Introduction

Trust is the foundation of love, otherwise; conflict of interest can give as stressful

environment. Conflicts and questions of trustworthiness are on the public agenda that

makes us ethically right. This general attention to trust is remarkable, because it is not a

new event. It has a long tradition and has been considered as an essential element

within a society for ages. On top of this, trust is essential for social life, but also implicit

by nature. All this attention to trust is a signal putting us on the alert. People have to rely

on others, but often do not know whom to trust.

The following are case discussion that would raise conflicts and questions for

trustworthiness’ among relationships in Employer and Employee, Staff with Colleagues,

Competitors, Government and The Society, and Couple.

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I. Employer-Employee

Bullying Case

Case Background

James is a project management at TL Consulting Limited. James is a very

principled guy – he has high standards and sticks to them, he is always ready to defend

someone who has been unfairly maligned and believes in fairness and equity in the

workplace. However, sometimes this philosophy gets him in to trouble.

A couple of months ago, James believed his manager was ‘bullying’ another staff

member called Ruth who is 20 years old. James came to her aid, helped her to seek

assistance from the union and informed management of this bullying situation. It seems

that management was aware that this manager had in the past bullied her staff but had

chosen to take no action. Although most employees were pleased that James had

become involved in Ruth’s situation, some were not. These staff preferred not to ‘rock

the boat’ and tried to avoid involvement in any potentially confrontational situations.

Some members of management were also unhappy with James’ involvement in what

they viewed was a ‘staff issue’. They saw James as a troublemaker and believed that in

the past James had been overtly critical of management decisions.

This management dissatisfaction with James’ involvement in the ‘Ruth issue’ led

to many emails being sent back and forth between management and James. Of course,

James wanted everyone in the company to know what management was up to and

always provided a copy of the emails to all employees. This further upset management,

but things eventually settled down and work carried on as usual.

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 However, last week James heard about another ‘bullying’ incident between the

same manager and another young new employee. He confronted management about it

and they told him to mind his own business. James decided to write to the local

newspaper outlining the situation. The letter James sent to the local newspaper was

published last Thursday. When management became aware of the letter, James was

told that this was a serious misconduct matter. Management want to have a meeting

with James to discuss the letter. James has agreed to such a meeting provided that the

actions of the manager who bullies staff and the actions of management in allowing this

to happen are also on the agenda.

Source: Dr Linda Liddicoat Trish Keeper

Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology Victoria University of Wellington

Email: lliddicoat@nmit.ac.nz Email: Trish.Keeper@vuw.ac.nz

Questions:
1. Define the issues that provoked the bigger problem for the two stakeholders.

2. What unethical actions did the Management and James commit in handling this

issue and what are its implications?

3. Given James’ determination and the management’s initial action, What are your

recommendations to solve this case with the goal to reinstate public and your

employees trust.

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Case Discussion

Employee:

James is just one brave lad trying to represent the employees. The issue that he

addressed is that the management for the longest time has been tolerating bullying in

the work environment and he has to do something about it. Does James need to be the

defender of the employee bullied? No. Based on the mixed reactions of the employees

to what James did, there are two natural reactional instinct a. Get involved b. Not get

involved. In James case, he goes with option A. He felt the need to be the one

instigating the issue, since he knew that the management has been familiar with a

similar case, he simply has lost the trust that since the management let it slip before,

and they will do it again. James’ urge to act was due to his lost in trust to the

management’s resolving skills in this type of issue. However, to assess James’ further

action in submitting an article to the paper is a question of professionalism. He did bite

the hands that feed him.

The Management:

Before James sensationalizes this issue, no proper addressing of the case was

established by the management. The employee's action shows that they have no trust

in the management’s skill to handle this type of issue correctly. Obviously, this type of

issue is not the management’s priority. The management handled the case as

something tolerable. The management relied on the reactive type of problem solving

skill. The management’s assumption that another similar issue will just die off like the

first two has lead to a more severe and scandalous protest from their employee. A much

bigger problem that they need to look unto. The management failed to establish trust to

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their employees that they give importance to them and they are cooperative in terms of

making their employees general work welfare. Could it be that they took sides? Could it

be that the management simply agree with the manager in his way of disciplining

employees or could it be that they just see it as petty and small that should not be

meddled with by another rank and file staff. These three theories are possible but one

thing is for sure. Their solution of neglecting the issue and having it to pass brought

them to a bigger problem.

In problem no.2, James denied the management in having a proper process of

resolving the issue. James’ way of handling the issue may affect his work standing.

Although he may have a reasonable stand with regard to the situation, he could have

allowed the management to resolve the issue better. By his actions he risked his work

standing. And in the future, because of his action this may result to insubordination

case, or black list from other companies that he may be interested in growing with.

James’ action fired up employees perspective that their rights are being neglected and

may soon result to more vocal and fearsome employees. The Management failed to

implement the multi stream management style. They disregarded that employees in

general is an essential part of a prolific and sustainable business. With the result of their

reactive solution, they have risked their image and the credibility of their business.

Moreover, their actions may result to a questionable management style. Their

employees may have the courage to be more resilient to their way of handling issues

like these.

