The economy is weak and many small firms are competing for contracts to stay in business.
A state official in Texas demands a 10% kickback in secret payments in return for a work contract he can issue to a young and struggling small company

The economy is weak and many small firms are competing for contracts to stay in business. A state official in Texas demands a 10% kickback in secret payments in return for a work contract he can issue to a young and struggling small company. The vice president of the firm discussed the offer with his management team and agreed to the deal. He justified his action by the need to keep his workers and avoid laying them off.
Use Kant’s formulations of the categorical imperative, Utilitarianism and social contract theories as well as codes of ethics you learned so far to evaluate the action of the vice president from an ethical point of view? Did he do the right thing?