4350 Assignment 4

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Assignment 3

BUSI 4350

May 10, 2021

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Memorandum
Date: May 10, 2021
To: Ethics Department
Subject: Ethical Reasoning

Luke has been assigned to a project involving the development of property recently
acquired by ABC for the construction of an adult entertainment department store. The land is on
the corner of the neighborhood where Luke’s brother, Owen, lives. Luke is well aware that if the
store’s plans are made public, the local neighborhood’s land prices will plummet. Luke is worried
with his company’s confidentiality obligations. On the other hand, He is close friends with Owen,
who informed him recently that he had received a “fair” bid to sell his property in the present real
estate sector.

The ethical issue that arises from this developmental project is whether Luke should

disclose the known facts of his company to his brother Owen or should he keep it confidential as
to avoid any breach of loyalty as per the company’s terms. The ethical issue that Luke is facing
must be dealt with the following two ethical theories; The Golden Rule and Virtue Ethics.

In ethical terminology, this theory states “Do unto others as you would have them do unto

you.” In simple terms, it says that we must treat others as we would like to be treated. In this
case, we must keep in mind that personal values, needs and privileges are important. This
concept is used to ensure that our acts are morally right. We should investigate Luke’s potential
interests in this case because he is in a position to decide. On a personal basis, Luke could be
rational in disclosing personal details to Owen. If the roles were reversed and it was up to Luke
to sell his property, he would want to be a knowledgeable seller of his own property. By keeping
this in mind sharing details with Owen is ethical. If Luke wants his mates to always be honest
with him no matter what then he should share the details with Owen as well. However, The
Golden Rule isn’t meant to lead to absurdities. If someone has an urge, they must think about
how it would affect other subjects. Luke, as an ABC employee, must understand how his own
interests impact the business, the real estate sector as well as his own job in this situation.
Despite the fact that Luke’s personal interests can drive him to reveal details; he should look at
the circumstances from various angles. Luke’s exchange of knowledge with Owen is a violation
of his ABC obligations. Since Luke’s position as an employee differs from Owens’s position as a
real estate seller, therefore it would be best for Luke to maintain his silence on the matter.

In addition to this, the objective of Virtue Ethics is on an “individual’s character rather

than their conduct or the consequences of their actions.” In this case, we must focus on Luke’s
personality rather than his conduct. We don’t know enough about Luke to do a complete review,
but the facts we do know can be of use. We know about Luke’s decision-making approach to
figure out who he is. It was clear that Luke was equally worried about both his company’s
confidentiality duties and his brother’s fidelity. He also thought about the ramifications of his
decisions. We may deduce from this that Luke must have some kind of morality and also that his
character is “good.” in result of this , even if Luke wishes to disclose any details with Owen, he
will still be considered moral due to his moral nature. However, on the other hand, if Luke’s
sharing of facts is honorable, it would be to ABC’s detriment and if Luke’s relationship with
ABC is honorable, it is to Owens’s disadvantage. The Virtue Ethics philosophy raises a lot of

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questions about what constitutes “good” character. This scenario is far too complicated for this
hypothesis to work.

By keeping in mind, both the ethical theories; Golden rule and Virtue Ethics, we reach a
verdict that it is certainly not in the favor of Luke if he shares his company’s valuable and
confidential information with a relative. As an employee, this responsibility falls upon him that
he should be able to keep work and family apart and not jeopardize his career and employment
by helping out a relative who would solely benefit from this knowledge. Each of the arguments
presented above lead us to the negating the idea of sharing confidential data and create a breach
of loyalty. Therefore, Luke should remain silent on the matter and Owen should make his own
decision. This way no one is hurting anyone and no damage is being done to the majority of
stakeholders. Although there are many questions regarding Virtue ethics, it would still be best if
Luke took some time to weigh the pros and cons.

Thank you.

Memorandum