In problem no. 3. The management has allowed this case to go out of hand. The

key to solving the case is to have these goals: The management must realize that there

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are 4 stakeholders in solving the issue, James and the employees, the involved

Manager, the Community who has read the scandal, the Press where the article was

released. Given James’ action, is it obvious, he has no other intention but to point out

what the management has failed to address; Employee welfare. The management

cannot be defensive on this issue. They need to solve the issue to establish a long term

trust. What they need to is a change of light in addressing the issue. First conduct an

investigation involving the involved Manager and the victims. They may have to

coordinate with the Labor departments and the press to be able to show the society that

they are sincere in addressing the issue. Admit their faults and show the stakeholders

that are willing to take the issue with justice. The Management may invest in internal

programs that despise bullying; they may take their managers to counseling therapies

that dissipates such actions. They may invest in a more engaging employee relations

programs. Moreover, James can be their employee ambassador and by building their

trust and giving trust to James, they can assure the stakeholders that they care for their

welfare. At the same time, James being an influencer can have their trust and turn

around the situation by being one of the management to resolve such issues.

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II. Staff with Colleagues

Two of your colleagues fighting

Case Background

About a year ago, Rajit Kumar noticed that there was a problem brewing with two

of his peers. It wasn’t - overt no yelling or banging tables — but Rajit saw that they often

avoided each other and started to sit apart in meetings. The tension was affecting his

team’s work so he wanted to get to the bottom of it. “I knew both of them reasonably

well and I knew they were sensible, mature professionals,” he says, so ”I tried to

understand the issue first.” He invited one of them out for a drink and learned through

casual conversation that the problems didn’t stem from one incident but a mix of things:

“There was a great deal of misunderstanding that snowballed and led to mistrust and

dislike towards each other,” he explains.

Over the next several months, Rajit talked to both parties about what had

happened. “I had at least three or four discussions with each of them to understand the

real nature of conflict,” he says. These conversations gave him the confidence to agree

when the two people asked him to serve as a formal mediator. “We had a good

discussion but I didn’t focus on the conflict or their personalities or behaviors,” he says.

“I focused on our common goal of being an effective team.” He also suggested that the

three of them continue to meet casually so they could work on building trust. It took

time but eventually the two repaired their relationship, allowing the whole team to work

well together again.

Source: https://hbr.org/2014/07/when-two-of-your-coworkers-are-fighting .

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Questions:

1. How does a colleague fight affect a team's performance? Is it more ethical to

meddle or not, given that you have the same position as they?

2. How would you avoid instances like this and help team performance.

3. Is it more appropriate to escalate the issue to the management and let them

resolve the issue?

Case Discussion

On question no.1, a colleague fight is definitely not helpful to a team’s

performance. However, if the fight goes out of hand it is inevitable that the team

performance will be affected. This may cause awkwardness and tension. Thus,

unhealthy work environment may result to unproductiveness, not cooperating and worse

team failure. If an employee thinks for himself, he would have an initiative to try

resolving the problem in an unprofessional but casual manner. An employee can save

himself a team failure by helping resolve a colleague fight. Regardless of the position

that he has, he has to take action that will resolve a team problem. He has two options

on how to address the problem 1. Escalate to the Management. 2. Try to resolve the

problem on his own term. Possible consequence is for Option 1., The colleagues

involved might take his action negatively and think that he should not have meddled as

a big deal. Escalating the issue might taint his colleagues’ images to the management,

while on the other hand option 2 might give a lighter and effective resolution. The

concerned employee will give a, “a concerned friend” approach rather than a overly

concerned employee. This would not raise a question of meddling rather gives a

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ventilation approach for both colleagues that needs an outlet of venting out their anger.

Like what the mediating employee did, he gives an answer of a concerned colleague

rather than a question of which is ethical or not.

On question no.2, A colleague fight sometime is inevitable. It gives a team to

know each other more and adapt to the individual characteristics. However, if you are a

colleague, a more professional way is not to take side. For males, pride sometimes

works more than to be an understanding and professional colleague. A more

professional way to handle a conflicting ambiance between two colleague is to allow

them to breathe their negativity before it blow up. This is not an employee's’

responsibility; to be a mediator but he has the option to safeguard his team’s work

because he too can be affected.

On question no.3, Professionally speaking the right way to resolve the problem is

to let the manager know about the issue and let him resolve. However, It is also fine that

the employee had his way and mediate on the issue. This have prevented his

colleagues leading to a more scandalous and violent fight. Also this saves face to your

colleagues. This saves them the humiliation of immaturity. Just a recommendation, the

mediating employee must gauge the issue if he can resolve it amongst his colleagues

and if not, he can ask for his manager's help. The key is to have a non biased empathy.

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Integrity and Professional Behaviour

Case Background
A junior member of staff has just returned to work after taking special leave to

care for her elderly mother. For financial reasons she needs to work full-time. She has

been having difficulties with her mother’s home care arrangements, causing her to miss

a number of team meetings (which usually take place at the beginning of each day) and

to leave work early. She is very competent in her work but her absences are putting

pressure on her and her overworked colleagues. You are her manager, and you are

aware that the flow of work through the practice is coming under pressure. One of her

male colleagues is beginning to make comments such as “a woman’s place is in the

home”, and is undermining her at every opportunity, putting her under even greater

stress.

Question:
How should you proceed so as not to discredit yourself, your profession or the

practice for which you work and at the same time

maintaining integrity and confidentiality in your actions?

