A person who must choose between competing moral imperatives faces an ethical dilemma.

In such a
situation, following the actions required by one obligation would mean violating a different obligation.
For instance, a manager might have a duty to keep an upcoming layoff secret until plans for severance
pay and outplacement for those affected can be outlined. Yet at the same time, that manager might
feel an obligation to let staff members know they will soon be out of a job, so they can get a head start
finding another one.
Making a choice in the face of two compelling alternatives requires a principle by which to distinguish
between them. Several ideas from political philosophy can guide managers in resolving an ethical
dilemma:

Utilitarianism: A utilitarian approach seeks to provide the most good or do

the least harm. In the example above, a manager might ask if the employees will be
better off receiving advance word about the layoffs while facing uncertainty about
what benefits they may receive. In other words, the manager would gauge how much
harm will waiting to inform the staff cause compared to the benefit of minimizing anxiety
among employees.
Justice: Another way to consider an ethical dilemma is by considering the
principle that all people should be treated equally. If the manager informs his staff, is that
fair to the other employees whose managers did not reveal the information early? Does
that manager also have an obligation to those other employees?
Common good: Finally, resolving an ethical dilemma might mean
considering whether one choice is more in keeping with the long-term welfare of all
affected parties. In this example, assume the manager, some of his employees, and their
peers will not be part of the layoff. Will the manager's ability to be effective in the future
be made better or worse by taking one action rather than the other? It it better for those
who will remain to withhold the information or to disclose it? Moreover, is one option less
consistent with the organization's values? If that option were chosen, would it undermine
employees' belief in the company or the company's credibility as it related to its espoused
ethics?
By adopting a principle-based method of weighing the advantages and disadvantages of both
alternatives in an ethical dilemma, managers can face two competing values and reach a decision.

Source: Boundless. Ethical Conflicts. Boundless Management. Boundless, 21 Jul. 2015. Retrieved 01
Feb. 2016 from https://www.boundless.com/management/textbooks/boundless-managementtextbook/ethics-in-business-13/ethical-responsibilities-of-management-99/ethical-conflicts-465-8374/

Utilitarianism: A utilitarian approach seeks to provide the most good or do

the least harm. In the example above, a manager might ask if the employees will
be better off receiving advance word about the layoffs while facing uncertainty
about what benefits they may receive. In other words, the manager would gauge

how much harm will waiting to inform the staff cause compared to the benefit of
minimizing anxiety among employees.

Justice: Another way to consider an ethical dilemma is by considering the

principle that all people should be treated equally. If the manager informs his
staff, is that fair to the other employees whose managers did not reveal the
information early? Does that manager also have an obligation to those other
employees?

Common good: Finally, resolving an ethical dilemma might mean

considering whether one choice is more in keeping with the long-term welfare of
all affected parties. In this example, assume the manager, some of his
employees, and their peers will not be part of the layoff. Will the manager's
ability to be effective in the future be made better or worse by taking one action
rather than the other? It it better for those who will remain to withhold the
information or to disclose it? Moreover, is one option less consistent with the
organization's values? If that option were chosen, would it undermine employees'
belief in the company or the company's credibility as it related to its espoused
ethics?
By adopting a principle-based method of weighing the advantages and
disadvantages of both alternatives in an ethical dilemma, managers can face two
competing values and reach a decision.

Health and Safety

One area of ethical consideration for employers is how to balance expense
control with the health and safety interests of employees. Manufacturing plants
and other workplaces where employees use dangerous equipment or engage in
physically demanding work should have strong safety standards that not only
meet federal requirements, but that also make eliminating accidents a priority.
Even standard office workplaces pose health risks to employees who are asked to
sit or stand all day. Unfortunately, certain organizations opt to cut corners on
safety controls, equipment and training to save money. This is both unethical and
potentially damaging in the long run if major accidents occur.

