill, V. (2009). Hierarchical motive structures and their role in moral choices. Journal of Business Ethics, 90, 461-486.
Jackson, R., Wood, C., & Zboja, J. (2013). The Dissolution of Ethical Decision-Making in Organizations: A Comprehensive Review and Model. Journal of Business Ethics, 116(2), 233-250.
Morales-Sánchez, R., & Cabello-Medina, C. (2013). The Role of Four Universal Moral Competencies in Ethical Decision-Making. Journal Of Business Ethics, 116(4), 717-734.
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Thiel, C., Bagdasarov, Z., Harkrider, L., Johnson, J., & Mumford, M. (2012). Leader Ethical Decision-Making in Organizations: Strategies for Sensemaking. Journal of Business Ethics, 107(1), 49-64.
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The Price of Doing Good: Consequences of Ethical Decision Making
Consider the following two scenarios:
Scenario 1:
James works in the accounting department of a large firm. While going over the books for the past several months, James notices that someone has altered the figures to increase earnings by several thousands of dollars. He suspects that the errors, which are in the company’s favor, are too consistent to have been honest mistakes. He knows that he should report his findings through the company’s ethics hotline. However, he worries that doing so will jeopardize his security and reputation with the company.
Scenario 2:
Mary owns a small toy manufacturing company. One of her employees has noticed that one of the pieces on the most popular toy can detach from the toy. This could pose a potential choking hazard to young children who play with the toy. No customers have yet reported problems with the toy. Mary wonders if she should report the potential hazard before anyone gets hurt. However, the recall would cost her company money and result in loss of sales during the busy Christmas season.
As the scenarios illustrate, making ethical decisions often requires a trade-off for an organization or individual. After a scandal results from ethical wrongdoing, the proper course of action seems clear. Even so, organizations continue to struggle with making ethical decisions on a day-to-day basis as they weigh the cost of making such decisions.
To prepare:
•Choose a positive example from the past ten years of a business organization whose leaders acted ethically when they encountered an ethical dilemma. Select, analyze, and describe the ethical decision making and actions in the organization.
By Day 7 of Week 6, submit a 4-page (not including cover page or references) analysis of the ethical situation. Your analysis must include the following:
•An explanation of the ethical framework applied by the organization to make its decision, including support for your analysis from scholarly research
•An examination of both the positive and negative consequences of the decision, including the tradeoffs that the leadership of the organization made in making their decision
•A minimum of five references
SAMPLE ANSWER
Applying Ethical Frameworks at McKinsey & Company
Introduction
McKinsey is a global consulting firm that was founded about 87 years ago and has enjoyed a growing reputation for high ethical standards based on its culture of trust and values that advocate for client confidences, and always having the best interests of the clients at heart. However, the company faced a public scandal involving some of its most senior directors that rocked the organization, including all its 18,500 employees and over 1,400 partners across the globe who wondered what could have gone wrong at the firm (Raghavan, 2014). The first scandal involved Mr. Anil Kumar one of McKinsey’s Directors who pleaded guilty to charges of insider trading in 2010 after which he also confessed to Giving secrets he accessed while doing his job to Raj Rajaratnam of the Galleon Group hedge. The next scandal involved Rajat Gupta a former managing director at McKinsey who also gave secrets to Mr. Rajaratnam, although at the time he was a board member at Goldman Sachs (Raghavan, 2014). These two scandals were extremely public and significantly damaged the good reputation of McKinsey in the eyes of the public and most importantly its clients. Once Mr. Dominic Barton was appointed as the global managing director of McKinsey & Company, he made it a personal mission to transform the organization’s culture so as to prevent any such future scandals. The strategy he undertook is critically analyzed below.
Recognizing the Ethical Issue
The very first step that McKinsey took under the leadership of Mr. Barton was to recognize that an ethical issue did exist. Instead of blaming others or the individual responsible for the ethical breaches, the company shouldered the blame and took action to prevent future breaches (Kotalik, et al. 2014). When Dominic took over the global company, everyone at the firm was in a state of shock as the older members asked themselves how such a thing could happen to the company they knew, worked for, and were dedicated to. On the other hand, the younger members were wondering what mess they had gotten themselves into by deciding to build their careers at McKinsey, yet all signs were indicating that there was a major problem at the firm (Raghavan, 2014). However, with a cool head and a mission to transform the culture if the organization and restore the integrity that the firm was known for, Mr. Barton knew that he would have to take drastic measures to create change. Barton clearly saw that the organizations values were not the problem and that the problem lay in the enforcement of the ethics code that had guided the firm for decades (Raghavan, 2014). Once he had identified the problem, he set out to implement strategies that would eliminate the problem now and in future.
Putting Safeguards in Place
After identifying the key ethical issues that caused the two scandals, Barton realized that there was a weakness in the implementation of the ethics code that had guided the company since its inception, and he decided to put safeguards in place to protect the company (Jackson, Wood, & Zboja, 2013). One of the first safeguards he implemented was a personal investment policy that restricted the firm’s employees and members of their families from trading in the securities of any of its clients. The next safeguard was a rule that required all company consultants to fill an online questionnaire about crucial topics such as investments and ethics, which are vital to the operations of the company. These two initiatives were met with significant resistance from the company’s European partners who had never been restricted from trading in the stocks of any client so long as they did not deal with the client directly (Raghavan, 2014). However, the new policies were received gladly by the company’s American investors who had witnessed the arrest of Mr. Kumar in horror, and they agreed that changes were necessary to avoid any such things happening in future. He also created a department of professional standards that would be responsible for ensuring that all employees adhere to the honor-system and values-based ethics code that was the foundation of the company.