Case Discussion
The situation before the manager present the conflict between professional

duties of completing the task efficiently on time and having empathetic attitude towards

the genuine personal problems of the team member. The junior staff member should be

told to give her best efforts towards the assigned work responsibilities. The meetings

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should be scheduled at an appropriate hour so that all the team members can attend it.

She should be asked to take some work home with her. If possible, and make up for the

lost office hours during her spare time at home. She should also be counselled to

relieve her stress and get her motivated to sail through the tough times. The manager

should also let her know that since she is being given some relaxations it is her

responsibility to prove it before other team members that she is performing her tasks

well so that the integrity of manager will not be compromised. As far as the male

colleague is concerned he should be made aware that such behavior towards fellow

women employees will not be tolerated and if such incidences are repeated then strict

disciplinary actions would be taken against him.

Moreover, since her problems are legitimate and there is no question on her

capability and commitment towards work, and her problems are temporary as it’s just a

matter of time, management should be flexible in accommodating her. As far as missing

team meeting is concerned, they can be shifted in noon or at other such time which is

convenient to every member of the team. If this is not feasible, one of her colleagues

can fill her in about the proceeds of the meeting or she can be temporarily replaced with

someone from other dept. Also, she must be counselled regarding her situation and

should be told that these concessions are temporary and she should complete job

assigned to her within prescribed time limit and any laxity will be reflected in her

quarterly evaluation Also, her colleagues must be taken into confidence about her

problems so that any future indignation and voices of impartiality is addressed and it

should be ensured that the current arrangement is to everybody’s satisfaction. The

colleague who has been making indecent demands should be made aware of her

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predicament and be reprimanded for his sexist remarks and should be given formal

warning to mend his ways or face disciplinary committee.

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Annie and her VP’s attention

Case Background

Annie has been recently hired full time at a major tech company where she

interned for two summers during her college career. Annie loves her job and has

established many strong relationships with her co-workers over the time she has

worked there. The company encourages the interns and new hires to interact with VPs

and upper management in order to create an open and friendly atmosphere.

During her time as an intern, Annie began to notice that one of the VPs paid her

extra attention. When he was around he would always make an extra effort to stop by

Annie’s cubicle and chat: something he did not do with any of the other interns. He

reached out to her over social networking sites and even invited her to a gathering at his

house. Some of her co-workers began to make offhand comments to Annie about the

extra attention.

Now that she was in a full time position, Annie began to dread that she would

soon have to work with this VP directly. While he has not done or said anything explicitly

inappropriate, the extra attention and the fact that her co-workers noticed it, made her

very uncomfortable and undermined her concentration on work. When she was hired,

she was told that she should always speak to her manager if she was uncomfortable or

had issues with the work environment. While at the same time, she is afraid to come

across like a tattletale since the VP hasn’t explicitly done anything wrong.

What course of action should Annie take?

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Case Discussion

While the VP is not explicitly wrong, his behaviour is leading to deterioration of

working environment. To create a vibrant work culture, organisational values are

transferred through socialisation process. But, if undue attention is given to someone it

will create a perception of unfairness in others. It can also lead to the individual trying to

take advantage of the VP for her personal interests. However, offhand comments by co-

workers is also wrong, as it is not aimed at solving the problem, rather is a manifestation

of their insecurities. Since her personal relations with the VP are good, Annie must first

convey him about her apprehensions. She should show the situation from her

perspective and ask him whether his actions would indeed cause trouble to her or not.

They can continue their personal interactions outside the organisation but not during the

work. Next, if her colleagues pass any comment or give wrong cues, she should explain

them that she does not get any unfair advantage from the VP, and their relation outside

the office is of no concern to them. She should also warn them of complaining to the

manager. If the behaviour of colleagues still continues, or the VP's behaviour annoys

her, she should go to her manager and explain him the situation. She should stress at

resolving the issue amicably so that there is no problem in the future and working

environment also remains good.

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III. Company – Supplier

Sutherland Concessionaire and their Meat Supplier

Case Background

Sutherland is a newly accredited concessionaire of a BPO Company. They have

acquired suppliers amongst their state to be able to accommodate their clients need.

One of their protocols is pay their supplier every after 24 hours of order. This is after

one of their employees tried to steal the money by keeping the supply fund for him

instead of paying their suppliers. They learned their lesson and they became strict on

this rule. However, to be able to save on the cost of their raw ingredients they choose

supplier based on their price list and disregarded their legal status. They have been

doing a transaction to a trusted meat supplier and due to their established relationship

the meat supplier has allowed them to have a credit orders whenever they are short in

funds. The time comes, the concessionaire is required to submit a tax declaration.

Therefore the owner started gathering receipts from their suppliers and realized that

their meat supplier has not issued a single receipt to them. The owner asked for the

receipts of their transactions with the meat supplier but the meat supplier has

smothered the owner and admitted that they are not a registered company and they

have no receipts to issue and insisted that most of the businesses does it. The owner,

after receiving an unfriendly treatment from the meat supplier and with a heavy heart,

decided that he will not pay their remaining balance unless the meat supplier issues an

official receipt of all their previous transaction that is required for their tax declaration.

Source: Sutherland Concessionaire and a Meat Supplier

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Questions:

1. Is the owner’s decision to not pay the meat supplier is justifiable given that the

meat supplier’s business is not legal?

