Does a Business have a

Conscience?

Individual and social responsibility

Helana Jones is manager of Marketing Research in the fictitious O.K. Biscuit
Company Limited. Recently, her department has slacked off and performance has
declined. A review of the department's work reveals that Helana's daughter has
been in hospital: and, as a single-parent, this has put the mother under a lot of
stress. She cannot afford to be without full-time work, and she has to fit in as
many visits to the hospital as she can. As a consequence of her personal worry, she
has allowed her responsibility to her department to slip.
In this situation there are conflicting ethical claims on Ms Jones, she has individual
ethical and moral responsibilities to support and visit her sick daughter. By virtue
of her contract of employment, she has further individual responsibilities of
managerial competence and performance to her firm.
These individual
responsibilities have a social aspect, since Helana Jones is part of a business
institution to whose survival, efficiency, and profitability she contributes.
Activity
Helana Jones has a number of options. She could:
1. Go sick and get a doctors certificate
2. Resign
3. Explain the situation and ask to take some holiday leave
4. Ask for a transfer to part-time work
Which option would you take? Give your reasons.

Activity
In the case of Helana Jones, the company's estimate is that she is not fulfilling her
contract: she is costing the company money; she is contributing to the decline in
the performance of her department. They can either sack her, or look for some
other solution. Provide your own solution to the problem. Use the following
questions as a checklist of whether you have made an ethical decision:
1. Have you defined the problem accurately?
2. How would have define the problem if you were looking at it,
(a) from Helana's point of view?
(b) from the managing director's point of view?
3. To whom do you owe your loyalty as a person and as a member of the
company?
4. What is your intention in making the decision?
5. How does your intention relate to the probable results?
6. Whom could your decision hurt?
7. Will your decision stand the test of time, or is it a short-term remedy?
8. Under what circumstances would you allow exceptions to your present decision?