Family Ties and Business Ethics Analysis: A Case Study

Major Ethical Issue and Secondary Ethical Issues

The author of this work believes that the central ethical problem of Lucy and her fathers case is that to finally get the desired appreciation and love of her harsh father, she would have to betray those who value her as a person. There are significant secondary ethical issues, such as the dilemma between family and business and forgiving the fathers sins (Family Ties and Business Ethics 1). It is also worth noting an ethical issue of a white lie.

Stakeholders and Options

Options Stakeholders	Lucy agrees to help her father and tells him about the companys new tactics and strategy.	Lucy refuses to help her father.	Lucy is trying to help her father legally through the bid on a project.	Lucy condemns her father for the way he treated her, and she breaks any ties with him.
Lucy	Lucy has mixed feelings; she helped her father but betrayed friends and colleagues.	Lucy has mixed feelings; she refused to help her father but did not lie to people in her new company.	Lucy experiences moral well-being, since there are no ethical contradictions.	Lucy feels emotionally exhausted and depressed.
Lucys new company	Lucys new company becomes part of Lucys fathers company.	Lucys new company becomes a major player in the market.	Lucys new company is satisfied with Lucy being a liaison.	Lucys new company becomes a major player in the market.
People from Lucys new company	People from Lucys new company cease to be independent and feel betrayed.	People from Lucys new company become Lucys new family.	People from Lucys new company is satisfied with Lucy being a liaison.	People from Lucys new company become Lucys new family.
Lucys father	Lucys father finally appreciates his daughter.	Lucys father becomes severely leveraged and loses last hope.	Lucys father appreciates Lucys help but is unhappy that she did not accept his plan. He is still in financial difficulties.	Lucys father becomes severely leveraged and loses last hope.
Lucys fathers company	Lucys fathers company becomes a very successful organization.	Lucys fathers company ceases to exist.	Lucys fathers company is still experiencing financial difficulties, but less so.	Lucys fathers company ceases to exist.

The Categorical Imperative of Respect for Persons from Kants Deontology

The author of this work has chosen The Categorical Imperative of Respect for Persons from Kants Deontology. This principle can be described as a mandatory morally and unconditional rule that every human being deserves respect simply because they are persons. Person means free rational beings there. The first option when Lucy agrees to help her father and tells him about the companys new tactics and strategy is not morally allowed because lying is disrespectful. Refusing to help her father is ethically acceptable because her fathers plan involves Lucy having to lie, and there are other ways to help her father. The legal way to help is moral because, in this case, Lucy does not have to lie, and she helps her father, which is a show of respect. It isnt easy to judge whether the option is morally allowed when Lucy condemns her father because this case is a very subjective one. According to The Categorical Imperative of Respect for Persons from Kants Deontology, the best option is when Lucy is trying to help her father legally through the bid on a project.

The Right Option

The author of this work believes that the right option is when Lucy is trying to help her father legally. In this way, Lucy will maintain positive relationships with both her father and colleagues. It will also allow Lucy to solve her fathers financial problems, albeit partially and more slowly. However, two objections arise here. Lucy will not get the desired appreciation from her father, and he will still be leveraged. The counter-argument to it will be that in crises, in which Lucys father is, people tend to change, and Lucys help can become that driver of the fathers emotional change. Another counter-argument is that the temporary cooperation of two companies may grow into permanent, which would be financially beneficial, especially to Lucys father.

Authors Note

It is safe to say that the steps of the model are a useful tool, especially for those lacking experience in ethical reasoning and ethical theories. The most difficult and, therefore, time-consuming part was the analysis of options and stakeholders. The author of this work finds the process of assumption and analysis of a potential impact of options as too chaotic. It is there where imagination can get in the way of logical reasoning.