SLC 300 (601) Fall 2024 Leading with an Ethical Perspective

The article “Ethical Decision Making by Individuals in Organizations: An Issue-Contingent Model”, there were many things I learned. To start off, three important definitions were given. Moral issues, moral agent, and an ethical decision. I learned about the complexity of ethical decisions and how people overlook the complex part. High moral intensity will be recognized as a moral intensity instead as a low intensity. Moral intensity has times when your actions can affect others. When I was working at the YMCA as a camp counselor, there was a time my co-worker never showed up for work. This affected me greatly because I was stuck with 24 kids by myself, which created stress upon me. Another example is when my co-worker would not pay attention to me and listen to directions as the kids were out of control, and he was egging them on. Those were times when my co-workers’ actions affected me and led to issues that had to then be resolved. While working at NC State football, there were times when us interns had to go and research our recruits that were coming on tours that upcoming weekend. We had to look over their social media accounts and look for any suspicious activity that they have posted as this could affect their scholarship or offer opportunities. If there was any suspicious activity that was posted, we had to contact them immediately to take it down from their account and if that did not happen, they would not come on their visit. It is very important to make good decisions as an individual when you are working with someone, or in a team environment.  

https://moodle-courses2425.wolfware.ncsu.edu/pluginfile.php/654253/mod_resource/content/1/Ethical_DM_Individuals_Organizations.pdf

In the article “Ethics Awareness”, I learned how acting ethically is always the right thing to do, but it’s not always easy. When discussing unethical behaviors, that could get people into big trouble as it can lead to criminal charges, lawsuits, wasted time, fraud, and so much more. It is important to make ethical decisions to avoid those unethical behaviors from happening. There were six listed core ethical values that were listed on the article which were trustworthiness, responsibility, respect, fairness, caring, and citizenship. I have experienced these core values many times throughout my life as I have had jobs where these have been required. While working as an intern at NCSU football, I used respect. I always wanted to treat others with respect and was considerate of their options they listed or listened to ideas they had. I treated my other interns with respect as I would want them to treat me with respect. Caring was also used as we had to care for one another during difficult situations that occurred. We would always be there for each other and would be there for each other if anyone needed help. Making ethical choices in a workplace can be difficult but there are seven steps that can better you as a person, and allow you to make good decisions. Stop to think is one of the most important steps to me, as that is the start of the process. Allowing yourself to stop and think about all possible outcomes and options can create lots of opportunities for you to come ahead. Along the way there will be consequences. It is important to think about those who will be affected, and what you might need to do to take ease off of people this is affecting. 

https://blink.ucsd.edu/finance/accountability/ethics-awareness.html

Daniel Lubetzky expanded upon the idea of transparency and authenticity. I found this to be extremely helpful when thinking about how a leader should be transparent when dealing with their stakeholders. I loved what Daniel said about authenticity in that people prefer honesty with some limitations instead of a fake flawlessness that no one can believe. What I have realized over the last few years is that humans mainly have the same struggles and even if they don’t, someone out there does. I am so confident that within a workplace environment there is two people who are sharing with the same struggles, whether personally at home or professionally with a shared project. This is why it is so important for leaders to be authentic, because id they are not, that person will not seek the help they need because they think everyone else is doing perfectly. But in reality, this is never the case in life. Transparency about a leader’s struggles with work is important so that his employees feel that they can approach him or her with their own problems. no one wants advice from perfect people, just broken people who have overcome or are currently going through a certain issue. In this article, outside of the workplace, truth in marketing is extremely important as you want your consumers to have the same respect for your image as those in the company.

I found it interesting to look into how different men were described when it comes to their classifications. First, the theoretical man wants to know what is true and what is the intellectual thing to do. The economic man wants what is useful to him and his company. Aesthetic man wants what looks good in form and harmony. Social man values his love of people and seeks what is best for others in his life. The political man yearns for power, and the religious man seeks for unity through the values given by his guiding truth. When reading about these different descriptions, I could not help but think about which one I seem to have things in common with and which one I seem to think would be better than others. Through my conversations in my leader interviews, I found that the love of people is extremely important when leading a group of people. The social man would be best for this, and I seem to resonate with him the most. As a leader, I think my guiding north star would be seeking the betterment of those who are stakeholders within the organization I lead. Finally, I think the intellectual man can also be effective. I do not resonate with this one as much, but I do see how it can be good. I think that seeking the truth is important, and implementing things that expound and establish those truths are important for our society.