Building a robust self-sustaining ethics infrastructure
In order for an organization to have a robust ethics system, it is not enough that the company has a written code of ethics, but just as important is that the company appoints a committee of independent non-executive directors who are not part of its board. The committee will be responsible for ensuring that the code of ethics is adhered to throughout the organization and that every employee is in compliance with the ethics code (Morales-Sánchez & Cabello-Medina, 2013). Barton understood this, crucial ethics principles applied it as part of his reform strategy by getting the approval of the Shareholders Council, which acts as the company’s board to implement the new policies he had created. He took a further step by redefining the role of the company’s disciplinary panel and making its activities very public, which caused quite a stir within the organization as employees were openly shamed and punished while others were even dismissed (Raghavan, 2014). All these policies are self-sustaining and as long as they remain in place and are consistently implemented, McKinsey can look forward to better days without drastic ethical scandals. However, for the self-sustaining ethics system to survive and thrive it has to be supported by the top management as well as all the staff so that it can become part of their everyday culture to nip any ethics violations in the bud long before they become toxic to the organization.
Talking with Employees at all Levels often
In the 1980s, a researcher named Tom Peters championed the idea of managing employees by walking around, which could not be more relevant in modern organizations today, just as it was in those years. By walking and around and talking to employees managers and supervisors can communicate to employees what is expected of them and how they are doing in terms of achieving the expectations (Craft, 2013). These informal interactions are crucial as they provide an opportunity for managers to interact with employees in an informal setting where the employee is comfortable and can freely air their views and concerns about ethics and other work issues (Craft, 2013). In the case of McKinsey, such an approach might prove quite difficult to implement given that they have a global workforce distributed across the whole world, but the firm has found innovative ways to implement this strategy. One such strategy was the introduction of the Survey of Leadership initiative, which was launched in 2011 that allows subordinates to anonymously submit their appraisals of the behaviors of their leaders, who are the senior partners (Raghavan, 2014). This initiative was criticized by many senior partners who thought that their subordinates would use it to report frivolous issues that would tarnish the names of some partners, such as incidents at the staff cafeteria. However, the system was implemented and majority of the reviews are actually positive with only eight percent being negative.
Choosing to Live the Corporate Values and Opening Communication Channels
It is crucial that every organization realizes that no ethics or compliance manual can completely cover all the ethical dilemmas that employees face on a daily basis, which makes it crucial for organizations to equip their employees with corporate values that shall guide them in times of uncertainty (Thiel, Bagdasarov, Harkrider, Johnson & Mumford, 2012). By ensuring that all employees understand the driving values of the organization that live through every decision made at all levels of the organization, the leaders can have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that even when one is not there to provide specific guidance regarding tricky decisions, employees will still make the right decisions based on those values. Barton has taken the same approach at McKinsey by inspiring the organizations values in all employees through various methods such as the orientation process where employees are tested on their understanding of the firm’s code of ethics using hypothetical situation. Another indicator of how Barton impacts McKinsey’s values on employees is through his talks to newly recruited employees where he shows them how important the company’s values are in their daily operations (Raghavan, 2014). When speaking to new consultants Barton makes it his goal to stress the importance of looking at ethics broadly not just in form of specific examples, but more importantly he shows them how they should always use values in making all their decisions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, McKinsey is an appropriate example of how an organization can recover from ethical scandals and implement strategies to protect the organization from any future ethical debacles, while enhancing the ethics culture within the entire organization. The strategies implemented by McKinsey under the leadership of Dominic Barton were appropriate for the company, especially in the consulting industry where ethics is vital for success. However, it is important that all firms that have not yet implemented effective ethics infrastructure do so immediately given the crucial role that ethics plays in the corporate culture of most organizations. As much as all the strategies analyzed above are crucial to all organization, I believe that the most important of all of them is that ethics should be a part of an organization’s culture and should be reflected in all its values.
References
Craft, J. (2013). A Review of the Empirical Ethical Decision-Making Literature: 2004-2011. Journal Of Business Ethics, 117(2), 221-259.
Jackson, R., Wood, C., & Zboja, J. (2013). The Dissolution of Ethical Decision-Making in Organizations: A Comprehensive Review and Model. Journal Of Business Ethics, 116(2), 233-250.
Kotalik, J., et al. (2014). Framework for Ethical Decision-Making Based on Mission, Vision and Values of the Institution. HEC Forum, 26(2), 125-133.
Morales-Sánchez, R., & Cabello-Medina, C. (2013). The Role of Four Universal Moral Competencies in Ethical Decision-Making. Journal Of Business Ethics, 116(4), 717-734.
The 2011 National Business Ethics survey reported that 45% of respondents witnessed ethical misconduct at work, a record low for the survey; 63% of those respondents reported the misconduct, a record high. Of those whistleblowers, 22% reported retaliation (Ethics Resource Center, 2012).
