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NAF Professional Ethics

Lesson 3An Ethical Decision-Making

Framework

Student Resources

Resource Description

Student Resource 3.1 Reading: What Is an Ethical Dilemma?

Student Resource 3.2 Analysis: Considering an Ethical Dilemma

Student Resource 3.3 Reading: An Ethical Decision-Making Framework

Student Resource 3.4 Assignment: Ethics Case Study on High School Issues

Student Resource 3.5 Guide: Socratic Seminar

Student Resource 3.6 Reference: Discussion Starters

Student Resource 3.7 Case Studies: Ethical Dilemmas in Career Fields

Copyright © 2016 NAF. All rights reserved.

NAF Professional EthicsLesson 3 An Ethical Decision-Making Framework

Student Resource 3.1

Reading: What Is an Ethical Dilemma?Directions: Read through the four scenarios below—each describes an ethical dilemma. Choose one to analyze, and then use Student Resource 3.2, Analysis: Considering an Ethical Dilemma, to guide you.

Ethical dilemmas are situations in which a person is faced with two convincing yet conflicting alternatives for resolving a difficult problem that challenges values. What makes the situation a dilemma is that two or more moral values a person considers important are in conflict. Often the right, or ethical, thing to do is not clear or is difficult to choose. It may not be possible to find a solution that feels completely right.

We have all experienced ethical dilemmas in our lives. Consider the following scenarios:

Scenario 1: You run into your friend’s mom on the street. She asks you if you enjoyed the movie with her daughter on Friday night. You didn’t go to the movie with her daughter on Friday night, but it appears that your friend told her mom that you did. Do you tell her mom that you didn’t go to the movie, or do you tell her that the movie was great? Or is it okay to just not answer, smile, and quickly walk away?

Scenario 2: You observe what appears to be a homeless mother and her children stealing food at the grocery store. Do you say something to the manager?

Scenario 3: You are being scouted to play for your dream team at your dream college. A week before the last big game, one of your coaches takes you aside and offers you performance-enhancing drugs to increase your chances of really impressing the scouts and getting the scholarship. He says he’s looking out for your best interests and can guarantee you won’t be tested in the near future. Do you take the drugs just this one time to secure your future?

Scenario 4: You have an opportunity for an internship at a respected business in your community. You submit a project you worked on with several other NAF students with your portfolio. Through the interview process, you discover that you are given credit for a section of the project that really impressed the company. In fact, another member of your team, who is also applying for the internship, completed that section with little input from you. Do you tell the interviewers that you were not responsible for that section of the project?




Analysis: Considering an Ethical DilemmaStudent Name:_______________________________________________________ Date:___________

Directions: Choose one ethical dilemma from Student Resource 3.1 and respond to the following questions in a sentence or two for each.

How would you describe the ethical dilemma in this situation: what are the conflicting positions?

What do you think is the most ethical advice to give to someone in this situation? Why?

Is there more than one response to this situation that could be considered ethical? Why or why not?

Think back on the characteristics of an ethical person. Which virtues would a person display if he or she chose to act ethically in this situation?




Reading: An Ethical Decision-Making Framework

By now, you have some idea of what it means to behave ethically as a person and as a professional. But how do you know what the right or ethical thing to do in a particular situation is? We are going to look at an approach to decision making that will help you recognize the ethical choice.



First, figure out what the problem really is. That may sound silly, but sometimes we feel uneasy about a situation and we aren’t sure why. Maybe we think we are supposed to feel a certain way, but we don’t. Or we aren’t thinking the “right” way—the way other people seem to think about this issue.

You also have to think about the other people involved in the situation—not just yourself. For example, some smokers say “I’m not hurting anybody else. It’s my body and I can choose to smoke if I want to.” But what if that person is a parent with a baby at home? Now the person is exposing the baby to cigarette smoke, which can damage the baby’s health.

Another consideration is short- and long-term effects of your decision. Sometimes people can be less, or more, affected by your decision depending on how far into the future we look.

It’s also important to consider if laws are being broken. Remember that an ethical decision is not necessarily a lawful one. The civil rights movement and other social justice movements have encouraged people to deliberately break laws that were unjust, such as laws separating Caucasian and African-American people on a bus. But if a good law is being broken, that adds another factor to your decision. Remember, too, that it can be tempting to claim a rule is unfair when you don’t like it, but if you think carefully, you can distinguish between what is really unfair and what is just something you dislike.





