For my DEJ Post #7 I decided to do a my reaction of reflection on the reading listed in our readings for Module #4, “Ethical Role of the Manager” authored by Sandra Waddock.

text-to-self: Reading about the ethical challenges faced by managers in their obligation to their duties to shareholders as well as their responsibility to employees, customers, and stake holders reminds me of times when I have been in very difficult situations at work and I am so thankful to not be my manager. Such as one time when I was working at Cyprus Hall a restaurant in my hometown of New Bern North Carolina. When a patron got to drunk in the upstairs seating of the restaurant and was running to get to the bathroom to vomit but only made it down three steps before emptying his guts all over a table that had just been served their food right below the staircase. Truly one of the worst days I had worked.

text-to-text: This article connects with what I have been reading Kohlberg’s moral development. It discusses how managers move from preconventional to conventional, highlighting the importance of moving beyond basic self interest and ignore social norms, but rather focus on ethical based leadership principles.

text-to-world: The concepts in this article are clearly visible all around the world in global business scandals, like the unethical practices of some companies such as Enron and Volkswagen. Our ethical frameworks of rights, justice, and utilitarianism are crucial for analyzing corporate behavior and seeing the ethics at play in managerial decision making across the globe.