You make it sound like a situation being ambiguous is bad. I disagree. I think that's exactly the time for discussion, negotiation, collaboration, and reflection. All of which are aided by things like the Golden Rule.
Note that I'm not talking about gut feel. What I'm contrasting is using carefully elaborated, hard and fast rules vs applying simpler guidelines, like the Golden Rule. If the hard-and-fast rules you pick are the US legal system, for example, then the answer is simple: fuck the customers. Bankruptcy protects you. You can dodge all of the complexity.
But if you say, "Hey, how would I want to be treated if I were in their situation?" you have to think about the customers and the shareholders. Unlike rules, guidelines, principles, and heuristics all force you to engage with the complexity. Fairly arguing both sides isn't bad; it's exactly what you should be doing.
Two minor points: using retrospective knowledge is a mistake in judging ethical choices. If at the time you thought you were going out of business, then that's the ethical framework. And as far as getting sued by investors, it varies by state, but generally managers have wide latitude to run the business in the fashion they see fit. You have an obligation to keep investors informed, but if they don't like what you're doing, they can replace you.
>You make it sound like a situation being ambiguous is bad. I disagree. I think that's exactly the time for discussion, negotiation, collaboration, and reflection.
The ethical conflicts I've used as examples are "I have information relevant to all parties. If I tell everyone, one party will be damaged. If I tell no one, the other party will be damaged."
Negotiation is... difficult, when you can't reveal what you are negotiating about.
Reflecting on "who do I screw" is incredibly stressful and unpleasant.
Note that I'm not talking about gut feel. What I'm contrasting is using carefully elaborated, hard and fast rules vs applying simpler guidelines, like the Golden Rule. If the hard-and-fast rules you pick are the US legal system, for example, then the answer is simple: fuck the customers. Bankruptcy protects you. You can dodge all of the complexity.
But if you say, "Hey, how would I want to be treated if I were in their situation?" you have to think about the customers and the shareholders. Unlike rules, guidelines, principles, and heuristics all force you to engage with the complexity. Fairly arguing both sides isn't bad; it's exactly what you should be doing.
Two minor points: using retrospective knowledge is a mistake in judging ethical choices. If at the time you thought you were going out of business, then that's the ethical framework. And as far as getting sued by investors, it varies by state, but generally managers have wide latitude to run the business in the fashion they see fit. You have an obligation to keep investors informed, but if they don't like what you're doing, they can replace you.