For DEJ post #10 I decided to do my journal entry on the chapter in the readings section of module #5 called “Transparency And Authenticity, The Value of Open Communication” by Daniel Lubetzky.

Text to self: This chapter heavily related to multiple assignments we had to work on this week in module #5, as the whole week was dedicated to this very Transparency and Authenticity theme. As all of ethics is based on transparency and authenticity of data, actions, words, trust, and open communication. Companies who lack these key characteristics find themselves falling behind other companies naturally such as the landscaping company I used to work for which was family owned and run. The failure of transparency between the family members who ran the business was the eventual dagger that sunk the companies reputation and trust within the management which correlated to public trust as a company as a whole.

Text to text: This chapter reminds me of a historical documentary I watched called Chernobyl (HIGHLY RECOMMEND) as it goes over the lack of transparency of the Soviet Union and the lack of public trust that followed the Nuclear disaster caused by the concealment of the truth. In module #5 alone we have looked at a multitude of disasters and failures of companies all caused by concealment of information and the lack of transparency. Without open communications it creates an environment of false safety and untrust within employee’s, offical’s, management, and customers and has been the tragic downfall of hundreds of thousands companies along the short human history we have.

Text to world: This text relates to many things in the world as not only companies that lack transparency fail so do people that lack transparency. Holding truths or just not letting them be common open communitive knowledge is the back bone of losing trust and reputation for companies and people as individuals. Yet their is a person or company today that received information that would raise an ethical concern in a person, product, or service that would cost money to the company and or people accountable that was probably just covered up to save their own butt’s. It is simply human nature to choose the easier less safe, less sensible path in instances such as this but it is our job to try and change this trend together.

The Equifax hack and subsequent data breach is a wild case study that proposes many ethical dilemmas. It proves how important it is for companies to ensure that the information they collect is protected and safe. I believe that Equifax was ethically responsible for ensuring the utmost security for personal data. They failed to protect this sensitive data, and the fallout was catastrophic. Other companies should use the Equifax breach as a blueprint for what not to do when it comes to protecting data but Equifax did do something right after the breach. This is valuable information for other companies to learn from. Equifax pretty much honestly admitted that they dropped the ball and let millions of people down. The CEO Richard Smith immediately personally apologized which is rare. He was vulnerable, and his vulnerability resonated with the public.  The Money Coach University article did a great job of explaining how the way Equifax handled the situation impacted the company and the public response. It was also an advocate for us as internet users and consumers to take responsibility for our data. While companies should be making every effort to stay ahead of cyber threats we must remain vigilant and proactive in protecting our data. There are so many ways for us to protect our own data but it is sad and alarming that we must do so. It is still inevitable that bad people will try to take advantage of vulnerable people and vulnerable information. I think that the Equifax hack and subsequent data breach is horrifying, but that other companies should learn from Equifax’s mistakes and that we as internet users should also recognize how important protecting our data is. 

The USA Today “LuLaRoe was little more than a scam, a Washington State lawsuit claims” article was of specific interest to me. I was very familiar with LuLaRoe and had previously watched the LuLaRich Amazon documentary and Refinery29’s “Inside LulaRoe: Why Women Left The MLM” documentary on YouTube. Understanding all that went into the fall of LuLaRoe is a wild ride that is even more complex from an ethical perspective. The Amazon documentary is very insightful, but the Refinery29 documentary gives a more raw first-hand account of the situation. Roberta Blevins, a former LuLaRoe saleswoman, is featured in both documentaries. She has gone on to use social media to continue to share her story and experience in LuLaRoe while also warning people that multi-level marketing companies are not always what they seem. She is transparent about her experiences and has been a voice for other victims of LuLaRoe. 

