Essay

Facts

Luke is an employee of ABC company and his company is planning on working on a project which will impact Owen, Luke’s brother, in selling his property. The project consists of building an adult entertainment store which will reduce the price of many properties surrounding the area, and Owen owns a house very close to this projected store. Before, Luke was informed about this project, Owen told him about selling his house at a decent price. The company is planning on informing the public after a month about the project, but during that time, the price of properties will decrease. So, after learning of this project, Luke is concerned about his brother, but at the same time he is hesitant to inform Owen about the project as that will violate the company’s policies. (Assignment 2, Currie).

Issue

The ethical issue that arise from this scenario consist of Luke helping his brother, who is very close to him, or abiding by the rules and regulations for the company. Luke could inform his brother about the company’s plans and benefit him by preventing Owen from lose money on his house. On the other hand, Luke is loyal to his company and does not wish to break the project’s confidentiality. He could potentially cause the company to suffer from loss, if information about the project is revealed to Owen.

Analysis

To assess and provide a solution to Luke’s issue, I will use the following two theories: Utilitarianism and Universal Ethics.

The first theory, called Utilitarianism, implies that one should pursue an idea or option which does more benefit than it does harm (Ethical lenses – Philosophical theories). Many people who understand and follow this idea reject any codes or cultures, instead they believe that any activity that is performed should produce the best results overall. This means that the action or policy should produce the largest amount of good (Utilitarianism: Overall View). If we want to apply this theory in Luke’s case, then we must first, analyze the amount of good that either decision will produce in comparison to harm. If Luke decides to tell Owen about the project, then the word might spread to Owen’s neighbors and everyone that lives in the proximity of the project. This could cause the company to lose a lot of money and resources as people from the area will try to sell their properties and leave. On the contrary, if Luke keeps this information to himself, then Owen, along with everyone that owns property in that area will lose their money as property prices fall.

The second theory is called Universal Ethics, which was created by Immanuel Kant, states that any action that an individual is committing should be considered as a universal law. This means that any act that a person commits or performs should be acceptable for everyone else to perform (Ethical lenses – Philosophical theories). If we apply this theory for Luke’s case, then we must assume that if Luke informs his brother about the company’s project, then it should be acceptable for every other employee to disclose information that is confidential as well. Also, if Luke decides to withhold the information from his brother, then it can be assumed that an employee should always keep their company’s information secret from their loved ones, or someone that can be affected by the company’s decision, regardless of the consequences.

Recommendation

After going over the situation, issues, and the two theories (Utilitarianism and Universal Ethics), I can make the recommendation that Luke should withhold the information from Owen regardless of his closeness to him or the consequences Owen might face. I will explain this decision by using the Utilitarianism theory first. This theory explains that the action taking place should result in more benefit than harm, but it is difficult to determine those two things. If Luke tells his brother about the project, and this news somehow reaches other people, then there might be chaos in the community and the company could potentially lose a lot of money. This would cause more damage to the company than benefit Owen. Secondly, if I apply the Universal Ethics theory, then it could greatly disrupt and disorganize many systems and policies that companies have in place. If Luke is able to tell his brother about the project, then that makes it universally acceptable for every employee in every company to disclose every confidential information to the public. Many companies take measures to ensure that their information remains as confidential as possible, until they decide to release that information. It is also a very important part of integrity within a company, to keep company information secret. Based on my analysis of the two theories and their applications, I have come to the conclusion that Luke should not disclose the information regarding ABC company’s project to Owen.

References:

https://elearning.uh.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-4005458-dt-content-rid-26772792_1/courses/H_20173_GENB_4350_19347_MAIN/Articulate%20presentations/Ethical%20reasoning%201/Ethical%20reasoning/player.html

http://www.iep.utm.edu/util-a-r/#H1