Reference no: EM132219633

You are a U.S. citizen currently on a three-year assignment as the IT manager for your company’s Armenian manufacturing plant. The company is a U.S.-based Fortune 1000 company, and the Armenian plant employs 1,500 workers. The plant budgeted for 250 new computers and associated software to replace all computers over six years old.

The cost of the software licenses is $125,000 (USD). Unfortunately, the plant has been hit hard by the worldwide financial crises, and you have been told that your department must reduce its budget by $100,000. You been focusing on two options. The first is not to purchase all the software licenses needed and instead make illegal copies of existing software. The software piracy rate in Armenia is 90%. The second is to terminate the employment of IT employee. You have identified who would be terminated based on their recent job performance and their relatively low level of anticipated future work activity. What would you do?

Consider answering the following questions in evaluating an ethical dilemma:

Step 1: Identify the issues surrounding the situation—facts of the situation, moral/ethical issues, major stakeholders.

Step 2: State the alternative actions that could be taken and identify possible impacts on stakeholders. What other facts are needed or would be valuable in making a thorough analysis?

Step 3: Apply one or more of the “Rules of Ethical Decision Making” to each of the alternatives. What are the potential consequences of each possible course of action? Rate the strength of each argument.

Step 4: State your course of action with detailed justification.