These statistics seem to indicate increased attention to ethical business practice. However, they also point to an ongoing need to continue to strengthen commitment to ethical business practice. Business professionals and scholars need to know how to face ethical dilemmas and make sound ethical decisions. DBA students should have a basic understanding of various ethical frameworks and understand how these frameworks influence real-world business decisions. Northouse (2013) stated, “[e]thical theory provides a system of rules or principles that guide us in making decisions about what is right or wrong and good or bad in a particular situation. It provides a basis for understanding what it means to be a morally decent human being” (p. 424). Ethical values are used daily for decision making in business. Understanding and analyzing various ethical frameworks will enable you to better solve ethical dilemmas.
To prepare:
•Read the case study, “Hierarchical Motive Structures and Their Role in Moral Choices,” found in this Module’s Learning Resources, and complete the exercise on pp. 482–483.
By Day 3 of Week 6, post a solution to the ethical dilemma posed in the case study. Justify your proposed solution, and explain the reasoning you used to arrive at your solution. Incorporate the justifications you provided in response to the exercise on pp. 482–483. Identify which ethical frameworks outlined in the Learning Resources or in other scholarly literature align with your reasoning. Explain how your reasoning aligns with those frameworks.
•Use academic justification and two scholarly resources, in addition to those presented in the Learning Resources, to support your solution.
Moral choice scenario
Respondents were asked to read and put themselves
in the following situation:
You have just learned information that strongly
suggests that a person, who has been charged with
engaging in an unethical action, has been falsely
charged. He is going to be severely reprimanded
based upon an offense he didn’t commit. The
information you have suggests that the wrong person
was fingered for falsifying entries on official documents.
But one of your friends, a peer within your
command and someone you have known for years,
has asked you not to say anything. While you are
sure your friend didn’t commit the unethical act, he
may be implicated in some way if you step forward
with what you know. You don’t even like the guy
who is going to get the reprimand, but you’re sure
that he’s not the one responsible for the unethical act.
The issue is about to come to a close, and it is likely
that if you come forward, your friend and possibly
three or more other people may also be implicated.
Respondents were asked to adhere to the following
procedures in order to provide the underlying motives for their decision to act or not:
Step 1: Please take a couple of minutes to gather
your thoughts and focus on your personal reasons
for why you answered: ‘‘yes’’ or ‘‘no’’ to
the above question (A). Do this slowly and
carefully, in order to thoroughly identify, in
your own mind, why you answered ‘‘yes’’ or
‘‘no.’’ Then list five (5) reasons in Column #1
of the table on the next page so as to reflect
your personal reasons for answering ‘‘yes’’ or
‘‘no’’ (see Response recording protocol). Please
make a point to express your own actual reasons
for answering ‘‘yes’’ or ‘‘no’’ above. Your reasons
can be single words, phrases, or a sentence
or two as necessary.
Step 2: After listing your five (5) reasons in
Column #1 of the table, please return to your
first reason in Box #1 and think about why
this reason is important to you personally. We
want you to explain or justify this reason and
to put your explanation for why Reason #1 is
personally important to you in Box #6 (the
first box in Column #2). Sometimes it may
be difficult to put your reasons into words. A
trick or aid to help you do this that has proven
useful is to think about how you would
feel if the reason you gave (Column #1–Box
#1) did not happen. Place your answer for why Reason #1 is important to you in Box #6.
Step 3: After explaining why Reason #1 is
important to you, please look at your response
in Box #6 carefully. Think about why this reason
is important to you personally. Again, take a
moment to explain or justify this reason (Column
#2–Box #6) and put your response in Box
#7, the first box in Column #3 of the table. If
you have difficulty putting your explanation
into words, think about how you would feel if
the reason you gave in Box #6 did not happen.
Place your answer for why Reason #6 is important
to you personally in Box #7.
Step 4: Repeat Steps 2 and 3 for each remaining
reason in Column #1. The numbers in the top
left corner of each box are reminders of the
sequence to follow.
Please do your best to provide an answer for each box.
Would you take action?
Yes No
1 2
482 Richard P. Bagozzi et al.
Response recording protocol
References
Agle, B. R., R. K. Mitchell and J. A. Sonnenfeld: 1999,
‘Who Matters to CEOs? An Investigation of Stakeholder Attributes and Salience, Corporate Performance,and CEO Values’, Academy of Management Journal 42(1), 507–525. Anscombe, G. E. M.: 1963, Intention (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY).
Antaki, C.: 1994, Explaining and Arguing: The Social
Organization of Accounts (Sage, London).
Bagozzi, R. P., M. Bergami and L. Leone: 2003, ‘Hierarchical Representation of Motives in Goal Setting’, Journal of Applied Psychology 88, 915–943.
Baier, A. C.: 1991, A Progress of Sentiments: Reflections on Hume’s Treatise (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA).
Bartone, P. T., S. A. Snook, G. B. Forsyth, P. Lewis and
R. C. Bullis: 2007, ‘Psychosocial Development and
Leader Performance of Military Officer Cadets’, The
Leadership Quarterly 18, 490–504.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Reason for your decision
Why is it important for you?
Why is it important for you?
To ensure that my colleague got justice
It would make me happier to know that I saved someone who was innocent.