It can be easy to establish the facts of a situation. If you are babysitting your little brother and find him in the bathroom, flushing your cell phone down the toilet, the facts are clear. But what if he’s been playing outside and comes in with a bloody nose because he had a fight with another kid in the neighborhood? You will need to get the facts before you punish him or go yell at the neighbor kid.

One of the big challenges is figuring out where the facts stop and opinion begins. Your brother might tell you that the other kid started the fight, that he was “being mean” or that he “said something” and your brother had to retaliate. But how much of that is fact and how much is your brother’s opinion? If you weren’t there, it can be hard to tell.

That doesn’t mean your brother is a liar. All of us have our own unique viewpoint on what happened, and we tend to present things in the way that makes the most sense to us or the way that makes us look best. That’s human nature.

While this may not seem logical, sometimes certain facts or opinions have a bigger influence than others. If you know the neighbor kid is a bully, you may be more inclined to believe your brother’s side of the story. On the other hand, if you know the neighbor kid is sad because his dog just died, you might be more inclined to tell your brother to give the kid a break.



Opinions matter to us personally, but they don’t necessarily have a bearing on the ethical way to resolve a situation. Opinions are not always supported by facts. Sometimes opinions are plain old incorrect. This can be hard to swallow: sure, you are entitled to your opinion, but that doesn’t mean you’re right or that your opinion should carry any weight when making an ethical decision.

Strongly held opinions can make it impossible to see other perspectives. They can make us intolerant and judgmental. They can even make us blind to the truth of the matter.

Some facts or opinions matter more than others. An expert, firsthand witness account carries more weight than a view of the situation from someone who has a stake in the dilemma or who was nearby.



Take a few minutes now to complete the chart.



At times, we may feel like a problem has only one solution: “He hit my baby brother, so I’m going to beat him up!” When we are under stress, it can be difficult for our brains to think of a variety of different solutions. Many ethical dilemmas are inherently stressful, so it is important to stop and take the time to think of many possible options, or at least to evaluate the options you do have.

Using the questions listed above, it is easy to see that beating up the neighbor kid, while it might be tempting, would not be the ethical choice. It would not do much good and might do a lot of damage, particularly if the neighbor kid has relatives that would then want to beat you up. It would not be a respectful or fair choice or good for the community as a whole.

On the other hand, arranging a conversation with you and your brother and the neighbor kid and a relative of the neighbor kid would be much more respectful and fair, and better for the community.





Now you’ve come up with multiple options, but how do you know which is the best—or most ethical—one to choose? You can use this simple test to evaluate your choices.

1. Reversibility: How would I feel if the situation were reversed? If someone thought your baby brother beat up their baby brother, wouldn’t you rather they asked you for an explanation than just chased after your baby brother and hit him?

2. Publicity: Is this a choice you want your name on? Would you want to be interviewed on TV about it? Would you post it on your Facebook page, your Twitter feed, your Instagram account? If not, maybe it’s not a good decision.

3. Harm: Does it do less damage than other options? Sometimes, unfortunately, there are no “good” options. In this case, you have to choose the “least bad” one: the one that does the least amount of harm to the smallest number of people. The concept of harm can be difficult to pin down. Is harm objective or subjective? Is there a difference between psychological and physical harm? Is harm the same thing as offense?



Write down the “test results” in your notebook and be prepared to discuss them with the class.



Even the best decision can fail if it isn’t implemented properly. Imagine you make the “ethical” choice to talk to the kid who beat up your brother, rather than attacking him. If you start the conversation by insulting the kid and calling him names, you really aren’t making a good choice, even if you followed a good decision-making process.

You need to think carefully about how to follow through on your decisions. Then, once the decision has been implemented, you need to analyze how it turned out—and what you learned from the situation.

You won’t be able to complete this last step for your ethical dilemma, since it’s not a real situation. But take some time now to discuss this process with your class. How is it similar to or different from what you have done in the past when facing a big decision?




Assignment: Ethics Case Study on High School Issues

Student Name:_______________________________________________________ Date:___________

Directions: Choose one of the ethical dilemmas below and use an ethical decision-making framework to analyze it. Before you begin, read through all of the instructions on this resource, and read the assessment criteria at the end to make sure you understand how your work will be assessed.

