Ethical Dilemma in the Cases "Get It Done" and "In Your Face"

Business Forum Ethics Assignment
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CASE STUDY 1: Get it done
Dilemma Summary
One dilemma Mark faces is the conflict of interest. The client and his superiors are pressuring him to complete the work quickly which would potentially compromise his quality of work. Mark has a responsibility towards his employer to do due diligence on all their clients before advancing a loan to them. In this case, he understands that the entity seeking the loan from the bank is ‘new’ albeit legally owned by a company with a long and healthy relationship with the bank. The new subsidiary is notably structured to avoid tax and offload some financial responsibility and liability from the parent company. Therefore, if he chooses to do what the client pleases, he will have compromised his responsibility to the employer. On the other hand, if he serves the employer’s interests professionally, he will probably hurt his career in the long run. Upholding his professional standards will sour his relationship with Mr Taylor who holds the key to his future career plans. Mark’s employer will also lose out on a potential deal to make some profit. Therefore, Mark understands that the project could hurt his career prospects in the long run if the deal collapses due to his indecisiveness or not supporting it to completion. Mark can either be professional at his work which might compromise his working relationship with his colleagues and hurt his career prospects or compromise his morals.
Secondly, Mark understands that he will have to cut corners for the deal to go through and that could put him on a collision course with Jeff who is already overwhelmed and will need more time to do his work professionally. This means that if Mark compromises his morals, he will also potentially compromise other people in the bank like Jeff.
Ethical Normative Approaches to the dilemma
Utilitarianism Approach: Utilitarianism is a normative ethical approach that suggests that the morally right action is the one that produces the greatest overall happiness or pleasure for the greatest number of people CITATION Vel15 \l 1033 (Velasquez, Andre, Shanks, & Meyer, 2015). In Mark's case, a utilitarian approach might involve considering the potential consequences of his actions on all stakeholders involved - the client, his employer, himself, and any other parties (Jeff) affected by the project - and choosing the option that maximizes overall well-being. In this case, he would choose to go ahead with the deal as it would potentially benefit his employer, client, colleagues (Mr Taylor) and himself. This may involve cutting some corners but it would serve the greatest good to most of the parties involved in the deal.
Virtue Ethics Approach: Virtue ethics is a normative ethical approach that focuses on the character and intentions of the moral actor rather than the consequences of their actions CITATION Vel15 \l 1033 (Velasquez, Andre, Shanks, & Meyer, 2015). In Mark's case, a virtue ethics approach might involve considering what qualities he wants to embody as a professional consultant, such as honesty, integrity, and responsibility, and choosing the option that best reflects these qualities. Therefore, in this case,...