Case Analysis Framework

Reference: (Rittenberg and Schweiger (1994) in Yuthas, K. and J. F. Dillard (1999), Teaching ethical decision making: Adding a
structuration dimension," Teaching Business Ethics 3(4), p. 344).

1. What is the ethical/moral dilemma?

2. Who is the moral agent?
3. Who are the stakeholders involved?
a. What are their values in conflict?
b. What harms are being inflicted on stakeholders?
4. Who instigated or is responsible for causing the ethical issue; the moral agent or a stakeholder? Why?
5. What is the importance/significance of the issue? (Legal, harms, excessive risk, rights violations,
global/environmental issues)
6. Consider the Influences:
a. What are the personal/individual influences?
i. Kohlberg Moral Development and ethical theories
b. What are the organizational influences?
i. Groupthink, Ethics codes and policies, governance
c. What are the stakeholder influences
i. Issues of moral intensity
ii. Legal and government policies
iii. Societal norms and cultural differences
7. What options/alternative decisions are available to remedy this dilemma? Advantages, disadvantages and
consequences (obvious and/or unintentional) of these alternatives?
8. Is there a decision that can achieve an overlapping consensus amongst stakeholders involved?
9. What is YOUR decision to resolving the dilemma? Why?
10. Will this decision be accepted by the organization and/or stakeholders affected?
11. Do you think this behaviour will become a norm in the organization, society, and/or at a global level?
12. Will the decision need to be closely monitored and possibly revisited at a later point in time?