From the perspective of consequential theories, a lot of emphasis must be placed on the results or outcomes of behavior (Nelson and Quick 55; Kahneman 31). During the development of this theory, John Stuart Mill believed that the rightness or incorrectness of an action can only be determined through the analysis of the consequences (Baron 56). In lieu to this, Melissa and Brian should not take their internet services to China. An important factor to consider in the actions by Melissa and Brian is that the whole process of expanding the business is against the ethical compass of the company. The outcome would be destructive to the ethical beliefs that the company upholds.
Mill further said that minorities may be excluded from determining the morality of an action. In this case, an action may be determined using the ‘greatest number’ criterion. If an issue is of significance to the minority but bad for the majority, then it should not be considered (Nelson and Quick 55; (West et al., 939). With all minorities such as profit excluded, this is sufficient for Melissa and Brian to see that the consequences of their actions are bound to destroy the ethical conduct of the organization. The company is the majority considering that its reputation determines whether or not it will be in a position to penetrate other markets. The current action is bound to destroy the reputation of the company.
On the other hand, rule-based theories focus on an analysis of the character and not the outcome of an action. The theory was developed by Immanuel Kant. According to Nelson and Quick, the aspects that guide rule-based theories are found in religious books including the Bible and Quran among others (55). These books hold a universal standard of conduct that may be used in determining the morality of an action (West et al., 937). Ethical standards are of great significance especially considering that they develop a lasting perspective in customers, potential clients and even stakeholders.
So far, Melissa and Brian have already created an ethical standard that the company upholds. Any action that would go against the beliefs and standards set up by Brian and Melissa is wrong. The evidence confirms that the action to penetrate the Asian market is wrong considering that it goes against the standards of conduct. From the perspective of Kant, empathy is of great significance in this case (Baron 68; Stanovich 45; Stanovich and Toplak 6). Brian and Melissa should place themselves on the positions of potential clients or even stakeholders. Anything that will ruin the reputation of the organization will paint a negative picture in the minds of such people. The action to penetrate the Asian market is too costly for the organization.
From the perspective of character theories, the intention or behavior of an actor is of significance. Robert Solomon advocated for this theory that is based on the virtue ethics developed by Aristotle (Nelson and Quick 55; Kruglanski and Gigerenzer 165; Stanovich 49). Apparently, an action is considered moral when the person conducting the action is good and perfect as per the standards of the society. Among the factors that determine the goodness of an individual or the rightness of their action are factors such as community excellence, role identity or even reliability among others (Kahneman 33). Brian and Melissa intend on growing their organization for purposes of profitability. However, they intend on doing that in a way that will maintain professionalism. For this reason, it makes a lot of sense for them to engage in such an action.
Another significant aspect in character based theory is coordination or collaboration as this is a strong indicator of the values upheld by an individual (Nelson and Quick 56). From the analysis of Disco Global, it is evident that the owners are concerned about the community. They want to maintain professionalism in their home environment as well as internationally through collaboration with people such as Henry Chee Wan. The idea that Brian and Melissa intend to develop and grow their organization for the sake of the community portray virtue. The action of penetrating the Asian market makes a lot of sense as the focus is on the individual.
It is possible to weigh the options that Melissa and Brian have so far. Two theories support the cancellation of the Asian market and only one is comfortable with the action. The action to take up the Asian market is bound to destroy the reputation of the company since it raises an action that goes against the ethical standards of the company. All companies work hard to ensure that they achieve a good reputation and positive customer reviews. The greatest asset of any business entity such as Disco Global is the customers. Today, consumers are keen on issues related to ethical conduct (Klauer et al., 300; Klauer and Kellen 167; Stanovich and Toplak 4). Anything that ruins an organization from this standpoint leads to the complete destruction of the organization. A major problem is that it costs a lot of money and it takes a lot of time to create and maintain the positive reputation of an organization. For this reason, Melissa and Brian should not pursue their intention to expand into the Asian market.
Works Cited
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Klauer, Karl C. Sieghard Beller, and Mandy Hutter, M. Conditional reasoning in context: A dual-source model of probabilistic inference. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 36 (2010), 298–323.
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Kruglanski, Arie W. and Gerd Gigerenzer. Intuitive and deliberative judgments are based on common principles. Psychological Review, 118 (2011), 97–109.
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West, Richard F et al., Heuristics and biases as measures of critical thinking: Associations with cognitive ability and thinking dispositions. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100 (2011), 930–941.
