172 ◾ Shannon A. Bowen
organization, is earned or assigned. Moral autonomy is free to anyone who is able
to engage in a rational thought process. However, that thought process must not
be impeded by fear, or an inability to have any say or inuence on the decision.
If one lacks the autonomy to have any say or inuence in an ethical analysis, you
cannot be a morally responsible agent. Rationality and autonomy really go hand in
hand because to result in a truly ethical conclusion, one must be able to engage in
moral analysis without being compelled in any particular direction. One example
of where that process might go awry could be when a junior-level public relations
specialist feels threatened in raising the question of whether a particu ...