Read the following scenario
"You are on the management team of a private apparel company.
The fundamental philosophy behind the company is that apparel
manufacturing should be profitable without exploiting workers.
This philosophy has shaped the company’s policies and the
reputation of the company. This summer, the company hired an
additional 1,000 workers to keep pace with orders. The company
knows, however, that sales will decrease in winter and that the
company will not be able to afford to keep all its employees (at
least not under the current wages). Your task is to decide what to
do in this situation.”
Reference: Derived from ‘Teaching Notes’ of Business Ethics: A Managerial
Approach. Author: Andrew Wicks, R. Edward Freeman, Patricia H. Werhane,
Kirsten E. Martin. Publisher: Pearson. (2010). Business Ethics: A Managerial
Approach. Author: Andrew Wicks, R. Edward Freeman, Patricia H. Werhane,
Kirsten E. Martin. Publisher: Pearson. (2010). p.156.
STEP1- Facts: What facts are relevant to this specific ethical
situation? List them using bullet points. (2 Marks)
•
•
The first one is…
The second one is…
STEP2- The ethical issue: What level of ethical issues are
you dealing with: systemic, organization, or individual? List
any of them that is applicable and for each one you need to
explain why you think it is related to the scenario. (2 Marks)
STEP 3- The alternatives: Given the facts and the ethical
issues, what alternative actions are possible in this
situation? Write the alternatives here using bullet points. (3
Marks)
•
Alternative 1: …
•
Alternative 2: …
STEP4- The stakeholders: Who will be affected by the
alternatives and to what degree? List them. For each
stakeholder, you need to mention that to what degree the
stakeholders will be affected. (6 Marks)
Alternative 1:
Stakeholder 1:
Stakeholder 2:
Alternative 2:
Stakeholder 1:
Stakeholder 2:
STEP 5: The Ethics of the Alternatives: Use ethical theories
to decide on the best alternative. The ethics of each of the
most plausible alternatives is assessed using ethical
theories. For each alternative, for example, we could ask the
questions associated with utilitarianism, deontology, virtue
ethics, and right-based theory to determine how the
alternative is rated by each theory. First mention your theory
and then assess each alternative using your theory. (15
Marks)
My ethical theory is: …
Alternative 1: Assess the alternative based on your theory
Alternative 2: Assess the alternative based on your theory
Which alternative do you chose based on your assessment?
STEP 6: The practical constraints: Can the best alternative be
put into effect? Yes or no. If no, write the reason. (1 Mark)
STEP 7: Action to take: Select the best alternative which is
not ruled out by practical constraints. (1 Mark)