Choose an Ethical Dilemma One of your really good friends has a previous history of mental illness. She’s been seeing a

psychiatrist on a regular basis for a while, but one day she confides in you and tells you that she stopped going to her appointments. She makes you promise not to say anything to anyone. She also has stopped taking the medication the doctor prescribed for her, and she’s starting to have symptoms again. Your friend’s family is really messed up and you know they can stress her out and make her feel even worse. But your friend is starting to act really strange now that she’s not on her medication, and she’s starting to worry you. What should you do?

You work in a local coffee bar on the weekends. It’s a pretty fun job. You especially like working on Friday nights, when they have live music from local bands. But one night you notice that one guy you work with is making a lot of “mistakes” when he rings up the customers. He is giving his friends free food and drinks and overcharging other customers to cover the difference. The other customers aren’t noticing because they’re too busy paying attention to the music. The totals in the cash register look as if they will be correct, but some people had to pay for food and drinks they didn’t order, or else they got overcharged. What should you do?

Your friend is planning a big party for this upcoming weekend. She knows you have an amazing knowledge of music, so she asks you to handle all the music for the party. The music will sound way better on your mom’s brand-new tablet, so you ask if you can borrow it for the party. Your mom says yes. At the party, some kids are drinking beer. You don’t have anything alcoholic to drink, but one of the other kids spills a beer all over your mom’s tablet. Now the tablet doesn’t work properly. Your mom knew about the party, but she will freak out if she finds out people were drinking there. What should you do?

Circle or draw a star next to the dilemma you will use for this assignment, or talk to your teacher about using a more personal example.

Apply the Decision-Making FrameworkWrite a few sentences or a short paragraph for each of the five steps in the decision-making framework. Complete your assignment on the computer or use a separate sheet of paper. Refer back to Student Resource 3.3, Reading: An Ethical Decision-Making Framework, to help you remember how to complete each step of the framework.

1. Figure out what the problem really is.

2. Identify key facts and opinions.

3. Think about other possible options.

4. Test your decision.



5. Make your decision and evaluate the outcome.

Make sure your assignment meets or exceeds the following assessment criteria: The case study thoroughly explores each of the five steps of the decision-making framework.

The case study correctly identifies facts, opinions, and implications of the ethical dilemma.

The case study realistically describes potential effects or reactions to the dilemma.

The case study evaluates multiple potential solutions before selecting one.

The completed assignment is neat and uses proper spelling and grammar.




Guide: Socratic Seminar

What Is It?A Socratic seminar is a structured discussion format that many students and teachers use to explore complex topics. It is named after the Greek philosopher and teacher Socrates. Socrates engaged his students by responding to questions with questions, rather than answers, teaching them to think for themselves. The goal of a Socratic seminar is for you to talk about what you are learning with your classmates and come to your own conclusions about these topics.

You will be talking to each other, not to the teacher. The teacher will be listening to your conversation, but if you have a question, you need to ask your classmates, not the teacher.

How It WorksYou are going to read a case study about an ethical dilemma in the professional career field of your academy theme. While you read, you need to think about some questions you have about the material or some thoughts you’d like to talk about. Once everyone has finished reading, you are going to have a structured discussion.

Your teacher will put you and your classmates into two circles. The people in the inside circle (the “fishbowl”) will talk about their questions and what they learned from the reading with each other. The people in the outside circle will listen and take notes. After a few minutes, your teacher will switch the two circles so that everybody has a turn talking or listening. Finally, there will be a few minutes of whole-class discussion at the end.

Next Steps1. Review this information so that you feel comfortable participating in the Socratic seminar.

2. Read Student Resource 3.6, Reference: Discussion Starters. Use it to help you think of questions or comments for the discussion.

3. Read Student Resource 3.7, Case Studies: Ethical Dilemmas in Career Fields. Only read the case study that is relevant to your academy theme. As you read, develop five to seven questions you can ask or things you want to talk about during the Socratic seminar. Write the questions in your notebook. Consider doing some research for homework so that you are well informed.

4. Participate in the discussion, using this guide, your questions, and the reading to help you.

Discussion GuidelinesBecause this is a different kind of classroom discussion, there are special guidelines you need to follow:

Don’t talk to the teacher—talk to each other.

Don’t raise your hand. Listen and wait for a good time to speak.

Listen carefully and be respectful when you respond to people.



Use facts and examples from what you’ve learned to back up your opinions and show that you know what you’re talking about.

Don’t have side conversations—stay focused on what the group is saying.

Think about other people; make sure they have a chance to speak.

Be an active participant when you’re in the fishbowl. Don’t just sit there.

