Ethical dilemma faced by Antonio
Essentially, the main issue that Antonio has to deal with is integrity. Antonio has to make a decision of the case in hand based on his position of power and the authority. It is pinpointed that Phil referred to Roger, Antonio’s boss (p 150). He seems to have had no clue of the unethical behavior by some of the staff members like Phil, for example. Even though there is an explanation for the situation, Antonio has to choose between doing what is right and doing what is necessary. Phil seems to do what is necessary to make some financial gains for the company illegally. Besides, Antonio is in the dilemma of tackling the issue ethically.
He has an ethical responsibility of not exposing Phil as the one who is performing wrong. Moreover, Kevin decided to report the issue to Antonio even though he did not have the guarantee of the top management’s willingness to handle the issue. If Antonio does not deal with the issue, it will be proof to Phil that he was right about Antonio. In all these issues, one thing is clear that it is all about integrity in management and leadership that Antonio has to decide (McDaniel, 2004).
Strategies for dealing with the issue
There are only two choices; the case for and the case against it. Case for includes choosing integrity and deciding on the way to deal with the matter. In this strategy, Antonio has to guarantee Kevin his security and anonymity. He has to ensure that Kevin remains confidential and that the damage by the power surge is not manipulated for more gains from the insurance company. He has to deal with Phil in regards to the abuse of office and taking advantage of junior employees’ submissiveness, venerability, and loyalty. These are the short-term measures of this strategy to deal with the current issues.
For the insurance that the vice is eradicated once and for all, Antonio has the responsibility of advocating for the adoption of measures to educate employees and install severe punishment for such vices (McDaniel, 2004). It is obvious that the reason why Matt took up the task of digging up all the underground wires and hauling them off before the insurance people arrived was basically because of not understanding what is right, and accruing to him what came from the superior was right. Education of employees through conferences is sure to eradicate junior abuse by seniors (Driscoll, 2002).
On the other hand, Antonio can choose to go for the “let be” strategy (Holfman, 2002). In this strategy, Antonio will ignore whatever Kevin told him, and overlook whatever Phil directed Matt to do. This strategy is sure to promote the vice and encourage senior staff like Phil to take advantage of junior employees and continually abuse them (Batson, Thompson, & Chen, 2002).
Pros and cons of each strategy discussed above
Firstly, integrity will supersede intentional dishonesty. In such a way, the right ethics and culture will be promoted, and the benefits of the will be essential and followed. Moreover, as it is obvious that Kevin is willing that Antonio considers the matter by dealing with the issue in the right way, he might end up saving the company from legal engagement with insurance companies as well as from corporate disgrace (p 151). Additionally, he will prove that the top management of the company is a commitment to integrity, and can be trusted by junior employees in making ethical decisions. However, this strategy will mean ending up with Phil and another senior employee who support Phil (Batson, Thompson, & Chen, 2002).
If he overlooks the issue, he will be in a way promoting it and allowing it to thrive more. The pros of this strategy include the company making financial gains by swindling the insurance company. However, this will be in vain because if Kevin makes a threat of reporting the matter to the insurance company, the company will be crippled through legal implications from the manipulation of calamities for gains (Batson, Thompson, & Chen, 2002).
Decision – Antonio’s position
The best strategy to adopt from Antonio’s perspective is to handle the matter in the right and ethical manner trying to stop the manipulation of the situation and then put in place long-term strategies to curb against recurrence of the same (Driscoll, 2002).
With an ethical system in place being observed in Empress Luxury, the various stakeholders of the company, not just the staff, feel empowered from the moment decisions in management as they are guaranteed to be ethically positive for Empress Luxury operations because attention to organizational ethics surfaces the nobility of enterprise and employee to achieve a genuine sense of community (Batson et al, 2002). Even though the company is in a tough economical period, there are better ways to manage the operation without having to swindle others (Ayal & Gino, 2011).
References
Ayal, S., & Gino, F. (2011). Honest rationales for dishonest behavior. Sydney: Macmillan Australia.
Batson, C., Thompson, E., & Chen, H. (2002). Moral hypocrisy: Addressing some alternatives. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 83(2), 303-339.
Driscoll, D. (2002). Ethics Matters: How to Implement Values-Driven Management,. Waltham: Waltham University Press.
Holfman, W. (2002). Management Applications and Operations in Organization. Chicago: Routeledge CA.
McDaniel, C. (2004). Organizational Ethics: Research And Ethical Environments,. London: Oxford University Press.