2. Between the two? Who is more reasonable?

3. What are your recommendations to resolve this issue?

Case Discussion:

Both stakeholders initially have established trust amongst each other. The

concessionaire has trusted the meat supplier because they offer the lower price and

failed to consider their legal responsibility. The owner has focused on cost cutting and

disregarded the legal implication that he will have to face later on. This is negligence on

the owner part and resulted to risking ruining his relationship to a loyal and trusted

supplier. On the other side, the owner can still have other legal suppliers that can offer a

fair price. The owner's decision is fair, because first, they are not aware that their

supplier is being unfair by not paying their taxes. The owner’s tax declaration is

compromised because the meat supplier failed to give them receipts which in turn will

give them penalties on the tax department. The Meat Supplier is trying to cheat their

business by not registering their business and not declare tax income. They fail to

inform the business that they are not registered in the first place thus, having the

consequence that the customer cannot pay them in return. The business that they are

doing is based on trust and is a high risk. Since they are doing illegal transactions, it is

expected that they will have this scenario at some point.

Meanwhile, the concessionaire disregarded their monetary responsibility to the

meat supplier unless the meat supplier issues them receipt. The Meat supplier trusted

16
the concessionaire and granted the concessionaire a credit limit out of trust and with the

confidence that their relationship is enough for them to pay each other’s due. Moreover,

legally speaking, the concessionaire owner can report the meat supplier to the authority

of their illegal transactions and gives them the power to demand for a receipt. The

owner has the right to demand for a receipt from the meat supplier and if they pay their

debts instantly, what guarantee can they have that they will receive the legal receipt that

they need for their tax declaration. For this case, the owner is making the debt payment

as their guarantee for a receipt.

On the other hand, to resolve the issue, the concessionaire owner must not bind

himself to the kindness of the meat supplier during their down times Because the meat

supplier does not have a receipt that they need for tax declaration. If he pays the credit

without the receipt, what would he do to the required tax declaration by the

government? The owner must wait until the meat supplier legalizes their business

before he pays the dues. The meat supplier must legalize their business to avoid this

type of incident and to be able to collect their dues.

17
IV. Competitors

Singapore airlines

Case Background

After operating as Malaysian Airways and then as Malaysia-Singapore Airlines,

SIA was officially launched in 1972. Today SIA’s network reaches out to 93 destinations

in 42 countries, serving Asia, Europe, North America, the Middle East, the South West

Pacific and Africa. Its regional airline subsidiary SilkAir serves 21 destinations in 8

countries. SIA has also created a number of strategic alliances with other major world

airlines to serve other markets jointly.Remarkably for the airline industry SIA owns all its

aircraft, unlike many other airlines who lease a substantial part of their fleet. It also has

one of the youngest fleets of any major airline, with an average age of just over five

years. SIA’s key strength lies in the location of Singapore as an important crossroad of

the world. Singapore is a relatively small country which has been one of the economic

success stories of the last 25 years. As with other South-East Asian economies

Singapore’s success lies in the strong trading links that the country has developed in

the global economy. As a former British colony which gained independence in 1965, it

had to market its services globally to be successful.In its early days the airline was

much smaller than its rivals. This was a major internal weakness. SIA, as the national

airline, was faced with an intensely competitive global market in which the big players

like British Airways operated on many routes with large fleets of aircraft. Until recently

many countries have restricted access to air routes and airports in order to protect their

national airlines against foreign competition.Today all this is changing, as, along with

many other areas of international trade, there is strong pressure to open up markets

18
and allow greater competition. However, in the early years SIA had to work very hard to

secure the right of access to many important countries and airports. It took many years

of struggle to achieve landing rights at Heathrow, followed by Manchester. Most recently

SIA is seeking access to transatlantic routes from the UK.SIA is committed to the notion

of 'open skies', i.e. open access of routes to airlines with the consumer deciding with

whom he or she wants to fly. It continues to be a bone of contention for SIA that while

Singapore has opened its own airport to other airlines, SIA is still restricted from access

to other routes, e.g. transatlantic.The main opportunity facing SIA was the rapid growth

in air transport for both passenger and cargo. Today the globe is a much smaller place,

people can move rapidly from one continent to another in a matter of hours and more

people have the disposable income to afford this. However, there are threats to an

airline like SIA from the major national carriers of much larger countries, and restrictive

regulation of air routes

Product innovation and service excellence form the pillars of SIA’s operational

philosophy. SIA strives to continually 'raise the bar', by setting new product and service

quality standards for the aviation industry. In the 1940s in-flight refreshments comprised

a thermos flask of iced water; this was later extended to sandwiches and cold drinks;

today customers expect a lot more. There is a great opportunity for airlines to offer

added value for their passengers. This is achieved through a host of additional extras

that make up the customer service package.

As the industry is so competitive, standards are continually improving. SIA has

been at the forefront of developing new initiatives over the years including In the 1970s:

first to offer free headsets, a choice of meals and free drinks in economy class, in 1991:

19
first with satellite-based in-flight telephone, In 1995: the introduction of Kris World, a

state-of-the-art in-flight entertainment and communications system across all three

classes (First Class, Raffles Class and Economy Class).

