Ethics Discussion Board # 5: Consent Violation

Yes. One of my employees violated my informed consent after revealing to my competitors about the formula I use in mixing beauty components to achieve a specific taste for different clients. I considered the information as proprietary in nature, and I felt my consent was violated since my staff did not inform me of her intention to share the formula. First, Heuristics model would have protected me by enabling me to gather all information regarding the trustworthiness of my staff before trusting her with internal operation secrets. For example, I would have evaluated her ability to keep secret by giving her several pieces of information which are not related to the operation of my business and assess how long she would keep such information confidential. After determining her professionalism in safeguarding vital information, Heuristic Model would have guided me in making an informed decision whether to share my proprietary information or not. However, inadequate analysis of the information supplied by my employees would lead to biased decision making or uncertainty.