JeannetteRodriguez

English2311
January30,2015
UnethicalDecisionsUnit1
Ethicsisessentialinoureverydaylivessinceitprovidesabasicoutlineofmoral
principlesthatcanhelpwithmakingsounddecisionswhenitcomestoethicaldilemmas.Ethics
incommunications,whetherverbal,nonverbal,formalorinformalalsoplaysakeyroleinhow
effectiveaworksettingorindustrycanbe.Therefore,havinganethicalcodeinaworksettingis
extremelyimportantsinceitguidesemployeesinmakingdecisionsthatfitthecultureandethical
standardofthatspecificworksetting.Notonlydoesanethicalcodeguidewithdecisionmaking,
butitalsoshowsemployeeswhattheproperethicalbehaviorandhowpropercommunication
shouldbedoneinthatjobsetting.Withouttheappropriateethicalcodetoguideemployees
behavior,actions,decisions,andcommunication,severeconsequencesmayoccurthatwillnot
onlyaffecttheemployeebuttheemployeraswell.Alsodependingontheseverityofthe
situation,alackofappropriateethicscouldcauseharmtoinnocentlivesandtheenvironmentas
well.
Anexampleoflackofproperethicaldecisionmakingintechnicalcommunicationcanbe
seenintheautomobileindustrywithleadingmanufacturerssuchasGeneralMotorsandToyota
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inregardstothequalityandsafetyoftheirvehicles.Tobeginwith,anycompany,business,or
etcthatissellingaproducthastheethicalobligationtoensurethattheproductbeingsoldissafe
andeffective.ThisappliestoallmanufacturersofvehicleslikeToyotaandGM.Both
manufactershavebeenfoundtobeunethicalbytheamountofrecallsthattheyhavehadintheir
vehiclesandtheirdelayedresponsestothesesituations.Althoughbothmanufacturershavebeen
atfault,oneismuchmoreseverethantheother,andinthiscase,GMwastheonewhocaused
muchmoredamagetothelivesofothers.
GMmanufacturedvehiclesthatwerenotsafeandeffective(Milligan).Asa
manufacturer,defectiveproductsareattimesunavoidable.Amanufacturercanbeasefficient
andsafeaspossibleandstillendupwithsomedefectiveproducts.Yetthatinitselfdoesnot
makethemanufacturercompletelyunethical.Whatmakesthedifferencebetweenbeingethical
andunethicalinthesesituationsishowtheproblemisaddressed.InthecaseofGM,GMfailed
tomeetitsobligationstothepublicbyproducingunsafeandinefficientvehicles.HoweverGM
refusedtoacknowledgeforover10yearsthattherewasaproblem,becauseadmittingthereisa
problemrequirestakingresponsibilityforamistake,whichinturnlooksbadonthecompany.
ByignoringthisissueGMfailedtoprovidetheproperramificationsinatimelymanner
(Milligan).DuetoGM'sslowresponse,itwasunabletocommunicatetothepublicthatsomeof
theirvehiclesweredefectiveinamannerthatwasindeeddeadly.GMkeptthatinformationto
themselvesforsolong,withoutregardingthemanylivesthatthesedefectscouldaffect.
Decisionslikethatiswhatmakesamanufacturerbeunethicalandmakeunethicaldecisions.
GMfailedtorecallthesevehiclesinatimelymanner,whichcausedalossofinnocentlivesthat
werekilledduetofaultyvehicles.Notonlydiditcostlives,butitalsocausedGMtolose
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millionsofdollarsinsettlementsandcompensationstofamilymembersofthedeceasedvictims.
GMsreputationalsotookatollandregainingthetrustfromitspublicwillnotbeaneasytask.
ThelossesofinnocentlivesandrevenueforGMprovesthatpoorethicaldecisions,andunethical
communicationcanhavesevereconsequences.

References

Markel,Mike.
TechnicalCommunication.
Boston:BedfordSt.Martin.Print

Milligan,Susan.StillUnsafeatAnySpeed.
U.S.News.
02Apr.14.Web.


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