Being reminded of the LuLaRoe case and the documentaries I had watched inspired me to continue my research about multi-level marketing companies in the mini-analysis. The structures of multi-level marketing companies are complex. When you try to understand all of the active ethical dilemmas you see that unethical business practices are carried throughout all levels of multi-level marketing companies. There is an extremely fine line between legal multi-level marketing businesses and illegal pyramid schemes. LuLaRoe was one of the once-legal multi-level marketing companies that failed to stay on the right side of the fine line and ultimately paid the price. Multi-level marketing companies are dangerous and predatory, and the complexity of the ethical dilemmas makes navigating them even harder. 

https://robertablevins.com/about

The integration of personal values into business strategy brings to light several ethical concerns, as outlined in the article “Steps to Understanding.” Managers, often unaware of how their own values influence strategic decisions, may unintentionally let these biases shape their decisions, impacting both the business and its stakeholders. By examining ethical issues related to implicit bias, transparency, and interpersonal understanding, we can see how self-awareness and open communication are critical in maintaining ethical standards in corporate strategy development.

One major ethical issue presented in the article is the role of implicit bias in decision-making. The text suggests that managers frequently make decisions influenced by personal values without realizing the extent of this influence. This creates a risk of unconscious bias, where strategic choices may be skewed by the manager’s individual beliefs rather than objective analysis. For example, when faced with “hard economic choices,” a manager who is unaware of the impact of personal values may unintentionally prioritize individual preferences over the broader good of the organization or its stakeholders. This bias may lead to outcomes that do not objectively serve the company’s needs, potentially compromising the fairness and effectiveness of corporate decisions. Ethical decision-making, therefore, requires that managers recognize their values and scrutinize how these values align with their roles and responsibilities in a business context.

Another ethical concern is the need for transparency and objectivity in corporate strategy formation. According to the article, when managers are self-aware, they are better equipped to separate personal values from factual information, allowing for a more transparent approach to decision-making. However, the article also highlights the challenge many face in acknowledging personal biases. Managers who insist on their complete objectivity while ignoring their values risk creating decisions that are covertly subjective. Such unacknowledged biases can lead to decisions that are ethically questionable, as they may favor certain outcomes or perspectives over others without due consideration. Ethical integrity in leadership, then, depends on a willingness to recognize and openly consider the role of personal values in strategy formulation. This awareness allows managers to examine how their assumptions align with the organization’s mission, promoting fairer and more balanced decision-making processes.

Lastly, the article touches on the importance of interpersonal understanding within management teams, emphasizing how ethical strategy development relies on recognizing and respecting the diverse values held by others. The article suggests that misunderstandings can arise when managers make assumptions about their colleagues’ values, potentially exaggerating differences and viewing them as problematic. When managers fail to communicate openly about their values and goals, conflicts may arise that undermine team cohesion and ethical decision-making. For instance, if one manager assumes a colleague prioritizes profit above all else based on limited interaction, this perception can create unnecessary friction or lead to ethically insensitive strategic decisions. The article proposes that ethical harmony in corporate strategy depends on transparent discussions about values among team members, fostering an environment where differences are understood and respected. In such a setting, alternative perspectives can be integrated into the decision-making process, leading to more ethically sound and inclusive strategies.

In conclusion, the article presents compelling ethical considerations surrounding the role of personal values in business strategy development. It calls for greater self-awareness, transparency, and open communication among managers to prevent the unconscious impact of personal values on business decisions. Recognizing the influence of individual values can help mitigate ethical risks and lead to more balanced and fair strategies, ultimately benefiting both the organization and its stakeholders. This focus on ethical awareness is essential in creating a business culture that respects diverse values and encourages ethical, objective decision-making.

For this DEJ Post #9 I decided to do my post on the hot topic headline article we had for module #5 called “Engineering Ethics and The Boeing Scandal” by Robert Prentice.