Initial training for SIA cabin crew lasts for three months. It is designed to support

staff in learning to anticipate and meet the needs of all passengers, e.g. during the

course trainees are encouraged to visit old people’s homes and to work with children

while they are undergoing training. Other aspects of training include grooming and

make-up, plus detailed Health and Safety Training.

The main emphasis is on top quality customer service and attention to detail.

Language training is important and staff will be able to speak a number of international

languages including English. Training encourages team spirit and staff understands that

they are ambassadors for Singapore. For many visitors SIA staff will be their first

glimpse of Singapore, so it is vital to create a positive impression. By continually

pushing up the level of service SIA is creating a standard which others find difficult to

follow. SIA’s policy is that all promotion should come from within the company, so there

is plenty of scope for staff development. Scholarships exist within the company to send

cabin crew to University (as long as they come back!). SIA has its own management

development centre which employs top quality trainers (including professors from

Harvard University). Most recently SIA has developed some product innovations which

gives it further competitive advantage.

Investment in leading-edge technology has seen SIA achieve an industry

leadership position in the field of in-flight entertainment. With KrisWorld, customers have

access to 22 video channels, 12 audio channels, 10 popular video games, real-time

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news, information on popular SIA destinations and a personal in-seat telephone.

WISEMEN is a major enhancement of KrisWorld being the first in-flight entertainment

system to offer both video and audio on demand. SIA customers were the first to

experience in-flight surround sound offered by Dolby Headphones. The revolutionary

technology brings high quality cinema-style surround sound to in-flight film viewing in all

three classes.

SIA has taken in-flight dining to new heights with the formation of its International

Culinary Panel (ICP) and the introduction of World Gourmet Cuisine. Comprising eight

world-renowned chefs – including the UK’s Gordon Ramsay - the ICP has created

world-class menus for all SIA flights, including signature dishes exclusively for SIA.

Other members are Georges Blanc of France, David Burke and Nancy Oakes of the

USA, Dietmar Sawyere of Australia, Yoshihiro Murata of Japan, Satish Arora of India

and Yeung Koon Yat of Hong Kong.

Customers on SIA can enjoy an extensive selection of wines and champagne

from the world’s major wine-producing regions. SIA has also created unbeatable

packages in each Class (students can view the interiors of SIA planes by following a

virtual tour on the Singapore Airlines website).

First Class passengers are able to enjoy individual compartments (Sky Suites) on

747 flights, providing a private space including sleeper beds. Cabins are fitted out in

leather and burr wood to provide a luxury feel. All amenities and linen have been

redesigned, mostly by Givenchy. To top it off, each individual compartment has a 14-

inch personal video screen, specially produced for SIA, by Sharp of Japan.

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 Raffles Class passengers have new seats designed by the Swiss firm Ludeke

Design, giving a generous recline and the longest business class seat pitch among

major airlines offering three classes. The cabin colour scheme is blue and rose cloud

with alternating seat fabrics to impart a touch of style and elegance.

SIA’s leadership in Economy Class is underlined by KrisWorld – the most

sophisticated range of video and audio entertainment. Seats have been updated to

provide more room and comfort. Passengers are able to enjoy World Gourmet Cuisine

and even champagne.SIA provides an excellent example of continuous improvement in

the face of extensive global competition. Staying ahead of the field means that a

company can never afford to stand still. This case study has shown how SIA is always

seeking to improve the service it provides to customers and how it is constantly striving

to improve customer service.SIA has been able to successfully differentiate its product

by continually providing the benefits to meet the needs of the modern air traveller

whether a child, a young person, a tourist, a business traveller, a film star or a Prime

Minister.

By steadily improving the quality of products by using the world’s best designers

and chefs, SIA is able to create the synergistic benefits that stem from working with the

best employees in the world. While passengers are invariably delighted with SIA, they

can be sure that SIA is working to make their next flight even better.

Source: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/singapore-airlines/developing-a-competitive-edge/
introduction.html

Questions:

1. What strategy did Singapore Airlines use to expand their competitive edge?

2. How Singapore Airline does treated competition to uplift their name?

22
 3. What does competition brings amongst competitors, in SIA’s case, what does it

bring out to them?

Case Discussion:

The Strategy that SIA used to stand amongst the competition is Customer

focused. They used the customer needs to be able to create product developments that

is most beneficial to the customer. SIA was able to address the customer needs

positively. They were the one to have the FIRSTS in the airline industry. Sometimes,

establishing trust amongst competition does not come from a negative light. SIA proved

it. SIA proved that the competition amongst the airline industry is not just about bad

mouthing but by setting an example.

Meanwhile, Singapore Airline treated the competition positively; they chose to

implement a strategy that builds trust amongst the customer and fellow airline

competitors. SIA in general set the standards through their firsts. While other industries

try to outstand their competition through comparison and bad mouthing, SIA did

another.

Finally, there are different types of competition acceptance. It will either bring out

a fierce and violent bashings or either brings out the best out of each brand and set a

new standard. In this case, SIA develops their competitive edge in a trustworthy and

customer oriented approach.

