2a. When reviewing the scenario of the marketing executive, the most prudent decision to be made is to do what is ethical. By virtue of a senior marketing executive’s position, the decision-making responsibility to do what is ethical lies on him/her, the reputation of the organization, and the applicable laws and regulations. Ethics are norms and standards of behavior that guide moral choices about our behavior and our relationship with others. The goal during ethical research is to make sure no one is harmed or suffers adverse consequences from research activities. The executive should take the found information and turn it over to the appropriate authority in the airport. Consideration must be made regarding the reputation of organization and the employees that represent it. The information that belonged to the competitor may not be relevant or pertinent and may not even be usable. There is the potential the information found could create more harm than good for the company and the marketing executive. The information is only a draft and the existing plan is legitimate, has the appropriate research, and could find more information that changes the final results. Additionally, the draft of the competitor is not approved and there lies the potential that it may not be approved or never be used.
2b. The implications of each decision lies with the personal values and of the executive and the organizational policies set forth for its employees. If the information is turned over to airport authority, it shows the airport personnel that the company they work for is an ethical organization and its employees abide by ethical principles. Additionally it shows a company employee has the integrity and ability to conduct him/herself in a manner that positively reflects the organization they represent. If the information is used, leadership might abandon research that is legitimate and follow a plan that may be in violation of company policy. The information obtained could have been obtained unethically and would result in a waste of time and a possible set-back for the organization. The executive must ensure the plan is based on viable research and information. There is no single approach to ethics and advocating strict adherence to a set of laws is difficult because of the unforeseen constraint put on researchers. When an activity responds unethically, they are pervasive and include violating nondisclosures agreements, misrepresenting results, deceiving people, avoiding legal liability, and more. There may not be a violation of laws and policies; however, there could be the implication of violating