A634.2.4.RB_DiazBrian

Consequentialism is defined as "the theory that the value and especially the moral value of an act should be judged by the value of its consequences" (Merriam-Webster, para. 1, 2015).  Yet, who determines if the value of the act is just?  Lance Armstrong won seven Tour de France races.  After much debate, scrutiny, and eventual evidence, he admitted to using performance enhancing drugs to gain his competitive advantage.  Through the sport of cycling, Armstrong became very involved in giving to the community. "In 1985, the Armstrong Foundation was formed to enhance the neighborhoods in which we live and work. Millions of dollars each year have been donated to community caring efforts" ("The Armstrong," 2015).  He raised millions of dollars towards education and scientific research.  He accomplished all of these goals while cheating.  He knew he had cheated.  Did he justify what he was doing because of his philanthropy?  Even after results concluded he cheated, Armstrong continued to deny the allegations and painted a picture of a cancer survivor that had done so much good for so many.  Maybe in his mind he justified cheating because of all of the people he was helping.  Not to mention he earned millions upon millions from endorsements because of his Tour wins.  Should Lance Armstrong be considered the modern day Robin Hood or a cautionary tale of a narcissistic athlete obsessed with fame and fortune?  Morality is the value used to measure the consequence of our actions.  It can be argued that individuals justify their actions based on their interpretation of right and wrong.  It seems society gets to decide the fate of those whose behavior effects others.  Armstrong is an example of someone that was tried in the court of public opinion, and lost. 
 

Deontology can be defined as "ethics, especially that branch dealing with duty, moral obligation, and right action" ("Dictionary.com," 2015).  Deontology is the duty or obligation to act either in adherence to or in accordance to rules or regulations.  Our police officers are obligated to uphold the laws of our country.  Our service men and women have a duty to protect us from our enemies domestic or foreign.  These individuals are faced with decisions on a daily basis that can have consequences of considerable magnitude.  Are these individuals always able to follow the rules and regulations that govern them?  Thankfully we are not a race of robots that are programmed to follow rules without weighing the consequences ourselves.  In the movie A Few Good Men, marines are ordered to carry out a "code red" by their commanding officer.  They do as they are ordered and the result of their actions is that the marine they assault dies.  Was it their duty to "teach a lesson" to the marine they were ordered to assault?  I never had the honor to serve our country but I can imagine the moral dilemma I would have if faced with this decision.  Would I disobey a direct order even though I knew it was morally wrong or would I stand by my convictions and face the penalty for my disobedience.  It is indeed a slippery slope.  In life we are certain to be faced with these type of decisions.  If I worked for a company and I knew I could make them more money by taking a short cut I knew was against the rules would I do it if no one would ever know?  One person would know for sure... that would be me.  It would not be worth my job and my family's security for me to make such a decision. 

LaFollette (2007) wrote "Consequentialism states that we should choose the available action with the best overall consequences, while deontology states that we should act in ways circumscribed by moral rules or rights, and that these rules or rights are at least partly independent of consequences" (p. 22).   Both of these theories leave so much room for interpretation that making the right decision can be so difficult that it can be easy to doubt one's self.  In our train example we were forced to make a decision based on consequentialism.  What decision resulted in the most favorable outcome?  Depends on who you ask.  Deontology dictates we should follow rules to the letter.  I am reminded of the saying that "rules are meant to be broken".  Both theories provide topics of which can be debated heavily through many different lenses.  Which lens would you choose to view them through?

Consequentialism. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consequentialism

Deontology (n.d.). Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/deontology

LaFollette, H. (2007). The Practice of Ethics. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.  

The Armstrong Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.armstrong.com/corporate/armstrong-foundation/

 

A634.1.6.RB_DiazBrian

When I consider the dilemma faced by today's MBAs the phrase that comes to mind is "It only takes a few bad apples to spoil the bunch".  Corporations such as Enron and WorldCom can be assigned a portion of the blame for perpetuating this stigma.  Blame can also been placed on educational institutions for not adequately preparing students for the challenges they will undoubtedly face once they are finished with school and are exposed to the "real world" of business. Podolny (2009) wrote "First, business schools have largely ignored the teaching of values and ethics because those aren’t subjects of inquiry for traditional business school academic disciplines. The consequences have been disastrous" (p. 64).  Future managers and business leaders are always going to be faced with the task of decision making.  So why is it that these individuals are not exposed to the ethical training that would prevent them from making the types of mistakes that occurred at Enron?  For example, when Navy SEALs are trained, are they not taught to utilize more than one type of weapon?  Is it not important to train their minds as well as their bodies for any conceivable type of mission or circumstance?  To be a SEAL member you have to endure underwater demolition training, parachute training, communications training, and  sniper training, just to name a few ("Navy SEAL," 2015).  There is no reason that future Fortune 500 leaders should not be prepared in the same strategic manner in order to be prepared for any and all circumstances.

Business schools should proactively examine their programs to include not only quantitative methodologies, but qualitative methods as well. "Academics capable of teaching soft skills such as leadership, values, and ethics are in a distinct minority at most business schools. Without more faculty members in those areas, schools can’t weave such disciplines effectively into the fabric of MBA education"  (Podolny, 2009, p. 66).  There are three actions business schools can take to improve ethics training in education:

• Place an emphasis on doing rather than telling.  Have students perform role-playing scenarios to provide them to the type of ethical scenarios they may encounter.
• Create joint classes with students from B-schools.  This experience can create a greater appreciation of the challenges other countries are faced with.
• Establish programs with global organizations to expose students to the real life scenarios they can expect, how they might face those challenges, and what outcomes can be expected based on their decisions.  Work or study abroad program can also be beneficial. (Himsel, 2014).

Business schools have created a distrust that they must work towards repairing.  Podolny (2009) wrote "In order to reduce people’s distrust, business schools need to show that they value what society values. They need to teach that principles, ethics, and attention to detail are essential components of leadership" (p. 66).  Potential MBA students should research the schools they are interested in and evaluate which institution's values most resembles their own.  It is important to know what companies are likely to hire you if you attend a specific institution.  At ERAU, we work closely with several employers such as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and NASA.  By researching the culture associated with these organizations it is possible for potential students to recognize which employer might be a good fit for them.  Sites such as GlassDoor, Indeed, and LinkedIn are just a few sites that can provide help provide organizational information to job seekers.  Business schools interested in shaping future leaders have to be cognizant of the fact that ethics plays a significant role in the development of these individuals.  The men and women that their programs will graduate will enter the workforce and are a representation of their education and the skills acquired at these universities.  Podolny (2009) noted "in a world where MBAs have been directly or indirectly responsible for destroying so much value, business schools can’t point to isolated examples of leadership and scholarship as justifications for their existence. They must be able to say that they promote behavior that is consistent with society’s values. Business schools can never do that unless they reinvent themselves" (p.67).  As we are all aware the only certainty in life is change.  If business schools fail to adopt they can expect to see not only decreases in the value of their degrees, they can expect to be impacted financially as well.  Without alumnus who will pay for fancy new buildings?

Himsel, D. (2014). Business Schools Don't Teach Ethics Effectively. Retrieved from http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-08-06/business-schools-dont-teach-ethics-effectively

Navy SEAL Training. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.military.com/special-operations/training-to-be-a-navy-seal.html

Podolny, J. M. (2009). The Buck Stops (and Starts) at Business School. Harvard Business Review, 87(6), 62-67.