Exploring Ethical Dilemmas and Business Ethics

Reflecting on Personal Ethical Dilemmas

Keeping in mind the definition of ethical dilemma as discussed in class, think back to a time when you faced an ethical dilemma at work, at school, or at home. Choose a situation in which you had to choose between two or more options (a true dilemma), with negative consequences for the different stakeholders. Explain your situation using the following questions as a guide:

What was the ethical dilemma?
What were the potential actions?
What stakeholders were impacted by your decision and how?
What choice did you make?
What were the facts that influenced your decision?
Did you learn anything about yourself?

Business ethics is the application of a critical thinking skills, as you demonstrated above, to the moral standards that apply to the world of commerce. Ethical issues have the potential to impact businesses in a profound way. There is no shortage of issues that businesses are faced with daily. Below are three examples of ethical issues that some businesses faced recently. Select one (1) of the following topics (security, health & safety, or gender discrimination) and read the linked story. Consider how the leade in that situation dealt with the ethical issue they were presented with.

How do you feel the leader handled the dilemma?
As a future business leader, what would you do in a similar situation? 
Would adopting an ethical framework (such as the one in Chapter 2-3a) to help you make decisions in a clearer manner? If yes, what would your ethical framework look like? If no, what would guide your decision making?