Introduction
Dilemmas are part of life. They are therefore unavoidable in any circumstance. Dilemmas occur due to the possibility of two decisions that have almost equal weight. Thus, one remains unsure of the best choice to make between the two main ones that are presented. In many cases, the decision made is considered to be the most appropriate. The availability of rules as well as the code of conduct makes the issue of dilemma worse. This is because the regulations provide that one aspect need to be followed to the letter.
On the other hand, the situation may seem to call for other better measures rather than those provided in the code. This creates a dilemma on what is the best decision to make. All organization faces such cases along the way. In the case under consideration, dilemma occurs in various circumstances. TU has the role and obligation to act professionally in the provision of their services to the students. However, they are also in business. As the level of competition increase, they need to beef up their strategy to remain relevant in the market. For this reason, some of the decisions that they choose to take raise the ethical consistency (Magelssen et al, 2016). The decisions considered seem to be against the wish for the company to provide the most professional services to the students. On the other hand, they try as much as possible to retain the customers and not lose them to the competitors.
Many of the decisions seem to favor the self-interest of the organization. Therefore, the term paper considers the various business ethical dilemmas that TU faces along the way. Also, the reason behind the decisions made is well stipulated. The various views of theorists are also considered in the face of such business dilemmas. A summary is provided indicating the best decisions that ought to have been made. The reasoning that suits the company’s interest is then supported by the provisions of one of the theorists.
Various business dilemmas can be associated to the case under consideration. First, there is a dilemma between the need to remain in business and the need to offer professional services. In this case, the level of competition is rising from time to time. After TU succeeds in a major war, the business becomes quite attractive to other companies such as the course hero. Such new companies come into the market with better ideas on how to improve the satisfaction levels of the customers. This, therefore, creates pressure on TU management as they still have to remain relevant. The code requires the organization to only guide the students and not offer direct services concerning the assignments and exams. However, some of the new entrants start offering the same services, attracting more customers from the TU market segment. The dilemma comes in the determination of what is best for them. Should the company engage in competition with the rest on the basis of costs or the basis of the services offered? The company is not sure if they could offer services such as doing assignments for the students. On the other hand, the code of conduct provides that the company ought not to do the work on behalf of the students. Therefore, it becomes tough to determine which of the two decisions is best to make.
The other business ethical dilemma is that or provision of information to the customers. The organization experiences a high level of competition. Therefore, the management feels that there is need to have in place techniques to beat the new entrants. There, therefore, arises the need to make some advertisements on the changes that the company has done on the services of the customers. For the information to be relayed to the customers, it has to be placed on the advertising platforms. The company contemplates of including the “Let’s do the homework for you”. This statement creates dilemma for the business (Bowie 2017). This is because the TU has an obligation placed ion it by the code of conduct that a tutor should not do the work on behalf of the students.
However, the message conveyed in this case show that the students will be offered a done piece of homework for delivery to the teachers. At the same time, the strategy could be an effective one in winning the students from other platforms. There arises the dilemma of what best should be done in the making of the advertisement. There is a confusion of whether the statement mentioned earlier should be used in the ad or should not be used. The decision made is that the tutor professionalism ought to be observed at all times (Holland 2015). Therefore, the advertisement is ruled out in that it violates the code of conduct for the tutors. The professionalism is placed before the market share. Instead of using the misleading information, the company decides to induce other services to counter the effect brought about by the new entrants.
Each of the dilemmas in question fit in a different category of ethical issues. The dilemma on whether to make the advertisement or not, falls under the competition form of ethical issues. This is because it affects the ability of the organization to deal with the competition effectively. Therefore, the strategy to use in countering the competition raises the dilemma (Devine et al, 2014). In this regard, it becomes hard to determine whether to include the aspect of “let us do the homework for you” in the advertisement. Therefore, it all relates to the ability of the firm to retain the market share and even extend it further.
On the other hand, the latter dilemma falls under the professionalism category. This is because it relates to the retention of the professional measures or concentration on business. The firm is not sure of what to counter the loss of customers to the new firms. By deciding to add up some of the features included by the competitors, the professionalism pledged by the code of conduct might be lost (Bernstein 2014). The tutors are expected to retain the highest level of professionalism as they serve the customers. On the other hand, the situation is forcing them to do more for the clients to retain the share market. If the firm decides to do more for the students to attract as many as possible, the quality of the services could be lowered (Little 2018). The students would then take advantage of the platforms to get answers rather than have a better understanding of the learning concepts. As such, the issue is categorized under the professionalism category of ethical issues.
Should the firm pursue professionalism or business? According to Rand, ethical decisions are made on the basis of selfishness. Therefore, the organization could make decisions that mostly favor it as opposed to favoring the rest of the world. All the decision made under this form of the theory are based on the possibility of satisfying the needs of the organization. This, therefore, would have the requirements to retain a bigger market considered first as opposed to the quality of services offered. According to Kant theory, the ethical decisions made are based not on the consequences experienced but on the ability to fulfill the obligation that has been predetermined. In this regard, the decision made would be right or wrong depending on the sole purpose of the firm at the beginning. The loss or gain of the market is, therefore, a non-issue in the decision selection (Habermas 2015). According to Bentham’s ethical theory, the right decision is based on the consequences expected. Thus, an action is regarded as being effective for the firm if its selection would lead to the desirable attainments. Therefore, Bentham does not concentrate on the duty placed on the firm but the results of an action.
Conclusion
In comparison, Kant is the theorist that presents the best platform for the making of the decision. This is a theory that requires the decision to be made based on the duty to do the right thing irrespective of the consequences expected. The nature of TU business requires that the decisions made are retained as being professional at all times. Using Kant’s theory, the firm gets the guidance on how to offer the best services to the customers regarding the code of ethics. The right decisions are ones that are in line with the predetermined code of ethics.
References
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