Failure to save him would leave me with a feeling of guilt
To ensure that those who were planning evil against my colleague got justice for their action
Living with them would arouse fear in me
Getting them reprimanded for their mistakes would help me feel safer. I would stop fearing that they will do the same to others in the organization including myself
To free myself. I would feel pressurized to work with people for whom I would always be required to keep a secret.
Their being reprimanded would mean that I would stop being accountable to them.
There was a chance that they would be changed to better persons in the society
To help correct the guilty persons
Protecting the lives of wrong doers prevents them from changing for the better.
It would be sad to have a friend deteriorate in terms of discipline and manners because I cannot take action.
To participate in creation of a more just society
I feel there is always a need for every one of us to participate in the creation of a more just society. If any one of us failed, the society would have failed, the society would have failed and would be required to live with the consequences
The consequences of living in a society in which I am guilty of helping in the creation of is an unforgivable act.
The dilemma involves either choosing to hide the acts of an evil friend or protecting an innocent person. I believe that my decision to tell the truth would be mostly affected by my self-respect. The decision would be highly charged by the fact that I would not want to be associated with supporting the wrong doers at the expense of someone who was innocent. People who have a high self-esteem are more likely to be ethical (Bucaro 2013; Cohen, 2007; Bellamy, 2008). Such people put the risk involved in obtaining justice behind the justice itself. They feel that their decision is vital for the way a case goes and therefore opt to make the most positive contribution towards it. However, other factors would also play a part in my choosing to take action to save my colleague.
First, I would feel guilty for facilitating a wrong doing to take place. The very act of making it possible for evidence to be declared sufficiently incriminating as to warrant someone who is innocent to be declared guilty would be very hard to live with. Compared to allowing people who are guilty to be arrested would count far lesser compared to that even if they were very close friends.
In conclusion, the need to do the right thing, probably in the face of society can make me make an ethical decision. Some people would be more comfortable protecting their friendship or their own security. However, I would trust the justice system to protect, the society, my colleague and myself in such a dilemma situation. I think helping find justice for an innocent person would help me to obtain better friends than those I would be protecting by choosing to say no
References
Bellamy, A. J. (2008). Fighting terror: Ethical dilemmas. London: Zed Books.
An analytical business report on what ethical consumerism means for businesses
Order Instructions:
Write an analytical business report on what ethical consumerism means for businesses. Choose one company evidencing how they operate ethically. This must take into account the ethics and values of the company you choose to focus on.
In your report (which must be written in business report format), you need to cover the following topics:
• An executive summary which gives a brief overview of the argument in your report including key findings and conclusions
• A brief overview analysis of ethical consumerism, identifying the examples of some of the products which fall into the ethical category,
• A detailed review of one company claiming to operate ethically. Discuss the approach(es) they have used to become a more socially conscious business, linking this with the ethics and values of the company that you have identified.
• A short opinion survey on what influences consumer buying behaviour, carried out by you from a sample of students at GSM London
• A conclusion which includes critical evaluation of ethical consumerism based on the evidence that you have gathered both from your primary and secondary research, focusing on one company you have chosen for detailed review
Supporting material will be posted on Blackboard, but you will be expected to undertake research using newspaper/magazine/web articles, journals and text books.
Word Limit – Not more than 2000 +/- 10%
I want you to remember that this job is analytical business report. it is not just essay writing please speak to your writer very well. Previously you and i agreed to continue using Marks and Spencer since i use M&S for presentation therefore the writer would write should be on M&S
NB
Remind writer what she /he wrote initially on Marks & Spencer regarding Ethical Consumerism
The task is 8 pages.
SAMPLE ANSWER
What ethical consumerism means for businesses
Executive Summary
Ethical consumerism can be described as the intentional purchase of products or services that are considered to be made ethically. Consumers have become more ethically conscious with more people striving to know more concerning the way products they purchase are produced. Notably, several studies have also revealed a positive correlation of ethical production and company performance. This has in turn motivated more companies to develop ethical policies that their production ethics, practices, structures, and relations. This report focuses on critically analyzing the current market trends concerning ethical consumerism and what it means for business. In this regard, special emphasis has been directed towards the ethical processes of M&S as a case study comparing it with that of the Co-op bank and the findings of my personal survey. The analysis of these three cases in this report have demonstrated a need for companies to reconsider their policies in regard to the emerging trend or risk losing on consumer confidence.
Introduction
Over the recent past, the concept of ethical consumerism has increasingly attained prominence among the wealthy capitalist nations across the globe and has more recently gained mainstream appeal. Terms such as conscience consumption and responsible are no longer purely associated with hippie lifestyles or fringe politics, but rather are now increasingly entering into everyday practice and language of the ordinary consumers (Singh et al., 2012). Consumers now more than never before are basing their choices on the issue of care and collective concern. For this reason, the big question that this report seeks to answer is on what ethical consumerism means for business.
The rise of ethical consumerism connects to a broader range of concerns around environmentalism, unsustainable lifestyles, and anti-materialism. For instance, a study by Global Market Insite across 17 countries including U.S.A., Australia, India, Japan, China, and various European countries recently showed that 54 percent of consumers would be prepared to pay more for the organic, Fair Trade or environmentally friendly products (Potter & Lewis, 2011). In the light of this and several other similar findings concerning ethical consumerism, it is clearly visible that the way to go for business in the current market is ethical production and operations. For this purpose, this report proceeds to further analyse the issue of ethical consumerism and what it means for business with special interest on Mark and Spencer.
