Domestic And Global Business Environments: Ethical Dilemmas

Business Ethics
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Introduction
From the basic definition and understanding of it, ethics entail a set of values that one is expected to adhere to. They are simply a set of expectations in terms of general human conduct. Ethics are important because they promote harmony and wellbeing in the society. While ethics are supposed to be part and parcel of normal interpersonal relationships, there are times when ethical dilemmas arise. Ethical thinking is in itself a very intricate and complicated process at times. Ethical dilemmas occur in every field. Perhaps the business field is where much of ethical dilemmas usually arise. In such instances of ethical dilemmas, there are some theories that can be applied to handle them effectively.
According to Schwartz (2017), ethical decision making is usually hinged on the ability and capability to choose. Making decisions is a typical part of routines of life. Every move that one makes is usually as a result of a choice made towards that direction. Bottlenecks however, tend to come by, through ethical dilemmas. In most ethical dilemmas, the final choice is usually just more like the line of best fit. There can exist various options or ways to handle certain ethical challenges. The problem however, is that these solutions are not equal. In the case at hand, Hellman is in an interesting bit of ethical dilemma, one that calls for a bit of complex decision making. This is a scenario that will call for the application of Kantian Ethics.
The Dilemma
ALE’s most talented employees, Nunez and Kerry, are on the verge of landing a million-dollar deal from a new client. They are however, overzealous to the extent that Nunez exchanges the company’s confidential information with the client, way before sealing the deal. To make matters even worse, this information is also seen by other noncontracted third parties. Their boss, Hellman, happens to know about the unfolding events. Nunez and Kerry agree to keep mum about the whole thing, saying that after all, the deal was sealed. The whole business turns out well and the two agents come back home with the contract.
Hellman is faced with an ethical dilemma because; while the company, through its two talented staff managed to secure a huge deal, it was done in a rather unethical manner. He, as the boss, was supposed to be pleased that the deal was done and hence more business for the company. On the other hand, he was the same authority supposed to identify and punish any mischief from the staff. In this case, the mischief was in the form of dissemination of business information to third parties who weren’t contracted. The two employees went against the company’s policy by leaking proprietary information to non-clients (Morimoto, 2017).
Nunez and Kerry worked on the principle of ‘the end justifies the means,’ or simply, utilitarianism. This consequentialist form of handling issues can be effective when looked at from one dimension, but not the other. For example, in this case, it has been proven effective since it sealed the deal for the company and the two employees would later get their share of it. On the other hand however, the move to share confidential business in...