A634.4.4.RB - Is Affirmative Action Ethical?

To be honest I never really got affirmative action.  Now don’t get me wrong I understand what it was intended for but I feel that it has gotten away from the main point of what it was supposed to do and that was to give minorities and women an equal footing to be considered for jobs and getting into college.  So why has it become an issue yet again and some calling it reverse discrimination? According to chapter six on affirmative action, “these morally relevant differences show why this objection is not telling, why it is a mistake to say that blacks receive affirmative action simply because of their race” (LaFollette, 2007).  So Affirmative Action wasn’t put in place because of this reason.

Where do I stand on this issue?  I feel that affirmative action is important to ensure that everyone has equal opportunities to get into the school of their choice or to get the job they are qualified for.  But I will say that it needs a definite overhaul in many ways.  It isn’t just blacks or women that it affects….it also affects Muslims, Hispanics, Gays, etc. so it needs to be reevaluated and figure out what is working and what is not working.  People need to understand what the point of this action is for and why it is so important.  On the other side of this a person should be admitted to school based on their merit not the color of their skin or their sex.  This also applies to the job market.  I shouldn’t be a block to be checked because an organization will have met their affirmative action quota I should be hired based on my qualifications.

How do we fix this?  Should we remove all questions about race and gender from job applications?  What about something along the lines of The Voice where we choose an applicant based on their voice and their qualifications without actually seeing their faces first.  Why does it matter what the color of my skin is or what my gender is?  At the end of the day isn’t it all about what is between my ears…my brain?  We have to change the way we view the world and stop seeing colors, religions and even gender as a means for getting a job or even getting into school.  Some very deserving people will not get hired for the whole reason of affirmative action just like those that are undeserving and under qualified are hired because affirmative action is in place.

I wish I had the answers to make this system better, to make it work, to make sure that there was no racism, sexism or bias in any way but I don’t.  The only thing I can do is to make sure that my daughter grows up without biases and racisms but she already has two strikes against her….she is a female and she is mixed (Mexican and Italian).  My hope is that by the time she is ready to apply to colleges this will not be an issue.   The text stated it well, “We must undercut racist habits, and corral racist institutions.  Affirmative action is a reasonable and effective way to do both” (LaFollette, 2007).

Reference:

LaFollette, H. (2007). The practice of ethics. Malden, Mass: Blackwell Pub.

A634.3.5.RB The Harder They Fall

Have you ever had a friend who was on the heavy side and kind of shy?  She didn’t talk too much and tried very hard to blend into the background so that she didn’t attract attention to herself.  You are her friend and always have been.  You encourage her to do what makes her happy and to not listen to those people who make fun of her for her weight, the way she dresses or the style of her hair.  Then she starts losing weight and working out.  She starts styling her hair and dressing really nice.  And people notice lots of people. 

This friend has now attracted a whole new group of friends who like the new her.  Soon she starts changing becoming picky and not wanting to hang out you anymore.  She makes comments about other girls who used to look the way she did.  Her attitude has changed and she starts to see herself in a different light, a better light than you.  She tells you that she is so much more attractive now and that she doesn’t think she should hang out with you anymore because you are not as cool as her new friends. 

Change the situation a bit to a coworker who suddenly gets promoted into a position of power.  He is always be told how great of a job he is doing, how smart and amazing he is and that everyone thinks he will go far in the company.  You used to do the same job and now he barely talks to you and criticizes you for some of the actions you do in your job that he used to.  He becomes demanding and belittles you in front of others.  You wonder what happened to the great friend and coworker you worked next to every day. 

These types of dilemmas happen more times than we want to think.  This friend has gained the confidence that she never had before and she doesn’t know how to handle this change so she does what she thinks is right and that is to be around the ones who like the new her.  The coworker has a new found power at work now because people listen to him and they do what he says.  But why does this happen?  As far their friend or coworker why do we stand by and allow it?  Shouldn’t we give them a dose of reality?

