FACTS
Luke works for a company called ABC and is currently working on a project that is developing land by ABC to build
an adult entertainment store. However, there is a problem that exists with Luke and this project. Luke has a
brother named Owen, that lives in the neighborhood that is located right by the location of the adult
entertainment retail store that is being built by his company. Owen seeks to obtain some advice from Luke. Owen
wonders should he sell his house now, because he has an offer on the table that is somewhat decent or should he
wait a few years to potentially receive a better deal due to the improvement of a real estate market.
Problem
Should Luke inform his brother Owen of this vital information and help him or maintain his obligations of
confidentiality to the company he is employed by? This particular situation deals with ethical issues that address
the values of honesty and loyalty. Luke has to decide between being honest with his brother, Owen or to maintain
his obligations to ABC’s confidentially agreement.
The Golden Rule
Luke has an arsenal of methods he could use to solve this situation. One of the methods is the Golden Rule. The
Golden Rule states, “Treat others as you want to be treated.” This concept could also apply, to be honest with
others as you would want them to be honest with you. Using this approach, Luke must treat others as he would
like to be treated in the workplace. For this approach to be useful, he must be fully aware of ethics to make the
best ethical outcome come to light.
Luke carries the ethical dilemma of keeping the company’s plans confidential or telling his brother Owen of the
problem at hand. The best decision in terms of ethics Luke can make with the golden rule in mind will be to let
