Applied Business Ethics for Moral Dilemma Arose - Free Solution

Question: Describe about the Applied Business Ethics for Moral Dilemma Arose. Answer: Part 1: Description The ethical or moral dilemma arose when I was involved as a Departmental Manager involved in a Fashion Retail Store. The moral dilemma took place during the sales period relating to liquidation of retail stocks through generation of heavy discounts and rebates. The failure in adequately monitoring the activities associated with generation of markdowns created the problem. Large amount of apparel stocks pertaining to men, women and kids categories and also footwear stocks were generated in the retail store for being sold out at a discounted price. The inclusion of stocks in the retail store is accompanied by a Master Sheet that reflected the new discounted price structure for generation of revised price tags for the different merchandise categories. The retail staffs involved in the different departments are required to follow the Master Sheet for generation of revised or discounted prices for the different fashion apparel and footwear merchandises. The above activity of the retail st affs is required to be closely monitored by the departmental supervisors and managers for reducing the chances of discrepancy in the pricing activities. Generation of discounted prices for the retail stocks is analysed to affect the profit margins of the retail store and thus needs to be rightly monitored for meeting the objectives of the sales period. The moral dilemma took place when a group of sales staffs involved with the men and women apparel departments took resort to adulterated means in using the master sheet for generation of discounted prices for bar and stock codes not falling under the discount master list. Further, adulteration was also carried out by the retail staffs in generation of increased discounted prices more than that pronounced in the master discount list. The generation of increased discounts or markdowns than that generated in the master price list potentially affected the profit and revenue margins of the retail store. The retail staffs through the generation of erroneous discounts for the retail stocks gained a way for conducting theft such that higher or premium stocks were marked with discounted prices and thereby billed at reduced prices for helping in their easy removal from the retail store. After the completion of the sales period an effective audit conducted by the higher retail authority situate d in the headquarters contributed in the generation of a report that reflected that our store obtained reduced revenue and profit margins than analysed. Further investigation carried out in a departmental fashion in the retail store by departmental managers and supervisors reflected the generation of erroneous discounts by specific sales staffs. The action conducted by the retail staffs along with the failure of supervisory conduct by team leaders and retail supervisors for the respective departments was potentially questioned. I along with the Store and Area Manager had generated a show cause notice for the retail staffs involved in the activity to which they were shacked from the retail store. Further, strong monitoring standards were generated were required to be followed by the supervisors and retail managers for helping in reducing the emergence of such issues. The decision taken by me as a Departmental Manager is rated as 4 out of 10. The decision failed to generate needed happiness for me in that I felt the absence of prior monitoring and auditing conducts on our part that could have helped in evading the emergence of such issues. Part 2: Analysis The analysis of the ethical or moral dilemma is to be conducted through the incorporation of three normative ethical theories like virtue ethics, deontology and finally consequentalism. Analysis based on Virtue Ethics The theory of virtue ethics essentially concentrates on features that reflect the moral characteristics of individuals. It essentially focuses on different moral traits like courage, honesty, generosity and also compassionate behaviour existent in individuals that contribute in generating ethical behaviour respective to situations or actions. The theory of virtue ethics essentially requires individuals to aptly reflect the above traits in their behaviour and conducts even if the same tends to generate unfavourable consequences(Athanassoulis, 2013). Reflecting on the aspect of virtue ethics it can be effectively analysed that the staffs in the fashion retail store needed to reflect virtual traits like courage and honesty while generating markdowns for the different apparel and fashion merchandises. The generation of the right prices for the different products based on depending on the markdown list provided by the headquarters would have effectively contributed in sustaining the profit and revenue margins of the retail store during the sales period. The aspect of virtue is observed to be experimental in nature such that virtual traits tend to differ from case to case and from individual to individual(Angle Slote, 2013). The individual staffs involved in the manipulative activity associated with generation of erroneous discounted prices for the premium category