Ethical Consumerism
Ethical consumerism can be described as the intentional purchase of products or services that are considered to be made ethically (Healey, 2013). Products considered ethical in this case would imply that the process of producing these products has minimal or no harm or exploitation of any form to persons, animals, or the surroundings. In practice ethical consumerism is achieved when buyers engage in positive buying in favour of ethical goods or by moral boycott that entails company based buying or negative buying. The rise in ethical consumerism has led to a rise in ethical based decisions in the market. This has been facilitated by increased understanding and information concerning businesses practices.
More business and companies want to be recognized as producing ethically and improving their ethical standards. In this context, as Healey (2013) notes ethical production has become the new form of competitive advantage of businesses in the contemporary market. More people are basing their buying choices on ethical aspects of the products such as whether they are sourced, made, and distributed ethically. Businesses, therefore, need to recognize that consumers now want more than just good value for their money. Indeed, customers are increasingly looking for other aspects of the product in the company, product, or brand such as ethical sourcing, manufacturing and dissemination, as well as clear information concerning nutrition. In addition, consumers now consider transparency, fair labour, protection of human rights and health, respecting the environment, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility. As such, businesses need to consider how effectively they meet these changing ethical trends of consumers if they are focused on remaining profitable yet sustainable.
The current trend in the mass market identifies a need for companies to devise new strategies or reinvent their business strategy in respond to today’s ethical consumer. Studies show that consumers prefer ethical products such as fair labour-certified garments, products made through sustainable technologies, cosmetics produced without animal testing, and fair trade-certified chocolate and coffee (Harvey, 2012). A recent survey on Melbourne households showed that 40 percent of the participants had gleaned items (Chatzidakis et al., 2012). Another study undertaken by YouGov found out that consumers have become more ethically conscious with 78 percent saying they would wish to know more about the way good they purchase are made including the factory conditions. Some 58 percent said they already purchase FairTrade products while 19 percent said they would buy the FairTrade items if they were made more widely available across the high street (Carrington et al., 2010).
Certain trust criteria by consumers such as creditworthiness are considered to form the basis of sourcing or purchasing behavior. Natural capitalism proponents hold that comprehensive outcomes of production form the basis of using products as opposed to cumulative outcomes (Harvey, 2012). As such, moral criteria form a broader shift away from commodity markets to a deeper product economy. However, there is little validation of consumer reporting in these surveys because of the gap between what people report and what they actually practice. These are buyers whose decisions are based on the social and ethical positions of a product such as labour practices and environmental impact with regard to their own values (Brunk, 2012). Consumers are increasingly becoming aware of the ethical aspects of production with studies showing increased consciousness. In this regard, some of the core factors that were found to be influencing consumer behavior are companies sources their products, how they treat their workers, and the impact they have on the environment.
Mark & Spencer
Corporate social responsibility within M&S has traditionally been construed as basically the offering of quality and good products for a good value for their customers and the patristic regime of shop assistants. In 1999, the company became a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative, which is an alliance of companies and organizations to good practice and promotes improvements in working conditions globally. The principle goal is to oversee that the working conditions for employees is up to appropriate standards. In addition, M&S subscribed to the Environmental Code of Practice to make sure that the existing processes in the company no chemicals, inputs, or dyes used in the garment production causes unwanted health or environment risk during their manufacture (Harvey, 2012).
M&S has been recognized on several occasions as a result of this recent initiative to become a greener retailer. More recently in 2007 the company unveiled what they call “Plan A”, a 100 point program of action aimed at giving the company a head-to-foot environmental makeover in ethical production within the next five years (Johnson, 2008). This can be compared with the Co-op bank’s ethical values of honesty and social responsibility.The two values entail being honest on what the company does and how they do it as well as taking responsibility of the community and environment.
Suppliers
Concerning their operations with suppliers, M&S has strived to develop a stronger rapport with their suppliers by initiating open dialogue. In 1999, they created a set of principles within their collaboration with their suppliers. The document offered a set of guidelines for suppliers in complying with the required laws and regulation in terms of working hours and conditions, terms of pay and employment, and health and safety. M&S has also been organizing supplier exchange forums where peer-to-peer learning is encouraged among suppliers. M&S developed a balanced scorecard for foods where equal weight is given to technical, ethical, environmental, and commercial issues. Through supplier conferences, M&S is able to bring together suppliers across seven of their main sourcing countries where they share experiences and conduct debates to reach a common understanding. The aim of these conferences, exchange forums, and debates is to highlight and develop strategies for higher standards in ethical environmental and trade performance.
Environment Policy
M&S in 2011 updated their standards to include new sections on environmental management as well as minimizing energy and water use. Their approach to chemical management requires that every of their dyehouse to complete a rigorous audit and also emphasizes on regular performance reviewed. The supplies must also first comply with the M&S Environmental and Chemical Policy. Through their partnership with Greenpeace NGO, M&S focuses on achieve zero discharge from their dyehouses by the year 2020 (Bucic et al., 2012).
