Foxtrot Phone Scandal Case Study

Foxtrot Phone Scandal - Case Study

Ethical dilemmas and issues are common in different areas in public and private sectors. These dilemmas and issues are attributable to the emergence of different situations in the work setting. Therefore, addressing these issues is critical toward promoting a suitable work environment and interactions with others. Cooper (2012) states that a decision making model is essential in addressing ethical issues as it helps in moving from a problem to developing a course of action to resolve the issue. An example of an ethical dilemma or issue relates to Foxtrot Phone Scandal. Foxtrot Company comprises nearly one hundred cadets from all four classes in the United States Coast Guard Academy. The company is one of the eight firms that constitute the Corps of Cadets. Cadets in this class at the academy are committed to the values of honor and dedication to duty. The ethical dilemma in this scandal will be analyzed and appropriate course of action developed to address it.

General Statement of the Ethical Dilemma

The case scenario in this company is the misuse of the telephone to place free calls and for personal benefit. This ethical dilemma was brought by changes in one of the company’s area telephone that started to operate differently by permitting users to place free calls.

Key Actors

The key actors in this case are the classmates, friends, first-year cadets, cadets from other company areas, and members of the upper classes. These major actors have different roles in this scenario that can further be described through the table below.

Actor

(#2) Actor Relationship

(#3) Roles

(#4) Values

Classmates

Classmates – U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Students

Honest and incorruptible

Friends

Friends – me

Students

Honest and incorruptible

First-year cadets

First-year cadets – U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Students

Honest, honor and devotion to duty

Members of the upper classes

Members of Upper Classes – U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Students

Honest, honor and devotion to duty

Cadets from other company areas

Cadets from other company areas – Foxtrot Company

Students

Work in other company areas

Honest, honor and devotion to duty

Ailing Roommate

Ailing roommate – U.S. Coast Guard Academy

Student

Honest, honor and devotion to duty

Roles among the Key Actors

Classmates, friends, first-year cadets, members of the upper classes are students at the United States Coast Guard Academy. They are required to uphold the values of honor and devotion to duty as they learn in the academy. As students, their role in the academy involved learning while upholding the institution’s honor code. On the other hand, cadets from other company areas need to incorruptible and honest when serving as members of or working in the company. During this process, they need to execute their duties with honor, honesty and dignity as they remain committed to duty.

Values Surrounding these Relationships

As shown in the table above, the values surrounding the relationships between the key actors relate to general ethical principles and honor code of the respective institutions. The honor code of the United States Coast Guard Academy emphasizes on the values of honor and devotion to duty. Therefore, students, first-year cadets and members of the upper classes are required to commit to these values as they learn or serve in its associated companies. In addition to the values in the academy’s honor code, cadets from other company areas are required to uphold honesty in their work. These values are essential as they are considered or viewed as worthy of their vigilant efforts.

Essential Facts

As evident in the scenario, misuse of Foxtrot Company’s telephone to place free calls and for personal benefit is rampant. Students, first-year cadets, members of the upper classes and cadets from other company areas are seemingly using the telephone…

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…to safeguard trust and uphold ethical standards and behavior.

Action to be Taken

The roommate should be informed about the free “pay” phones and encouraged not to engage in the practice. After informing the roommate, the company’s management should be notified of the telephone’s malfunctioning.

Possible Consequences of the Action

Notifying the company’s management of the telephone’s current operations would promote honesty on the individual’s part and demonstrate commitment to code of ethics. Individuals who have been using the phone are likely to be embarrassed of their actions and even subjected to disciplinary actions based on company policy. The individual reporting the issue is likely to be viewed as a snitch and lose the trust and loyalty of his friends. Third, this action is likely to prevent the ailing roommate from engaging in an ethical practice. Finally, the company will prevent further losses relating to payment of the telephone calls by addressing the problem.

Ethical Criteria Used to Determine Action

Corporate Ethical Virtues (CEV) Model postulate that organizations explicitly state the kind of ethical behavior expected of managers and employees (Kapstein, 2015). Based on this model, managers and employees are provided with adequate resources at their disposal to fulfill their ethical responsibilities. In this context, members of Foxtrot Company are expected to uphold values of honor and devotion to duty and have adequate resources to do so. Their engagement in this practice does not reflect commitment to these values and desired ethical behavior. As a result, notifying the management of their unethical behavior is demonstration of commitment to the desired ethical behavior. Utilitarian theory emphasizes the significance of individual actions instead of moral values as the premise of behavior (Singh & Mishra, 2018). Individuals need to engage in actions and behavior that promote the greater good for the greater number of all. The unethical behavior by members of this company does not promote the greater good for all parties as it results in organizational losses.

Value Terms
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