23
V. Government-Society

China’s Social Credit Score

Case Background

As CNBC recently reported, China is on its way to developing a “social credit

score” that would be applied to every one of its citizens. Several pilot programs have

already been implemented, and a single nation-wide program is scheduled to begin in

2020:

Part financial credibility indicator and part compliance mechanism, the social

credit system aims to generate a score for individuals and institutions in China based on

data like tax filings and driving demerits. And while consumers may reap rewards, the

score also functions as a signal mechanism for authorities about whom or what

deserves to be penalized.

Eight private companies have been approved to test social credit score systems

—including a subsidiary of Alibaba. They compile information from various sources in

order to assign citizens a score. Alibaba’s Sesame Credit uses what it describes as a

"complex algorithm" to do that; in a statement to the BBC, the company however

rejected “persistent rumours that the organization monitors users' social media activity

when assessing their social credit.” (Many companies outside of China have

incorporated the use of social media data in decision about extending credit. More

recently, however, the usefulness of such data in credit determinations has been

questioned.)

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 The CNBC article describes both current benefits arising from the implementation

of the Chinese social credit score systems (such as waivers of security deposits for

various rentals) and potential future drawbacks related to privacy and social control. Its

author adds that in spite of the ongoing debate concerning data privacy, netizens in

China appear to have taken the system's kinks in stride. A scan of Chinese social media

site Weibo reflected that the most popular discussions about Sesame Credit involved

people brainstorming how scores could be used to improve a shared bicycle scheme.

Last October, however, a Washington Post article about the social credit rating

quoted a Chinese novelist calling it “like Big Brother”; the article went on to explain that

the writer’s criticism of the government won him millions of followers on Weibo, China’s

equivalent of Twitter, until the censors swung into action. He fears the new social credit

plan could bring more problems for those who dare to speak out. “My social-media

account has been canceled many times, so the government can say I am a dishonest

person,” he said. “Then I can’t go abroad and can’t take the train.”

In response to the Washington Post piece, an op-ed in the Chinese

newspaper The Global Times argued that the social credit system “won’t be Orwellian”;

it pointed out that the system is still a work in progress, and that lessons are being

learned from the pilot projects: for example, that people’s political opinions should not

be included in the scoring. “The range of the system must be meticulously restricted,”

the article said, “and it should only stay effective in people's economic life and part of

their social life where laws and principles are clearly defined and widely recognized.”

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 However, the Chinese government’s Planning Outline for the Construction of a

Social Credit System, issued in 2014 and comprehensive it its scope, includes the

following provision:

Establish online credit black list systems, list enterprises and individuals

engaging in online swindles, rumour mongering, infringement of other persons’ lawful

rights and interests and other grave acts of breaking trust online onto black lists, adopt

measures against subjects listed on black lists including limitation of online conduct and

barring sectoral access, and report them to corresponding departments for publication

and exposure.

The Planning Outline and other related documents speak of the need to establish

“a sincerity culture” and argue that the social credit score system would be “an effective

method to strengthen social sincerity, stimulate mutual trust in society, and reducing

social contradictions…”

Source: Markkula Center for Applied Ethics

Questions

1. Would such a social credit scoring system be ethical? Why, or why not?

2. How might such a system impact the common good? How might it impact

individual rights?

3. What impact might it have on citizens’ virtue?

4. Could China’s system be made more ethical by the establishment of certain

clarifications and limits, as the Global Times article sugge

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Case Discussion 

After reading and analyzing the case, it made clear to me that Social Credit

Scoring in China is ethical. Eventually, these scores will be used to determine eligibility

for everything from employment and credit to various social benefits. In practice, private

company tests of the system are already using similar scores on dating sites, and

acknowledging that even legal activities like playing too many video games all day or

buying socially unacceptable products could incur penalties. Among individuals, sharing

scores may help give strangers confidence to do business, or even go on a date.

Moreover, there is a might beyond this score, through sharing score, people in

China can draw back most incidents of callous, dishonest and immoral behavior, such

as pedestrians refusing to help seniors who have fallen down, because they fear being

sued by elderly extortionists, and motorists who accidentally strike pedestrians

intentionally hitting them again to ensure they're dead, otherwise, the motorist would

have to pay lifelong compensation for injuries like what I’ve watched some recent news

and videos in YouTube.

However, one that comes to my mind is that there is inadequate transparency

around which inputs determine a credit score, which could mean that users are being

judged based on factors they did not consent to sharing for this specific purpose.

China’s social score system can be made more ethical by the establishment of certain

clarifications and limits. To me the biggest concern is about to whom the data-collecting

companies share citizens’ personal information with third parties.

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How the US Governmentt saved GMC

Case Background

President Barack Obama says the U.S. auto industry has helped spur a

resurgence in American manufacturing — and he says his decision to rescue Detroit's

automakers helped the industry "get back in the game." After the government exited the

final part of the $85 billion auto bailout when it shed its final11.4 percent stake in auto

lender Ally Financial Inc. — to herald the auto industry turnaround.He will take a victory

lap to highlight what was one of his toughest decisions made in the early months of his

presidency when he visits Ford Motor Co.'s Michigan Assembly plant in

Wayne."Theauto industry has led a resurgence of manufacturing in America. The quality

of the cars has gotten so much better that we are competitive — not just in SUVs —but

up and down the line. The branding of American cars is back to where it should be.

