You are the manager of a spare parts company A, and you have to negotiate a deal with the manager of a large manufacturing company B.
The deal is highly competitive and sealing the deal is critical for your company. The deal is being worked out over dinner. After dinner, the manager of manufacturing company B offered to drop you at the hotel in his car.
On the way to the hotel, he happens to hit a motorcycle injuring the motorcyclist badly. You know the manager was driving fast and thus lost control. The law enforcement officer comes to investigate the issue and you are the sole eyewitness. Knowing the strict laws pertaining to road accidents you are aware that your honest account of the incident would lead to the prosecution of the manager and as a consequence the deal is likely to be jeopardized, which is of immense importance to your company.
What are the dilemmas you face? What will be your response to the situation?
The case presents a dilemma for me on various fronts:
- Dilemma to choose between the profitability of my company and justice for the accident victim.
- To choose between my values of loyalty to my company and empathy and social responsibility.
- To choose between my professional well-being by facilitating the seal of the deal and my integrity.
- Whether to cooperate with law enforcement officers and suffer potential personal and social loss.
I will cooperate with the law enforcement agency. I will base my decision on the following considerations:
- To avoid any inner dissonance and crisis of conscience I must act ethically. Then only I can be happy from within.
- I will use Gandhiji’s talisman to resolve the dilemma which says to act in the interest of the weak who in this case is the accident victim.
- As per Kant’s categorical imperative, I have to treat humanity as an end and value the life of the accident victim.
- I will take the decision as per John Rawl’s veil of ignorance. Tomorrow I or my family and friends could be the victim of rash driving. So, it is in my own interest to cooperate with the authority.
- Rules like traffic rules cannot be enforced without citizens’ cooperation. My legal responsibility is to help implement the rule by punishing the violators and creating deterrence.
- My decision will help the accident victim get justice.
- By virtue and integrity will be safeguarded.
Along with this, I will persuade my company to willingly accept my decision. My personal integrity might also increase management's trust in me and help me assume greater responsibility.