Ethical Analysis And Decision Making Process – Case Study

Step I. Understand the Situation

Step 1: Understanding the situation

A: Enlistment and number of relevant facts associated

1. Harry is a diligent employee working under the organization named FABIO, a major graphics providing Software Company located in Australia, as a system security analyst.
2. Harry is extremely talented and a dedicated employee with all the security information required for the benefit of the company, inclusive of all the methodologies and updates.
3. Addressing the major security issues, Harry decided and eventually developed self-programmed software, potential enough to provide higher level of security for the systems involved with specific relevant features, ahead of fellow competitors.
4. Believing in his expertise, Harry decided to go ahead for entrepreneurship, purchasing all the required hardware and software necessary for his star-up enterprise.
5. Harry decided to approach Jill, the manger to him and head of the IT security department in FABIO to offer the software at a discounted price, considering it as the first client.
6. Jill on the proposition rejected the software being judgmental about it and stating it to be dangerous for the company and informed she would not purchase such a commodity even it was free.
7. Unable to pursue his dream, Harry decided to become a web consultant to all the prospective users, pseudonymously blogging solution as Safe-T utilizing the name Lock Smith.
8. Soon enough, the manager Jill, discovers about this pseudonymous blogging and easily derives that to be Harry, as the program became a trend-setter in the market.
9. Realizing the immense popularity Harry achieved for the software, Jill at once decided to sack him and informs her manager Brockley.
10. Brockley, the manger and executive head of the IT department, did not enquire about the situation and directly agreed to the termination.
11. Amidst these happenings, the fame rose to a level that eventually, Iris Bigg , the owner of the company FABIO, decided and ordered Brockley to enquire about Lock Smith and immediately heir him for their company.
12. Brockley, now has to offer Harry his job again.

B: Which of these raise an ethical issue 

Table: 1

Notation: the pointers stated above indicate all the former and the present issues. Number 4 is nt a major issue alongside of 5, 7, as employees like Harry excels overcoming challenges. Addressing 8,9- it is a past action and is already taken, so the major issue revolves around number 10, the factual present dilemma of offering Harry his position back.

C: The stake holders involved in the analysis

Based on the narrative the major stake-holders list below would help us determine for whom it will be beneficial

• FABIO Inc.
• Competitors to FABIO
• Stakeholders at FABIO Inc.
• Internal prospective Security users
• Harry
• Jill, Head of IT Security department at FABIO
• Brockley, Executive Head of IT department at FABIO

Should and Would  Brockley decide to offer Harry a position back to this company, for the general profit of the organization?

Using the theory of Consequentialism:

1. If action in Step II is done, who will be harmed?

Certainly, this would harm Jill and Brockley, who failed to realize the importance and benefits of Harry’s developed software. 

1. If action in Step II is NOT done, who will be harmed?

FABIO will be at great loss then, as it will fail to compete in the market. 

1. Which alternative results in the least harm?

Option A provides the least harm possible in such a situation. 

1. If action in Step II is done, who will benefit?

The entire organization and the employee alongside the shareholders would benefit from the action in Step II. 

1. If action in Step II is NOT done, who will benefit?

In such a case, the benefits are personalized focused on Brockley and Jill. 

1. Which alternative results in the maximum benefit?

In all certain ways, the alternative stated in option D is beneficial. 

Comments on Consequentialism (Options at A. and D.):

Following the chosen options, lesser number of people that is Jill and Brockley would be harmed even might get terminated from the organization (Carlson, E., 2013). While eventually the organization would get benefited if Harry is approached for a position back in the company, as his solution would provide better system security and market position for FABIO.

Rights and Duties:

1. Enlistment of relevant breached rights and neglected duties are done in following part of the section.
2. Organizations possess the right to enquire or know about any additional interests of any of its employee. Harry had the ethical sense to inform his senior management about his advanced thinking, as a part of his duties.
3. The management system has the right to know about any innovative ideas emerging from an employee. Eventually, should support it. Harry had the duty to inform his management about a better solution that could be beneficial for the company.
4. Harry had the right to know about the official and valid ground for the rejection forwarded by the management. It was the duty on Jill’s part to properly analyze the solution from Harry before disapproving it.
5. Harry possessed the right to express his views to his seniors while, Brockley had the responsibility to enquire about the situation before supporting the judgment of Jill.
6. Following the rejection it was Harry’s right to launch the software on a platform that offered full support to benefit the graphic security users. While, the duty of Jill was to take up the news relative to the sensational buzz the launch created.

Rights and Duties Comments:

From the pointer mentioned above it will be correct to state that the right and the duties involving employee as Harry, Jill, Brockley and the organization is at an argumentative point, which needs to be resolved and judged ethically and with transparency.

Utilization of Kant’s Categorical Imperative:

1. If action in Step II is done, who will be treated with disrespect?

Jill, the head if IT and Brockley, the executive head. 

1. If action in Step II is NOT done, who will be treated with disrespect?

Iris Bigg, the owner of the company would be disrespected as eventually he will come in terms with the fact how the employee, Harry initiated his Start-Up. 

1. Which alternative is preferable?

Option I is preferable in all means. 

1. If action in Step II is done, who will be treated unlike others?

Harry, system security analyst will be treated unlikely.

1. If action in Step II is NOT done, who will be treated unlike others?

No one. 

1. Which alternative is preferable?

Option presented in pointer K is preferable. 

1. Are there benefits if everyone did action in Step II?

Yes, it will be a definite benefit for the organization FABIO and the market involved. 

1. Are there benefits if nobody did action in Step II?

Yes, in this way, Harry will fulfill his dream of being an entrepreneur. 

1. Which alternative is preferable?

Addressing this query both are potential but since, Harry wanted to sell his program initially so option N is preferable. 

On analysis of the pointers stated, it would be constructive to deduce who eventually would benefit in the end, the organization FABIO and society or Harry and the prospective users.

In the both the stated alternatives, the societu anyhow would benefit, so it is of prior importance to decide between Harry and the organization who would and should be benefited (Sherman 2014).

However, in the process of decision making it is important to consider the other employees who are involved in the case, Brockley and Jill. They will get adversely affected if Harry is offered a position back in the organization, while if not, Bigg will lose the trust in Brockley. With the entry of Harry back in the organization, both Jill and Brockley would have to face the consequences of neglecting their duties.

Harry should be offered his position back in the organization, as he has established his stature based on his expertise, which would as a result benefit the society, Harry and the organization FABIO (refer to part IV.B).

IV: B. List the steps needed to implement your defensible ethical decision

1. Brockley should first explain the situation to the owner, Bigg and offer the rectification needed on his end by proposing Harry his position.
2. Brockley should arrange a meeting with Harry and explain to convince him in this situation. They together should plan ahead for the betterment of Harry and the Organization FABIO.
3. Brockley should advice Jill to apologize to Harry and convince him to return to FABIO.
4. Brockley, being the executive head should offer help to Harry if in any way, he feels dissatisfied in FABIO.
5. Brockley, should promise to give up on unethical biased decision as earlier.

Another notation to add would be to inform Iris Bigg about the entire situation, about all the ill- treatments Harry was subjected to. Eventually, Harry should be offered a greater compensation.

References list

Carlson, E., 2013. Consequentialism reconsidered (Vol. 20). Springer Science & Business Media.

Sherman, N., 2014. The place of emotions in Kantian morality. In Kant on Emotion and Value (pp. 11-32). Palgrave Macmillan UK. 

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