Do your numbers. Think about the costs of your decision, both long and short term. For example, not disclosing information about the company’s financial performance buys you time and prevents a drop in the company’s share price. But if things do not improve, you will be grappling with two problems: the drop in the share price and the company’s loss of trust and credibility for not disclosing the information sooner. Just as ethical analysis requires you to gain a 360-degree perspective, a look at the numbers considers all costs. Will we lose customers? Will our cost of capital increase if we do have a major accident or an unsafe product?

What happens if we cut the maintenance budget too much? We save money temporarily, but will the lack of maintenance affect safety? p-635