S7 - Fraud and corruption in organizations

Question 1

Does Kant and Libertarians have the same definition of freedom?

Answer 1

Libertarians: freedom = right to liberty (“the right to do whatever we want with the things we own, provided we respect other people’s rights to do the same”).

Kant: freedom = more than “following my desires and inclinations”. “I’m free only when my will is determined autonomously, governed by a law I give myself through reason (and not only satisfying my desires)”.

Question 2

According to Kant, what is the key characteristic that separates human beings from non-humans?

Answer 2

Human beings are rational (capable of reason).

Question 3

Although Kant would say that lying is immoral, would he make an exception if one were to lie to a murderer in order to save a life?

Answer 3

False. According to Kant, we have “the duty to tell the truth regardless of the consequences.”

Question 4

What are different exemples of disengagement mechanisms?

Answer 4

• Refusal of responsibilities: “I am supposed to obey orders”; “Our policies in the third world do not concern me”
• Denial of suffering: “It could have been worse”; “No one died from it”
• Denigration of the victims: “They only had to get better information or leave”; “No one is supposed to be so gullible”
• Abusive comparisons: “Others have done worse”; “Our industry is cleaner than others”
• Machiavellianism: “The end justifies the means”; “The goal we are pursuing counts more than anything”
• Self-appropriate law: “We have earned the right to be overpaid”; “In business, you have to stick together”
• Nihilism: “There is no longer any social consensus, so it’s each man for himself and the best wins”
• Scapegoat: “The media have unjustly crucified us”
• Evocation of incapacity: “I don’t remember…”
• Legalism: “By virtue of my constitutional rights, I will not answer your questions”

Question 5

What are some socialization mechanisms?

Answer 5

• Cooptation: Awards to induce attitude change towards unethical behaviour; often subtle
• Incrementalism: “little by little”, gradually introduced to corrupt acts in a way to creates cognitive dissonance
• Compromise: Engage in corrupt behaviour through attempts, often in good faith, to resolve pressing dilemmas, role conflicts, etc. (“I owe you one!”)

Question 6

What are the types of disengagement from behavior? Of disengagement from responsiblities? Of consequences? Of victims?

Answer 6

Disengagement from behavior
1. Moral justification
2. Advantageous comparison
3. Language sanitization

Disengagement from responsibilities
4. Transfer of responsibility
5. Diffusion of responsibility

Disengagement from consequences
6. Denial of consequences
7. Minimization of consequences
8. Questioning the consequences

Disengagement from victims
9. Dehumanization of victims
10. Blame the victims

Question 7

How to counter the culture of moral disengagement?

Answer 7

Prevention is key
- Transparency strategy (even ultra-transparency)
- Breaking the circle of legitimacy
(lowering blind obedience when breaking the authoritarian grip)
- Foster moral courage

Question 8

What does Kant think of utilitarianism/virtue ethics?

Answer 8

Kant thinks that morality is not about maximizing happiness or any other end. Instead, it is about respecting people as ends themselves. Virtue ethics also doesn’t respect human freedom.