Ethical Reasoning in Business Decisions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ethical Reasoning in Business Decisions - Essay Example In the research, the emphasis is given on the use of ethical reasoning for developing important business decisions. The specific issue is reviewed using as an example the marketing plan of a tobacco firm, GB Tobacco, especially in regard to South East Asia. The decisions of the firm’s manager Fiona Fuller are analyzed through appropriate theory. Recommendations are made for potential alternatives and changes, where necessary so that the firm’s marketing plan in South East Asia is not opposed to ethics. As explained in the case study, Fiona Fuller has to face a significant challenge in the short term: she has to identify a strategy for enhancing the growth of the firm’s profits. The market of South East Asia seems to be an ideal place for achieving such target since elsewhere the perspectives for the firm’s growth are limited mostly due to the changes in the legislation related to tobacco products. The options proposed by Suppakorn would be evaluated using the Seven Step model, a theoretical framework that allows the identification of ethical dilemmas and constraints in regard to critical business decisions. The Seven Step Model of ethical decision making would help Fiona Fuller to develop ethical decisions. The specific model incorporates seven phases, which can be described as follows: a) Identification of the facts, meaning those issues that can be considered as having ethical implications. In the specific case, these facts are: in Malu existing legislation bans the import of cigarettes; still, the unregulated market is well developed. As a result, the import of cigarettes in the country needs to be necessarily developed through smuggling distributors in neighboring regions. The marketing strategy of GB Tobacco needs to be designed taking into consideration the above fact, i.e. the non-legal import of the firm’s products in the market of Malu.