The ethical analysis conducted on this case reveals that the parties and stakeholders engaged in unethical business practices. Blanchard and Peale’s test confirms that the conduct of Kenneth Branch, Mr. Erskine, and Steve Griffin directly contravenes the law. Mr. Branch’s idea of sharing classified documents belonging to Lockheed Martin for selfish gains is a criminal offense (Jennings 43). The outcomes of these hidden activities are undesirable to everyone involved. This scenario confirms that company management should adjust business ethics standards to deter such occurrences (Jennings 43). This paper makes recommendations to the management of the affected companies on ways of averting similar occurrences in the future.
Establishment and Exposing Workforce to the Business Code of Conduct
The management should create a code of conduct for their corporations. The management should prioritize putting in place a written set of laws, which provide the workforce with a general idea of the nature of manners and behaviors the business anticipates (Jennings 64). The code of conduct should highlight behaviors considered unacceptable, and the relevant measures the business takes if a worker breaches the set of laws.
This approach is critical to maintaining ethical behavior in businesses (Neelankavil and Anoop 22). The availability of such a document at Lockheed Martin was enough to avert this situation. This is because it creates awareness about the consequences of engaging in unethical practices by the workforce. Furthermore, management should prioritize proper induction for their workforce and expose them to the applicable set of regulations (Neelankavil and Anoop 22).
Establishment of an ethics-working group
The management should also establish an ethics-working group made up of corporation senior managers. The roles of the working group may include employee supervision, the creation of awareness on company regulations, and the promotion of ethical behaviors (Mandal 105). They can play a critical role in the promotion of ethical behavior by welcoming an ethics speaker to the company. The moral values trainer can discuss ethical behavior with the workforce and elucidate the significance in businesses.
The ethics speaker can employ diverse training strategies such as role-playing and videos among others to show the significance of moral values in the working environment (Mandal 105). This is the best suggestion for management to avert and put off unethical activities. The working group can form part of the workforce recruitment process to enhance the chances of employing people with strong moral standards (Mandal 105).
In the case of Lockheed Martin, the ethics-working group could have played a role in averting the unethical conduct of Mr. Branch through continuous engagements with activities associated with business ethical standards. Probably, Mr. Branch would have left the classified documents while attending the interview at McDonnell Douglass because of his awareness of the dire consequences of sharing company secrets with competitors.
Management Training
The management should also invite specialists to train them on issues of ethics in company management. The training areas may include relevant legal provisions prohibiting unethical business conduct, documentation of crucial company documents, and handling tender processes (Cassidy and Robert 367).
This training is good for Lockheed Martin management. This is because it provides them with ideas for handling crucial business documents. Further, the training will benefit Boeing and McDonnell Douglass management by giving them insights on relevant regulations, which are against unethical practices such as using the property of competitors for their selfish gains (Cassidy and Robert 367). Indeed, the training would have helped them avoid hiring Mr. Branch and handling private documents belonging to Lockheed Martin.
Works Cited
Cassidy, Carlene, and Robert Kreitner. Supervision: Setting People Up for Success. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.
Jennings, Marianne. Business: Its Legal, Ethical, and Global Environment. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning, 2012. Print.
Mandal, Smarajit K. Ethics in Business and Corporate Governance. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Education, 2010. Print.
Neelankavil, James P, and Anoop, Rai. Basics of International Business. New York, N.Y: M.E. Sharpe, 2009. Print.