Michigan's unemployment rate has fallen faster than the overall unemployment rate,"

Obama said in a 15-minute Detroit News. The

auto industry — including manufacturers, dealers and suppliers — have added more

than 400,000 jobs since the industry hit bottom in June 2009 and auto sales in 2014 hit

16.5 million — their highest level since 2006.In the interview, Obama disclosed details

of his decision to rescue Chrysler LLC in. March 2009 over the objections of some

advisers. He said the decision that saved thousands of jobs was due in large part to the

workers at the company.Previously published reports have disclosed the administration

was divided about whether to save Chrysler as part of a tie-up with Italian automaker

Fiat SpA. But Obama has never discussed the debate in significant detail. Obama said

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despite concerns from advisers, he was convinced by Fiat's plan and American

workers."The Fiat proposal was plausible enough and the game plan they had for

rebuilding Chrysler was sound enough and the workers in those Chrysler plants were

hungry enough and dedicated enough that it was worth taking a bet on them and I'm

glad we did," Obama said. Many economic advisers thought it would never work: hand

control of Chrysler to Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne — two companies with significant

differences in culture and products. Obama "made all the right decisions, stood behind

us and I think he deserves credit for it," former auto czar Steve Rattner said in a 2011

Detroit News interview. Obama noted Chrysler was the "sickest" of the Detroit Three in

early 2009 and said while his advisers had all recommended a restructuring of General

Motors Corp. was viable, some suggested that by letting Chrysler die, a remaining "Big

Two" automakers — GM and Ford Motor Co. — would have been healthier. "Part of it

just had to do with the numbers and the weakness of the company at that time," Obama

said referring to Chrysler. The administration gave Fiat control of Chrysler as part of the

restructuring in 2009 and Fiat acquired the remainder of Chrysler last year. Today,

Chrysler is part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV. It has added back thousands of jobs.

In December, Chrysler said sales were up 20 percent and 2014 sales were up 16

percent — among the strongest in the industry. Chrysler has had 57 consecutive

months of year-over-year U.S. sales gains."The question was not, 'Do we intervene?'

The question was, 'Do we intervene in away that actually spurs the sort of restructuring

that gives American automakers the chance to get back in the game,' " Obama said.

Obama’s administration was worried that if the auto industry collapsed "right at a time

when we're teetering on the brink of a Depression — that we might not be able to

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control the fallout." Romney said.Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, who will

join Obama on Air Force One for the trip to Michigan, said it "was absolutely critical" to

Michigan that Obama supported the auto industry. "It would have been catastrophic to

the state of Michigan," Peters told The News. "The government needed to be the lender

of last resort and it turned out to be a huge success”. Obama noted the government

recovered all but $9.3 billion of the auto bailout, but said his administration had

recovered $70 billion — more than tthe $57 billion his administration invested. Obama's

tally didn't include the initial $25 billion the Bush administration gave automakers and

their suppliers in the final weeks of George W. Bush's administration.

Questions:

1. What drives the US government to invest in the AUTO industry?

2. What are the risks that the USD Government took with this investment and how

does the result became a win-win for the govt and society?

3. What are the risks that the USD Government took with this investment and how

does the result became a win-win for the govt and society?

Case Discussion:

On the statement above, there are two factors that the head of the state

considered in investing in the Auto Industry. First point is that faith in people that despite

the recession, industries will be able to bounce back. Second, Out of FEAR that if the

auto industry collapse the fallout result may be harder to handle. Trust and Fear worked

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for the government and the society and even acquired an interest, despite numerous

cynics of the government's decision. Faith in people prevails.

Moreover, an investment to a collapsing industry is a very tough decision to

make. Especially for a state that needs to manage a recession and endless criticisms. I

am sure, it wasn't easy for the head of the state to take this risk. One, what if it doesn’t

work? Then the history will forever brand the administration who risked losing $85 billion

dollar fund for a dead industry. On the other hand, a bigger risk is at stake; thousands of

workers to lose their jobs and the collapse of the industry will lead to depression.

However, since the govt took the risk they gained a winwin result. For the govt to gain

public trust, they gained capital interest, and they were able to avoid the great

depression. On the society, the govt trust gave them the capability to save their jobs

and trust that their govt can be trusted in times of depression. This may be the highlight

of Obama’s administration.

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Vi. Conflicts and Question of Trustworthiness among Couple

Cheating
Case Background
A husband contacted ICS because of his suspicions regarding his wife and a

child she gave up for adoption when he was a baby 26 years ago. That child had

become an officer in the military, married and stationed in the USA. The two had been

recently reunited, and their actions together had given rise to suspicion that their

relationship was more than a mother and son relationship. It was believed by the

husband that they were having a romantic affair.

Surveillance was conducted over a three-day period. On the first two days they

were observed going to restaurants together and going to various parks, just talking and

not making any physical contact. The wife was observed staying the night at the same

hotel as the son but there was no concrete evidence that they were having anything

other than a normal mother and son relationship.

On the third day they were seen at a restaurant in the late evening, enjoying

dinner and drinks. When they exited the restaurant it appeared that they shared a kiss

at the top of the stairs. They held hands as they walked to their vehicle. When they

arrived at the passenger side of the rental car, they proceeded to hug and kiss each

other. They remained outside the vehicle and continued to hug and passionately kiss

each other until they entered the vehicle. The vehicle made a stop at a local

convenience store and then proceeded back to the hotel.