Some people know how to balance their new found fame, weight loss, promotion, etc. with grace and a hearty dose of reality.  They understand that fame can be fleeting and that it is very easy for someone better, younger, smarter or more talented to come in and knock them down a few pegs.  Perhaps they have true friends and coworkers who keep them in check and tell them like it is or they know that the fall from power comes just as fast as the ride up.  They take the time to see what their weaknesses are and understand them while conceding to them in order to prevent failure from happening.  They take the time to become more reflective instead of less reflective by stepping back and thinking without wanting to take action right away.  Sounds like the Wu-Wei approach (observing without taking immediate action) doesn’t it?

There is no way of predicting what kind of leader we will be, how we will handle the pressures, the money, the fame, the power of it all.  Will we be sure to keep ourselves firmly planted on the ground or will we let all the wonderful things we are told go to our head?  Will we hold that ‘magic’ mirror up in front of ourselves exclaiming to all that we are the fairest of the land or will we be sure to set those ‘alarms’ to remind us of who we are and where we come from.  It is completely up to us to be able to make that judgment call.

A634.2.4.RB - Theories of Ethics

Last week we were given the scenario of children trapped on the railroad tracks and we were only three choices;  switch the tracks to kill one child to save five, switch the tracks to kill five to save one (who happens to be our child) or to kill an elderly gentleman by pushing them onto the tracks which will stop the train and save six children but kill the man.  This is a good example of Consequentialism.  Think of such sayings as “the Ends Justify the Means” and “Harming One to Save Many”.  There is a certain justification in this that you are still being ethical in your decision and you are doing so for the greater good.  According to the text consequentialists must do three things:

·         Which consequences we should count

·         How much weight or consideration to give them

·         How we should use these considerations  when reflecting on them

So what does this mean?  Looking at the situation I can decide if the consequences are relevant (does this affect me directly?).  How much weight should I give to this decision and will it depend on how much the consequences will affect me?  When I am considering this how should I make my decision based on all the information I have?  Using the train example there are different consequences for each act I may take.  If I do nothing five children will die but my child will be safe.  If I flip the switch to save the five I kill my child.  Can I live with that fact?  What if I can’t have any more kids does that make a difference in my decision? If I push the old man I save all the kids but I am purposely taking another person’s life to save the children but I am harming one to save many.

Consequentialists have to decide which consequences are significant and which are not.  Does my choice maximize my happiness?  Should I choose the one that will bring me the most happiness with the consequences.  All of these have to be taken into consideration to make a valid and moral decision, if it is not significant than my action is to do nothing as it won’t have enough of an impact either way.  With consequentialism there can be a certain justification for my actions (killing an old man to save five children) which I would feel are morally sound.

Now we turn to Deontology.  This theory is more of a set of rules that must be followed that starts when we are children; “Don’t slam the door”, “Don’t hit your cousin”, “Don’t lie”.  As we grow and mature these rules with change to accommodate who we are as adults; “Don’t cheat on your spouse”, “Don’t steal from the company”.  We look at these rules as a compass on what our moral values are.  It is more about our rights and obligations in regards to ethics. 

This theory is more based on what you are doing not so much in the consequences of those actions.  So you should not lie, steal, kill regardless of what those consequences would be.  In the train example because it is wrong to kill even though you would be saving more lives than killing you are not supposed to kill so you do nothing or your save your child without regard to the others because you are duty-bound to the safety of your child.  What if your friends ex-boyfriend showed up at your house demanding to know where your friend was and you know that if you tell him the truth he will kill her but lying is wrong isn’t it?  So would it be wrong to lie in order to save your friends life?  If we followed the absolute rules than yes it would be wrong because lying is wrong.

We know that we are not perfect and there will be times when going against what you feel is morally right produces a better outcome (you save your child’s life, your friend isn’t murdered by her insane ex-boyfriend).  There has to be some give and take and understanding that there will be areas of grey it will not always be absolute in every case.  We must also keep in mind that that there is nothing wrong with deciding what the consequences will be while keeping in mind that sometimes doing the wrong thing may end up being the right thing.

