Fact: Luke is in charge of working on a land development project for ABC Company.
The company is planning to build an adult entertainment retail store, which happens to be
located near where his brother, Owen, lives. Luke discerns that as soon as the project is
announced to the public, the property values of the surrounding neighborhood will drop
significantly. Luke remembers his brother, Owen, told him that he had recently received
an offer to sell his house at an acceptable price compared to the current real estate
market. However, Owen is considering if he should wait for a couple more years, hoping
real estate values will improve so that he can sell it at a higher price.
Issue:
Luke is facing an ethical dilemma about whether or not he should alert his brother
Owen about the project he is working on. In this case, it is an ethical issue because if
Luke decides to notify his brother about the company’s project, he has violated his work
ethics by sharing the company’s confidential information with others. On the other hand,
if Luke decides not to tell Owen about the “about to launch” project, the consequences
could result in a significant loss to Owen’s property value as well as damage to the close
relationship between Luke and Owen.
Ethical Lenses:
Utilitarianism: Utilitarian theory explicates that a decision is made based on the
consequences of the action. That action is considered as ethical if it benefits the party
with more stakeholders. (According to GENB 4350 online lecture, Ethical Reasoning 1)
Universal ethics: Universal ethics consider an action is ethical if it is a moral act
and it should be a universal laws that everyone should follow under any circumstances
