Corporate Governance and Ethical Responsibility

All corporate leaders are faced with a unique set of ethical demands, which they must fulfill. The same case applies to managers who work in a hospital environment.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Corporate Governance and Ethical Responsibility specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Such leaders must express their moral duty in everything they do and must create an ethical institution. This paper will assess a case study and discuss all ethical dilemmas faced by the hospitals leader and the appropriate way of resolve the situation. Internal and external stakeholders Managers and executives are very important in an organization. As decision-makers, managers must understand that their actions and decisions affect and influence all stakeholders (Prentice and Bredeson, 2010). In the case study, Dr. DoRight will face on daily-to-daily basis include shareholders, managers, and staff members (doctors and nurses). On the other hand, external stakeholders in a hospital setting whom Dr. DoRight is likely to face on daily basis include clients/patients, community members (community organizations), and board of trustees among others. Potential conflicts of interest Without doubt, there are many issues being experienced at the Universal Human Care Hospital. To begin with, patients are dying out of what has been mentioned as negligence and illegal procedures by nurses and doctors. On the other hand, even when Dr. DoRight reports these matters to the Regional Director Compliance Manager and Executive Committee, they only keep the matter pending promising to investigate and provide recommendations. Two years down, it appears that the situation has not changed and patients are still dying. It is quite clear that nothing has been done to address the situation. There is potential conflict of interest in this case study. The carelessness and illegal practice by medical practitioners in this particular hospital is not only irresponsible behavior, but it also compromises principles and work ethics.Advertising Looking for case study on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The conflict of interest comes in that the clients/patients need to be provided with quality services and come to the hospitals seeking attention of doctor and nurses. However, the staff members are careless and do not provide quality services. Consequently, patients continue to die out of this ignorance. On the other hand, even after the CEO (Dr.DoRight) reports what is happening to the Regional Director Compliance Manager and Executive Committee, they do not make a follow up as promised. It is clear that these stakeholders are very aware of what exactly is happening, but it does not bother them. They are only interested in what they receive from the hospitals, which includes salaries, meeting allowances and other benefits. They do not perform their duti es of making policies for the hospital. As a result, patients continue to suffer. The executive members and director continues to enjoy benefits while patients do not receive quality services, which they need from the hospital. Has Dr.DoRight fulfilled his ethical responsibility? When a dilemma faces a leader, he or she should consider all issues and make a decision that best suits the situation. In the case of Universal Human Care Hospital, Dr. DoRight is in a situation that is very challenging considering that he has already reported all the happenings to the relevant officers. By reporting to the Regional Director Compliance Manager and Executive Committee about what is happening in the hospital, Dr. DoRight has done the right thing. However, he has not fulfilled his ethical responsibility. To begging with, as a leader Dr. DoRight willingly acted on â€Å"definite sense of work and ethical principles† (Ethical Leadership, 2002). This is because he took a step and reported all happenings to his seniors. By just reporting what is happening to the executive and senior most management, Dr. DoRight only did the right thing, but he failed to act and practice his powers as a manager (CEO). Despite of reporting about the illegal practices and vices, patients continue to suffer under his supervision. Therefore, the blame fully lands on him. This is precisely because he has the mandate to act accordingly and provide an immediate solution as the matter in hand is about life and death.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Corporate Governance and Ethical Responsibility specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a senior manager, Dr. DoRight has a responsibility to make rational decisions, give orders, suck, and even hire (Prentice and Bredeson, 2010). In this situation, Dr. DoRight should not have waited to receive a report for two years. According to Rainbow, an informed ethical consciousness will be guided by principle of caring and therefore an individual will consider what others demand or expect from him/her (2002). In addition, one should act on principles of justice. By acting on principles of justice, an administrator will manage himself and others fairly (Prentice and Bredeson, 2010). By so doing, any manager will be able to examine dilemmas from a wide perspective. In this case, Dr. DoRight lacked ethical consciousness because he only reported what was happening but did not act. As a manager, he should have acted with justice, care, and rational. This would have provided a solution rather than waiting two years for an investigation. In terms of leadership, Dr. DoRight was honest by reporting the matter. He should have promoted ethical awareness to all subordinates. As a manager, Dr. DoRight should have formed an ethical committee, which is usually