Business Ethics- The Gray Matters Case Study

Business Ethics- The Gray Matters Case Study

The growth and success of any business significantly rely on business ethics: this is what determines what is wrong and right, and, in the economic world, it provides reasons for how things should be done. Ethical dilemmas are inevitable; therefore, understanding business ethics is critical to help identify values that guide decision-making, define facts, and form solid arguments to come up with the best solution (Brusseau, 2012). Accordingly, these principles can be applied to the ethical evaluation of the scenario presented in the Gray Matters quiz. The scenario involves an assistant accountant who lied about having a college degree, and now the manager has to determine a solution to the situation.

Facts Pertinent to the Case

Ethical evaluation involves defining who is involved, how the situation started, and any details regarding the issue. In this case, the starting point of the ethical issue is when the assistant accountant lied about having a college degree when she did not. Accordingly, the parties involved include the assistant accountant and the manager. The assistant accountant’s dishonesty is the first key point in the case. However, she has been working competently and responsibly, which is also an essential fact to consider. Second, by finding out about the assistant accountant’s dishonesty, the manager is involved and is responsible for handling the situation.

Relevant additional information includes the assistant accountant’s reason for lying to determine whether it is a good reason. Further, information about the company would be valuable in identifying values to guide decision-making. For instance, information about the company’s mission, vision, and core values would help define what the company values most and thus help define well-justified priorities to aid in decision-making.

Values and Reasoning for Taking the Issue to the HR Department

In Response B, the values include honesty, accountability, and integrity. Based on this decision and the facts and information from the case, it is clear that the company values honesty. The company expects its employees to be honest and, therefore, the assistant accountant’s dishonesty becomes an issue. The core value of accountability is also evident since the manager takes the case to the HR department to ensure that the assistant accountant is held accountable for her actions. Lastly, the value of integrity is clear from the fact that the company has a company policy that defines how ethical issues should be handled. Thus, it is logical to conclude that the company aims to always uphold principles like trustworthiness and honesty, meaning that the employee’s lie would compromise its integrity. Evidently, by applying the core values of honesty (to maintain the company’s truthfulness), accountability (to ensure everyone is held responsible for their actions), and integrity (to maintain the company’s trustworthiness and reliability), the decision to take the issue to the HR department is justified.

Values and Reasoning for Firing the Employee

The main core value in the solution to fire the employee for lying is honesty. From this perspective, dishonesty is not something the manager is willing to negotiate about. Therefore, retaining the assistant accountant and considering other options would not be a priority because honesty in the company becomes subject to objection, ultimately justifying the decision to fire her.

Values and Reasoning for Doing Nothing

Doing nothing because the employee has been doing just fine points to the value of excellent employee performance. In this case, the reasoning would be that the assistant accountant performs excellently, so the lie does not matter because she has been working competently and responsibly.

Facts about “Who’s Involved”

It would be ethically reasonable to say that the issue is just between the assistant accountant and the manager. Besides, the assistant accountant only lied about her college degree to the manager, and the manager is the only shareholder who found out about the lie. Also, the manager has the mandate to deal with the situation without the need to involve other parties. Moreover, including colleagues, the company’s clients, and shareholders as persons involved in the case would impact the manager’s ethical perspective on what should be done. Firstly, although the assistant accountant lied about her college degree, she has worked competently and responsibly. This translates to company success and even implies that she possibly interacts well with colleagues, so an action like firing her would disrupt the company’s success and derail other coworker’s motivation. Contrastingly, her dishonesty would affect the company’s integrity and reputation. In turn, this would impact other shareholders like investors, and their willingness to invest. Conclusively, the manager must consider how these individuals are affected, weigh all options, and decide the best solution.

Morality and Ethics

Response B would be categorized as a decision based more on ethics rather than morality. Notably, ethics are rules of conduct, while morality encompasses principles or habits relating to right or wrong conduct (Oxford Learning College, 2022). Accordingly, taking the issue to the HR department to develop a solution based on company policy implies acting per the code of conduct set by the company. Conversely, Response D is based more on morality. Here, the manager is assessing all facts based on whether they are right or wrong.

References

Brusseau, J. (2012). Business ethics (v. 1.0). Creative Commons. https://2012books.lardbucket.org/pdfs/business-ethics.pdf

Oxford Learning College. (2022, June 21). Ethics vs morals – What’s the difference? | Oxford College. https://www.oxfordcollege.ac/news/ethics-versus-morals/

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This guide is designed to help you analyze and understand ethical dilemmas in business situations. The focus will be on the case study, “The Gray Matters,” where ethical questions arise and decisions may not always have clear-cut right or wrong answers.

Business Ethics- The Gray Matters Case Study

By working through this case, you will learn to recognize ethical issues, evaluate different perspectives, and make well-informed decisions that align with professional ethics.