Business Ethics

NEU CPS PHL 2180 BUSINESS ETHICS, SPRING 2016

THE HOUSING ALLOWANCE CASE STUDY QUESTIONS & RESPONSES

1. Did Wilson Mutambara act wrongly? Explain why or why not. Assess each of the arguments he gives in his own defense. What other courses of action were open to him? What would you have done in his place?

It is very easy to condemn Wilson Mutambara and say that his actions were deceptive and wrong, especially if you have never lived under such conditions and community expectations as was the case in Rambia. I come from Nigeria in West Africa and can totally relate and agree with Wilson’s actions. The pressure and burden put on you by your extended family and community to help “your brothers and sisters” succeed is unprecedented. You could easily become an outcast if you failed to lend a helping hand even at your own detriment or peril. It is definitely not the kind of situation or circumstance you can fight against for it is a battle you are naturally designed to lose. Wilson did what was best given his peculiar circumstances and in the interest of the community to produce the most good and do the least harm. I would argue that Wilson’s action does not impinge on the image of his company or employer in the eyes of the locals in Rambia. Rather, Wilson’s action will be celebrated as heroic for fulfilling his obligations to his family and community and considering their plight above all.

Wilson could have easily chosen to rent a big house and enjoy all the comfort and pleasures of life to protect the image of his company. But instead, he chose to be selfless, and lend a helping hand to his extended family and community to give them opportunities that they would not likely have otherwise, and by so doing, help alleviate their suffering and salvage them from the devastating grip of poverty. His actions were completely innocent with no ill intended against his company. Falsifying receipts to collect his housing allowance so he can keep up with his family obligations may be wrong by any standard, but such is common practice in third world and developing countries, and are not necessarily seem as wrong. In fact, you would be considered a fool if you failed to live up to that expectation.

Given that I am supporting my own extended family in Nigeria and doing everything I can to help alleviate their poverty and suffering, I would say that the only thing I might have done any different than Wilson was not to falsify receipts. It would have been best if Wilson had had a heart-to-heart conversation with his employer to explain his predicament and see if there are other options available through which his company can partner with him and help out one way or another.  The biggest issue here is that Wilson took matters into his own hands without seeking out help or exploring other available options or avenues through which he could continue to render assistance to his family without jeopardizing his employment or compromising his credibility and loyalty to his company.

Shaw, William H.. Business Ethics (Page 398). Wadsworth Publishing. Kindle Edition.

1. Was Dale Garman right to confirm the information he had received and to report the matter? Was it morally required of him to do so?

Dale Garman confirmed the information he received and reported the matter to Wilson’s supervisor out of a deep sense of obligation and loyalty to his employer. Even though Dale was certain that reporting Wilson’s actions to his supervisor was likely to put him in trouble and possibly cost Wilson his job, he did it regardless. It was morally required of Wilson to report what he viewed and interpreted as Wilson’s breach of trust and conflict of interest against their employer. Truly, Wilson’s actions were morally worrisome even though I can successfully argue that he did not act to the detriment of his employer. However, I am not sure that Wilson could have been able to extricate himself from such conflict given the unprecedented pressure and community backslash he would certainly deal with if he had done otherwise. Wilson’s only escape from the ethical dilemma would have been to avoid taking that expatriate job to his home country and local community in the first place. Wilson not being in the immediate surrounding of his family and community where he could easily be accessed would have reduced the pressure to manageable proportions.