...The Parable of The Sadhu Reflection by: Austine Mae Gabales Mgt19 MTH 10:30-12:00 The Sadhu provides a parallel to business situations — both require quick responses where indecision can have grim consequences. As on the mountain, most business decisions occur absent all relevant information. Also, in our business lives our rush to succeed can let our goals interfere with doing the right thing. I would suggest that most of us have become numb to situations we confront because of their banality and our drive to achieve. Sometimes we just look through or past issues. Moral decision-making does not occur in a vacuum. The real test of personal and corporate values is what you do under stress. Judgments rendered under pressure reveal more about our character than pronouncements of corporate ethics do. As you think about the “Parable,” bear in mind that decisions made in the comfort of your office or home may not be the ones you would make on top of a cold mountain, or more to the point, under job stress. To a large degree, stress and teleopathy, the overzealous pursuit of a goal, limit us all. Greed, singleness of purpose, rationalization and detachment conspire to keep Sadhus out of our lives. The detachment of politicians and the greed of business people combined to induce the financial meltdown, and the rationalization that followed elucidates how unfortunate decisions can impact or destroy others. Last week, I received upsetting news about my close friend. She asked me...
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...The Parable of the Sadhu Bowen McCoy and his friend Stephen were on a sabbatical trip where they were climbing up mountains in the Himalayas. Bowen met several people along his journey all from different nationalities. During one of the most challenging parts of the climb one of the New Zealanders that Bowen and Stephen met brought to them an Indian holy man-a-sadhu who was nearly unclothes and evidently needed help to survive. Bowen and Stephen along with other individuals all took some part in helping the Sadhu. The issue was, not one group was willing to take full responsibility in insuring the Sadhu would be okay. It said in the story Bowen was excited to complete this once in a life time opportunity climbing these mountains. So in the end everyone chose that opportunity, but wouldn’t saving a man’s life also be an opportunity you would want to make? It wasn’t until after Bowen realized he did wrong and he took this story and related it to corporate ethics. The overall dilemma was that not one person was willing to quit what they were doing to help the Sadhu. It’s as if they all convinced themselves since they helped a little bit that it was enough. Even when Stephen made an argument to Bowen about each group only slightly helping. Bowen thought he was wrong and then later realized the breakdown of an individual lead to them not helping. I believe this could easily relate to corporate ethics. You could believe in that situation each person individually knew what the right...
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...2014 Parable of the Sadhu Business 005 In a world where capitalism is prevalent not only in economics, but in social status and achievement, many people are often consumed in personal “success.” This arbitrary definition of success varies in meaning from person to person, but for the most part is marked by trivial accomplishments used solely for bragging rights. While actually accomplishing the goals set may be difficult, the entire purpose of working towards them is meaningless. Such is the situation that Bowen McCoy, possibly inadvertently, found himself in, in the Himalayas. During his time at Morgan Stanley, McCoy was on a long and arduous journey high in the Himalaya Mountains. While hiking, McCoy, his business partner, and a group of other travelers came upon a Sadhu clinging to life, alone in the mountains. Expecting the summit of the mountain to be the highest point of his journey, in both possible meanings, McCoy soon had more ethical and moral responsibilities to consider than he had bargained for. Blinded by his ambitions, and set out for personal achievement, McCoy was not really doing anything wrong per se, but was soon faced by an ethical dilemma, without initially realizing it. McCoy did not recognize that he was faced with an important decision, but rather acted in the moment according to a simple set of standards. Firstly, he thought about his mission to climb the mountain. This was the first deterrent to helping the Sadhu more completely....
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...The Parable of the Sadhu walks us through an ethical dilemma that Bowen McCoy had faced on his journey through Nepal. McCoy and his anthropologist friend Stephen had been at the halfway point of their 60 day travel through the Himalayan mountains. While on this journey there were 3 other groups of travelers that had joined, the New Zealanders, the Swiss, and the Japanese. During their travels the mountaineers encountered an Indian holy man, a Sadhu, who was near death, half naked, barefoot, and suffering from exhaustion and hypothermia. They had found the man at 15,500 ft. while attempting to reach their summit point at 18,000 ft. Here is where the ethical dilemma rears its head. The travelers were now faced with heavy questions: do they help the Sadhu ultimately diverging them from their goal to reach the summit, or do they keep hiking on and leave the Sadhu to possibly die? Another ethical dilemma is seen at the end of the parable when McCoy begins to question if he should have done more? (The Parable of the Sadhu, 1997) The ethical frameworks that can be seen at the core of Stephen’s and McCoy’s conflicting responses to the problem of the Sadhu are that Stephen took a deontological approach while McCoy seems to have taken the a utilitarian approach. Stephen was quicker in thinking and making his decisions based on his ethical framework. By taking the deontological approach, Stephen was focused on duty. The deontological approach allows...
