LECTURE WEEK

5A

Moral Guidelines
for Dealing with
Moral Dillemas
Moral Guidelines for Dealing with Ethical Dilemma

 Aim: present a range of decision-making resources

that can help you evaluate moral responsibilities
when resolving ethical dilemma.(moral alternative when
resolving the problems)
 Clear Cut Ethical Decisions VSEthicalDilemmas
 Application of Moral Guidelines for Ethical

Dilemmas in Business
 Consequences, Compliance and Character as Guiding

Principles
 Practical Guide to Sound Ethical Decision Making

in Business
Moral dilemma is everyone is right
3 Levels of Decision Making
 Individual – own response; a person
decides what he or shewill do
 Organizational – act on behalf of

organization; bring organizational changes

 Businesssystem – solving systemic

problems; regulation or economic reform;

industry-wide
 Ethical Dilemmas and Reasoning
 An ethical dilemma is a problem or issue that confronts
a person, group or organization and that requires a
decision or choice among competing claims and
interests, all of which may be unethical ie give a 'bribe'
(grease money, tea money, “culture”) in country
 Decision choices presented by an ethical dilemma
usual y involve solutions that do not satisfy all
stakeholders eg vaccination for foreign workers in
Malaysia (send them back, no workers in factory, no
money to provide vaccine)
Ethical Dilemmas and Reasoning (cont)
 Steps: identify >> think >> feel through the
issue(Problem, stop, think)
For example: in international contexts, involves
understanding laws and customs, economic level,
social and technological development of the nation/
region involved.
Some MNCs standard of doing business in our
country carry certain biases? Would these biases
harm to those in the local culture? Japanese
company sense of time? (10.01am is late, they
don’t like it).
Ethical Dilemmas and Reasoning
 Major aim of ethical reasoning:
gain a clear focus on problem to facilitate
acting in morally responsible ways.
Ethical dilemmas that involve many
stakeholders require a reasoning process
that clearly states the dilemma objectively,
and then proceeds to articulate(discuss) the
issuesand different solution alternatives.
 Moral Creativity
 Moral creativity / imagination
• Moral creativity relates to the need for and skil of
recognising the complexity of someethical dilemmas
that involve interlocking(think, imagination),
conflicting interests, and relationships from the point
view of the person, group, and/or organisation facing
decision to be made (analyse).
• Creativity is required to gain perspective among the
different stakeholders and their interests to sort out a
evaluate harmful effects among different
 Moral Creativity
 “Defining moment”
An ethical decision typically involves choosing
between two options: one we know to be right and
another we know to be wrong.

A defining moment, however, chal enges usin a

deeper way by asking usto choose between 2 or more
ideals (fire Mr Lim or not who involved in sexual
harassment) in which we deeply believe - such chal
enges rarely have a “correct” response.
 Examples: Ethical Dilemma
 Permitting Organizational Abuse
When an organization chooses to operate in another
country, it sometimes butts up against social culture
(South Africa, only black work in office do not work
in storeroom)in which child labor, demeaning work
environments or excessive hours are required. (Do not
allow problem go on)
It is at this point that the leaders of the company
have a choice...whether to perpetuate (allow) that
abuse or alleviate (reduce) it.
Do business in China must turn a blind eye to corruption
Examples: Ethical Dilemma
(cont)
 Condoning (forgiving)Unethical Actions Suppose

