Reference no: EM133670858
Business Ethics Case: The Parable of Sadhu Optional
Q 3. Who is responsible for the well-being of the sadhu? What are the duties of the people involved? What action would best serve the good of everyone?
Q 4. Would McCoy's group have behaved differently if they had come across a Western man rather than a sadhu? If they had come across a woman? Explain your answer.
Q 5. What if the sadhu told the climbers that he wanted to die? Would you feel comfortable letting him? Explain your answer.
Q 6. List the stakeholders in this case (people or groups who are invested in or/and are affected by a decision). Who are the main players in this case? Who are the secondary players (and perhaps not immediately obvious)? How are they affected by the decision? Are there any new insights that we can draw by considering these people or groups?
Q 7. What is a parable? What are parables used for? Is it significant that McCoy calls this story a parable? Why do you think McCoy was compelled to write this story? What was he trying to achieve with it?
Q 8. Select 1-2 moral theories (for example, utilitarianism, rights-based ethics, Kantian ethics, virtue ethics, or ethical pluralism), and suggest what action they would support in this situation.
Q 9. Who are sadhus? What do they practice? What are they dedicated to? Do some research. Does this understanding provide any new insights to the story?
Q 10. Students often point out (not without reason) that the sadhu brought the situation on himself. Do you think it was (or should have been) an important consideration for McCoy? Is it relevant to the moral takeaway from the situation?
Q 11. If we say that the sadhu was himself responsible for the situation, what does it mean in terms of potential solutions? Does it mean that he deserves to die? Could it be that, by saying that he has the sole responsibility, we are engaging in victim blaming? What is victim blaming and what are its dangers in moral reasoning?
Q12. What are some lessons that people in organizations can learn from the parable? What does it tell us about the role of corporate culture? Organizational leadership?