The Seven-Step Method of Making an Ethical Decision-Trading Places Film

The Seven-Step Method of Making an Ethical Decision-Trading Places Film

The decision-making process is different amongst people depending on whether they are ethical or not. In most cases, unethical people make decisions without weighing their options and considering the people involved, focusing on their selfish desires. On the other hand, ethical individuals consider all their options before selecting the most ethical one. The difference between ethical and unethical individuals is evident in the film ‘Trading Places’ released in 1983, which stars the comedian Eddie Murphy. In the movie, Eddie Murphy plays the role of Billy Ray Valentine, a poor black man who comes across two wealthy brothers who change his fate from a beggar to a rich man. Luckily, Mr. Valentine learns the truth and makes an ethical decision that changes the future of all individuals involved. Subsequently, this is an analysis of Mr. Valentine’s decision based on the seven-step method of making an ethical decision.

A moral problem promotes the making of an ethical decision. The moral issue resulted from a conflict of indignity, offense, injustice, and deception. In the film, the wealthy brothers who approach Mr. Valentine go by Duke and Duke, who owns a successful enterprise run by Louis Winthorpe III, a Harvard graduate. At the time, scientific research was gaining popularity. The older brother, Randolph Duke, propositioned his younger brother, Mortimer Duke, to place a bet on changing the life situation for Mr. Valentine and Mr. Winthorpe III as a research project. The brother agreed to the proposition, and they cause havoc in the lives of the two gentlemen. Indignity is evident in the consideration of the men as experiments. Duke says, “We’d have to heap a little more misfortune on those narrow shoulders,” in response to Louis, where they take away all his monetary possessions and frame him for a crime to see how he would react and giving all the power to Billy Ray to witness his reaction too. Following the Dukes’ research, Luis turns to crime while Billy Ray becomes an excellent executive. However, the offense is evident when Mortimer says, “Do you really believe I would have a nigger run our family business, Randolph?” illustrating that they would get rid of Billy Ray once the project was over. This scene also relays deception, as the brothers were not honest with Billy Ray or Louis about their involvement in their plot. Injustice is evident in the false accusations against Luis and his dismissal from work. These factors all play a significant role in the source of the moral conflict.

Consequently, various factors contributed to Billy Ray’s moral decision. The first factor involves “…thoroughly determining the facts” (Meyers, 2018). Billy Ray overheard the entire conversation between the Duke Brothers, giving him the facts of the whole source of conflict. Accordingly, he understood that Louis had been wronged just as he had. The second factor involves assessing the “…type of conflict” (Meyers, 2018). The Duke brothers created this conflict from ignorance, whereby they thought lives would go back to normal after their research was over. Randolf says, “Now, what are we going to do about taking Winthorpe back and returning Valentine to the ghetto?” illustrating their ignorance. However, when Billy Ray learns of the truth, he doesn’t hesitate to find Louis to make things right. The third factor involves assessing “…who will be impacted by potential choices” (Meyers, 2018). When Billy Ray, Louis, Ophelia, and Coleman come together to discuss the source of the conflict and resolution, they all agree the Duke Brothers are responsible and come up with a plot to resolve the dispute. The fourth factor involves assessing “what general and role‐specific principles are at stake” (Meyers, 2018). Their scheme overlooks some of their principles, such as dishonesty when they all impersonate other people to fool and rob Clarence Reed of the crop report. All these factors are considered in decision-making.

Other steps are also essential in decision-making. The fifth step involves assessing “…the extent to which those principles are involved” (Meyers, 2018). The principle evidently affected by the plot is honesty. The acquisition of the crop report by the Duke Brothers through corruption was unethical. The scheme by Billy Ray and his counterparts led to the acquisition of the document before the Duke Brothers got a hold of it. Further, Billy Ray and his companions used the document to become wealthy, which was unethical. However, this dishonesty prevented the Duke Brothers from monopolizing the market.

The fifth step influences the other actions. The sixth step involves determining “what obligations, if any, emerge as a corollary to the decision” (Meyers, 2018). Billy Ray makes many decisions in the film; the first decision involves telling Louis the truth, and the second consists of creating a plot to rectify the wrongs made by the Duke Brothers. In both cases, the Duke Brothers were on the losing end, whereby they lost all their money and assets; therefore, responsibilities arose. The seventh step is to “see the choice through to its conclusion” (Meyers, 2018). This step is accomplished by Billy Ray when, at the end of the film, Louis and all their other counterparts become wealthy individuals as compensation for what the Duke Brothers put them through. In conclusion, Billy Ray’s decisions were the moral choice that led to justice in the film.

References

Meyers, C. (2018). The Professional Ethics Toolkit. Wiley Blackwell.

Trading Places (1983) https://www.amazon.com/Trading-Places-Denholm-Elliott/dp/

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The seven-step method of making an ethical decision that Meyers discusses in Chapter 2, Section 2.6.1, is simple and straightforward – on the surface! Every step includes factors important to the decision-making process, and it seems as if you could just go through the steps and emerge with a decision. However, as Meyers demonstrates, this is hard work, and the hardest work is done in step five. To the extent that you can, you set aside your feelings and even your conscience, and you use your faculty of reason to determine the extent to which all relevant factors are involved. This is where you decide what to do.

It’s helpful to review an example. For this assignment, you will select a fictional character from a film or television program who made a tough moral decision. Then, in an essay of approximately 750 words, use Meyers’ seven steps to analyze the process that the character used to make their ultimate decision.

First, describe the nature of the moral problem (you might find the list of moral principles in Section 2.7 helpful as you describe the conflict). Next, assess the presence of any relevant factors involved (as described in the first four steps of Meyers’ model). Then, carefully analyze the character’s deliberations using Meyers’ fifth step as your guide. Finally, conclude your essay by discussing the effects of steps six and seven on the ultimate decision that the character made. What were the outcomes?

The character you choose must be a professional as defined by the criteria introduced in Module 2. You can use the list in Meyers Chapter 1, or you can keep the most basic criteria in mind. The character is in a profession that serves a vital need, and the character’s client — however that is defined — is trusting the character to make the best decision by prioritizing their well-being. Sample movies include Eye in the Sky (2015),  Awakenings (1990), The Insider (1999), Saving Private Ryan (1998), The Conversation (1974), and The Ides of March (2011). Those are just some ideas to get you started; there are lots of great stories to choose from!

Writing Requirements: Develop an interesting introduction that includes an evident thesis. Logically organize your ideas, ensuring that there are transitions between each paragraph. Use at least two direct quotations from the movie and Meyers, using APA citation style. Use proper grammar and syntax. Use detail, dialogue, and description to support your ideas.