Applying Social Responsibility and Stakeholder Theory
Section B 167
two-stroke penalty. Later Mr. Hayes realized that the ball he had used was not one that was PGA approved. He had some Titlelist prototypes in his bag that he had been testing for the company. He had used a newfangled, unapproved ball. To call or not to call PGA officials? Disqualification versus six figures in earnings several times over? Mr. Hayes notified PGA officials. He said, “I pretty much knew at that point that I was going to be disqualified.” It was a mistake, and Mr. Hayes doesn’t know how the prototypes remained in his bag. Players generally make certain that they eliminate those issues before the round. Mr. Hayes put a year of his career on the line to be honest. Being in the Top 25, the rank the Q school gives a player can mean about $1 million in earnings. Being disquali-fied from the Q means Mr. Hayes, at his rank, is looking at fewer tournaments and about a $300,000 loss in earnings. Mr. Hayes took full responsibility and held himself accountable, and all when no one would have known. The PGA, to its credit, made sure the story got out there to remind us that the higher road is a possibility. Another fix is the realization that “everyone” doing something means that standards slip. The fact that the cheating scandals seem to always be with us is not a justification for abandoning the goal of upholding educational standards. If those who are hired or who are seeking professional qualification are required to demonstrate mastery of knowledge and skills, then the burden shifts back to them for knowledge acquisition. There is no benefit in dishonesty used to earn grades if effective testing awaits prior to entry into the workforce or the profession. For example, an engineering graduate may be able to find ways to obtain questions, answers, and intelligence on exams. However, a practical exam that requires application of knowledge in the field remains an effective screen for which there is no alternative, easier path. A utility executive bemoans the fact that recent engineering hires do not seem to have the knowledge base necessary for understanding a power plant’s functional interaction. A controller worries that a recent finance graduate seems unable to compute something as simple as APR. These skills are easily tested in the workplace, using a simple problem that requires response in real time. The facile reli-ance on the multiple-choice test has netted the scandals described earlier. A return to the apprenticeship form of examination circumvents the shifted norm on cheating. However, such an approach also serves to tell us what we need to know: Is this individual qualified? The fixes for the layers require something more than fingers of blame pointed at indi-viduals. The question to be asked is “Why would they think that what they did was acceptable in this company? In this industry? In our society? The question turns the issue back around to all of us for introspection and perhaps as well for response and action to do our part to restore ethical values in all the layers.
Discussion Questions 1. When Congress held the baseball steroid hearings, those in attendance included the parents of young baseball players who had taken their lives after using steroids in order to remain competitive in high school and college baseball. Explain why young players and their parents are stakeholders. Commissioner Selig offered the following in his testimony: I should also say a word about our players. For some time now the majority of our great and talented athletes have deeply—and
rightly—resented two things. They have resented being put at a competitive disadvantage by their refusal to jeopardize their health and the integrity of the game by using illegal and dangerous sub-stances. And they have deeply—and rightly—resented the fact that they live under a cloud of sus-picion that taints their achievements on the field. Using his statement, explain how unethical beha-vior hurts those who comply with the rules. Apply these same principles to academic dishonesty.
