A rising South Bay startup designs/manufactures touchscreens. Salesperson Dan is about to secure a deal with ABC-Tech that would be South Bay’s largest deal to date. The startup has an internal policy that mandates customers who purchase over 15 units qualify for a standard 25% volume discount. However, before Dan’s manager leaves on a business trip, he instructs Dan to give ABC-Tech only a 10% discount. Jerry, a co-worker, asks Dan why. Dan explains that the discount policy is not public, and ABC-Tech has a very large budget compared to other companies. Dan is conflicted; just because ABC-Technologies is profitable does not mean they should be ineligible to receive the standard volume discount. But given the quickly approaching closeout date, Dan needs to complete the deal and cannot wait until his supervisor returns from his trip to discuss his concerns.

Cleary identify the dilemma using a sentence of the form: 'Should we do (a)… because… or (b)… because…?' 

(3 points) List the most important information. Explain its relevance. State any assumptions. 

(3 points) Weigh the sides, starting with “Here are our alternatives.” For each alternative provide two possible outcomes. Describe associated risks. 

(3 points) List all of the viewpoints (perspectives). Prioritize the viewpoints from most to least important, from the perspective of Engineering Ethics. 

(3 points) State your solution using a sentence of the form 'My ethical rationale is [universalist or consequentialist]: We should [action] because [reason]. The action should represent a win-win solution. The reason must conform with universalism or consequentialism. Consider the pertinent risks. 

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

1 The dilemma is whether or not to give ABC Tech the standard 25 volume discount as per company policy or only a 10 discount as instructed by his manager The dilemma is whether to give ABCTech the sta... View the full answer