Yankee Stadium Ethical Analysis

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Running head: ETHICS Ethics Course Name DATE Abstract At times, the choices made by an individual or corporation can cross the bounds of what is perceived as ethical, what the law says is ethical and the public perception of what is ethical. This paper will take a brief look at the decision made by New York State’s Governor David Paterson and his office when the Governor and his staff accepted free tickets to the opening World Series game at the new Yankee Stadium. The paper will also look at the conflict of interest that the decision created and how it could have been avoided. Introduction Ethics, being a system of moral principals is rooted to the very foundation of our society and helps define the decisions we make…show more content…
Ethical Conflict New York State law forbids officials within the executive branch of government from soliciting or accepting gifts of more than nominal value from any lobbyist if the gift appears intended to sway the official. The New York Yankees organization was registered to lobby the Paterson administration, as well as the State Legislature, in connection with financing for the new Yankee Stadium (Confessor, 2009). Since the Yankees were looking to lobby the governor, it was even more inappropriate for Governor James Patterson and his staff to have taken the tickets without charge, New York State law states, “…complimentary attendance, including food and beverage, at widely-attended officially-related events, but only if the event is related to the attendee's duties as a public official or allows the public official to perform a ceremonial function appropriate to his position…”(SUNYU,2000). Organizational Leadership at…show more content…
If the person or organization is connected to the stadium in a political, business, or financial manner, there should be no offer of attendance unless their presence will be official in nature. It should be the stadium’s responsibility to check for conflicts of interest before sending out offers of free admittance, and encouraging attendees to falsely claim their presence as official business. Reserving sections of the stadium for compensated ticketing is a valid business related decision, but the practice should be shielded from the scrutiny of public watchdog groups by removing compensation altogether for any public official. The only offers for free admission should be to those that are taking part in the festivities in some way such as; throwing out the first pitch, making a speech, singing or performing, or contest winners. The ethical implications could have been anticipated if the proper attention was given to deciding what was right. If there is a lack of policy guiding proper behavior within the governors department, it should be instituted in the form of an amendment to the ethics section and require a scorecard approach using the eight steps to ethical decision

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