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...The Parable of the Sadhu Introduction: The Parable of the Sadhu is the story of a man, Bowen McCoy, who traversed the Himalaya Mountains on a business sabbatical program. On his journey he encounters a sadhu (an Indian holy man) who has passed out from exhaustion on the path. He checks the man’s pulse and gets the others in his group to help him out, and carries on. When he reached the top, the rest of his team caught up to him and informed him that they did not take the sadhu all the way down to the village, and are not sure whether he lived or died. Dilemma: Bowen’s decision was based on many factors. Some of these factors were personal, such as his own physical fatigue, his goal to reach the summit, and the fact that this opportunity was “once-in-a-lifetime” (Curtis, 156). Other factors included the fatigue of his fellow climbers, the danger of the pass, the advise of his team and, most importantly, the well being of the sadhu. While reading this article, I found Bowen’s decision to be mostly based on his own personal issues. Although he rationalized his decision later with his fears of the other members of the group’s heath and the fact that the pass may not be passable later, I had the feeling that deep down that’s not why he pushed ahead. I believe that he, somewhat selfishly, was only interested in finishing the climb for his own personal gain and for his ego. Evidence of this lies in his exhilaration of reaching the top, even an hour later when he sees...
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...The Parable of the Sadhu Case Recount 1 New Zealander came staggering with a body Dumped the almost naked, barefooted Sadhu at McCoy’s feet and left McCoy took his pulse; Stephen and 4 Swiss gave outer clothings Japanese refused to transport the Sadhu down to the hut with their horse Stephen attempted to help the Sadhu but was suffering from altitude sickness McCoy took off, leaving the Sadhu with Stephen Sherpas carried Sadhu down to a rock at 15,000 feet; Japanese gave the Sadhu food and drink Sadhu was last seen throwing rocks at dogs Fate of Sadhu unknown What happened high on the Himalayan pass? Describe all the people who were there. Why is the incident so important and memorable for McCoy? Sadhu • Hindu monk • Renounce material attachments, food, clothing and shelter • Leaves behind all material attachments • Lives in caves, forests and temples • Never ending pilgrimage • Rugged life (eg. early morning bath in cold mountain) • Wears little or no clothing Source: http://www.ehow.com/how_4425905_become-hindu-sadhu.html Why is the incident so important and memorable for McCoy? • Doesn’t know the final outcome • Lessons about the corporate world was learnt What do you think is the “basic ethical dilemma” referred to by McCoy? Basic Ethical Dilemma Should McCoy have done more? What factors may have influenced the various hikers’ decisionmaking? The perception among some that “the Sadhu has himself to blame for the...
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...The Parable of the Sadhu On a mountain climbing expedition to the Himalayas, Bowen McCoy, a managing director of the Morgan Stanley Company, and his party found a pilgrim, or Sadhu, dying of cold. Although the climbers helped the holy man, Mr. McCoy and his team ultimately pressed on with their trek, determined to reach the summit. This unexpected ethical dilemma left them questioning their values--and the values of business, which often places goal achievement ahead of other considerations. In this moving article, which received the Harvard Business Photos by Mike Brozda Review’s Ethics Prize in 1983, Mr. McCoy relates his experience in the distant mountain of Nepal to the short and long-term goals of American business. Bowen McCoy Last year, as the first participant of in the new six-month sabbatical program that Morgan Stanley has adopted, I enjoyed a rare opportunity to collect my thoughts as well as do some traveling. I spent the first three months in Nepal, walking 600 miles through 200 villages in the Himalayas and climbing some 120,000 vertical feet. On the trip my sole Western companion was an anthropologist who shed light on the cultural patterns of the villages we passed through. During the Nepal hike, something occurred that has had a powerful impact on my thinking about corporate ethics. Although some might argue that the experience has no relevance to business, it was a situation in which a basic ethical dilemma suddenly intruded into the lives of a group of...
