Donaldson and Werhane, Essay Example

In the below essay, the author will review some of the most common ethical issues of democracy and business today. In his Ted Talk presentation, Michael Sander stated that democracy does not require full equality, but it requires people living together. In the Explorer IV, there is a clear segregation of groups, therefore, social justice and democracy are not present. The living arrangements of the workers are not just, and represent the inequality of power.

In the Explorer IV, this is prohibited by company policies. Just like schools were segregated, and African Americans were not allowed to go to the same church as Whites, separation of classes based on affluence, social status, and race exist today. The living conditions of Angolan workers and Expats differ, and locals are not allowed to enter the quarters of the privileged (Ciulla, 221). Segregation has several manifestations on the Explorer IV, for example in clothing, medical services, and food. There is no communication between the two groups, therefore, there is no real common goal or discourse. Cooperation, according to Rawls (222) is the way for a better society and social justice, but when there is no communication between groups of people, societies break down. Sander reflected on this issue, as well in his talk, mentioning that people who are abundant live a separate life than those who do have less than enough or just enough. The kids of the rich will go to different private schools, and the rich and poor would not walk in the same clothes shop. The limited interaction between social classes is diminishing social justice. The principle of unity has been neglected by the modern society, and the principle of separation has been created. People are looking to distinguish themselves from others by buying flashy cars, expensive luxury goods, instead of reaping the results of their efforts. As Rawls (226) states: “we also assume that there is equality in opportunity and a fair competition for the available positions”. In the case of the Oil Rig, this is not the case. Angolan workers do not have the same opportunity as Ex-pats, and they are not even represented by their own government. The imbalanced living circumstances highlight a more important problem: unequal opportunities. Distribution of wealth affects people’s life outcomes, according to Rawls, as well as the distribution of power. While money can be used to buy power, social status can be another aspect that influences social justice. The Angolan workers on Explorer IV (Ciulla) were disadvantaged, as their power was limited, and they could not represent their own interest, or communicate their needs. The company running the rig had the money and power to set the rules, and the only thing that the workers without proper representation could do was accept the situation.

Noczik explains the basic assumptions of the entitlement theory, which is relevant to the segregation of groups on Explorer IV. The theory states that the state (or authorities) should ensure that those who are under-represented and worse off than the rest of the society would be represented. However, in the case of the oil rig, this is not the case.

As a conclusion, while the Angolan workers do not speak English and are linguistically challenged, their disadvantages should be compensated by their government officials, and the representatives of the company. The distribution of power should be balanced by the government or authorities. Simply dictating the rules and representing those who have power, while disadvantaging people who are unable to oppose the rules and seek representation is unjust. Corubolo (4) highlights four distinct important features of social justice: the social nature of human beings, the necessity of cooperation, and the interaction of competing claims. In the case of the Angolan workers, there was no interaction of claims, only the claims of the Ex-pats were values, therefore, the living arrangements were evidently unjust.

Works Cited

Ciulla, J.  “Case Study: The Oil Rig” In: Donaldson and Werhane: Ethical Issues in Business. 2007. Print.

Corubolo, E. “Urban Management and Social Justice. Space, power and modernity” International workshop Venice – March 11-12 1999 Concepts and Paradigms of Urban Management. 1999. Web. <http://www.ucl.ac.uk/dpu-projects/drivers_urb_change/urb_society/pdf_social_emancip/DPU_Corubolo_Urban_Management_Social_Justice.pdf>

Noczik, R. “The Entitlement Theory”. In: Donaldson and Werhane: Ethical Issues in Business. 2007. Print.

Rawls, D. “Distributive Justice,” In: Donaldson and Werhane: Ethical Issues in Business. 2007. Print.

Sander, M. Why We Should Not Trust Markets with Our Civic Life. Ted Global. 2013. Web.