Discussion Board 1: Legal Issues In Business

1146 Words5 Pages
Discussion Board 1 Liberty University Legal Issues In Business BUSI-561 Professor Kathleen Tailer September 14, 2014 Discussion Board #1 Benji Watson’s ethical dilemma is unfortunately not uncommon in society today. Many of the values that were the cornerstone of doing business during our forefather’s time are now considered optional if staying true to said values threaten the profit margin. Benji has to ask himself a couple of questions before he makes his decision. The first question being, “ Can I work for a company that does not share my core values and beliefs?” The next question is a little more difficult to honestly answer when faced with the prospect of a good salary and benefits package fresh out of college, “ Can I remain…show more content…
“Business entities are distinct organizations in our society whose sole purpose is to increase profits for shareholders”(Kubasek et al., 2012, p. 192). Benji learned all about these types of companies when he attended Liberty University and now he is interviewing for a job with one of them. What Benji needs to realize is that as the narrative discussed not only will New Gen prey on the “fat and lazy” customers they also exploit their employees for economic gain. This aspect of New Gen is not alarming by itself, that’s why companies hire employees. This is symptomatic of a highly skilled corporate culture. The term “highly skilled” does not necessarily mean what it conveys at first glance, which is especially true in New Gen’s case. Journalist Linda Ray explains highly skilled corporate culture in this way, “ in organizations with a highly skilled culture, sometimes referred to as a "baseball team" culture, what's prized and focused on is recruiting the top talent -- people who can get results that directly impact the bottom line (Ray, n.d., para. 3). In this case, New Gen wants to send Benji to Atlanta because he is a Liberty University graduate and they assume he can assimilate with the population better as a result of his beliefs. This is a good example of strategic ethics versus real ethics coming into conflict. Strategically, it would be very advantageous for the company to have Benji, a Christian, in the south pushing their products and services. New Gen gains professional credibility while Benji would have to compromise his personal ethics to facilitate the goal of the company. This “ giving up your soul to gain the world” trade off should, in my opinion be a showstopper for Benji. On the contrary, if New Gen subscribed to the professional obligation school of social responsibility his visit along with the company’s motives may have been different. However, this
Open Document