Source:https://www.icsworld.com/Private_Investigation_Case_Studies/

Cheating_Wife_and_Son_Infidelity_Case_Study.aspx

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Questions:

1. What ethical issue is discussed with the case above?

2. What could be done to resolve the issue?

3. Do you think the husband’s way of knowing the truth is ethical, given that it

encompasses his wife’s and the latter’s privacy?

Case Discussion:

If the allegations were true, then there are two theories on this case. First, the

wife is committing adultery and that is morally wrong. Another thing is, if it's really her

son, then if their affair is proven, it is incest. Either way, the wife having an affair to

another man is a question of adultery and legally and morally not right. The husbands

move in finding evidence to his suspicion is NOt unethical because this will give him the

peace of mind with regards to his wife’s affairs.

Moreover, the husband has no courage to confront the wife himself that is why

he had to hire a team to prove of his theory. There is nothing wrong with it. Knowing the

truth is the best answer although we have different ways to get it. The action that the

husband did is an appropriate way to be able to determine what actions he must do next

with regard to her wife.

To end with, hiring a private investigator has been a legal and effective way for

the society to caught cheating spouses. If the investigation will result to proving that the

wife is really committing adultery and or incest. This is a prolific action for the husband.

However, yes it will violate the privacy of the wife. It is a selfish move for the husband to

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know the truth through an investigation but since these actions will incorporate

emotional pain he has to do it or not know it at all.

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Save my marriage
 
Background

Akbar and Sajda came to me for counselling.  Their first comment was, “please

help us save our marriage”. We think we have come to a road block. Both of us want to

stay together but the arguments are becoming unbearable.  Both Akbar and Sajda are

professional and between the two make over quarter of a million dollars per year. Both

are financially independent and pitch in on a percentage basis in the home expenses.

They maintain their own bank account as they felt there was no need for a joint account.

I was surprised and totally taken aback when in one of the sessions they told me, “We

talked about this before we got married and felt that this way it is a clean break in case

we decide to break up and divorce”.

After the sixth session when it seem that they are coming on board in resolving

their issues  I asked if they were ready to start tackling the main issues, they agreed but

would not stop bringing the small petty issues back in the discussion. I realized that

there is something else that they are keeping from me. I decided to talk to them

individually instead of as a couple.

My next session was with the wife and she once again talked about the issues

that we had discussed before.  She went on and on with all the life problems and how

she has struggled to reach this status. She has seen tough time growing up and had to

support herself and siblings. Her father had anger issues and was not supportive of their

mother or children.  That resulted her being very protective of what is hers and did not

trust anyone including her husband Akbar.

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 When it was husband’s turn one issue that came out was that it started with a

dream that she had about her husband having an affair with another woman. When she

told him about the dream, he (according to him) jokingly said that he was and he is

seriously thinking about a second wife and that he is seeing someone. That flared Sajda

so much that they have not talked to each other with a straight face for months now.

The husband assured me that he loves his wife and that was only a joke.

I also found out that despite the fact that they were only married for two and half

years their marital relations were not healthy. According to her she allows him to have

the marital relation but she is frigid and shows no response or emotions to his approach

or during the course. Her mind wonders about all the negativity and bad things that

have happened in the past and presently between them.

He on the other hand was a passive person, especially when it came to

defending his wife. His family members would take a jab at his wife, or pass negative

remarks towards her and he always would ignore saying they are just joking.  That time

and time again would bring back horrible memories to Sajda of her childhood the

treatment of her father toward her mother.  This has been the case well before the

dream, but came out in the open after the dream. She wants to have children from him.

Source: Khalid Iqbal – Founder Rahmaa Institute

QUESTIONS

1. Conclude about the marriage issue of Akbar and Sajda.

2. How can they resolve their marital issues?

3. Can their marriage survive without loving marital relationship between them?

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 4. How can they bring sparkle in their marriage?

 Case Discussion
As we always say, trust is the foundation of love. Winning love needs a concrete

foundation of trust that will make the relationship of husband and wife more fruitful and

meaningful. As I’ve learned from my mom and dad that putting trust to a relationship

can bring respect to each other. From them I’ve learned also that good marriage life

requires high level of integrity to thrive. In marriage, when a violation of trust, large or

small, occurs, it’s important to examine the conditions that contributed to the situation

and to engage in a healing process that will restore trust and goodwill to the

relationship; this then will be a great venue for reconciliation. Akbar and Sajda must

examine their imperfections that hinder them to make their relationship more active.

They must accept the both negative experiences of the past and use it as their strength

in the present.

On the other hand, marital relation should not be limited only to romance but

extended to also to friendship, so that if in case that they feel coldness to their

relationship as husband and wife, they can refrain from being friends and wind back

again their marriage.

To end up, they must respect the reasons why they are not happy to continue,

but they must not forget to refrain from what they’ve started, a couple, a lovers and the

persons who vowed to trust each other and love each other till eternity. They must win

back their relationship by accepting the floss of their lives, giving respect and putting

spice on their relationship. There are many ways on how to put spice on the

relationship, there are many programs and deals that talks about spice in the

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relationship and enrolling to that can make their relationship even more exciting. Finally,

they must not forget that trust is the most important thing that makes pursuing any

relationship worthwhile. Without trust, a healthy marriage or relationship cannot exist.

G.R.P.H.

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