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Business Ethics Current Events Paper
One of the United States top multinational telecommunications companies, AT&T, had a
major data leak in late March. Leaving millions of Americans with compromised data and at risk
for cyber-attacks and identity theft. A breach like this has occurred within the company before.
One time in 2019 and another in 2021. Though data breaches are common for smaller businesses
large organizations like AT&T this is fairly rare. Which brings up many questions within the
company and from the public. Those questions may lead to choosing alternative cell-phone
service plans and companies. The customers were sent a notice to reset their passwords, but their
information is still considered at risk. The information contains personal information such as
social security numbers (Scribbs News, 2024). Outside parties have not been identified. AT&T
has also not made a public statement. People that have AT&T as their main provider are still
considered at risk and should consider alternate carriers for the future to avoid more information
to be stolen.
A good ethical standard to practice is to fully assess the situation before jumping to
conclusions, blaming or making irrational decisions. Taking a pause and getting the facts before
taking action. A plan of ethical action for instances like this should be followed. The ethical
standard that I would choose to follow is honesty and integrity. Within an organization having
these two keep values, ethically keeps the organization on track. Indeed’s career guide defines
honesty in the business world, “honesty, requires a commitment to telling the truth, regardless of
the consequences” (Indeed Editorial Team, 2023). Honesty should be the foundation of ethics
within the business world. If everything an organization says and does is honest and truthful,
there is little to no room for unethical behavior. In this instance there was a place within AT&T
that was not honest to employees and customers. Although it was not intentional from what is
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known about the situation, a contract or privacy statement was broke by the company.
Additionally, integrity is another ethical standard that should be practiced within all businesses.
Especially one with a customer base as large as AT&T. Integrity is defined as “adhering to a set
of moral standards at all times, even if no one is aware of your choices” by Indeed Career Guide
(2023). This data leak resulted in integrity being violated. There is potential for one of the
employees to break a code or betray the company by what they did. There also is a possibility of
a third-party that caused the data leak to happen. Regardless the company has chosen not to share
or be transparent. In result they may lose lots of money from the lack of doing what they said
they were going to do. Keeping data safe is critical in the customer-company relationship and
overall business ethics.
To prevent this situation having an ethical standard practice in place before hand could
help avoid many problems. Writing out a code or action plan to navigate ethical issues. The
Bible though typically not the first source within the business world, has many principles and
actions that could be helpful when building a code. In Ephesians Paul writes,
“Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger” (English Standard Version
Bible, 2001, Ephesians 4:26). So even scripture says to not stay angry, but in reality work those
feelings out so that you can be the best version and employee that is possible. Acting out of
anger is not the way to solve any problem. An article by the American Psychological Association
showed that many, “people use a variety of both conscious and unconscious processes to deal
with their angry feelings.” So, to avoid these emotions becoming entangled within the ethics of
business having a plan to deal with them is just as important as a code of ethics. Especially
within the professional business world. When following a code of ethics another thing to
consider is the responsibility that Christians have within the business world. Representing the
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Lord in how actions are carried out and how ethical issues are handled are of the utmost
importance. Sharing truth and being under the authority and wrath of God as shown in Romans is
essential in a good code of ethics because it shows that God is worthy of respect and that His
way is the best for all people (English Standard Version Bible, 2001, Romans 1:18). Adding the
principles that Paul writes about will help to bridge the gap between AT&T and their customers.
By following the plan of ethics with patience, integrity, and honesty the AT&T may not
be protected from this happening again. However, how the company deals with it can be with a
prepared and cautious manor. That way customers and employees are informed with what is
going on and can be in the loop.
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References
American Psychological Association. (2022, March 3). Controlling anger — Before it controls
you. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/anger/control
Crossway. (2001). ESV study Bible : English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles.
Indeed Editorial Team. (2023, March 11). 15 Ethical Principles in Business. Indeed Career
Guide. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/ethical-principles-in-
business
Scribbs News . (2024, March 24). AT&T notifies users of data breach and resets millions of
passcodes. Scripps News. https://scrippsnews.com/stories/at-t-notifies-users-of-data-
breach-and-resets-millions-of-passcodes/
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