The issue at hand raises a lot of ethical concerns. Before making a decision to share this information or not, there are factors that must be critically looked at in order to come up with a final solution. It is true that McCardell Enterprises is planning to acquire Johnston International in ethical business dealings. However, a gentleman called Mr. Jones has just informed me that he has the capacity to make this deal simple, especially given the fact that there is another company interested in purchasing the same company.
There are a number of questions that should be addressed in this context, the top of which is the need to know who Mr. Jones is and how he knew that we are interested in this company. It may be necessary to conduct a simple investigation to have some background check about him. Unfortunately, this may not be possible because there are no leads that can enable us to do the investigation. It is, therefore, necessary to analyze the options that are available and the impact they may have from an ethical point of view.
As a manager, I may decide not to share this intelligence with the chief executive officer. Mr. John McCardell is known as a man who is disciplined and does not tolerate unethical business practices. If I share this information with him, it will be necessary for me to explain the source. I will have to explain why this Mr. Jones decided to contact me and not the chief executive officer (Steinberg and Austern 112).
In his mind, he might think that I have some underhand dealings with this man and that we know each other well. He may start doubting me as one of his top managers. It will not be easy to convince the chief executive manager that it was the first time we were meeting with this man and that I have no contacts that can help us trace him. There is a risk of permanently losing my trust with him. He may forever consider me as a man who will always look for short-cuts when faced with future challenges. As Shaw (57) notes, a firm that often looks for short-cuts when addressing issues that face it may have sustainability issues. The manager is aware of this, and he may fear involving me in his future business deals. When I keep quiet about the issue, for now, it is possible that I may not jeopardize our good relationship as long as the intelligence does not reach him.
This decision comes with some risks that are also worth noting (Pollock 86). The biggest question that brings about this dilemma is the identity of Mr. Jones. It is also not very clear how he knew about the decision of our firm to purchase Johnston International. There is a possibility that Mr. Jones was actually sent to me as a set-up. Mr. McCardell might be aware of the deal and only wants to determine if I am loyal to him and ethical in my practices.
He might be interested in knowing whether I can involve him in cases of dilemma at work. Failing to share with him this intelligence might be a sign that I do not trust him, especially if he sent Mr. Jones to me. It will be a sign that in the future I might be engaged in unethical practices that may jeopardize the firm’s operations without involving him. That may affect our current relationship which has been good since the time I joined this firm.
After giving consideration to fundamental issues about this case, I believe the best decision will be to share the intelligence with the chief executive officer. As an ethical manager, Smiley (93) says that it is important to involve superiors when faced with a dilemma. Roulac (28) confirms this argument by stating that it is critical for junior officers to consult their superiors when faced with challenging situations. Mr. McCardell is the owner of this business unit and has the final statement on all the major decisions made by the firm. He should be aware of this information and make decisions based on what he believes is the right thing to do.
If he sent this man, I shall have proven to him that I am a loyal manager. If he did not send this man, there is a possibility that the man may try to reach him and tell him that he had previously contacted me. If that happens, he will know that I often share important information with him. Trust cannot be developed based on lies and attempts to conceal information (McLean and Yoder 56). That is the policy that will guide my decision. In case he develops a feeling that we had a deal with Mr. Jones, I will tell him everything about what I know, and let him make an independent judgment based on my information. I believe that truth shall prevail and I will win his trust by sharing with him the intelligence.
Works Cited
McLean, Donald, and Daniel Yoder. Issues in Recreation and Leisure: Ethical Decision Making. Champaign: Human Kinetics, 2005. Print.
Pollock, Jocelyn. Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.
Roulac, Stephen. Ethics in Real Estate. New York: Springer, 2011. Print.
Shaw, William. Business Ethics. Belmont: Wadsworth, 2008. Print.
Smiley, Jane. Good Faith. New York: A. A. Knopf, 2003. Print.
Steinberg, Sheldon, and David Austern. Government, Ethics, and Managers: A Guide to Solving Ethical Dilemmas in the Public Sector. New York: Praeger, 1990. Print.