ETH 301 Trident University Week 2 CH2 Moving Toward an Ethical Workplace Paper

User Generated

znexra2z

Humanities

ETH 301

Trident University International

ETH

Description

Moving Toward an Ethical Workplace

As you can see from your reading for the case assignment Lockheed Martin has a very interesting history and this history has had an impact on where the company is today with respect to its existing ethics program.

Case Assignment

After reading Chapter 2 of the text, please write a 4-5 page essay that addresses the following:

Lockheed has an interesting history that seemed innocent enough up until around the 1950s. You'll note on p. 56 of Terris’ book that the company began to engage in some questionable sales strategies with other nations in an effort sell the F-104 Starfighter so as to recoup costs when their US sales strategy failed.

  1. Describe some of the unorthodox strategies covered by Terris during this era that made Lockheed become "…a byword for the shady practices of American multi-national corporations, and a major impetus for new legislation...".
  2. On the issue of overseas bribes, Terris asks the questions, "Who was hurt by the [overseas bribes to secure sales of aircraft]? The competitors, of course, but what was unethical about beating out the competition that was playing by the same rules?” (p.59). What do you think about a situation where underhanded and back door deals are the way the game is played if everybody is on the same playing field? That is to say, if everybody is playing by the same shady rules, is it unethical to compete?

    In your reading you will note that defense contractors continued to find themselves in hot water well into the 1970s as a result of overpricing and additional charges of bribery. In the late 70s Lockheed established its first code of ethics and later the major defense contractors came to the table to level the playing field with the Defense Industry Initiative (DII), by agreeing on a set of ethical principles. This was an important turning point as was bringing Norman Augustine on board.
  3. Why was the DII so important to the eventual success of Lockheed Martin’s ethics program?
  4. Discuss Norman Augustine's and Dilbert's contribution in helping Lockheed Martin turn the corner with its ethics program.

Assignment Expectations

Your paper should be 4 to 5 pages, should be double-spaced and in 12-point type size.

Your paper should have a separate cover page and a separate reference page. Make sure you cite your sources.

Use APA style, and proofread your paper.








Ethical Decisions in the Workplace

After reading your background readings, please review the following scenario and address the questions at the end.

Jerry Stevens heads up an excavation crew for the municipal utilities district in a city in Nebraska. A sewer line needs to be replaced and it has been excavated with a back-hoe. The trench is 7 feet deep. The municipality's safety rules indicate that employees should not go into the trench without a trench box. This rule is to prevent employees from being buried if the trench walls collapse. People die every year from trench cave-ins.

The trench box won't arrive on site for another 6 hours and the city promised residents that the sewer would be fixed by the end of the day, which now seems impossible. The City Administrator called Jerry on his cell phone and indicated that it was imperative that the sewer be fixed as soon as conceivably possible because a City Council member is served by that sewer line and will raise a fuss if it’s not fixed by the promised time.

One of the more experienced workers states, "It's only going to take 30 minutes to dig under the pipe and loosen the fittings. We don't need the trench box. We used to do this all the time before we were required to use one of those darn things."

Jerry knows he's right. He used to do it himself before the rule was put in place. Also, the soil is clearly a cohesive soil and it's highly unlikely that it will collapse. And although there is an organizational policy to use a trench box for trenches deeper than 5 feet, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) does not have jurisdiction over municipalities in Nebraska because municipalities are political subdivisions of the State. The only entity regulating safety policies is the City's Safety Director and he took the day off.

  1. In this scenario, to what extent do you think allowing the crew into the trench without a trench box would be pushing (or exceeding) the limit?
  2. Discuss any ethical grey areas in this scenario?
  3. What in your mind is the right thing to do?
  4. What is the value of having an ethics program (and related programs like safety programs) and what are the responsibilities of front-line leaders/supervisors and the workers when they face dilemmas such as the one described?

Please take some time to review the materials and take a position on the issue. Write a 2 to 3 pages assessment of the authors’ claims, and your assessment of what might be done in a place of business to prevent the "moral amnesia" phenomenon from taking a foothold in a place of business.

Your paper should be double-spaced and in 12-point type size.

Your paper should have a separate cover page and a separate reference page. Make sure you cite your sources.

Use APA style, and proofread your paper.

For your Case Assignment, please read pages 49-75 for this module from the following book in the Trident Online Library:

Terris, D. (2013). Ethics at work: Creating virtue at an American corporation. Waltham, MA: Brandeis University Press. Retrieved from the Trident Online Library.

For your SLP assignment, please read the following article.

De Cremer, D., & de Bettignies, H. (2013). Pragmatic business ethics. Business Strategy Review, 24(2), 64-67. Retrieved from Trident Online Library.

Also, please spend some time researching other sources to help you develop your key arguments.

Snell, R. (2013). Teaching rules-based and values-based ethics. Journal of Health Care Compliance, 15(1), 29-32. Retrieved from the Trident Online Library.

Cavico, F. J., & Mujtaba, B. G. (2017). Wells Fargo's fake accounts scandal and its legal and ethical implications for management. S.A.M.Advanced Management Journal, 82(2), 4-19.

The following tutorial provides detailed information that can be applied to the topics of this course. There are a number of videos and lessons on ethics.

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/epcc-introethics-1/chapter/do-you-have-to-be-an-expert-to-practice-ethics/

User generated content is uploaded by users for the purposes of learning and should be used following Studypool's honor code & terms of service.

Explanation & Answer

Attached. Please let me know if you have any questions or need revisions.

