Organizational Issues

Organizational Issues

Dave Grant

ETH/316

Monday, April 7, 2014

Organizational Issues

The Lighthouse

The short film depicts a lighthouse keeper fulfilling his legal and social responsibility to keep watch over the town’s lighthouse. It contrasts this responsibility with the lighthouse keeper’s desire to join the townspeople in their social gathering at a local tavern. The ethical situation abruptly changes when the lighthouse beacon fails and the outcome of personal decisions becomes ominous. In just over three short minutes, this short film depicts a powerful relationship between legal and ethical issues in organizational ethics.

It is a social responsibility because the lighthouse provides safety and security to townspeople, ocean navigators, and ship wrecked persons. In the film, the lighthouse keeper is noticeably perturbed that other members of the town are enjoying the evening while he carries out the responsibility of keeping watch of the lighthouse. His personal ethical decision to fulfill his legal and moral obligations ensures the safety of both the people in the town and those traveling by sea. When the lighthouse breaks down and the lighthouse keeper cannot signal an oncoming ship, the townspeople come to the aid of the keeper, acknowledging the immense significance of the ethical issues.

Social pressures reinforce the need for organizational ethics. External social pressures have an important role in influencing organizational ethics. Social pressures also make ethical decision-making difficult. In this short film, the social pressures are the people in the tavern, the safety of the town and the oncoming ship. As he looked out the window to see others enjoying themselves, he grew aggravated with his social responsibility to sit in a dark room by themselves. The lighthouse keeper demonstrated this difficulty through their frustration and desire to be with others. Both positive and negative external pressures were present but their duty to...