A634.1.6.RB - The Buck Stops and Starts With You

There are so many examples that business schools can use on why ethics is so very important in the business world and why it needs to be taught and not just skimmed over.  Think Enron, Phillip Morris, and Exxon just for starters because they seem to dance in the headlines at any given moment for their unethical behavior.    Maybe they didn’t start off planning on being unethical but whether it was pressure from higher ups or the allure of more money these companies took unethical practices to a whole new level and they are not alone.

            How can this be changed?  First starters professors shouldn’t be afraid to use real world examples and guide their students to really explore why and what caused these companies to forget about ethical practices.  In the article, The Buck Stops (and Starts) at Business School, Joel Podolny explains that academics don’t seem interested in teaching what really goes on inside the walls of these companies and instead desire to, “develop theoretical models that obscure rather than clarify the way organizations work. Many also believe that a theory's relevance is enough to justify teaching it” (Podolny, 2009).

            So how can this change?  First we need more professors who have real world business experience that can bring something that is real to the table instead of just theories about what the business world is all about.  Theories are great but don’t really get into the root of what happens inside the organization.  There needs to be a clear understanding of how organizations work on all levels.  Ethics cannot be a gloss over or a check box if you will it needs to be instilled in our minds.  Will it stop businesses from being unethical?  Maybe, maybe not but it will make people think more before they go down that path of bad behavior.   

The article talks about how with students reading several case studies each week they may begin to assume that each case deals with completely different issues but they are not learning that they have to have consistency in numerous scenarios.  This is important in being able to pay attention to detail and conceivably can be the most challenging facet of leadership today (Podolny, 2009).  This is a very valuable point as we need to understand that as leaders our job isn’t to sit in our office and let everyone else do the work and deal with the various problems that are bound to come up every day.  A great leader is going to be able to lead as well as follow and if they have sound ethics and integrity they are going to be able to instill that in their followers at all levels.  Business schools need to emphasize ethics more instead of how much money their students can make when they graduate.  Money seems to play a big part in unethical practices these days…. think of Madoff whose greed went unchecked for many decades in the tune of over $20 BILLION!

So how can business schools step up to the challenge and make changes to include a holistic approach to business problems and ethical dilemmas?  Podolny makes the following suggestions:

·         FOSTER GREATER INTEGRATION: Courses must reflect a mix of academic disciplines and link analytics to values.

·         APPOINT TEACHING TEAMS:  Faculty from both "hard" and "soft" disciplines must discuss material in the same classroom.

·         ENCOURAGE QUALITATIVE RESEARCH: B schools need to cultivate a more eclectic approach to research.

·         STOP COMPETING ON RANKINGS:  Schools should stop pandering to rankings. They need to communicate that money is not the only reason to get an MBA.

·         WITHDRAW DEGREES FOR VIOLATING CODES OF CONDUCT:  To be a true profession, schools must not just establish but also enforce a code of conduct, as doctors and lawyers do.

In the article, Some B-Schools Step Up Efforts to Tie Ethics to Business Program, Korn talks about how some Business schools are trying to make some changes to how students progress through their programs such as requiring ethics courses for freshman as well as getting other business professors to mesh ethics into their teachings and then having an ethics class when students are seniors as way to reaffirm it in their minds (Korn, 2013).  Of course the hope is that students already have a clear understanding of right and wrong but by intergrading ethics into many of the business courses it will reinforce the importance of ethics in the real world.  “Without tying ethics to a business curriculum, "we are graduating students who are very myopic in their decision-making," says Diane Swanson, founding chair of the Business Ethics Education Initiative at Kansas State University” (Korn, 2013).  This statement cuts straight to the point that we don’t want to turn out narrow-minded decision makers we want people who can make objective judgments while thinking universally not individually.

References:

Korn, M. (2013, February 6). Some B-Schools Step Up Efforts to Tie Ethics to Business Programs - WSJ.com. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324761004578286102004694378.html

Podolny, J. M. (2009). The Buck Stops (and Starts) at Business School. Harvard Business Review, 87(6), 62-67.