I believe that corporate employees working within the confines and regulations of the organisation. have all the tools required to move ethically. When an person is asked to make something that they may even surmise would be damaging to their support. so they have all the rights given to them to non follow through with that action. In the instance of Betty Vinson of WorldCom. while she had the clear apprehension that her actions were incorrect. she clearly kept personal fiscal safety in front of her moral and ethical criterions. This finally translated into an even more damaging consequence. which was gaol clip.
She clearly did non hold a to the full developed moral compass. which would hold prompted her to either garbage to do the deceitful entries. or go forth her occupation instantly. if the first was non an option. Lawrence Kohlberg defined six phases of moral logical thinking. which he broke down into three different degrees. I believe that Betty Vinson fell into degree one. obeisance and penalty orientation. to be specific. As stated earlier. she was decidedly against doing the deceitful accounting entries because she understood that they were incorrect. she even went every bit far as doing the initial determination to vacate from her place.
However. she was afraid to discontinue her place because she feared that it would hold been highly hard to obtain a similar occupation at her age. As Kohlberg described the pre-conventional degree. whereby this is “a degree of moral logical thinking is particularly common in kids. although grownups can besides exhibit this degree of concluding. Reasoners at this degree justice the morality of an action by its direct effects. ” Therefore. Ms. Vinson straight ignored her moral compass because its direct effects were desperate to her personally. and even more so. from a fiscal position.
It is true that she had the moral logical thinking of a kid. I am inclined to oppugn the point that Kohlberg makes. which is that Ms. Vinson lacked free will. As an grownup. she had the free will to take whatever action she deemed necessary to safeguard her life style. She had the liberty to walk out the door and avoid eventual gaol clip. I believe that the regulating Torahs of WorldCom did non keep back her from stating “no” and proceeding to look for another calling option.
I think what may hold stopped er from making so. besides her personal fiscal concerns. was the fact that the corporate civilization at WorldCom was shaped by the top two executives. CEO Bernie Ebbers and CFO Scott Sullivan. Their leading manner was really hierarchal and bossy. The impression of bash as told and make non oppugn your higher-ups permeated the workplace environment. Ebbers had entire control in the indoctrination of the corporate civilization from the lowest ranks of the line employee all the manner to exceed direction and the Board of Directors. This gave him great latitude to prosecute self-seeking involvements.
Ultimately Ebbers shaped the ethical motives of each employee in order to run into his demands of high gross public presentation and run intoing fiscal marks. WorldCom’s civilization dictated individuals’ ethical motives and political orientations instead than the employee’s ethical motives determining the company. Having said that. one can reason that Ms. Vinson had been pulled into the corporate civilization that Ebbers pushed. and she hence about had no pick but to follow his petitions and be a “team player” . Betty Vinson was no different than any other employee when it came to being a company stalwart and following the internal beliefs demanded upon her.
She was no alien to large fillips and big rises. which helped to still any uncertainties of her commitment to Ebbers and WorldCom. Ms. Cooper on the other manus. did what she thought was the right thing. and did so independently. without any coercion. She is a good illustration of how a individual can do determinations by esteeming and following authorization. I conclusion. there was a blunt difference between the two women’s thought procedure and Ms. Cooper had a better grip on the effects of whatever actions she may hold deemed appropriate in the WorldCom instance.
