Teaching Ethics Principles through Action Memos Ethics Workshop, October 8, 2004 Christian Wagner

What is an “Action Memo”? Memo(randum)  a note, message, Requiring ACTION  recipient has to make a decision (in reply to the memo) Mini-case, which can be read by students in a few minutes, and solved within minutes depending on difficulty.

Example From: Alfie To: Apple Dear Apple: I need your advice. My colleague Hans yesterday took a company notebook computer home with him, without authorization. I saw it by accident, he just slipped it into his briefcase during tea break, when everyone was gone. I didn’t mention anything when I talked to Hans later. However he also said to me that Mr. Chan, the company owner has given him another weekend assignment without any OT. You know, when we signed on with Wing Wing Wu, we all got the same contract which states that any OT exceeding 5 hours per month will be paid. So, I guess it’s only fair that Hans gets something extra for doing all the hard work. What do you think? What should Apple do? (Reply)

Example Scenario Hans violates company (ethics) rules. Hans has been unethically treated by the company owner, Mr. Chan. Student’s decision problem: is it acceptable to “do wrong” in response to another “wrong”. Wrong + wrong = right?

Creating Action Memos – Three Levels of Difficulty Level 1: “A” violates an ethics principle (minor or major violation). Level 2: “A” violates an ethics principle against “B” in response to an earlier violation by “B” (previous example). Level 3: “A” has to trade off between two ethics principles, and has to decide which one is more authoritative.

Example: HR Issue From: Agnes To: Andy Dear Andy: I need your advice. I just saw our Boss, Mr. Chow, at the company party secretly kissing his secretary, Louise. As you know, I respect Mr. Chow so much. He has done so much for the company and for me personally. I would have lost my job two years ago, if he had not helped me. And the company might have lost its biggest client last year, if not for him. However, “flirts” between married people are against the company’s ethics rules. And, both Mr. Chow and Louise are married, and Mr. Chow also is in a position of power vis-à-vis Louise. So at least he should have known better. Should I talk to him about it? Or should I inform the company’s HR counselor? I feel so awkward. What can you recommend? What should Andy do? (Reply)

Example 3: Intellectual Property From: Ming To: K.K. Dear K.K.: We have a new scheme in our organization which I think is clever, but I just want to make sure it is really ok. Our IT expert, Felix, has set up an MP3 server in the organization. Any organization member can access the server and can stream the songs to their computer. We are just not allowed to store them on our harddisks or burn them to CDs. So we can listen, but not copy. We all think that’s a good way to avoid breaking the copyright law, but still being able to enjoy all the good music without having to pay so much. Clever, isn’t it?