Managerial Ethics Part III A practical model for making good ethical decisions Copyright registered © 2002 Louis C. Gasper Audio

Prof. Gaspers decision model 1. Establish the facts Audio

Establish the facts Is it primarily an ethical matter? Acknowledgment: Much of the following discussion is based on parts of Barbara Lee Tofflers book, Tough Choices Audio

Is it primarily an ethical matter? Does it involve a personal relationship? – Which is not remote – Which involves an obligation Will someone be hurt, or react as if they will be hurt? Are there competing ethical claims? Will I intervene in someones personal life? Is my responsibility unclear? Audio

Establish the facts Is it primarily an ethical matter? Is it an ethical issue, or an ethical dilemma? Audio

Is it an issue, or a dilemma? An ethical issue is decided by making policy, which may allow and require that the decision be made by a superior An ethical dilemma can only be decided by the person in the dilemma Audio

Is it an issue, or a dilemma? An ethical issue is a situation in which there is one satisfactory choice in that kind of situation An ethical dilemma is a situation in which no choice is satisfying or attractive in that particular situation Audio

Is it an issue, or a dilemma? An ethical issue is resolved by deciding the generally right thing to do, which becomes the norm for all such cases A dilemma by its nature cannot be resolved, but it must be decided; the decision applies only in that one situation Audio

Is it an issue, or a dilemma? A good decision about an ethical issue can be made while abstracting from the particular situation which forced the issue Being in the context of an ethical dilemma is essential to making a good decision about it Audio

Is it an issue, or a dilemma? A competent person can find the decision which will properly resolve an issue A dilemma may not present any good option, despite the best efforts to find one Audio

Is it an issue, or a dilemma? An issue is usually easy to name A dilemma resists being named Audio

Is it an issue, or a dilemma? An ethical issue is ordinarily seen as definitely an ethical matter An ethical dilemma is often not clearly an ethical matter Audio

Is it an issue, or a dilemma? An ethical issue usually involves only one stakeholder An ethical dilemma usually involves several or many stakeholders Audio

Is it an issue, or a dilemma? An ethical issue involves a single value or end to be attained An ethical dilemma features multiple conflicting values and ends Audio

Establish the facts Is it primarily an ethical matter? Is it an issue or a dilemma? What claims are there? – Including the expectations of society Audio

Expectations of society In international business, we often have to ask, Which society? There may be – Our home society – Our host society – The society that is our company, its people, and its culture Audio

Man is a political animal Aristotle A character is not perfected unless it fits into the society that is a persons home We must decide where home is Acts must always suit our character for our home society Audio

Establish the facts Is it primarily an ethical matter? Is it an issue or a dilemma? What claims are there? Who is involved? How urgent is the matter? What rules are involved? What will be the consequences? What is my responsibility? Audio

Kinds of responsibility Role dealing with the problem is in my job description Causal I contributed to the problem Capacity Im the one who can do something about the problem Audio

Establish the facts Is it primarily an ethical matter? Is it an issue or a dilemma? Who is involved? What claims are there? How urgent is the matter? What rules are involved? What will be the consequences? What is my responsibility? Where is the authority to act? Audio

Where is the authority to act? Ultimately, authority and responsibility will always find each other Peter Drucker Responsibility often implies authority Consider carefully the organizational consequences before taking authority Audio

Prof. Gaspers decision model 1. Establish the facts 2. Discover all alternatives courses of action Audio

Discover alternatives Including those off the wall or outside the box Brainstorming may be useful Right now, practice opening up your mind to alternatives by reading imaginative literature Audio

Prof. Gaspers decision model 1. Establish the facts 2. Discover all alternatives courses of action 3. Systematically evaluate the reasonable options what remains after eliminating the evidently silly or impractical alternatives Audio

Evaluate the options What good can be accomplished? Do we have the capacity to carry through? Is it virtuous? – Is it good and not evil? – Does it build excellence? – Is it part of the good life? Audio

Is it good and not evil? Is it done for the sake of the good? Is it fitting in the circumstances? Is the required concrete action good? Audio

Does it build excellence? Is it just, courageous, orderly, and above all does it show good judgment? Does it evidence the particular virtues our company values? Will I be a better person for doing it? Will the company be a better company? Audio

Is it part of the good life? Is it in character? Does it make a good story? Audio

Prof. Gaspers decision model 1. Establish the facts 2. Discover all alternatives courses of action 3. Systematically evaluate reasonable options 4. Choose Audio

Choose The managers core function is to choose Peter Drucker Audio

Prof. Gaspers decision model 1. Establish the facts 2. Discover all alternatives courses of action 3. Systematically evaluate reasonable options 4. Choose 5. Take action Audio

Take action Effective management is practical management Audio

End of Managerial Ethics Part III Remember to complete the quiz on this part of the ethics lectures Audio