Moving Toward an Ethical Workplace Outline
I.

Case Assignment

Thesis Statement: By engaging in shady behaviors like its competitors, Lockheed had acted
unethically, and the ethical program promoted positive influence for key players to establish
ethical principles.
(I)

Introduction

(II)

Description of the Unorthodox Strategies Covered by Terris

(III)

Ethics When Everyone is using the Same Shady Rules

(IV)

Reasons Why the Defense Industry Initiative (DII) is Essential to the Success of the
Ethical Program

(V)

Norman Augustine's and Dilbert's Contribution to Helping Lockheed Martin Turn the
Corner with its Ethics Program

(VI)

Conclusion
II.

Ethical Decision in the Workplace

Thesis Statement: Making an ethical decision in an organization needs to be influenced by
upholding acceptable practices through a clearly defined culture that exceeds legal and policy
requirements.
(i)

Introduction

(ii)

The Extent in Which Allowing the Crew without a Trench Box is exceeding the limit.

(iii)

Ethical Grey Areas in the Scenario

(iv)

Opinion on the Right Thing to Do

(v)

Value of Having an ethics Program and responsible leaders and Workers in case of
Dilemma

(vi)

Conclusion


Running head: MOVING TOWARD AN ETHICAL WORKPLACE
1

Moving Toward an Ethical Workplace
Institution Affiliation
Date

MOVING TOWARD AN ETHICAL WORKPLACE
I.

2

Case Assignment

Shady practices within an industry can raise major concerns on the ethical obligation in its
competition. Before establishing an ethics program, Lockheed Martin Corporation (Lockheed)
engaged in overseas bribes to confront competition (Terris, 2013). The company considered the
middlemen used to influence purchase decisions as willing partners, helping increase sales at a
price. As the company increased in size during WWII, it obtained new project opportunities but
was also more vulnerable. Lockheed did not have a competitive advantage in offering an elegant
jet fighter or an icon of new technology but awkwardly combined the two market features
(Terris, 2013). Once the company made an initiative to act contrary to the conventional practices,
it realized high success. Later the major defense contractors promoted the ethical procedures
establishing key ethical principles to guide operations. The ethical principles in a firm's operation
are not influenced by popularity but the capacity to promote positive outcomes (Fullerton,
Kendrick, & McKinnon, 2013). This essay is a case study analysis of the ethical dimensions
implicating Lockheed operations in the 20th century. By engaging in shady behaviors like its
competitors, Lockheed had acted unethically, and the ethical program promoted positive
influence for key players to establish ethical principles.
Description of the Unorthodox Strategies Covered by Terris
Lockheed utilized unorthodox strategies to increase its products' sales since it had no
unique value to its customers. The main strategies included political favors, secret deals, and
outright bribery (Terris, 2013). The global bribery scandal was the main strategy that implicated
the company. The company salesmen could not persuade the government to make orders for the
F-140 on the ground of merit since competitors had similar value proposition. The unorthodox
sales strategies included the roles of middlemen who would sway the government's decisions at a

MOVING TOWARD AN ETHICAL WORKPLACE

3

price. Secret agents in Netherland and Japan influenced political leaders to sway purchase
decisions in favor of Lockheed but not based on merit (Terris, 2013). While in Indonesia, the
company explored corporate social responsibility opportunities through contributions in
''Widows and Orphan funds'' these efforts were not focused on the community (Terris, 2013).
The company's generous contributions to groups affiliated with the Indonesian Air force and,
hence, bribery. In Italy and Saudi Arabia, the company was in business with key political
supporters of the American president Richard Nixon, and it supported political parties. These
unorthodox strategies were significant in the success of the company in the international market.
For instance, the company sold 2000 Starfighters overseas but only less than 300 to the US Air
force.
While these unorthodox practices were not isolated for Lockheed, its size and extensive
international operations influenced being an icon for global bribery. The company played by the
rules established by other key competitors in the industry characteristics as the primary means
for survival. American multinational corporations engaged in shady strategies in the local and in
the international market operations. Terris (2013) explains that in their opinion, the implicated
senior executives considered the unorthodox practices insignificant compared to the relative
value created. The global salesmanship defined by bribery, secret deals, and political favors
helped the company save many jobs and achieve financial viability. The senior leaders were
willing to transgress the ethical boundaries in sales operations and utilized these three
unorthodox strategies to achieve financial success.

Ethics When Everyone is using the Same Shady Rules

MOVING TOWARD AN ETHICAL WORKPLACE

4

Despite everyone else using the same shady rules of overseas bribes to gain a competitive
advantage, I think it is unethical to compete in that direction. Many stakeholders were hurt by the
practices beyond competitors in the short run and the long run. First, the utilitarian ethical model
proposes that ethical decisions promote the greatest good to the largest number of people (Van
Staveren, 2007). Within this era, there are many stakeholders affected by sales operations.
According to Terris (2013), there was a need for Lockheed to deliver aircraft that would
outperform the enemy aircraft. Engaging in overseas bribes, the company was killing innovation,
harming its key customers' quality of products. Investment in research and development to create
value for the end-users is an important ethical dimension. In the Korean wars, the US pilots had
complained of their skills being better, but the enemy flying better airplanes (Terris, 2013).
Second, the three key elements that should govern a company strategy are the mission,
vision, and core values. The...


Anonymous
I was stuck on this subject and a friend recommended Studypool. I'm so glad I checked it out!

Studypool
4.7
Trustpilot
4.5
Sitejabber
4.4

Similar Content

Related Tags