Aggressive Sales Quotas
Peter is in a critical ethical dilemma as he is required to achieve a high target for online advertising sales. The difficulty is based on whether to conceal information to the existing customers to continue making additional profits or to help the customers review their advertising packages that carry high risk due to market saturation. In revealing the information, the sales target might fail since rivals would exploit the issue for their benefits. Peter is aware that the bottom line of online advertising is profit, but he also understands the importance of protecting customers’ welfare and interests.
Peter required various ethical virtues to implement his action of considering community interests. Integrity was a crucial issue by making decisions that are guided by their implications in the community (Prentice, 2007). Peter possesses this virtue by demonstrating through actions that he believes in using appropriate channels in interactions with the customer. The second virtue is fairness, such that he thought that the value of the business services should reciprocate in the utility by the customer. His motivation was the belief that the community might be astonished by the past but gain more confidence from the customers due to new developments.
The first risk peter would face in making the decision was eroded customer confidence, thus losing sizeable market share. Most of the customers would point the blame of their failures to the company for taking advantage of their limited knowledge about the internet to overcharge them. The competition is high in San Francisco; thus, rivals would use the opportunity to grab from Peter’s organization share in the market using business politics. Secondly, if Peter’s decision failed to deliver to expectations, he would receive the wrath of the employer due to violating the fundamental principle in the market: money as the bottom line.
The individual factor is crucial in assisting people in making ethical decisions amid pressure. Different factors incorporate elements such as personal attitude, knowhow, objectives, and moral understanding (Stenmark & Mumford, 2011). Opportunity factors also make people make decision-based on what is expected to gain or lose in making a particular decision. For instance, Peter was aware that in the short term, the revenues would decrease, opening the door for widened profit margin. Social factors also influence the ethical decision that is based on the culture of the organization. In an environment where ethics are highly valued, then people are likely to align their decisions with the standards.
Prentice, R. A. (2007). Ethical decision making: More needed than good intentions. Financial Analysts Journal, 63(6), 17-30.
Stenmark, C. K., & Mumford, M. D. (2011). Situational impacts on leader ethical decision-making. The Leadership Quarterly, 22(5), 942-955.