Business ethics

Business dilemmas The company faces two major dilemmas in their task execution namely individual needs versus the needs of the community that is the needs of a small group of people at TU against the needs of the majority of students who need more than just tutoring. The other dilemma is short-term versus long-term dilemma. Individual versus community needs This dilemma represents a state of indecision in trying to meet the needs of a few people compared to the needs of the larger group. In this case, the needs of the smaller group is tutoring, where the tutors take students through private instruction, coaching and mentoring to individual students and smaller groups who need assistance in various disciplines. The tutor’s role is aiding the learning process for students.

This is a dilemma to TU as it is against their terms and conditions for employees ("How People Make Ethical Decisions," 2018). Role of code of code of conduct The role of a code of conduct contributed to the two dilemmas because it is the guiding principle which creates the framework for the business to operate against external influences. Being the guiding principle, it became a challenge for the business to adapt to the incoming market forces. Therefore, the code of conducts led to the selection of the two dilemmas facing the business. First, selecting individual versus community needs, the code of conduct does not allow tutors to do the work for the student yet other players in the market are providing this assistance (Moriarty, 2018).

The individual versus community dilemma results from the challenge of putting the interests of the larger group compared to the interests of the smaller group ("A Framework for Making Ethical Decisions," 2018). Although the interests of the larger group compromise the code of ethics that have been set by the organization, the duty framework provides that the business creates rules that are consistent with people’s expectations hence the dilemma. How should the organization deal with the dilemma of individual needs versus community needs? Jeremy Bentham’s utilitarian approach is based on the idea that the best life is the kind that results in the least distress or pain. The approach makes conclusions on actions as either good or bad based on the amount of pleasure or pain they result.

Utilitarianism is a common approach for making ethical decisions that affect a larger group of people. Kant’s duty-based approach is centered on the principle that doing what is right is not dependent on the consequences that result from one’s actions but right doing is premised on the person’s proper intentions. Kant argues that ethical action is one that is taken from duty because it is the obligation of the one tasked to perform the said action. Furthermore, ethical obligations are universal. Hence, it is the same for all and the knowledge for the obligation is deduced by creating rules of action that are not contradicted based on reason ("A Framework for Making Ethical Decisions," 2018). A theorist using Kant’s theory would argue that the intentions for favoring the needs of many students over that of fewer students is good and therefore the action is moral.

This theory looks at the dilemma in question-based on the actions and the results. The egoist by Rand is centered on the agents benefit from the consequences. If they are desirable to the agent, it solves the dilemma, but if undesirable, fails to solve the dilemma. The approach by Kant is more of the intentions of the doer as opposed to the actions and the consequences. If the intentions are good, then the action and moral is good, but if the intentions are bad, then the actions are also bad and also the moral. Retrieved 23 February 2018, from https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=XPKoDv9RTpQHill, B.  The Advantages of Ethical Behavior in Business.  Smallbusiness. Retrieved 23 February 2018, from https://plato. stanford. edu/entries/ethics-business/ Patteri, K.