Ethical Decision Making Process in Business

Question 1 Ethical Decision-Making Process
Regarding the position of Edward, the Comprehensive Contractors’ outings present a challenging position for the overall specificity of work determining its quality. Initially, it is essential to mention that the Comprehensive Contractors represents a principal supplier of Dazzling Designs providing the latter organization with the labor and required equipment. The principal ethical dilemma, which arises, indicates an increased price for the product because the customers will have to involuntarily pay for the $8000 outing session. In terms of the duties and rights theory of ethics, it is obligatory to pay attention to the factor of human behavior. The identified ethical theory implies that the personality treats another person with respect, which means that the partner, colleague, or supplier has to uphold the rights of the individual as well. The factor of duty implies that the person is obliged to adhere to the specific deeds to not cause negative outcomes In Edward’s situation, the rights and duties theory relates to the 1) customer’s position; 2) Edward’s authority in a team. Hypothetically, Edward should consider the alternative ways of entertainment in terms of the minimization of the ultimate expenditures. The identified decision should be focused on the overall inclusiveness of the team as the outings are male-oriented, which is discriminative to the female colleagues. Indeed, Dazzling Designs includes only a few female interior design architects, which, however, oppressed their participation. In terms of preserving both clients loyalty and personal image – the factor of Edwards’ search for the alternative way of entertainment is an essential action in terms of the rights and duty ethics as he will manage to enhance the organization’s professionalism for the clients and preserve the team’s spirit by promoting the ultimate integrity and inclusiveness. Therefore, in terms of the rights and duty ethics, Edward has to promote gender inclusiveness (the right of recent treatment) and search for alternative and cost-preserving entertainment (duty of avoiding the leakage information, which will cause the loss of brand image).

The principal consideration of Edward must be focused on the long-term and short-term outcomes of the decision he is going to apply. In this case, it is possible to involve utilitarianism as it aims at the identification of the right and wrong positions in terms of the maximization of the best possible outcomes of the action. Regarding the analyzed position, Edward should promote the tactic of the out-of-the-office team building. The presented consideration implies that the character has a possibility to maximize the team’s participation by involving all members of the department disregarding the gender characteristics. However, out-of-the-office team buildings represent a controversial strategy for the implementation as Edward is obliged to persuade Comprehensive Contractors on the value of this approach. For instance, substitute practice can represent an offer to compensate for a week team vacation. This position indicates that instead of the day outing, Comprehensive Contractors can pay for the plane tickets and residence in Egypt for the Winter period as the vacation package for Winter months is around 150-300$ per person for 7 days. This would be the best substitute for the outings. The consequentialism is applied in this choice as it promotes the positive outcome of gender inclusiveness. The next positive outcome indicates the overall enhancement of team friendliness, which will enhance the public image of the organization as it serves as a strategy for attraction. The consumers will prefer the organization with a healthy working environment due to the enhanced quality of work. Hence, utilitarianism indicates that the inclusion of the out-of-office team building prevents the leakage of information about outings and promotes inclusiveness.

Finally, Edward is obliged to consider the inner perspective of values and virtues. It is possible to implement the value and virtue theory of ethics, which specifies the dominance of moral characteristics instead of practical well-being as an outcome. The point means that the action based on the principles of inner moral values play the dominant role as they promote the outcome of the decision. The key value indicates the family orientation of the Dazzling Designs. In this case, Edward is obliged to make decisions considering the emphasis on the virtues of care, equality, and acceptance. The possible strategy of the ethical decision-making for the analyzed issue indicates the enhancement of the remuneration system. If the women do not attend the outings, Edward should persuade Comprehensive Contractors to pay them an additional sum to compensate for the factor of male-orientation. Finally, the identified decision promotes a transformative position as the men will be able to choose whether to attend the outing or obtain monetary compensation, which will enable the acceptance of the mentioned decision of the out-of-the-office team building. Therefore, the value and virtue ethics’ implementation indicates that Edward can promote family-orientalism through equality by compensating for the outing.

Ethical Decision-Making Process
The search for alternative ways of entertainment promoting inclusiveness on a one-day basis.
The promotion of the strategy of out-of-the-office team buildings like a one-week vacation in Egypt, which will be cost-preserving, time-efficient, and promote the team’s cohesion.
The involvement of a remuneration strategy with a choice of attending an outing or obtaining compensation, which will enhance gender equality and minimize the necessity of the outings.

Questions 2-3
Hypothetically, as a Global Head of the Ethics Department, it is essential to consider the aspects of cultural relativism and cultural ethics as opposed to the means and ends based theories. Cultural relativism implies that the organizational actions and practices should be evaluated in terms of the cultural mentality and moral values of the country of the organizational origin. In the case of Dazzling Designs, cultural relativism is applied considering the ability to participate in any form of entertainment, which does not distort the law. In other words, cultural relativism is intertwined with cultural ethics (specific code of conduct appropriate for the specific country) implies that Edward’s colleagues can partake in the entertainment but must not violate the law like sexual assaults of the female staff of the outing.

Opposing to cultural relativism means and ends based theories implies that the product and employee’s morale can enhance the partnership with the clients. What is essential to mention is that Dazzling Designs should maximize the security and digital safety of its employees because, in the case of the informational leakage, the community will not mainly judge the case of entertainment, rather focus on the monetary losses the customers have to cover because of the enhanced price for the product. Moreover, the identified situation indicates the loss of credibility as even if Dazzling Designs minimizes the price, the customers will prefer another supplier because of the loss of trust.
In the case of Dazzling Designs’ location in Japan, cultural ethics will imply the adherence of the organization to the canon of purity (the purity of organization; the impeccable reputation of the employees). Cultural relativism will indicate customers’ judgment of outings as a distortion of the canon of purity disregarding the absence of the prohibition of the identified activity. The reason for the judgment represents the enhanced focus on the moral ideals rather than on the product representation as the Japanese community tends to trust the organization focusing on the impeccable reputation of the organization. In this case, the possible case of informational leakage will lead to public refusal from Dazzling Designs’ production as the employees defile the reputation of the organization. In this context, the means and ends based theories are opposed to cultural relativism and cultural ethics as the product will automatically lose its demand because of the public outrage. Hence, even if the organization promotes its marketing activity, it will incur drastic losses considering the absence of the revenue.

Hypothetically, being Edward it is essential to consider the ethical regards on the transition within the Dazzling Designs department abroad. The principal ethical considerations, which must be analyzed represent 1) cultural ethics of the foreign country; 2) code of business ethics of the foreign department. The importance of the investigation on these perspectives matters because disregarding the professional transition, Edward is obliged to adhere to the norms of behavior in the new country. The failure can lead either to his dismissal or a decrease in the organization’s public image, which can lead to the loss of client loyalty. The consideration of the code of business conduct can clarify the department’s vision in terms of the analysis of the extent of family-centrism to avoid misunderstanding and cases of gender oppression. In terms of the ‘7 values for ranking jobs,” the key changes for search will indicate professionalism and individualized contribution. Professionalism implies the ability to acquire additional skills to get a new position in a foreign department. The latter indicates the consideration of the overall emphasis on collective or individual performance. Therefore, the clarification of the individualized nature of performance can prepare Edward either for a collective partnership or specifically the accomplishment of the individual goals.

Overall, the consideration of ethical decision-making has to consider the components of the consequences, moral integration, and rights of the employees. To minimize the collision, the decision should focus on the implementation of the values of equality and acceptance to promote the ultimate welfare of each party involved. Finally, the consideration of the cultural relativism/ethics matters for the assessment of the specificity of the moral conditions of the country of the business to avoid misunderstanding based on the violation of the public moral and business norms.