Oracle: A Controversial New CEO (2014)

Oracle Corporation logo

Controversy:
This case involves a long time reputable employee resigning from the company. The man replacing him, Marc Hurd, is known for past behavior that is not reputable. Mark Hurd was allegedly involved in multiple scandals as CEO of HP and damaged the reputation of the company. Stock for HP plummeted after Mark Hurd’s departure and it took several months for the company to get back on its feet. Shortly after this incident he was then taken in by Oracle as co-president and has since been a strong asset of Oracle’s success. Despite Marc Hurd’s past actions, Oracle was willing to give him another opportunity to restore his career. Marc Hurd was then named co-CEO of Oracle several year later. This lead to criticism from the press, as he has not been CEO since his stint at HP. It also lead to stockholders losing trust in the company and withdrawing their support for the company. There is speculation that this is a scheme for Mark Hurd to restore his reputation and look to redeem his position of being a CEO of one of the biggest companies in the world. It is now up to Mark Hurd, to regain the trust of the public or to waste his opportunity with another mistake. Mark Hurd is looking to change his status with the public and to lead Oracle to be a prosperous company in the industry.

Stakeholders
The stakeholders are the CEOs who make key decisions. These decisions directly impact the other stakeholders such as executives, employees and stockholders of the company. Mark Hurd and Safra Catz are co- CEOs and will make decisions that will affect the direction of the company. This will be responsible for the success or the failure of the company. Larry Ellison has stepped down to be the Chief Technology Officer of the company. He makes decisions on what type of technology should be distributed and what innovations to made to better the products. Jeffery Henley is the Vice Chairman of the Board. He supports the CEOS on their duties and may replace a chairperson in place of their absence. Reggie Bradford is the Senior Vice president of product development. He runs the steps to efficiently produce the product to maximize the profits of the company.

Individualism

Mark Hurd, CEO of Oracle Corp, known for his scandals
while working with HP

Individualism states that the only objective of a business is to maximize profits and to increase the value for the stockholders. A business must be responsible in their actions to gain a profit for their investors. Individualism is important in my case as it deals with the decision makers of the company. The CEOs of Oracle make decisions that directly affect the stakeholders of the company. This is why it is crucial to make the right decisions in order to keep the company in good standing. The controversy surrounds Mark Hurd as he was involved in a previous scandal which negatively affected the stakeholders. He is looking to restore his name and lead the company to success under Oracle.

Utilitarianism

Utilitarianism states that happiness is the only thing that is important. It encourage to spread happened toward others, this makes the individual happier about themselves. It is important for Mark Hurd to implement utilitarianism as it creates an environment of happiness throughout the company. This makes it more likely for stakeholders to make decisions that will grow the company to success. If a wrong decision is produced, the state of happiness may not be present in the company As positive results come through, there will be a reinforcement of happiness in the company. This creates a sense of sustainability throughout the company to keep spreading the happiness of other by taking the right course of actions.
Kantianism

One should practice acting in a moral fashion by respecting others, their autonomy, and their different outlooks. An individual must be motivated to do what is right and to promote good will within a business. Kantianism has a lot do with the controversy as Mark Hurd is criticized of being immoral. His past behavior shows clear signs of immoral and irresponsible behavior. This harmed the company he was in and led him to be fired from his position due to the multiple scandals he was involved in. Kantianism is the key for Mark Hurd to reestablish himself as one of the top CEO’s in the technology sector. It is more difficult to have practice Kantianism when one has already broke the laws of being immoral. This is why it will take time for Mark Hurd to regain the trust of the investors and will have to show that he has now changed for the better and will have to make decisions that positively impact the company.

Virtue Theory 

Oracle Corp. headquarters in Redwood City, CA

The Virtue theory states that one must be willing to take risks in order to grow in business. There must be courage within to stand behind these decisions when the outcome is revealed. One must also be honest in their actions. Mark Hurd must implement these traits into his business regimen in order to be successful. The virtue theory gives the company the right traits to perform in an honest and moral fashion. Investors may see the behavior of company as virtuous and may gravitated by this new way of business. Mark Hurd will gain respect for establishing a moral attitude throughout the company. He needs to channel the pressure from the media and do his job based on the virtue theory. Mark Hurd may have to work harder in order to sustain a virtue in his decisions, but it will be rewarded in the long run with success and praise from the stakeholders.

Justification Ethics Evaluation

This situation with Mark Hurd would all be avoided if he were to be motivated to making the right decisions in the business world. He should have thought about the outcome of his actions before getting involved in a troubling scandal that hurt the reputation of his company and his career. There will always be criticism of his actions throughout his career because of his past. It is now up his new position as co- CEO of Oracle to turn his reputation around. Mark Hurd must focus on being motivated to make the right decisions as they will directly affect the stakeholders of the company. Oracle will be monitored closely by investors and stockholders, so it is Mark Hurd’s job to lead the charge in continuing Oracle’s success in the technology of relational databases.

Conclusion

Oracle is a company that put it's trust into Marc Hurd. He needs to see that he has an opportunity by having a second chance in life and to learn from his mistakes. Marc Hurd must take advantage of this chance and be the best CEO he can be for Oracle. Marc Hurd must implement utilitarianism, individualism, Kantainism, and virtue theory to be successful. These attributes will create a culture of sustainability for the company and will ensure the growth of the company.