496 week 3
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BMGT496Week3LA1instructionsandcasestudy.docxCompleting the Learning Activities
· The expectation is that you present a thorough analysis and presentation in response to each question. You are required to support the positions put forth in each response. The course material or outside resources must be used to provide the support.
· Read the grading rubric for the learning activity. Use the grading rubric while completing the learning activity to ensure all requirements are met that will lead to the highest possible grade.
· Third person writing is required. Third person means that there are no words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of “you or your” (second person writing). If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person.
· Contractions are not used in business writing, so do not use them.
· Paraphrase and do not use direct quotation marks. Paraphrase means you do not use more than four consecutive words from a source document, but put a passage from a source document into your own words and attribute the passage to the source document. Not using direct quotation marks means that there should be no passages with quotation marks and instead the source material is paraphrased as stated above. Note that a reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa.
· You may not use books as source material.
· Provide the page or paragraph number (required) when using in-text citations. If using the eBook, use Business Ethics followed by the Chapter/Section title and paragraph number.
Learning Activity #1
Dr. William Austin owned his family practice for over 20 years. He came from a family of success. His father was a brain surgeon and his mother a well-known author. His younger brother, Ben, owned his own accounting firm for several years, but came to work with Dr. Austin after he sold it for a modest amount.
After graduating at the top of his class from Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Austin was awarded a cardiothoracic surgery fellowship in California. He spent a few years there and was well on his way to fulfilling his dream of becoming a heart surgeon. During this time, however, his father became ill. Dr. Austin decided to return to his hometown of Shamokin, Pennsylvania, to take care of him, Under Dr. Austin's care, his father started showing signs of improvement. He was glad not only for his father, but that he could go back and continue his pursuit of becoming a heart surgeon. On the day he was set to leave, his mother became ill. She died a few days later from a rare form of cancer that showed no symptoms. The devastation hit the family hard. Ben was still in college, and Dr. Austin's father needed someone to be with him at all times. Dr. Austin needed to stay in Shamokin to take care of his father. He opened a family practice in the town, thus putting his dream of becoming a heart surgeon on hold indefinitely.
Over the years, Dr. Austin sometimes felt regret that he never achieved his dream, but sometimes felt regret that he never achieved his dream, but his job as the town doctor had been fulfilling. Now Ben was working with him, helping with the business. This made things significantly easier for Dr. Austin, who haphazardly kept his own books and patient files. One day, as Ben organized Dr. Austin's piles of paperwork, he noticed there were charges to Medicaid that he believed were a mistake. While most of the population of Shamokin, Pennsylvania, was considered low-level income and qualified for Medicaid, this was not the case for all patients. There were several elderly middle- and higher-income families who regularly visited the office and usually paid with a check or cash. Ben assumed his brother's administrative office skills were poor and aimed to fix it. However, as Ben organized the paperwork and checked files, these charges to Medicaid appeared to increase, dating back at least five years.
Ben approached his brother. "William, are you aware you charged Medicaid for Mr. and Mrs. Wallace's visits?"
"Hmmm. Let me see the paperwork," Dr. Austin asked. Ben handed it to him. Dr. Austin glanced at the document and said, "Yes, they are over age 65, so I made a bill for Medicaid."
"But we have records they paid you with cash," Ben replied. He handed Dr. Austin an old receipt. "And there are similar instances with some of your other patients. Besides, Medicaid is for low-income patients, not the elderly. Mr. and Mrs. Wallace are clearly not low-income."
Looking a little bit flustered, Dr. Austin replied, "Ben, you know how I am with details. I'm no good at it. That's why I hired you. Thanks for catching my mistake." Dr. Austin walked back into his office and shut the door, leaving Ben standing in the hallway with a stack of files.
Ben knew what his brother gave up for their family and the good he did for the families in this small town, but he was convinced these charges were not accidental. There were too many of them and the amount of money charged exceeded $100,000.
"What happened to all that money?" Ben wondered. He also wondered how to handle the situation. He thought to himself, "How can I report this without sending William to jail? If I don't report it and Medicaid finds out, I could go to jail and lose my accounting license. This is such a small town. If anybody finds out, we'll never live it down." At that moment, the phone rang, and Ben was the only one there to answer it.
QUESTIONS
1. An ethical dilemma is a problem, situation, or opportunity that requires an individual, group, or organization to choose among several actions that have negative outcomes. Identify and describe Ben’s ethical dilemma (e.g., Whether Ben should...[choice]...because/when doing so will result in [outcome]). Identify and describe at least three (3) decisional choices that Ben can make to resolve his ethical dilemma. What are the potential ramifications for each of these decisional choices described?
2. Applying the ethical theories of utilitarianism, egoism, and deontology, describe in detail how Ben should resolve his ethical dilemma under each theory.
For example, suppose one choice is that Ben not report the discrepancies. If Ben were a utilitarian, what would result if he chose not to report the discrepancies? If Ben were an egoist, what would result if he chose not to report the discrepancies? If Ben were a deontologist, what would result if he chose not to report the discrepancies?
