Ben Wilberforce Ritchie, philosopher and former ethics manager in the aerospace and defence sector, opens the session by emphasising that ethical decision making is a shared responsibility across all levels of an organisation. He frames ethics as the ability to navigate complex dilemmas with accountability, especially in an era where businesses are increasingly expected to act with integrity and social responsibility.
To introduce the complexity of ethical judgement, Ben uses the “Last Chicken Exercise,” a simple but powerful scenario in which a butcher deceives a customer by presenting the same chicken as a larger one. Participants are invited to reflect on whether the butcher’s actions are acceptable, revealing how different ethical perspectives can lead to very different conclusions. Ben uses this discussion to explore major ethical frameworks, including rule-based ethics, outcome-based thinking, care ethics, and character.
He then connects the exercise to real business contexts, showing how trust, integrity, and transparency matter just as much in corporate decision making as they do in everyday interactions. Ben highlights the difference between ethics and law, explaining that legality does not always equal morality, and that ethical reasoning is essential for challenging flawed systems and improving organisational policies.
The session continues with a deep dive into ethical dilemmas as “right versus right” tensions, drawing on Rushworth Kidder’s categories such as justice versus mercy, short term versus long term, and loyalty versus trust. Ben encourages participants to recognise that ethical conflict often arises because multiple values are simultaneously at stake.
To support practical application, Ben introduces a four-box ethical decision making model based on virtues, rules, ends, and care. Participants are guided through how this framework can clarify difficult workplace situations, such as whether to warn a friend about potential redundancies while maintaining confidentiality. The model helps individuals adjust and strengthen decisions by considering all ethical dimensions rather than relying on instinct alone.
Ben concludes by reinforcing that everyone can be an ethical leader, regardless of job title. He outlines behaviours that support ethical role modelling, including fostering a speak-up culture, testing assumptions, seeking opposing views, and ensuring alignment with company values. Finally, he presents warning signs of ethical collapse, using the Oceangate Titan disaster as a case study in how organisational culture can fail when profit overrides responsibility.
The session closes with a reminder that ethical decision making requires curiosity, courage, and continuous practice, empowering individuals and organisations to act with integrity in an increasingly complex world.
