A case analysis entitled

Might Makes Right

Submitted to the
Accountancy Department College of Business
San Isidro College – Malaybalay City

In partial fulfillment
Of the course requirements in
Governance, Business Ethics and Risk Management
Monday Wednesday Class 10:30-12:00am, CAE 107
Third Year First Semester, A. Y. 2020-2021
September 18, 2020

Submitted by:
Dotarot, Vahia Ralliza H.

Submitted to:
Mr. Genesis Dan Melendez, CPA., MBA.

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 I. INTRODUCTION

A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his

share of the credit (Glasow,n.d.). When a leader gives credit to employees it shows

gratitude and motivates them to work harder which increase production. However, when a

leader takes more credit and gives more blame to the other party occurs.

There’s nothing more infuriating than someone taking credit for your work. You

don’t want someone to get all the glory and the promotions for the project you spent too

many sleepless nights working to create — or the bright flash of insight that really

belongs to you. We’ve all had this happen at one point or another: you share an idea with

a colleague and then hear him repeat it in a meeting; you stay late to finish a presentation

yet your team member accepts all the praise; you lead a long overdue project to

completion and your boss tells the higher-ups it was his doing. How should you handle

these situations? Is it okay to speak up right then and there? Or should you keep quiet?

And how can you make sure that you get the credit you deserve in the future?

II. BACKGROUND

"Might makes right" expresses two principles. The first principle is the common

meaning, namely, that the dominance of the mightier over the weaker is right. This

principle is generally considered to be not a definition of justice but an expression of

injustice. The second principle, which is almost universally shared in a tacit and

unreflective way, is a principle of life, namely, that it is right for any living being to

actualize its potential. This second principle is oridinary and thus primary, while the first

principle is derivative and thus secondary. The use of all powers, natural or social, can be

ultimately derived legitimately or illegitimately from this primary principle (Temam,

2014). A common manifestation of "might makes right" is the unwitting abuse of power,

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 an abuse that is not recognized as such by the so-called abuser, but that is rather suffered

by this latter, who misapplies the second principle in situations that fall under the first

principle, thereby unwittingly living by the saying, tacitly justifying abusive ways by it.

This unwillingness calls for critical control and forgiveness.

Janice is the chief of research and development. She is John’s boss. John is her

assistant. He works beyond his job duties and is undercompensated. Janice is asked by her

supervisor’s to create a software package that will address major concerns that the

business is experiencing within. Her work schedule is hectic and does not allow her to

complete the assigned task. John creates the software package on his own and shares the

information with Janice, with hopes of receiving the much needed raise and promotion he

has been longing for. Janice is contemplating taking credit for John’s work to save her

own job. She is willing to give John the option to cooperate with her decision to use his

software package as her own and she will reward him with a raise and promotion for

keeping his mouth shut or threatens him with termination. She is using the tactic of

bullying to get what she wants. Stakeholders are Janice the Chief of reach and

development, John the underpaid assistant, John’s family, Janice’s boss, and the

company.

“Might Makes Right”, some relevant facts discussed are the fact that Janice is

John’s boss. Then there is the fact that Janice’s supervisor has asked her to create an

innovative program, but with the pressures of her job she has found it hard to locate the

time to get this done. According to the communication reading, Janice is experiencing a

state of imbalance known as information overload which occurs, “when the information

processing demands on an individual’s time to perform interactions and internal

calculations exceed the supply or capacity of time available for such processing.” Schick,

A. G., Gordon, L. A., & Haka, S. (1990). Having to balance being a manager, running a

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 business and trying to complete the task requested by higher ups has proven to be too

much for Janice. Then there is the fact that John has designed a software package that he

shares with Janice, in the hopes that it will get him a promotion and a raise. Janice, on the

other hand, is thinking about taking credit and passing the program off to her manager as

her work. She then gives John the option to go along with it and in return receive a

promotion and raise or risk receiving a bad performance evaluation or possible be fired.

This can pose a significant threat because keeping this away from John or even passing

this alone and not giving him credit can make him lose all trust and confidence in Janice

not only as a leader but a boss. “People aren’t happy when the unexpected happens, but

they are even unhappier if they find out you tried to hide it,” says Bruce Patton, a partner

at Boston- based Vantage Partners LLC.Michelman, P. (2004, December 13)

III. ALTERNATIVES

This ethical dilemma which many of us face every day in many different fields. The

alternative actions that can be done are:

• First alternative, Janice could create and propose her own design despite the limited

time given to her although she knows that there is a big possibility of disappointing her

boss.

• Second alternative, Janice could admit to her boss that she doesn't have enough time to

create her own design so she would recommend John's design even though this could

affect her position as well as her performance.