fashion products based on the dimensions of virtue ethics could have taken a stance wherein the staffs based on their realisation of the virtual norms had assisted their managers and supervisors through informing and thereby in helping them in identifying erroneous price tags and bar codes. Actions conducted by the retail staffs in the likewise fashion stated above would have generated potential consequences for the staffs involved with generation of erroneous discounts for the retail merchandises(Russell, 2013). Working based on the aspect of virtue ethics could have invited increased trouble for the colleagues of the retail staffs in that information generated by staffs driven by the aspects of honesty and courage would have helped the retail managers and supervisors in making stern decisions regarding removal of the staffs from the stores and also the removal of erroneous price tags and bar codes(Frding, 2012). Similarly, in the course of the investigation conducted by the store authorities like area, store and departmental managers the retail staffs involved with such erroneous activities could have gained needed courage for generating true evid ence and information about their wrongdoings to the concerned managers and authorities. The above action undertaken by the retail staffs would also have invited potential consequences for the retail staffs involved with such manipulative activities but could have contributed in restoring the faith or trust of the retail managers on the sales staffs based on reflection of their virtual traits involving courage and honesty(Austin, 2013). Analysis based on Deontology Deontological theories of Normative Ethics essentially reflect on the actions that are being performed and thereby the consequences that would be generated thereof from the performance of such actions. The aspect of Deontological Ethics essentially reflects on acts conducted by individuals that essentially focus on generating increased wellbeing for others in a social community or group. The paradigm of Deontological Ethics is argued in that the actions performed by individuals for promoting wellbeing and development of others can tend to generate both positive and negative consequences(Boje, 2015). The generation of positive consequences tends to further enhance the aspect of performing in a Deontological fashion. On the contrary, the generation of negative consequences based on the actions conducted by individuals triggered by Deontological thinking does not tend to deter the individuals from acting based on deontological thoughts. Working on the aspect of Deontological Ethics also require individuals to conduct fundamental or basic duties associated with honesty that in turn enhance the degree of wellbeing in the greater society(Wheeler, 2013). Reflecting on the case of the retail staffs it can be effectively understood that the supervisors and retail managers like me involved in the sales period are required to operate in a Deontological fashion in generation of monitoring strategies that would help in evaluating and assessing the activities conducted by the retail staffs during the sales period in the retail warehouse pertaining to the generation of wrong pricing. The sales managers and supervisors are thereby required to improve on the monitoring and assessing standards in that the same would contribute in easily identifying erroneous and manipulative pricing tactics of the sales staffs. The generation of increased monitoring standards on the part of supervisors and departmental managers is taken to enhance the wellbeing of the retail store in terms of helping in the generation of right price tags for the merchandises(Herring, 2013). The same would contribute in improving the profit and revenue margins of the retail stor e and thereby in enhancing the wellbeing of the retail store and its staffs in the long run. Again, the generation and employment of monitoring and evaluation standards by the departmental managers and supervisors would also help in effectively identifying the persons involved with conducting the manipulative activities concerning the generation of erroneous price tags. This would help in taking needed actions related to the concerned staffs like their removal from the stores and also generation of further stringent guidelines that would restrict the actions of others staffs while visiting the store warehouses(Burkhardt Nathaniel, 2013). Operating based on deontological aspects also requires the retail staffs to aptly meet some fundamental duties like working in an honest and courageous fashion regarding supporting the store and retail norms regarding generation of markdowns for the retail merchandises. The retail staffs needed to work like whistleblowers for generation of effectiv e information regarding any wrongdoings or manipulations noticed by them for the activities conducted in the retail warehouses. The generation of such information though would tend to invite negative consequences both for the retail staffs and also their colleagues and counterparts while also help in improving on retail productivity as a whole(Johnstone, 2015). Analysis based on Consequentalism The aspect of consequentalism in normative ethics appears to operate in a likewise fashion like