Ritu lives in India and worked for an organization doing work for street children. The money she is earning from her work is paying back a loan she took from a bank to pay for her sister's weeding. She has been set the task by her boss to apply for much needed government funding for a project to help street children. Ritu gets in touch with the appropriate public servant. They say that they are willing to support the orphanage if she pays a bribe on behalf of the orphanage. Her boss tells her that she has to secure the project by paying the bribe.
If she pays the bribe:
-She keep her job
-She continues to be able to pay back her loan for the family
-She secures much needed finance to run the program for street children
-She goes against her value and is dishonest
If she doesn’t pay the bribe:
-She risk losing her job
-She will have to search for another way to pay back the loan
-The project for street children will not go ahead
-She lives out the values she believe in
What would you do if you were her?
I would pay the bribe. We don't live in a perfect world. This is how everyone is doing business in her society. Sometimes you have to be pragmatic, even though it goes against your belief. It's all about doing the best you can for everyone.
ReplyDeleteI answered the same thing when I was doing this exercise. In ethic class, there is one value which is called "Utilitarianism" which explain that as long as your action positively affect majority, you are ethical. I mean "best for more people".
ReplyDeleteThis is a real story. In her real decision, she quite her job and took a lower paid job. She stick to her principle. I admire her for that but I won't do the same. I won't be able to see her kids suffer from not having financial support.
Nana
I don't think that it would be ethical. It does not change the fact that paying the bribe is not ethical (if you think so). It's all about maximizing the benefit.
ReplyDeleteNow back to her story...wouldn't you think what she did is selfish? She did it for her. She did not care about the kids.
I argued the same thing. There were 22 participant did exercise. Half of them agree with me (and you) and she somehow selfish to think for only her principle. But than the counter argument was that "She is providing good moral for the kids: to always pay no bribe". They said if she pay, she give bad moral.
ReplyDeleteThat counter argument does not hold since "being selfish" is a "bad moral" for the kids too. I'm wondering how they would respond to that.
ReplyDeleteGood point. I should have thought about that too. Let keep debating online with them. I will add your point and see how they will response. Thank for the idea.
ReplyDelete