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...The parable of the Sadhu Facts Bowen Mc .Coy , MD of Morgan Stanley, on a sabbatical trip to the Himalayas along with his Anthropologist friend Stephen, met with several nationals- NewZealanders. Swiss and Japanese. One of the Swiss found a Sadhu almost naked and shivering, suffering from hypothermia. All of them contributed to reviving the man, but nobody was willing to take full responsibility of the well-being of the Sadhu. As per Mc.Coy ,each did their bit as long it was convenient and then passed the buck to others. He also ponders over the fact whether the action would have been different if the person found is a well-dressed Asian or a Westerner woman. Now the dilemma is whether there is a collective responsibility apart from the individual responsibilities. Questions 1. Why is Bowen McCoy haunted by the decision he made on the mountain? At first Bowen McCoy defended his stand of leaving the Sadhu to take care of himself. The Himalaya expedition, to him, was once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He was not willing to let it pass. The stress of the travel also added to the situation. He was eager to get over the stressful 18000 feet pass to Muklinath since he had suffered with altitude sickness once. But when Stephen pointed out to him later that the dilemma aroused out of the breakdown between individual ethic and the corporate ethic.Throwing money at the problem aws not going to solve the fundamentals. McCoy realized that he had walked through a moral dilemma...
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...The Parable of the Sadhu Taking advantage of Morgan Stanley’s newly adopted sabbatical program, Mr. Bowen (Buzz) McCoy (Managing Director) enjoyed a welcomed opportunity to collect his thoughts and engage in personal travel. Accompanied by his friend Stephen, Buzz embarked on a trip of a lifetime in Nepal as they hiked the Himalayas. Half-way through their trip, they would need to ascend an 18,000-foot pass over a crest in order to reach the village of Muktinath, an ancient holy place for pilgrims. Buzz, who had suffered pulmonary edema six years earlier, and Stephen, who was starting to demonstrate signs of altitude sickness, were joined by four backpackers from New Zealand. As they rested at 15,000 feet, one of the New Zealander’s that had gone ahead came staggering down with a body over his shoulder. An almost naked, barefoot body of an Indian holy man (Sadhu) that had succumb to the elements and was suffering from exposure and hypothermia. The New Zealander, not wanting to jeopardize his chances of reaching the pass in time, left the Sadhu with Buzz and the Swiss group that had caught up to them. Once they had clothed the Sadhu, and realizing that this delay could jeopardize their chances of crossing the pass, Buzz and the Swiss left the Sadhu with Stephen. Stephen waited for the Japanese team to arrive and asked them to take the holy man down to the village. Once they gave him something to eat and drink, Stephen and the Japanese also continued their ascent...
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...The Parable of the Sadhu Ethical decision-making as individuals Four New Zelanders, two Swiss couples, two Americans, and a group of Japanese encountered a dying sadhu in their trip of conquering the summit of the world. They did it. They finally put their feet on the Everest. However, none of them conquered the weakness of human being and all fell before getting up the courage to make a decision beyond their ethical principles. What are the causes behind their decisions of giving limited helps to a dying person is really worth our reflection. Some of them might care their advantages, back off in front of responsibilities, worry about the consequences, or they just simply don’t care enough a strange person laid down on their way to the greatness. Moral disengagement mechanisms Canadian psychologist Albert Bandura first put forward the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). The theory states that people observe others’ behavior and what the consequence caused by that behavior and then use the observation to guide their future behaviors. The SCT offers an agentic perspective on human behavior whereby individuals exercise control over their own thoughts and behaviors through self-regulatory processes (Bandura, 1986). During the process of observing others’ behavior, people gradually develop their personal moral standards that guide their selfregulation process. People use this standard to judge, monitor, and control their conducts to make right decisions and avoid bad behaviors. However...
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...An analysis of The Parable of the Sadhu Table of Contents Table of Contents Pg 2 Introduction Pg 3 Background Pg 3 Analysis Pg 5 The teleological approach Pg 5 The deontological approach Pg 6 The virtue ethics approach Pg 7 A better Solution Pg 10 Conclusion Pg 12 References Pg 14 Introduction The Parable of the Sadhu, by former Morgan Stanley executive, Bowen McCoy, is a narrative illustrating the differences between individual and group ethical values and the need for today’s business managers to have a plan to help guide their team through ethical problems that may suddenly arise. This paper will examine McCoy’s story to see how the actions of the group players relate to teleological, deontological, and virtue ethic theories, as described in Managing Business Ethics. Finally, I will recommend how those actions could have been managed better using proper preparation and fostering an environment where individuals are supported and encouraged to take charge of any crisis. Background In 1982, Bowen McCoy spent several months hiking through Nepal as part of a sabbatical program offered to executives of Morgan Stanley. Midway through the difficult trek, as he and several others were preparing to attain the highest point of their climb, they encountered the body of an Indian holy man, or sadhu. Wearing little clothing and shivering in the bitter cold, he was barely alive. McCoy and...