deontological ethics. It focuses on generation of certain specific rules that helps in the conducting of effective actions helping in promoting greater wellbeing to the larger society. The aspect of consequentalism however can be effectively discriminated from deontology in that the latter tends to generate increased significance to the performance of potential duties that are ethically correct in nature while the former focuses on the generation of effective rules that in turn would contribute in promoting rightful actions(Morris, 2015). The right categories of rules are determined based on evaluating the pattern of consequences that would follow based on enacting or implementing the rules. Evaluation of positive consequences would contribute in understanding the effectiveness of the rules. It thereby helps in identification and determination of the right kind of rules that would be needf ul for managing the situation and environment(Peterson, 2013). Focusing on the case of the retail staffs the aspect of consequentalism can be rightly used in that the retail managers and supervisors need to focus on the generation of effective rules that would help in governing and synchronising the activities of the retail staffs that would in turn help in the generation of needed retail productivity in terms of profitability and revenues(Calkins, 2014). Thus, effective focus needs to be generated by the retail managers for the generation of rules and conducts that would help in deterring the manipulative actions of the staffs concerning the generation of erroneous discounted price tags for the premium fashion merchandises. The reduction in the level of manipulative activities on the part of the retail staffs would rightly help in both enhancing and sustaining the productivity of the retail store in an effective fashion(Suikkanen, 2014). Part C: Reflection The decision taken by me concerning the removal of the wrongful staffs from the retail store and also the generation of effective rules and standards for monitoring of future actions of the retail and sales staffs relating to the sales periods is observed to fulfil the ethical theory concerning Deontological Ethics. The understanding of the Deontological Theory of ethics further helped in clarifying my stand or the actions generated by me for countering the wrongful acts of the retail staffs. It helped me in also gaining support for the actions conducted by me that though tended to affect the careers of the retail staffs yet it focused on enhancing the productivity of the retail firm and also in generating betterment of the society and the retail environment as a whole. The ethical theory associated with Consequentalism pertaining to Normative Ethics tends to make me unhappy regarding the decision taken by me concerning the wrongful activity conducted by the retail staffs in wrongfully using the master discount price structure in generating erroneous bar and price tags for premium merchandises and thereby in conducting theft. The understanding of the consequentalism theory ideally reflects that the decision regarding the generation of potential rules and conducts need to be conducted prior to the happening of any such wrongful events such that the consequences arising from the same can be easily and effectively avoided. The above understanding thus made me feel unhappy for my conduct relating to which the career and lives of sales staffs involved in such wrongful conducts had been potentially endangered. The existence of such strict guidelines and conducts in a prior occasion would have rightly deterred the conducts of the staffs from getting involv ed in such erroneous and manipulative activities that would vehemently affect the productivity of the retail store. The emergence of the situation reflected in the case of the retail store during the sales period with sales staffs involved in manipulative activities is hoped to become potentially restricted at a future period based on the generation and implementation of stricter guidelines and conducts. However if despite the existence of such stricter guidelines and conducts the sales staffs tend to gain recourse to such ill conducts the same would invite me in taking stricter actions like the same conducted by me in the above case. The emergence of such manipulative and negative conducts on the part of the retail and sales staffs would rightly require me to remove the sales staffs identified for the same from the retail store. The removal of the retail staffs from the store in the latter case is also observed to be rightly supported by the non-compliance to set rules and standards and thereby would have gained further recognition. References Angle, S. Slote, M., 2013. Virtue Ethics and Confucianism. New York : Routledge. Athanassoulis, N., 2013. Virtue Ethics. United States : AC Black. Austin, M., 2013. Virtues in Action: New Essays in Applied Virtue Ethics. United Kingdom : Springer. Boje, D.M., 2015. Organizational Change and Global Standardization: Solutions to Standards and Norms Overwhelming Organizations. New York : Routledge. Burkhardt, M.A. Nathaniel, A., 2013. Ethics and Issues in Contemporary Nursing. United States: Cengage Learning. Calkins, M., 2014. 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