found in most hospitals (Prentice and Bredeson, 2010). Such a committee would not make a formal decision, but it would r aise awareness to all staff members, advice, and educate them on ethical issues. This would provide a long-term solution. The principle of deontology The principle of deontology argues that an individual should adhere to his/her obligation and responsibility when assessing an ethical dilemma (Halbert and Ingulli, 2012). This principle simply implies that, any person who has a duty to honor should do so because upholding ones obligation is the right thing to do. Acting according to obligation is considered ethical. A manager, who is acting based on principle of deontologist, will always fulfill his/her duties as demanded (Prentice and Bredeson, 2010). Individuals who adhere to this principle will definitely produce very dependable decisions because such choices are within their line of specialty. The principle of deontology is the basis of unique and special duties at the workplace (Halbert and Ingulli, 2012). For instance, a supervisor may have an obligation to monitor and guide his subordinates. On the other hand, principle of deontology also recognizes those individual with extra qualities. In a work place where employees work on specific targets, some individual may produce extra ordinary results.Advertising Looking for case study on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More If one of the workers fall sick or incurs an injury, the output of others will be affected. However, if one of the workers volunteers to do his duty and that of his colleague, he works beyond his limit. Such an individual can be referred as â€Å"supererogation† (Rainbow, 2002). In case there is conflict of obligations, one should act rationally and fairly to provide an amicable solution. In the case of Universal Human Care Hospital, Dr. DoRight had an obligation to control the situation and ensure that all patients received the best services. By reporting to the top management, Dr.DoRight only completed one-step of his obligation and for that, he is a deontologist. However, he should have gone a step further and exceed his limit by making a follow up and investigating the matter to find an ultimate solution. Principle of utilitarianism The utilitarian ethical code is established on the ability to foresee the outcomes of an individual’s action (Rainbow, 2002). When fac ed with two choices (dilemma), the alternative that is advantageous to many people is the better option and therefore ethical (Rainbow, 2002). There exist act and rule utilitarianism. Act utilitarianism adheres to the choice that benefits many people while the rule utilitarianism takes into account laws and procedures (Rainbow, 2002). In the case of Universal Human Care Hospital, Dr.DoRight acted based on the rule utilitarianism because he followed the procedures of reporting and waiting for feedback from the boss. He should have acted based on act utilitarianism, which would help him make a decision that would benefit all stakeholders. He should have taken it as a responsibility and form a committee that would discuss the action plan instead of waiting for too long, when patients continued dying. In summary, â€Å"†real leaders concentrate on doing the right thing, not on doing things right† (Ethical Leadership, 2002). As such, corporate leaders have many responsibilit ies, which they must execute perfectly for benefit of all stakeholders. Apart from overseeing and supervising activities of an organization, corporate leaders have a special duty of creating an ethical institution. This unique responsibility applies to different organization leaders at all levels of management. Honesty, fairness, and acting rationally constitute to what is considered ethical. Reference List Ethical Leadership. (2002). Leadership. Retrieved from https://www.cyc-net.org/cyc-online/cycol-0600-ethics.html Halbert, T., Ingulli, E. (2012). Law Ethics in the Business Environment. (7th ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Prentice, R. A., Bredeson, D. (2010). Student Guide to The Sarbanes-Oxley Act. (2nd  ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage. Rainbow, C. (2002). Descriptions of Ethical Theories and Principles. Retrieved from http://www.bio.davidson.edu/people/kabernd/indep/carainbow/Theories.htm This case study on Corporate Governance and Ethical Responsibility was written and submitted by user Asher Sheppard to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Truth vs Happiness in Fahrenheit 451 Essay Example

Truth vs Happiness in Fahrenheit 451 Essay Example Truth vs Happiness in Fahrenheit 451 Essay Truth vs Happiness in Fahrenheit 451 Essay Essay Topic: Fahrenheit 451 Submitted on Wednesday, March 27th Submitted By: William Would you rather be happy in your life and live in ignorance or would you rather live your life with more of a purpose? Even if that purpose means doing things that most people would frown upon. This is one of the conflicts the characters face in the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Fahrenheit 451 is a book about a fireman named Guy Montag. In his society fireman start fires rather than put them out. Most fires started by the firemen are fires in which they burn books.Most books are not allowed and the firemen have to be called to burn them. In this book Montag appears to be a by the book firemen early on but as the book continues you learn he has his doubts about his work and if he is really happy at all with the current life he is living. In Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury believes that it is better to know the truth about your life and live with purpose than to live your life happy in ignorance. In the book Bradbury