Argument Synthesis Essay/Business Ethics

Robert Solomon offers eight rules to remember when facing an ethical dilemma in the business world in his essay “Thinking Ethics: The Rules of the Game.” This essay was assigned for reading before our class discussed any of the cases from the readings to follow. Although I can only speak for myself, when deciding how I would react

Many people say they would never lie in a situation like this, but again, that is easier said than done. “The toughest issue for each of us was that of honesty. By not admitting the tragic mistake to the woman or the community, in essence we were lying…..Somehow, we had already made a grave error, would we make it worse or better by lying about it?” The team of doctors and nurses in this situation were lucky in that they had an evening in which they could discuss their dilemma before coming to a decision about what to do about it. Some decisions must me made more quickly, such as in the case of the trapped miners. During the moments in which a decision is being made about an ethical dilemma, the person making the decision gives no thought to a past reading of Solomon’s rules of ethics, or to a discussion in a Business Ethics class from seventeen years ago. They base their decision solely on that moment, that specific situation, and their own moral beliefs.

in a certain situation, I did not consciously consider even one of Solomon’s suggested rules. When it comes down to an important ethical decision in the business world or otherwise, the responsibility is really up to the decider him/herself. No one will care whether or not s/he considered each of Solomon’s rules when deciding not to allow an employee’s partner to come to a work Christmas party. Therefore, rather than wasting time reading suggestions such as these, I feel it is more important for a person to take on the challenge of an ethical dilemma based on his/her values, beliefs and morals with the occasional advice from others involved. There is no amount of preparation that can take place beforehand.

“The manager is, of course, the villain of the story. He sent the miners into a situation which he knew was dangerous. But, he might argue, he did it for the good of the company. He had contracts to fulfill and obligations to the owners for the company to show a profit. He had made a bad decision.” (De George, 392) At the time of his decision, the mine manager thought he was making the best decision he could. It is often said that a person has 20/20 hindsight, and I believe this rings true when dealing with situations such as this. I’m sure if the mine manager could look back on the dilemma at hand, he would have done everything differently.

“The Case of the Collapsed Mine” by Richard De George deals with a business ethical dilemma that in my opinion has the potential to affect not only a business, but a community, families, and even an entire industry. When gas buildup in a mine was reported as a hazard by the director of safety to the mine manager, the mine manager decided that filling coal orders was more important than the safety of his workers and left the mine open. Really no surprise at all, a few days later the gases exploded, killing three workers and trapping eight more. It was then, that the mine manager had to d

Some topics in this essay:
Management Training”, De George, Joseph Badaracco, Green’s Day”, Rules Game”, Reading Curriculum”, Business Ethics, De George’s, Peter Green, Robert Solomon, home manager, mine manager, ethical dilemma, ethics class, solomon’s rules, business world, ethical business, business ethics class, moral beliefs, business ethics, doctors nurses situation, de george,