Analyze the ethical dilemma faced by Antonio
The fact that Antonio have been involved in the case by Kevin and is now aware of the fraudulent dealings that the Company has been doing means that he cannot continue working as if nothing has happened. This is especially so given that some fraudulent rumors that he had come to hear have been confirmed. As a result of him knowing the fraudulent incident that is about to happen in this case, Antonio is in a dilemma because of the following reasons. One, it is clear that Antonio is now aware of the fraudulent activities that are happening in empress Luxury lines Company of defrauding the insurance companies which means that he cannot keep silent and participate in the cover up as that would mean compromising his integrity and personal values.
One the other hand if Antonio opts to publicly make it known the fraudulent activities, then it is likely that he will lose his job in addition to having the company collapse assuming that this fraudulent act prompts the insurance company to sue Empress Luxury Lines company which is already struggling financially. In addition to this, Antonio is probably torn between stopping this particular fraudulent act or not given that if the company successfully defrauds the insurance company then it is likely that Antanio will benefit from the computer upgrade that the company might undertake and which “he had been requesting ever since he’d taken the job two years ago” to quote his words.
So either way Antonio faces consequences depending on the choice that he will opt to for regarding this matter; thus, Antonio is facing an ethical dilemma in that he risks losing his integrity on one hand or his career on the other hand. More so, because he is also in a strategic position of stopping it or covering it up and he has a choice as what decision to opt for. This is an important decision which he must make especially because if he does nothing the fraudulent dealings will still go on.
Create and describe two strategies for addressing the situation at hand
Based on the case scenario, Antonio has two possible course of action that he can undertake to resolve this ethical dilemma that confronts him at the moment. One, option and obviously the most simple that Antonio can make is go on with his job as if nothing has happened and as if he knows nothing regarding the fraudulent plans that are being hatched by his colleagues at work.
The second and most tricky option that Antonio can opt for is to confront the fraudulent deals that some of the company personnel are planning to undertake and thereby defraud the insurance company. In doing this Antonio can use different strategies such as confronting the persons concerned directly, informing the company’s top management, informing the relevant authorities or directly notifying the insurance company concerned. The strategy taken in this case would have to be critically evaluated before being decided by Antonio because in each strategy the outcome will be quite different.
Assess the pros and cons in each strategy you just described
The first option whereby Antonio chooses to do nothing even after being told of the fraudulent deal, has the least repercussions as far as his continued career with the company is concerned. In fact, the only implications that this decision will have is on his personal values and integrity, if we assume that he had none in the first place, then it will mean that this will not even be a difficult decision for Antonio to make.
But for a person who values personal values and integrity in a similar manner as Kevin who flatly objected in participating in the fraudulent dealings then this will certainly not be a simple decision to make or indeed not a decision to contemplate making at all. But assuming that Antonio would actually make this decision, then the consequences will be as follow; first, Antonio’s personal values and integrity will be greatly compromised. As one of the senior employees in the company compromising his integrity is not advisable as this will impact on his quality of work output and is not a characteristic of an ideal leader (Odom, 2010).
The second option is the most tricky, risky and unpredictable as the consequences are not only grave to Antonio career but as well as to the survival of the company itself since it can be sued by the insurance company or fined heavily according to existing laws. This means that whichever way it turns out the chances of Antonio being rendered jobless in the process is very high since the company might eventually collapse in the wake of these damning fraudulent activities that it has been engaging in.
This is especially so the case considering that the top management appears to be aware of the fraudulent activities but which it has done nothing to prevent. But at the same time, if Antonio was to find a way to convince the person’s involved to desist from executing the fraudulent plan that they have been planning, then it is likely that Antonio could also be saving the Company from being caught in the act which would be very disastrous.
More importantly, if successful Antonio would greatly change the fraudulent culture of the company and therefore together with Kevin become the role model employees; competent leadership in any company is very essential in guaranteeing that a company is successful in its business activities (Fernandez, 2008). The issues of accountability and transparency are also very important and are basic to the success of a firm in today’s business era (Iloveindia.com, 2011).
Besides that, he and Kevin will in the process also transform the company into a beyond reproach organization that is respectable. So despite the risks that are associated with this second option it is clear that it is the soundest judgment to make since it has the potential to transform the Company from being a fraudulent company and in the process preserve the integrity of its employees.
Place yourself in Antonio’s position and decide which option to take and explain your rationale
As we have seen it appears that Antonio is indeed in a position that is very compromising; however, as discussed above the consequences on one of the options would be very grave to him career-wise if it backfires, or very rewarding. And the other option of keeping quiet and assuming nothing has happened for the sake of his job might be very appealing as it has no consequences but will only work in the short term. Thus, my objective advice to Antonio would be to chose the first option and expose the government either by informing the top management that they should prevent the fraudulent activity or expose them to the authorities.
This way he would hopefully stop the fraudulent activity at least for once, safeguard his personal morals and integrity and in the process probably save the company from an expensive suit which was a risk they were taking in cheating the insurance company. This is also the best option to take as it is a long term solution to a culture of corruption which will consume the whole organization if left unchecked.
Reference
Iloveindia.com (2011) Good work ethics.
Fernandez, E. (2008). Business Success. Carolina: Lulu.
Odom, L (2010). Leadership Ethics. Bloomington: Xlibris Corporation Press.