 The last alternative is not suitable because it is ethically wrong. If Janice takes the credit

for John’s work then John would not be treated fairly. There will always exist feeling of

mistrust between John and Janice. Despite getting promotion and a raise in salary, John

will feel demotivated because his work was not recognized. There is a chance that he may

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 become reluctant to present his creative ideas in the future fearing that the same will

happen again. As a result of this, his performance will suffer and there will come a time

when there would be no choice for the company but to fire him due to his low

performance. If John leaks this to anyone inside or outside the company then the

company’s position would be tarnished. Existing employees will doubt the intentions of

the company. As a result, the company would lose competent and talented employees.

However, sometimes it happens that conscience can be self-regulated by creating

justifications for one’s actions. This concept is explained by Bandura through his theory

self-regulation. But if Janice wants the first alternative, then she has to take John into

confidence. She should try to tell him that his talent would be recognized sooner or later

and that he should now choose between promotion and acknowledgement. She should try

to convince him that some way or the other he will be acknowledged for his software as

he knows best how to operate it and in case if the software malfunctions then John would

be able to make changes or fix it. His promotion would indirectly indicate that his efforts

have been appreciated. In this way, this alternative can work for both Janice and John.

IV. SOLUTION

Due to insufficient time given to Janice by her boss, she may present the software as

a teamwork through which she and John would both get the credit for the work. As a

compensation for the help given by John, she could give John a raise or a promotion. This

would prove to be demoralizing for John because he would receive the acknowledgement

for his work. In this, Janice benefits by presenting the software as a product of their

teamwork and manage to obtain a good position in her boss’ eyes while John gets his

much awaited promotion pay raise. Here, John will have to achieve he really wants which

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 is the promotion, the pay raise and the acknowledgement for his creative software. As a

result, everyone is satisfied and benefits from this decision.

The solution presented is based on the concept of utilitarianism which seeks the

solution which is best for everyone or in other words tries to accomplish the greatest good

for everyone. According to the concept of utilitarianism of John Stuart Mill, a decision is

morally and ethically right only when it proves to be the best for everyone or bears the

best results for all. Utilitarian’s judge the morality of conduct by a single standard, the

principle of utility: right actions are those that result in greater overall well-being or

utility for the people involved than any other possible actions. Utilitarianism is an ethical

theory that determines right from wrong by focusing on outcomes. Therefore, this concept

will be the most suited and applicable concept to use in solving ethical dilemmas.

Utilitarianism is one of the best known and most influential moral theories.

Honesty as a relation to utilitarianism is one of the golden rule in making the right

decision in life. According to Connor, 2016, Honesty is not just about telling the truth.

It’s about being real with yourself and others about who you are, what you want and what

you need to live your most authentic life. Honesty promotes openness, empowers us and

enables us to develop consistency in how we present the facts. Honesty sharpens our

perception and allows us to observe everything around us with clarity. Honesty is going

to take you places in life that you never could have dreamed and it’s the easiest thing you

can practice in order to be happy, successful and fulfilled. Honesty is part of the

foundation of my core values and principles. Honesty cuts through deception and knifes

its way through deceit and lies. Honesty leads to a fulfilling, free life. As for Janice in her

workplace, creating an atmosphere of honesty also fosters an environment for self-

accountability and responsibility. Ultimately, honesty builds trust in the company and

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 confidence in leadership. Voicing the truth enables to identify the issue and work as a

team to be better (Klemchuk, 2014).

V. RECOMMENDATION

Janice should have a conversation and ask the help of John in creating the design

while still giving him credit for the help he has given. As a leader, she has to accept the

fact that she can’t do everything on her own that’s why she would really need the help of

other people. Also, as a return of favor, she could give John a raise and recommend John

for promotion. So, with Janice having a design to present to her boss and John, on the

other hand, receiving a raise and a possible promotion, it's a win-win situation for both of

them. Being in the same team, they should really help each other. They should push each

other up and not pull each other down.

VI. CONCLUSION

The ethical issue above plays out in firms, both corporate and government,

throughout the world likely on a daily basis. Janice, a research and development

executive, finds herself in a position to use her position and power as leverage to take

credit for a subordinate’s work and reap the benefits; John’s position is further

exacerbated by his money issues and his duties as a father and husband. Janice’s

dilemma, to take credit for John’s work or give him full credit, is a classic study in ethics.

If Janice decides to take credit, she may receive tangible benefits in the short term, but at

the cost of a tarnished relationship between leader and subordinate, as well as potential

human resources costs and potential legal issues. If Janice gives John the credit, she finds

herself on the right side of ethics, as well as improving the efficiency and interpersonal

relationships of her department.

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 Sources:

(1) https://scholarsbank.uoregon.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1794/18310/Temam_oregon

_0171A_10887.pdf;sequence=1

(2) https://www.google.com.ph/amp/s/medium.com/amp/p/ecb3e7fabb9a

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