- Discuss 1 of the case studies from Ch. 3, “Networked Communications,” of Ethics for the Information Age.
- Provide your opinion on which ethical analysis you support, and why. Does your analysis change if you take a global perspective?
Week 2 Discussion: Chapter 3 Case Studies
In Chapter: 3 Networked Communications of Ethics for the Information Age, I found the case study of Ann the Acme accountant most fascinating. The case study was based on the number of distinct ethical viewpoints that might be considered. In the case study, the first approach considered was the situation from Ann’s perspective. In the first approach, an investor had requested Ann to provide critical and secret information about the financial situation of the firm. However, Ann was not ready to share this information with the investor as she thought that it would lead to the disclosure of the financial information of the firm. In the end, she was ready to share the information with the investor as she thought that it might provide huge information to the firm.
By analyzing Ann’s situation in terms of vantage points, she was behaving in a manner that provided the most benefits to the firm. At first, she was very hesitant about providing the information, but in the end, she provided it for the betterment of the organization. Through her actions, it is very clear that Utilitarianism is the perfect theory that is seen in her actions as she is working towards achieving the most possible benefit for the organization (Driver, 2009). Another angle that can be analyzed in this case study is from the investor’s perspective. When the investor was asking about the financial status of the firm, it was seen that he was requesting non-public information to be revealed which might be used in negative terms for the organization. At this time, the investor was only concerned about his benefits and financial gains and ignored the possible damage caused to the organization. Therefore, from the perspective of the investors, Egoism is shown in his actions (Wijaya, 2020).
Meanwhile, by analyzing both approaches from the global viewpoint, a third angle has been created. With the situation given, it is clear that the investor’s perspective belongs to different nations. Therefore, revealing the financial status of the firm to the investors may be utilized in the wrong manner which can be harmful to the business. The theory used here is Nationalism because the investor might use the financial status of the firm against the organization and provide losses to them.
When analyzing the situations from the vantage points, various ethical issues need to be taken into account associated with each particular scenario. However, in the end, it is the person’s point of view to pick the right situation he or she believes is the most significant.
References
Driver, J. (2009). The history of utilitarianism. Retrieved on 21st September 2022, from: https://stanford.library.sydney.edu.au/archives/spr2015/entries/utilitarianism-history/
Wijaya, I. (2020). Treasure Hunt: Ethical Egoism vs Individual Anarchism. K@ ta Kita, 8(1), 116-123. Retrieved on 21st September 2022, from: http://katakita.petra.ac.id/index.php/sastra-inggris/article/view/9976