proves this in a few ways. One way it did this is when Guy Montag first met Clarrisse and started questioning what was wrong with the society that they lived in at the time.When Montag started to do the same it eventually gave him a new purpose in life and started giving him the ability to have real relationships and actually become happy with his life instead of just being happy in ignorance like most of the other people in the city he lived in. It also opened his eyes to a different world of knowledge and showed him that his old life was a lie. Those are a few examples from the book showing that Ray Bradbury believed it is more important to live your life with purpose than to be happy in ignorance.One way Ray Bradbury showed that knowing the truth about your life is more important than being happy in ignorance is showed by the way Montag’s life completely changed after he discovered the truth about his life. After he realized he was living in ignorance it gave him a new purpose in his life. The event in the book that I believe started this realization is when he was asked Are you happy (15). This is a question Montag is asked by Clarrisse. This simple question really shook Montag up and made him really think about what was going on in his life and made him find out he is actually not appy. After knowing this Montag starts to actually stand up for what he believes in which gives him a new purpose in life. He starts to talk to an old English professor named Faber about almost trying to start a revolution of sorts. Plant the books, turn in an alarm and see the firemen’s houses burn (85). That’s the good part of dying; when you have nothing to lose, you run any risk you want (85). Those are two quotes of Montag talking to Faber. Those quotes are significant because they symbolized Montag becoming a completely changed person.They show that he is serious about standing up for what he believes in now and that he has found a new purpose in his life. It is the beginning of Montag’s new life and is an example of him no longer living his life in ignorance. That is one way that Ray Bradbury shows that it is more important to know the truth then be happy living in ignorance. Another way Ray Bradbury demonstrated that the truth is more important than being happy living a lie is how his social relationships changed after starting to think about the truth more. It was almost like he was a different person.Instead of continuing to have some pointless conversations like some people had in the book. You really start finding out about all the pointless conversations in the book on page 31 when Clarrisse says People don’t talk about anything She later says They name a lot of cars or clothes or swimming pools mostly and say how swell! But they say the same thing and nobody says anything different from anyone else. (31) After Guy had been talking to Clarrisse for a while you begin to realize that she has really changed the way he communicates with people and he begins to start having real conversations with people.An example of this is when on page 29 when Clarrisse asks him a question about children to which he replies It was a good question. It has been awhile since anyone cared enough to ask a good question. Montag’s answer shows that it is something he had never really put a lot of thought into until actually being asked the question by Clarrisse. That is another way that Ray Bradbury showed that it is better to live your life with purpose and know the truth about it rather than be happy in ignorance.The last way Ray Bradbury proved in that it is better to know the truth about your life than live in ignorance in Fahrenheit 451 is how after Montag got a purpose in his live it opened his eyes to a different world and showed him his old life was a lie. He actually started to be happy opposed to just thinking he was happy while living in ignorance. The first time you realize that Montag started off living in ignorance is after he is asked if he is happy he laughs and says Happy! Of all the nonsense, He stopped laughing. 10) This quote shows that Montag had thought he was happy but actually shows that he was just happy in ignorance. After Montag learns the truth about his life it opens his eyes to a new world of literature. Montag’s lack of knowledge about books is demonstrated when he is t alking to Faber on page 85 and says Are things like that in books? But it came off the top of my mind. This is significant because it shows that Montag is willing to learn about books and that some books may open him up to a world outside of the censorship he lives in.As the book goes on and Montag learns the truth about his life his opinions on things change drastically. This is shown when he is talking about leaving Mildred behind in the city and he says Even if she dies, I realized a moment age, I don’t think I will feel sad. It isn’t right. Something must be wrong with me. (155) This quote is significant because it shows that Montag it demonstrates that Montag is a changed man and he wouldn’t feel sad his wife died because he was not happy with his wife or his life prior to learning the truth.In Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury shows that it is more important to know the truth about something than it is to necessarily be happy about it. He demonstrates this by s howing that it is more important to live your life with purpose than it is to always be happy in your life. A moral to be learned from this is that it is better to tell people the truth, even if you think that telling the truth might hurt somebody’s feelings. It can be applied to real life in many situations when you have to decide to tell the truth or tell a lie. In the end whoever said The truth hurts wasn’t lying.