St. Michael’s Hospital is a non-profit healthcare facility located in a low-income neighborhood and is dedicated to providing medical assistance to residents in the neighborhood who are mostly victims of gun violence. It solely depends on donations received from well-wishers to meet its budgetary obligations. The hospital plans on setting up a free clinic to provide the needed care to mothers and children. However, the funds required to set up this clinic are not available, and the hospital is counting on donations from well-wishers to execute the idea. One individual, Mr. Wes Smith, offers the hospital a sum of $10 million to facilitate the process. The ethical dilemma is that Mr. Smith made his fortune through the sale of firearms and some of the hospital staff are questioning the idea of accepting his donation.
In the case of St, Michael’s Hospital, I believe the Laura Nash model can successfully be applied to resolve the issue. Nash proposes a list of 12 questions that can be used as a mental checklist and help leaders come to a decision they can be proud of. The first question on the checklist requires leaders to define the problem they may be facing. I believe this is obvious in the case of St Michael Hospital. There are, however, a few select questions on Nash’s list which are essential in helping the leaders of St Michaels’s Hospital decide whether they should accept or decline Smith’s offer to the hospital. The fifth question, for instance, questions a leaders’ intentions for reaching a particular decision. I believe Rick Moynihan and Tom Johnston have only good intentions in accepting the offer. Decisions can sometimes be made in mind but rejected in the pit of the stomach (Lewis and Gilman, 2012, p. 145). I believe that if the two leaders decide to accept the gift, it would be a decision that they can live with.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Cheeco (2008) states that individuals need to differentiate between what is legal and what is ethical. An issue can be legal but have severe ethical implications. The case of St. Michaels Hospital is not a legal issue since they are legally allowed to accept such donations. The issue only raises ethical and moral questions. Cheeco further adds that leaders need to make decisions which can be ethically or morally supported by others. Similarly, the tenth question in Nash’s model asks whether a leader can disclose his or her decision to the society or family. I believe Rick Moynihan and Tom Johnston can confidently explain to their families or society their decision to accept Mr. Smith’s offer. In my view, any person who understands the situation can think and agree that the decision to accept the offer is a noble one.
Rosen (2005) also outlines some simple suggestions which can be used to test decisions. They include the “what-would-your-parents-say test,” “the publicity test” and the “vision test.” All these tests are similar to the ones proposed by Larry Cheeco and Laura Nash. Essentially, they seek to know whether the society, family and individual self is peace with the decision to be made. The seventh question in Laura Nash’s model seeks to know who could be injured by a certain decision or action. In the case of Rick Moynihan and Tom Johnston, the decision to accept the offer could help a lot of people. I believe the few who are opposed to the offer should be made to understand the importance of going forward with the idea.
References
Checco, L. (2008, January 7). Five Ways to Promote Ethics in Your Organization. Retrieved from https://trust.guidestar.org/five-ways-to-promote-ethics-in-your-organization
Lewis, C. W., & Gilman, S. C. (2012). Resolving Ethical Dilemmas. In The ethics challenge in public service: A problem-solving guide . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Rosen, M. J. (2005). Doing well by doing right: a fundraiser's guide to ethical decision-making. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing , 10 (3), 175-181. doi:10.1002/nvsm.11
