Corporate Governance and Ethical Responsibility Research Paper - 2

Corporate Governance and Ethical Responsibility - Research Paper Example When the standard of care has been breached by medical practitioners and damage can be proven as a result, patients can take appropriate legal action (Johnson, 2010). Duty of care guarantees compliance to established Federal statutes. Secondary stakeholders, internally, are the physicians and nurses accountable for ensuring compliant medical procedures and patient oversight. Dr. DoRight must work with these staff members daily ensuring adequate supervision of their activities. Concurrently, this stakeholder group maintains certain protections under employment law that mandate the extent to which Dr. DoRight can intervene and establish disciplinary procedures. A third stakeholder group is the governance board charged with overseeing hospital operations and strategic developments. The Executive Committee and Regional Compliance Manager have responsibilities for ensuring compliance to established legalities in the medical field. In tandem, the governance stakeholders must ensure alignme nt of operational activities with established hospital regulations developed internally. Conflicts of Interest with Stakeholders The first conflict of interest requiring analysis is the relationship between Dr. DoRight and the governance board members. The governance system maintains responsibility for ensuring the publicized integrity and reputation of the hospital, which is a fundamental form of corporate protectionism. Dr. DoRight’s allegations (and they are only currently allegations) of staff misconduct poses future, potential reputation problems for the hospital if investigation determines that several years have passed without taking appropriate action for criminal misconduct by nurses and physicians. The governance board and Dr. DoRight also maintain responsibility for ensuring duty of care for patients, thrusting them all into a significant conflict of interest for protecting both the hospital public image and also ensuring patient standards of care. Additionally, th e many corporations and community organizations that conduct business with the hospital pose another conflict of interest for Dr. DoRight. Dr. DoRight has received numerous accolades for excellence in executive function, including the Medical Business Executive of the Year award in 2011. Dr. DoRight must determine whether to spare his reputation that has been gleaned through years of community and corporate trust-building whilst also maintaining responsibility to expose legal non-compliance that jeopardizes patient safety and security. Dr. DoRight likely asks himself whether self-protectionism or community/corporate stakeholder needs should be considered the most primary objective when considering what he believes is occurring in the organization. Has Dr. DoRight Fulfilled His Ethical Obligations? Dr. DoRight has not fully fulfilled his ethical obligations in this case. He certainly took the appropriate steps by informing his superiors (those with power to investigate and punish the se acts) which does speak toward his maintaining some form of ethical foundation and ethical value system. However, tort law can also provide potential consequences that give him personal