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...The Parable of the Sadhu On a mountain climbing expedition to the Himalayas, Bowen McCoy, a managing director of the Morgan Stanley Company, and his party found a pilgrim, or Sadhu, dying of cold. Although the climbers helped the holy man, Mr. McCoy and his team ultimately pressed on with their trek, determined to reach the summit. This unexpected ethical dilemma left them questioning their values--and the values of business, which often places goal achievement ahead of other considerations. In this moving article, which received the Harvard Business Review’s Ethics Prize in 1983, Mr. McCoy relates his experience in the distant mountain of Nepal to the short and long-term goals of American business. Last year, as the first participant of in the new six-month sabbatical program that Morgan Stanley has adopted, I enjoyed a rare opportunity to collect my thoughts as well as do some traveling. I spent the first three months in Nepal, walking 600 miles through 200 villages in the Himalayas and climbing some 120,000 vertical feet. On the trip my sole Western companion was an anthropologist who shed light on the cultural patterns of the villages we passed through. During the Nepal hike, something occurred that has had a powerful impact on my thinking about corporate ethics. Although some might argue that the experience has no relevance to business, it was a situation in which a basic ethical dilemma suddenly intruded into the lives of a group of individuals. How the group...
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...describes his experiences with Sadhu on the mountainside as a breakdown of ethics on the corporate and individual level; in this comparison the hiking party would be the institution and Sadhu the individual. With that said typically speaking individuals within a firm may find their needs overwhelmed and under recognized as the specific interests of the firm itself are at the fore front. Again this correlates to the treatment of Sadhu by the hikers on the trip. With respect to the Ethical Dissonance Model the incident in question can be classified as low ranking concerning the corporate and individual ethics model. In short each hiker justified their actions as doing what they could to assist Sadhu, but in essence each hiker passed the safety and responsibility of Sadhu to the next hiker, rather than ensuring the gentlemen’s wellbeing through until the end. It became apparent that each hiker was concerned about their own self-interests rather than the interests and wellbeing of Sadhu. McCoy reached stage two in Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development. He wanted to satisfy his own needs of fulfilling his dream of completing this hike and making it to the holy shrines. He felt that his responsibilities with the Sadhu were complete after he helped to get him clothed and checked that he was still alive, so he continued on his hike. Stephen made it to stage 3, fairness to others. He felt that he had an obligation to make sure that the Sadhu was taken care of and got to the...
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...This paper explores The Parable of the Sadhu by Bowen H. McCoy. It is a breakdown of events and how the circumstances of the event helped contribute to the actions of those involved. It will also take a look at how things could have been different if the conditions were different. For example, how having a leader could have changed the way they dealt with the Sadhu and how if people did not have the mind set of not wanting to be responsible for strangers. Another condition that may have played a role in their decisions is their language: in America something could mean one thing but in another part of the world, it could mean another. This paper reflects the events written by McCoy on his Nepal hike in regards to how ethics and morals played a part in the decision they made on the trip. Keywords: ethics, morals, responsibility, actions The Individual Versus Group Ethics in Today’s Unethical Society Being a climber takes skill, endurance, and years of training. Just after daybreak, the hikers became in contact with a Sadhu (a holy man). After reaching 15,500 feet the hikers were tired, stressed, determined, agitated, high adrenaline flow, and some were even experiences altitude sickness. The group of New Zealanders found the Sadhu, came back to the group and told others “Look I’ve done what I can. You have porters and Sherpa guides. You care for him, we’re going on!” Bowen was one of those hikers that came in contact with the Sadhu, he took his pulse. So much adrenaline...
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...The differences in actions of the potential “rescuers” could be explained by the differences in the two scenarios. In the scenario where the British climber was left to die, there are several reasons why this could have happened. First of all, he was only 1,000 feet below the summit, so the climbers that stumbled upon his dying body could have been more likely to pass by since they were extremely close to their goal and did not want to give up at the very end. It was noted that dozens of different climbers or groups of climbers saw him there and could have helped. This, in my opinion, was a major factor. Since so many climbers saw him, no one felt too much responsibility because they figured someone else would rescue the climber. Sure none of the healthy climbers wanted him to die, but they figured someone else would do the actual rescue. This “diffusion of responsibility” made it easy for each passing climber or group of climbers to not feel ultimately responsible for the man’s death. If asked, each would say “well there were 38 other people that saw him, so don’t blame me. This idea was also displayed in the case of Kitty Genovese being stabbed to death in front of her apartment. Many people saw this attack, but no one called the police probably because they figured someone else already had done so. In the case of the Australian man, Lincoln Hall, he was rescued from a similar situation and managed to survive. Aside from his own team leaving him for dead, I feel...
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