solution

Ethical Scenario

When Admiral Thomas Westfall took command of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, theft of supplies was endemic. It was a standing joke that homes in the area were painted gray with paint stolen from the Navy. Admiral Westfall issued an order that rules related to supply practices and forbidding theft would be strictly enforced. Within a few days, two career petty officers were apprehended carrying a piece of Plexiglas worth $25 out of the base. Westfall immediately fired both of them and also a civilian storeroom clerk with 30 years’ service, who lost both her job and her pension. According to Westfall, “the fact that I did made a lot of honest citizens real quick.”

Address the items listed in number above to discuss the ethics of Admiral Westfall’s actions.

1. 1. identify the key facts and stakeholders.
2. 1. identify the ethical conflict(s) involved – specifically articulate the ethical dilemma, including the category/type(s) from the handout materials (Note – For this assignment, do not use the areas of business to which ethical dilemmas are related.)
   2. select one of the conflicts and apply the following ethical principles to the incident:
      1. utilitarian,
      2. rights,
      3. justice, and
      4. virtues (select and apply two virtues you believe to be critical),
   3. Were Admiral Westfall’s decisions and actions ethical?
   4. Make a recommendation about what should have been done to avoid the ethical problem in the first plac Ensure your recommendation includes who to motivate, who to engage, when to engage.