Product Attributes
M&S focus was on converting all its tea and coffee to FairTrade to match the growing significance of ethical consumerism. A total of 38 product lines were switched, increasing the value of all the FairTrade ground and instant coffee sold in supermarkets across UK by 18 percent and that of tea by about 30 percent (Johnson, 2008). As a result of the initiative, the 2012 M&S report confirms that 138 commitments have been realized, and the company now recycles 100 percent of its waste (Johnson, 2008). M&S labels their entire general merchandise product in their stores with its country of origin.
The company has realized many other achievements in terms of ethical consciousness including a five million customer participation in Plan A activities and a significant decrease in carrier bags usage by up to 1.7 billion bags within a five-year period. The company has since achieved a 31 percent attribute on its products. About 257 of their products are now made using the certified sustainable palm oil. Over 50000 people facing workplace barriers have completed M&S placement. The company’s sales of FairTrade food has henceforth increased by 88 percent since the year 2007 (Carrington et al., 2010).
A comparison of M&S’s Plan A with the Co-op bank’s ethical policy reveals some similarities. One of the latest considerations that are comparable to M&S is the genetically modified food. Co-op bank’s ethical policy currently cover environmental and animal welfare, economic development, international development, and human rights much more like that of M&S (Harvey, 2012).
Personal Survey
In an attempt to further evaluate the issue of ethical consumerism, I conducted an opinion survey on 50 students from GSM London. The survey was done through face-to-face interviews where respondents were requested to answer some structured questions concerning their buying behavior especially one that had to do with ethical consumerism. The findings of this study yielded results that concur with several other past studies on what influences consumer behavior. One of my findings was that economic status was a major factor. Consumers also consider how the company treats their customers. Other factors reported to directly impacting on how consumers spend their money include how companies source their products, how they treat their workers, and the impact they have on the environment. A cross section of the students said they would be more willing to buy ethically produced products than others if they were able to identify them. However, they noted a lack of information that could help them identify the ethical products despite the high consciousness concerning ethical consumerism. Some of the stores as the report has indicated concerning M&S have a way of helping buyers identify their ethical products through the use of labels.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is quite clear from the discussion that ethical consumerism has become a common trend and a major determinant of consumer behavior. Consumers are increasingly becoming aware of the ethical aspects of production with studies showing increased consciousness. Some of the core factors that were found to be influencing consumer behavior on the basis of my personal survey are companies sources their products, how they treat their workers, and the impact they have on the environment. More companies in their quest to match and meet the changing demands of consumers have embarked on more ethical practices in their production. M&S through their ethical programs such as engagement with suppliers, environment policies, and Plan A has achieved substantial levels of success in becoming greener. Ethical production is largely linked to increased sales and better company reputation as seen in the Co-op bank and M&S examples. Customers are more willing to buy from companies they deem more ethical as compared to others.
References
Brunk, K. (2012). Un/ethical Company and Brand Perceptions: Conceptualising and Operationalising Consumer Meanings.Journal Of Business Ethics, 111(4), 551-565.
Bucic, T., Harris, J., & Arli, D. (2012). Ethical Consumers Among the Millennials: A Cross-National Study. Journal Of Business Ethics, 110(1), 113-131.
Carrington, M., Neville, B., & Whitwell, G. (2010). Why Ethical Consumers Don’t Walk Their Talk: Towards a Framework for Understanding the Gap Between the Ethical Purchase Intentions and Actual Buying Behaviour of Ethically Minded Consumers.Journal Of Business Ethics, 97(1), 139-158.
Chatzidakis, A., Maclaran, P., & Bradshaw, A. (2012). Heterotopian Space and the Utopics of Ethical and Green Consumption.Journal Of Marketing Management, 28(3/4), 494-515.
Harvey, B. (2012). Ethical Banking: The Case of the Co-operative Bank. Journal Of Business Ethics, 14(12), 1005-1013.
Healey, J. (2013). Ethical Consumerism. Thirroul, N.S.W.: Spinney Press.
Johnson, M. (2008). Marks & Spencer Implements an Ethical Sourcing Program for its Global Supply Chain. Journal of Organizational Excellence, 23(2), 3-16.
Singh, J., Iglesias, O., & Batista-Foguet, J. (2012). Does Having an Ethical Brand Matter? The Influence of Consumer Perceived Ethicality on Trust, Affect and Loyalty. Journal Of Business Ethics, 111(4), 541-549..
We can write this or a similar paper for you! Simply fill the order form!
construct a conclusion that offers the reader an opportunity for further thought,
employ segues and transitions that move the reader through the paper,
employ the use of the third person point of view,
demonstrate skills gained from the first two projects as it relates to focus and organization, evidence and format, and style, and cite sources using MLA conventions.
Assignment:
In Project 2, students will be asked to compose a polished essay of 1000-1200 words that asserts an arguable thesis and is supported by research.
After researching, developing an understanding of both critical reading and historical perspectives, and learning to extend personal interests into
researchable ideas (and arguable claims), students will combine these skills to write a thesis-driven, research-based essay. This essay should provide
background on the topic (context), evidence to support the claim, counterarguments/refutations, and a conclusion that offers the reader something for further thought (a forward-thinking conclusion).
This project helps to prepare students for the type of research writing they will be asked to undertake in 1102.
This assignment will be evaluated using the FYC rubric.
