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BUS 206 - Ethical Test

The document discusses the WH Framework that can be used by Mountain Top View employees to make ethical decisions. The WH Framework involves asking what stakeholders are involved, what the foremost objectives are, and considering the ethical implications. It recommends applying public disclosure, universalization, and the Golden Rule when evaluating decisions. It then provides an example of how Steve at Mountain Top View could use the framework to determine if a data breach needed to be reported to customers.

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Angela Perryman
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210 views5 pages

BUS 206 - Ethical Test

The document discusses the WH Framework that can be used by Mountain Top View employees to make ethical decisions. The WH Framework involves asking what stakeholders are involved, what the foremost objectives are, and considering the ethical implications. It recommends applying public disclosure, universalization, and the Golden Rule when evaluating decisions. It then provides an example of how Steve at Mountain Top View could use the framework to determine if a data breach needed to be reported to customers.

Uploaded by

Angela Perryman
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Milestone Two: Ethical Test/Framework

Angela Perryman

Department of Business – Southern New Hampshire University

BUS 206: Business Law

Prof. Nanci Carr

July 31, 2022


All Mountain Top View employees may refer to the WH Framework when

faced with an ethical dilemma. Employees can use the WH Framework to answer

the following questions: "What stakeholders are involved?", "What are the

foremost objectives of the judgment?" and "What are the ethical considerations for

making decisions?" (Kubasek et al., 2020). Public disclosure, universalization, and

the Golden Rule must be applied when evaluating the last question.

An employee can use the WH framework to make ethical decisions by

reflecting on every aspect of the decision. This way, the decision can be broadened

to include the impact on identified stakeholders and different outcomes instead of

being limited to a single consideration (for example, revenues, reputation,

expenditures, et cetera.). Applying the Golden Rule, public disclosure, and

universalization tests can lead to answers that transcend those particular concerns.

For example, a company might choose a less profitable path in the short run if the

public knows about its decision.

WH Framework disadvantages arise from how the employee or employees

examine each question. Employees may miss a decision's impact on an entire

group if they superficially answer the stakeholder question, for instance. Also, they

could rationalize the decision they want to make in response to the Golden Rule or
any other general ethical guidelines. It is recommended to engage and speak about

ethics consistently and to form an ethical review committee composed of people

from various levels within your organization to avoid these potential pitfalls.

The team and leadership at Mountain Top View have demonstrated

exceptional social responsibility. We will continue strengthening that culture by

creating guidelines for ethical questions and allowing the team to use the WH

Framework to make those decisions.

Steve, the Information Technology lead at Mountain Top View, can be an

example of how the WH Framework can be applied to a real-life scenario. During

Steve's investigation, he discovered that the customer database was hacked and that

limited customer data had been accessed. It was not legally necessary for Steve to

report the data breach, and he corrected the code so the hack would not occur

again. In terms of ethics, however, did Steve and the company have a

responsibility to report the breach?

To begin with, who are the relevant stakeholders? Stakeholders include

employees, leadership, and customers. It is certainly possible that communication

of a data breach to customers could harm the business's health, so employees and

leadership may decide against communicating. As a customer, however, knowing


that your data was accessed would be expected, and failing to disclose that

information would be unethical. The second question is, what is the ultimate

purpose of the decision? As in this case, the goal is to verify the accuracy of the

statements on the website. "We are committed to protecting our customers'

information." While it may seem counterintuitive to announce a breach, proactive

communication aligns with this commitment. Dishonesty would be exhibited if the

violation was not disclosed.

Last but not least, how do we make ethical decisions? This question is best

answered by applying the public disclosure test, although any or all of the tests

would also be valid. Do you think Mountain Top View would still not tell its

customers about a data breach if the public knew about it, regardless of the

severity? No, the answer is unlikely. The company will disclose the violation and

communicate the steps taken to prevent the breach's recurrence from maintaining

its trust with its customers and the community.


References

Kubasek, N. K., Browne, M. N., Herron, D. J., Dhooge, L. J., & Barkacs, L. L.
(2021). Dynamic Business Law. McGraw-Hill Education.

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