Martyrs on commission: A reformation essay

Abstract

Fiction. Although this story contains a measure of historical accuracy, any resemblance between the central character and a real person, or between the events of the story and real events, is entirely coincidental. The main purpose of this piece is to expand upon the notion of “overload” as one reason business people should not be burdened with moral responsibility. The “overload” argument is presented in a chapter of Business Ethics in Canada, edited by Deborah Poff and Wilfrid Waluchow (Prentice-Hall of Canada, 1987). In this chapter, ‘Moral Responsibility in Business or Fourteen Ways to Pass the Buck’, Alex C. Michalos both presents and replies to the overload argument. This short story is presented as an alternative to his reply.