MOD 1 SLP ETH501 - Business Ethics - Essay Example

The deontological implications of such ethical issues cannot be underplayed. Ethical Problem While working at a local mall, I encountered a rather common unethical practice in the workplace - discrimination coupled with harassment. The store was predominantly a male-dominated work environment in which most employees and supervisors were men. The ethical issue emerged when the store hired a new female employee and the male supervisor started constantly treating her inappropriately. Notably, the presence of the new employee stirred up conflict because the store had not yet conducted sensitivity training.

The male supervisor made inappropriate remarks to the new female employee and failed to groom her for promotions as he did with male employees (DesJardins, 2010). Despite her constant complaints to the store manager, the manager did not take any measures to remedy the situation. The ethical issues in this situation are quite diverse: firstly, the male supervisor’s treatment of the new employee was biased along sexual lines. The store manager’s failure to act was also quite unethical. Making derogatory remarks towards employees on account of their gender is extremely unethical and unlawful.

In addition, by denying the female employee necessary resources for promotion, the supervisor also acted unethically (Bhatia, 2004). Deontological Implications Deontological ethics posits that people’s duty to act or not to act centers on the uprightness or evil of the act rather than the consequence of the act. This means that certain actions are inherently proper or evil. Deontological ethics puts emphasis on the concept of whether or not an act is proper or evil, an obligation or duty (Kant, 1993).

In the aforementioned ethical issue, the male supervisor acted unethically by failing to perform his work obligation, i.e. providing all employees the same opportunity to earn a promotion. Deontological perceptions of ethics require that people perform their duties and obligations without being required to do so. Supervisors have a distinct duty to provide a level playing field for all employees in terms of employees’ access to company resources, such as training and grooming. Consequently, the supervisor’s gender-based discrimination contravened conventional view of proper actions in the workplace.

Conventional wisdom requires equal treatment of all persons in the workplace; hence the supervisor acted unethically by infringing on the female employee’s right to use company resources (Velasquez, 2001). Regardless of the consequence of the supervisor’s discrimination, his behavior was quite unethical in itself. In addition, the supervisor’s utterance of derogatory remarks towards the female employee epitomized an unethical act. Deontological ethics points of view require people to act uprightly because it is their duty to act right ( Pojman & Fieser, 2011).

The supervisor’s actions show disregard for conventional wisdom that demands that it is the duty of all persons, regardless of their status and positions, to treat others in a humane and upright manner. Moral behavior in the workplace entails impartial treatment of all employees regardless of their race, gender or ethnicity. Conversely, the store manager’s disregard towards the female employee’s complaints is indicative of immorality and unethical behavior (“Duty-based Ethics”, 2009).

The manager could create an impartial and upright