Accounting Information:
Bribery, kickbacks, facilitation payments
Executive compensation: concerns excessive payments made to corporate CEO's
Forex scams: criminal manipulation of the financial markets

Misleading financial analysis

Human Resource Management:
Fairness of the employment contract and the balance of power between employer and
employee
Privacy of the employer
Privacy of the employee
Representation of employees
Employee discrimination

Sales & Marketing

Black markets and grey markets
Immoral or harmful content of advertisements
Marketing strategies such as greenwash, viral marketing, spam (electronic), and planned
obsolescence
Anti-competitive practices such as manipulation of loyalty and supply chains
Price fixing, price discrimination, price skimming

Production:
Ethical problems arising out of new technologies
Ethical relations between the company and the environment
Defective, addictive and dangerous products and services
Animal rights and animal testing, use of economically disadvantaged groups (such as
students) as test objects

List of some businesses ethical issues

Child labor and low-labor costs

It has long been commonplace for firms to move production and low-skill jobs from their
home countries, to other which offer lower production costs, in foreign countries. Including

lower labor issues, these practices sometimes result in unfavorable publicity and may even
expose fundamental issues associated with potential human right violations. Child labor is one
of the most denunciated practices nowadays. One in every eight children in the world is still
subjected to the worst forms of child labor, which endangers the child's physical, mental or
moral well-being. The exploitation of children through child labor occurs in more than twothirds of all countries in the world.

Discriminations

The United Nations 1948 Declaration of Human Rights promoted the concept that All human
beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Unfortunately, in the workforce, people
are often victim of discrimination.

The discriminations made by companies toward their employees are considered to be

unethical in corporate behaviors. The term discrimination describes a large number of
wrongful acts in employment, housing, education, medical care and other important areas of
public life. Discrimination in employment generally arises from the decisions employers make
about hiring, promotion, pay, fringe benefits, and the other term and conditions of
employment that directly affect the economic interest of employees.

Discrimination at work could be sex discrimination. The Sex discrimination Act 1975 makes
it unlawful for an individual to be discriminated against in the workplace in relation to
selection for a job, training, promotions, work practices, dismissal or any other disadvantage
such as sexual harassment.

Discrimination is divided into two main categories, direct and indirect discrimination. Direct
discrimination occurs where a person is treated differently on the grounds of their gender.
Indirect discrimination is where an employer applies a requirement or policy, which though

on the face of it has nothing to do with gender, in practice tends to affect one sex rather than
another.

Bribery and corruption

Bribery is the deliberate attempt to persuade someone (usually in a position of power and
authority) to act usually in favor of the briber by offering money or gifts or material gain.
Bribery has been the root of corruption in many countries and is considered an unethical
behavior for companies. Bribery occurs when property or personal advantage is offered, without
the authority of law.

Overtime work

Often, companies ask their employees to do overtime, to avoid new employments and often
people are unpaid for these hours.

Around 15% of the employees declared that they worked overtime.

In some cases, overtime is an indirect way for companies to threaten their employees. Most of
the time employees show enthusiasm and hold on to their positions within the company.
Furthermore, sometimes the work is exciting and people voluntarily work over and above their
regular hours without asking for remuneration.

Employers use the tolerant employee attitude towards overtime work to their advantage and do
not offer payment.

Environment

One of the most modern debates concerning the business ethics is the show of respect for the
environment by the companies. Indeed, companies are often accused to be unethical by the non-

respect of the environment. Companies should respect the environment, either in a legal or moral
sense.

Although products produced in an environmentally unfriendly way may appear at first to be

cheaper, the cost to the purchaser is not the final cost. Damage to the environment is paid for by
increases in ill health, and irreversible loss of biodiversity.

Health and safety regulations

Companies do not always health and safety regulations. There are those who employ people in
bad and/or illegal conditions, especially in factories, for example the utilization of toxins and
using un-safe machinery.

This is usually to achieve and a high turnover of produce therefore a higher profit.

Animal testing

Animals are routinely used to test the safety of consumer products before their products are
launched on the market.

Indeed, this knowledge can be used in the medical field for the benefit of humans, like diseases.

Is this scientific knowledge worth the price of such unethical behavior