you are at work one day and you

notice that a col eague of yours is using petty
cashfor personal purchases and fail to report it.
Perhaps you know that a new product in
development has safety issues,but you don't
speak out.
In these examples, failing to do right creates a
wrong.
How can 1MDB happened?
 Resolving Ethical Dilemmas: Prof Laura
Nash’s Twelve Questions
 These twelve questions can help individuals: Openly
discussthe responsibilities necessary to solve ethical
problems
Facilitate group discussions Build
cohesiveness and consensus Serve as an
information source
Uncover ethical inconsistencies (open opinion, other
people opinion)
Help a CEOsee how managers think Increase the
nature and range of choices
 Nash’s Twelve Questions
1. (con’t)
Have you defined the problem accurately? identify
problem: contract was won by bribery?
Organisation level: wins the contract but reputation could
be jeopardised and committed a crime because this is
against Corruption Act
On the Individual level, whether one’s conscience can
tolerate actions & consequences. This question helps to
clarify the goals &
consequences of making the decision and the price
one is willing to pay for thatdecision.
 Nash’s Twelve Questions
2. (con’t)
How would you define the problem if you stood on the
other side of the fence?
What if you were the one being affected by the
decision?
3. How did this situation occur in the first place? Someone
told that this is acceptable practice in the industry.
4. Towhom and to what do you give your loyalty as a
person and as a member of the corporation?
Good personal record or company’s reputation
 Nash’s Twelve Questions
(con’t)
6. What is your intention in making this decision?
Toenhance personal image/reputation?
7. How does this intention compare with the
probable results?
Which one is more important? (Immediate resul
or long-term benefits?)
8. Who could your decision or action injure? Your
own reputation?/ Company?/Competitors?
 Nash’s Twelve Questions
9. (con’t)
Can you discuss the problem with the affected
parties before you make your decision?
(Higher level management?)
10. Are you confident that your decision will be as valid
over a long period asit seems now?
(Violation of Moral obligations?)
11. Could you disclose, without qualm, your decision or
action to your boss,your CEO,the board of directors,
your family, and society as a whole?
Feeling of doubt? You cought cheating in exam,
explain yourself in public without embrassing, then
go ahead then copy.
Nash’s Twelve Questions
(con’t)
What is the symbolic potential of your action if
understood? If misunderstood?
 How others will think of you?

12. Under what conditions would you allow

exceptions to your stand?
Your competitors are doing the same

thing./ It is the industry common practice.

3 Decision Criteria for Ethical Reasoning
1) Moral reasoning mustbe logical
 Logical decision making: be able to support our
moral judgement with reasons & evidence, not emotion,
preference, feelings ( f i r e Al i c a u s e
he is ugly)
 Assumptions and premises used to make judgment
should be known/ made explicit (clear).
 For example, choose tobribe:
Youmight assumeyou would not get caught, even assume
it was not a bribe./ if you get caught, you would be willing to
incurrany penalty individual y, include loss your job.
 3 Decision Criteria for
Ethical Reasoning
 2) Factual evidence cited to support a
person’s judgment should be:
 - accurate & true,
 - relevant (relate to the judgement), and
 - complete (inclusive of all significant data)
 Would want to obtain as many facts as you
could and gather information from your
employer.
Eg, he is lazy and ugly, did he steal? The
rest do not care.
 3 Decision Criteria for Ethical Reasoning

3) Ethical standards usedin reasoning should be consistent

in similar set of circumstanceseg sack for giving a bribe:
staff and family? (expel the student because he cheat
except you are Tan Sri’ Son, Steal Rm1, wil be fire)

 When inconsistencies are discovered in a person’s

ethical standards in a decision, one or more of the
standards mustbe modified.
 Youcould not suddenly decide that your action is
unethical and then
back out midway (think carefully before decision).
Asimple but powerful question:
What ismymotivation for choosing a courseof action?
Was it for money? Keep your job or impress your boss?
 Moral Responsibility: When are
you responsible?
•A major aim of ethical reasoning is to gain
a clear focus on problems to facilitate
acting in morally responsible ways.
•1. When you knowingly and freely acted or
caused the act to happen and knew that the
act was morally wrong or hurtful to others eg
cyberbully others, revenge porn, fake news
 Moral Responsibility: When are
you responsible?
•A major aim of ethical reasoning is to gain a
clear focus on problems to facilitate acting in
morally responsible ways.
•2. When you knowingly and freely failed to act
or prevent a harmful act and you knew it would be
morally wrong for a person to refrain from acting
eg let the bullying happen, close a blind eye,
pretend not to know, sweep things under the
carpet
 Moral Responsibility: When are you
NOT responsible?
Two conditions that eliminate a person’s moral
responsibility for causing injury or harm are:
Ignorance (lack of knowledge or information) Can you say
abuse happening in my neighbours I don’t know how to lodge po
report?
Inability (the state of being unable to do something)
 However, persons who intentional y prevent themselvesfrom
knowing that a harmful action will occur are stil responsible.
 Personswho negligently fail to inform themselves about a potentiall
harmful matter may stil be responsible for the resultant action.
Eg, whatever happened in the course I need to responsible
cannot say they are not good student.