Text to self: This article really hit me hard as I am currently a Junior studying Computer Engineering at State, the decisions made by the Engineer’s during the Boeing Scandal show the true ethical implications of Engineering. Engineers are trusted with more responsibility than most as they make the final decisions on all things used everyday by people all around the world and are in trusted in this profession to ensure the safety, and ethical implications of any design they work on. This article shows me the invaluable effect of not designing with an impenetrable ethical foundation from the start, as the things I build might have the lives of people depending on them. If my ethical values do not have the best intentions mind from money, professional pressure and or any other relating factors I should not choose this career path as there is no room for error when entrusted with the life of another.

Text to text: This article also heavily reminds me of an almost exact tragedy that I read many articles about and happened in very recent history being the Chernobyl Nuclear Power plant explosion. With the Soviet Union in full control at the time of the disaster we can see the true cost of failing to apply impenetrable ethics into Engineering. As the Soviet Union was at the peak of secrecy during this period of time important information about potential flaws in the RBMK Nuclear reactors such as the plant at Chernobyl was covered up to “Protect” the reputation of the Soviet Union. On top of this core design flaw in the core of the nuclear reactor, the ethical design flaw of Soviet Communism was displayed for the world to see when the plant exploded as the lead engineer who is arguably the most responsible for the incident was heavily persuaded to conduct a safety test for the benefit of his own career within the nation under extremely unsafe conditions. RBMK reactors had been mathematically proven to be impossible to explode supposedly as the lead Engineer thought which is why he proceeded with this test which is still extremely unethical by him to do so. But also shows the ethical lacking of the Soviet Union as they only cared about their truth as a state not the real truth covering up a design flaw that was critical as there was at the time seven other identical reactors in the Soviet Union operating at the time of the incident and they didn’t want to spend the money to fix the issue. This hurricane of conditions set the perfect stage for the worlds worst disaster ever, following the plants explosion we have estimated that at least 200,000 people have died do to this incident alone. As well as the 1000 miles^2 around the plant will not be livable conditions for humans for 24,000 more years an amount of time we as humans cannot really fathom due to our life expectancy.

Text to World: This article shows the importance of ethical foundations in every design of any product or service we use around the whole world. It is the job of an Engineer to understand the long and short lasting ethical implications of the items and procedures they invent. As if every inventor and or Engineer had the same principles as the Boeing 747 MAX scandal management team and engineers, than we wouldn’t be able to safely do anything we do everyday. Such as drive our cars, rely on the stop lights to safely guide us through intersections, and even use our cell phones without fear of them catching fire or exploding. A world where greed and wealth outway and cast a shadow over ethics is a world human beings would not survive as a species. As such it is the ethical responsibility of every single human being to have ethical foundations in anything they do, without such values we wouldn’t be alive today and we would be unable to continue our societal advancement, more discussions need to be held on ethics in our designs to ensure our future. We must learn from our past and never let it repeat as it is the blue print for exactly what we need not do. So let us reflect on this article and learn to put ethics and safety at the forefront of our lives, not money as hard as it may be, and as inciting as short cuts feel.

In Chapter 7 of Do the Kind Thing, Daniel Lubetzky emphasizes the importance of transparency and authenticity in building trust and driving a values-driven business. Lubetzky argues that genuine transparency is more than a superficial display—it’s about fostering an environment where customers, employees, and stakeholders feel connected to the core values of the organization. This message resonates strongly, especially in today’s marketplace where consumers increasingly support companies they perceive as sincere and ethical.

Lubetzky’s insights remind us that transparency should be a proactive commitment rather than a reactive measure. He mentions that KIND makes an effort to be transparent about product ingredients and business practices, which fosters loyalty and trust. This approach contrasts sharply with companies that only disclose information when required by law or in response to a crisis. Lubetzky’s example serves as a reminder that trust must be built continually; it is much harder to regain once it has been compromised.

The chapter’s focus on authenticity also resonates with broader discussions about corporate social responsibility. Lubetzky makes the case that authenticity isn’t just about appearing ethical but actually embedding these values into decision-making. This aligns with the idea that companies should prioritize genuine engagement with ethical practices rather than “performative” actions meant only for public approval.

Overall, Lubetzky’s points about transparency and authenticity offer a powerful perspective on building trust in business. As consumer awareness grows, companies that genuinely embrace these principles are more likely to build lasting relationships with their customers.