Role of Research:
Students should use research as (1) support for their theses and (2) a way of acknowledging and incorporating counterclaims. Students should incorporate 4-6 sources.
Writing Process:
Early Draft
The early draft should be an outline or other organizing draft that includes a preliminary thesis, a list and brief explanation of major points (including
counterargument), and a working bibliography.
Important notification : the early draft should be solved in this PDF file https://usflearn.instructure.com/courses/984319/files/32934171/download
What this means that the early draft should be solved in that outline provided ,
Intermediate Draft
The intermediate draft should be a working draft that includes the thesis, all major points, evidence to support these points (including in-text citations),
counterclaims, and a works cited page. This draft should be 800-1000 words.
Final Draft
The final draft should be a 1000-1200-word polished essay in which students articulate an assertion about their topic with which a reasonable person could
disagree and address counterclaims. Students should ensure that their claim is fully supported with paraphrased, quoted, and summarized material drawn from appropriate credible sources cited using MLA.
Take note that this paper will be written using the APA course template in my act that was use for previous papers. It important that the writer adhere to that format and use at least 5 references as mentioned in the questions. For the benefit of dought , I will upload the template again . Remember that the paper must contain a minimum of 4 pages excluding the title page and also the reference page which is to be counted separately. if you have any questions please let me know instead of making mistakes on the paper as I will not have that much time for corrections.
The Price of Doing Good: Consequences of Ethical Decision Making.
Consider the following two scenarios:
Scenario 1:
James works in the accounting department of a large firm. While going over the books for the past several months, James notices that someone has altered the figures to increase earnings by several thousands of dollars. He suspects that the errors, which are in the company’s favor, are too consistent to have been honest mistakes. He knows that he should report his findings through the company’s ethics hotline. However, he worries that doing so will jeopardize his security and reputation with the company.
Scenario 2:
Mary owns a small toy manufacturing company. One of her employees has noticed that one of the pieces on the most popular toy can detach from the toy. This could pose a potential choking hazard to young children who play with the toy. No customers have yet reported problems with the toy. Mary wonders if she should report the potential hazard before anyone gets hurt. However, the recall would cost her company money and result in loss of sales during the busy Christmas season.
As the scenarios illustrate, making ethical decisions often requires a trade-off for an organization or individual. After a scandal results from ethical wrongdoing, the proper course of action seems clear. Even so, organizations continue to struggle with making ethical decisions on a day-to-day basis as they weigh the cost of making such decisions.
To prepare:
• Choose a positive example from the past ten years of a business organization whose leaders acted ethically when they encountered an ethical dilemma. Select, analyze, and describe the ethical decision making and actions in the organization.
Write a 4-page (not including cover page or references) analysis of the ethical situation. Your analysis must include the following:
• An explanation of the ethical framework applied by the organization to make its decision, including support for your analysis from scholarly research
• An examination of both the positive and negative consequences of the decision, including the tradeoffs that the leadership of the organization made in making their decision
• A minimum of five references
Learning Resources.
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Chapter 16, “Leadership Ethics” (pp. 423–451)
Abrhiem, T. H. (2012). Ethical leadership: Keeping values in business culture. Business & Management Review, 2(7), 11–19.
Cuilla, J. B. (2011). Is business ethics getting better? A historical perspective. Business Ethics Quarterly, 21(2), 335–343.
Hartog, D., & Belschak, F. (2012). Work engagement and Machiavellianism in the ethical leadership process. Journal of Business Ethics, 107(1), 35–47.
Selart, M., & Johansen, S. (2011). Ethical decision making in organizations: The role of leadership stress. Journal of Business Ethics, 99(2), 129–143.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Consequences of ethical decision-making
A major responsibility of leaders in business organizations is to act in an ethical way, promote ethics in the company, and make decisions that are ethical. Ethical decisions are essentially understood as decisions, which are in agreement with one’s individual or organizational value system (Salvador & Folger, 2009). In this essay, the purpose is to provide a description of an ethical decision making in a firm whose leaders acted in an ethical manner when they faced an ethical dilemma. The analysis includes an explanation of the ethical framework that the organization applied to make its decision, as well as an investigation of both the positive and negative consequences of the decision and the tradeoffs that the company’s leadership made. A leader should be mindful of the messages that he/she is sending when making decisions. Ethical business practices basically include observing the highest moral and legal standards in one’s relationships with the entities in the organization’s business community, most importantly the customer of the business. It is notable that short-term profit for the organization at the cost of losing clients is certainly long-term death for the company (Brenkert, 2010).
The selected company is Lundbeck Inc., which is a pharmaceutical firm based in Denmark and is the only manufacturer of pentobarbital drugs for sale in the United States. In the year 2011, the company faced an ethical dilemma regarding the usage of its medications in capital punishments. Pentobarbital medicines are progressively more being utilized in the United States in place of sodium thiopental for fatal injections (Brockway, 2012). The drug was most recently utilized in capital punishments in Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas. According to Lundbeck’s spokesman, Andrew Schroll, the corporation has prided itself in manufacturing drugs that improve the lives of people. The company is officially opposed to capital punishment and disagrees with the way the drug is being utilized.
