The best action for Leroy would be to provide a report directly to the CEO with the facts about the software's performance issues.
Rest's ethical decision-making model
Using Rest's ethical decision-making model, the best action for Leroy to take depends on several factors, including the organizational culture, support for ethical behavior, and potential consequences for his career. Leroy should consider the following steps:
Identify the moral issue: Leroy recognizes the conflict between providing a factual report and potentially jeopardizing his career by going against his boss's request.
Gather relevant information: Leroy should gather all the facts regarding the software's performance issues, the whistleblower's report, and any evidence he may have.
Identify the stakeholders: The stakeholders in this situation include the CEO, customers of the bank, Leroy himself, Wayne, and the vendor company.
Consider alternative actions: Leroy should analyze the three alternative actions discussed above and evaluate the potential ethical implications, consequences, and risks associated with each.
Make a decision: Based on the ethical analysis and evaluation of the alternatives, Leroy should make a decision that aligns with his ethical principles and the best interests of the bank, its customers, and stakeholders.
Act and reflect: Once Leroy has made a decision, he should take appropriate action while considering the potential consequences and reflecting on the ethical implications of his choices.
Ultimately, the best action for Leroy would be to provide a report directly to the CEO with the facts about the software's performance issues. This alternative aligns with ethical principles such as honesty, integrity, and transparency.
However, Leroy should carefully assess the organizational context and support for whistleblowing before taking this step, as it may have potential ramifications for his career.
Six months ago Leroy was promoted to the post of Senior IT specialist for Last Savings Bank, and he reports to the Manager of the IT department, Wayne. Leroy is the newest member of the department. Wayne called Leroy to his office one day to tell him that the Bank’s Head of Operations shared with him a report sent from HR, received from an unnamed whistleblower. The report is that the new software installed 4 months ago is not performing as it should be. It is deducting an extra two cents per month in fees from customers’ accounts and paying on average 5 cents less in interest on deposits. The whistleblower also says that the software was not fully tested as per protocols before implementation and that the tests were cut short, and the Manager IT still purchased the software, even though he was aware of the software's shortcomings. Wayne is very upset and says he would like to know who in the department would send such a letter to the CEO. He tells Leroy he knows it is not him because he is a good fellow, moving up the ranks of the organisation, he asks Leroy if he has any idea who it is, and Leroy says he does not know. Wayne has been requested to respond to the allegations with details of the working of the software, including reports. He asks Leroy to write the report indicating that the software is fit for purpose and performing admirably. He told Leroy to prepare a report manually showing the calculations of interest and fees on a few accounts to demonstrate correct calculations. Leroy is very concerned. He believes he may know who the whistleblower is because a junior IT specialist had spoken to him soon after he was promoted about their concerns and again recently because nothing had been done to rectify it, but he has no proof that it is him. Roy had confirmed for himself that there was a problem but did not know how to deal with it because he was aware of the relationship of the Head of IT and the vendor company. Wayne’s wife was the Head of sales for the software vendor. Leroy is confused about what he should do. He would prefer to provide a factual report, but he does not want to jeopardize his career by going against his boss, after working so hard to get promoted.
Leroy is faced with 3 alternative actions:
Reply to the CEO as requested by Wayne;
Provide a report directly to the CEO with the facts;
Refuse to write the report.
Discuss and analyze each alternative, and an applicable ethical framework, highlighting for each alternative why it is or is not the best alternative.
Using Rest’s ethical decision-making model, what action should Leroy take? Justify with reference to the appropriate ethical framework.