[An Ethical Dilemma Case Study]
(Wu Ching Laam, Lee Chui Ki, Chan Pui Yan, Ho Hiu Ching, Chong Ka
Wai, Martina Cao)
a. If I were Sharon, I would not accept Kit’s offer and help him get the loan
due to the following reasons.
To myself, at first, it would be illegal to approve a loan to someone
whose situation is not eligible. Not only will I possibly receive a penalty
from the company due to a violation of the bank’s policies, but also be
terminated. Both Kit and I might even have to bear legal responsibility if
Kit’s offer was accepted and he got his loan illegally.
Moreover, it is unfair to both other clients who are eligible to get the
loan and other students who are applying for the school summer camp.
If other students find out that my son got his place by pull some strings,
it will damage the relationship between my son and his classmates,
and also affect his future school life.
Furthermore, it is very important for superiors to uphold the company’s
shared values and behave ethically to be role models for fellow
employees. My ethical act of rejecting Kit’s offer might influence
employees of the bank to also act ethically in their work and educate
my son to act ethically even when facing dilemmas.
b. Sharon may suggest Kit to apply for a loan legally, which means
through the bank instead of asking for a favour personally, and explain
the reasons why she cannot accept his offer and the possible
consequences.
Sharon can also suggest Kit to lower the amount of loan applied for
easier approval. Moreover, she can propose Kit to find a professional
finance consultant to tailor-made a loan plan for Kit.
If Sharon discovers that Kit has been trying to apply for a loan through
other illegal methods afterwards, she may even be the whistle-blower
and report his actions to relevant government departments, for
example, ICAC, through toll-free ethics hotlines to protect her own
interest and privacy.
About the school summer camp for her son, Sharon can apply for other
camps held by different organizations in case her son is not able to join
the school camp. I believe that off-campus camps would also provide
an unforgettable experience to her son as well.
c. To begin with, banking firms can provide ethical training for employees.
For instance, holding various interactive workshops regularly can
ensure workers’ ethical considerations during decision-making. Ethical
training would enhance ethical behavior and handle moral dilemmas
because it would let employees understand more about the
organization's values.
Besides, banking companies can also set a code of ethics to provide a
clear and measurable guideline for employees to follow the rules, such
as the company’s definition of acceptable behavior which enhances
employees, to recognize the standards of ethics that the firm expects
employees to follow and maintain. They can also set up an
independent social audit along with the code of ethics to evaluate
employees’ decisions and management practices in terms of the bank’s
guideline.