Andrew Schroll stated that how the medication is being used constitutes wrong usage of Lundbeck’s product. He added that Lundbeck is in an ethical dilemma whereby it is opposed to the usage of its products for the death penalty whilst at the same time the organization’s leaders want to ensure that patients who benefit from Lundbeck’s medicines get access to it (Death Penalty Information Center, 2014). The company’s top management sent letters to the penitentiaries in 11 states insisting that they should discontinue utilizing pentobarbital in their lethal injection protocols. Nonetheless, none of these penitentiaries responded. In fact, even more states have shown intentions of using the medication, and this includes Virginia. Pentobarbital is also utilized in treating seizures in human beings as well as in euthanasia and anesthesia of animals. Lundbeck is the only manufacturer of this drug for purchase in the United States. Accordingly, a lot of physicians have written to Lundbeck asking the company’s leaders not to suspend distribution of the medication (Death Penalty Information Center, 2014).
The company’s top management found itself in this precarious situation primarily as a result of a deficiency of sodium thiopental, the anesthetic that for long had been used as an ingredient in lethal injections in 35 of the 36 states that still apply capital punishment. Denmark and all other members of the European Union have abolished the death penalty. In essence, Lundbeck does not want to be involved in the execution business; however, it also does not want to lose its lucrative American pentobarbital market, which is crucial to the company’s revenue and profitability (Buhmann, 2012). Lundbeck’s top management acted ethically in this ethical dilemma by attempting to take some action since it called on the prisons to stop using its product in executions given that such behavior would be against the company’s mission of providing the world with life saving technologies. Ethics in business consists of actions of people within a company, and the company’s positions and actions on ethical matters (Death Penalty Information Center, 2014).
Lundbeck’s leaders are clear that the firm’s products should be utilized for healing and not for killing. There are several positive and negative consequences of Lundbeck’s decision to prevent the use of its pentobarbital drugs in capital punishments. The positive consequence is as follows: first, the company will prevent its major investors including Denmark’s largest pension investor, ATP, from unloading shares worth millions of Euros. If the company were committed to preventing the use of its products for executions in the United States, its reputation especially as viewed by investors would improve considerably. In turn, this would result in good, positive relations with the Lundbeck’s investors. It is noteworthy that an organization’s reputation is basically one of its most important assets. Business ethics creates goodwill within the market given that an organization that is famous for its ethical practices will create goodwill for itself within the marketplace (Salvador & Folger, 2009).
The negative consequence of the decision to prevent the use of the product to carryout executions in the United States is that the move would result in reduced sales and revenue, and more importantly reduced profitability. This is as a result of the fact that the prisons in the United States are a major customer-base which is crucial to the company’s bottom line. Business or organizational ethics is vital given that it influences and contributes to an organization’s performance, revenue and profit; image and reputation; and the ability to build relationships with the company’s investors. In addition, it influences and contributes to customer satisfaction; legal problems and penalties; investor and customer loyalty and confidence; as well as employee commitment (Brenkert, 2010).
Given that Lundbeck’s leaders acted ethically, the company’s long-term profitability is assured. It is of note that businesses that follow certain organizational ethics have better probabilities of survival relative to the companies whose sole goal is profit making, though they have to compromise on many things for that (Buhmann, 2012). Business ethics is important to organizations since ethical companies have the tendency of making much more profits relative to other companies. This is owing to the fact that customers of ethical organizations are loyal and contented with the product/service offerings of such organizations (Brockway, 2012). Moreover, organizational ethics helps to ensure efficient utilization of business resources since employees will emulate the company’s ethical leaders and follow ethical business practices. As such, employees will also desist from misusing company resources or property.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the selected firm whose leaders acted in an ethical manner is Lundbeck Inc., a pharmaceutical firm based in Denmark and is the only manufacturer of pentobarbital drugs for purchase in the United States. The company faced an ethical dilemma regarding the usage of its medications in capital punishments. Lundbeck does not want to be involved in the execution business, but at the same time, it does not want to lose its profitable American pentobarbital market which is crucial to the company’s revenue and profitability. Lundbeck’s leaders acted ethically in this ethical dilemma by trying to stop the usage of its products for the death penalty; the company’s leaders maintain that Lundbeck makes drugs to heal and not to kill.
References
Brenkert, G. G. (2010). The Limits and Prospects of Business Ethics. Business Ethics Quarterly, 20(4), 703-709.
Brockway, J. (2012). Danish Drug-Maker’s Death Penalty Dilemma. Crescent City, CA: CRC Press.
Buhmann, K. (2012). Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don’t? The Lundbeck Case. National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Examine an interaction or event from your clinical placement, which has required you to demonstrate professional conduct (NMC 2008).
3. Examine an interaction or event from your clinical placement, which has required you to demonstrate professional conduct (NMC 2018).
You are required to identify the clinical practice area (with an anonymous name, or just call it e.g. ‘a medical ward’), the interaction/event and the student role. This will involve discussion of the situation in relation to professional conduct.
Identify an actual event such as when you cared for a patient, or met with a professional (invent names for them). It might have been a meeting, or a conversation, or a process such as washing a
patient, sending a patient home. In any case it must
illustrate professional conduct in some way.
Do not choose an event for any other reason, or linked with other topics.
Use the NMC code to refer to the need for professional conduct. Other references will also be
relevant.
Your appendix will be a reflection on your learning of professional conduct issues.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
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