Reference no: EM132863460

Borland International's story is similar to many companies as they begin their journey starting a business. It typically starts with one or two people that come up with an idea. The founders may start in their basement or garage, but either way, the two make decisions as they grow and evolve into a much larger organization. Some of those choices to grow and succeed may not be the most ethical decisions. However, the owners feel these choices are the best decisions and risks they must take to make money. Borland International is a prime example of choosing an unethical business decision to accomplish its goals.

The Borland case demonstrates each of the four primary levels within organizations. According to Chapter 5 of Human Relations, the first level is societal issues that relate to the world. In the Borland International case example, the former CEO and current Chairman, Philipe Kahn, was initially strapped for cash and suffered from poverty to help make his company grow. He had to borrow money in hopes that he was making the right decision. The next level of ethics is stakeholder issues. These issues include people who are affected by Borland International's decisions. In the beginning, Kahn hired people to work for him without actually paying for them. He used these employees to benefit his case with a salesperson to help him and the company.

The third level is internal policy issue. This third level is similar to my example with stakeholder issues as the concern is internal relationships. People were hired internally to look and act busy but did not receive fair treatment. They were hired not to work but to play a role in convincing a salesperson. Finally, the fourth level of ethics in organizations is personal issues. These issues include doing the right thing. The Borland case illustrates that Kahn did not make the right decision by misleading a salesperson into extending the credit line so that he could place an ad in the Byte magazine.

Based on these decisions, I feel as though Kahn's actions were both smart and deceptive. If this was the only choice to place an ad in Byte magazine, he did everything he could to make it happen. He was not one hundred percent truthful. However, he was smart enough to get the job done.

After watching the Ted Talk, Our Buggy Moral Code, a personal fudge factor is the level of how someone feels about themselves after doing something wrong. In this example, it was cheating. People can cheat just a little bit and still feel good about their opinion of themselves. Therefore, the personal fudge factor is how much it takes to change what you think of yourself when making a wrong decision. Kahn's actions in the Borland International case do violate my personal fudge factor. I think he could have handled convincing the salesperson in a different manner, a more ethical way. However, it worked out for him in the end.

If I were Kahn, I would have presented to the salesperson why it would benefit Byte magazine to feature Borland International in their magazine. I would clearly illustrate how it would help both parties. This approach is more ethical as it does not cause harm to other individuals involved. I would not mislead a salesperson by hiring additional people to look busy. I would stay true to myself and the vision of the company.

1. Clearly identify similarities or differences in your posts.

2. Support and defend your position.

3. Identify and discuss, from Chapter 1 reading, which shadow(s) Kahn exhibited and how do those shadows affect one of the stakeholders identified in the above study material.

Chapter 1 outlines common shadows cast by leaders: abuse of power and privilege, mismanagement of information, misplaced and broken loyalties, inconsistency, and irresponsibility.

4. Incorporate at least one scholarly source in addition to the textbook to support your conclusions and ideas, as well as the possible biblical application.