Put any electronic gadgets away, such as your phone, so that you focus fully on the discussion.




Reference: Discussion StartersStudent Name: Date:

Directions: Use these prompts to help you prepare questions and comments for the Socratic seminar. Prepare about five to seven questions or comments using these prompts.

I thought the toughest part of this ethical dilemma was… because…

I thought one really important idea in this case study was… Do you agree?

One thing that confuses me or puzzles me is…

I would like to talk to people about… because…

Don’t you think this is similar to… ?

I have questions about…

Another point of view is…

I think it means…

Do you think…

What does it mean when the case study says…

Do you agree that…

This reminded me of what we learned about in an earlier lesson because…

Use the space below to help you come up with your questions or comments. When you have decided on which questions you will ask, copy them into your notebook. That way you will have a list of questions plus space to make notes during the discussion. Remember, you can also ask questions that you think of on the spot, based on what someone else is saying during the discussion.




Case Studies: Ethical Dilemmas in Career Fields

Hospitality and TourismYou are the manager at a small 10-room boutique hotel geared toward high-end clients. One of the special perks you offer your guests is a personal butler who attends to individual guests’ needs. The butlers are responsible for making dinner reservations, coordinating with room service, providing daily snacks tailored to the tastes of the client, and responding quickly to any other needs that arise. The butlers receive a base salary but also receive an automatic gratuity on all spending the guest does through them. They also typically receive $800–$1,000 in tips when clients check out. To ensure fairness, you have a system in which the butlers are assigned to guests on a rotating basis. Six of your butlers are men, and two are women. A very wealthy and well-connected client books the entire hotel for a week. Although he is only traveling with five other parties, he wants to ensure his privacy.

When he checks in, he is automatically assigned one of your female butlers—as per the system. When he learns that his butler is a woman, he insists on a male butler for himself and the rest of the people he is traveling with. He also insists that the two female butlers be excluded from the premises while he is staying there. If you do this, it will not only conflict with your system, it will also ensure that the two female butlers are the only ones who don’t earn money during this week. However, he is spending a great deal of money, and you know he will drive a lot more traffic to your hotel in the future. If you do not do it, he—and his friends—will leave, it will be too late for you to book new guests, and he will publicly badmouth your property.

A number of options are available to you: You can explain to the client that there is a system in place at the hotel that ensures fairness, and that you are unwilling to deviate from this system. You can inform your staff of the particular request, and explain the situation. Or is there another possible course of action? What do you do?

FinanceOne of your firm’s top clients is in town, and you and another associate have been tasked with entertaining him. You plan dinner at a five-star restaurant and then tickets to a professional basketball game (you know that the client is a big basketball fan). The company rents a fancy car for you to use to pick up the client, go to dinner, and then go to the game. You and your colleague are the only ones registered to drive the car. When you and your colleague go to pick the client up, he makes you wait for 30 minutes in the car outside. You are late for dinner, miss your reservation, and have to wait for a table. The client is annoyed and blames you. Because dinner is late, you arrive at the game late, have trouble parking, and make it into the stadium just before half-time. Again, the client is upset and starts to talk about moving his business. After the game, your client says he wants to drive back to the hotel. Your colleague says no, and the client gets more upset. Worried about losing him, you convince your colleague to let him drive.

When pulling out of the parking spot, he cuts it too close and scrapes the entire side of the car on a cement pillar. Back at the hotel, he pulls you aside and tells you to tell your boss that your colleague had the accident—not him. He says that if you do not, he will pull his business from your firm and tell your boss it is your fault. You will be punished in some way, and may lose your job. If you tell your boss that your colleague had the accident, he will—at minimum—be required to pay for the damage, and he might be fired.



A number of options are available to you: You can explain to the client that you will need to inform your boss that the client damaged the car. You can inform your boss that your co-worker damaged the car. You can claim that you damaged the car. Or is there another possible course of action? What do you do?

Health SciencesYou work as a pharmacist at a neighborhood pharmacy, and you get to know the repeat clients well. One is an elderly woman who comes in once a month to pick up medicine for her blood pressure and her cholesterol and to manage chronic pain she has in her legs. You have talked with her extensively about her issues and are well-versed in the medicines she has been prescribed. You know that each one is the best fit for her needs.

Each month, she pulls out an envelope with the exact cost of the medicines: $150 total. You once asked her about this, and she told you that she sets the money aside each week to make sure she has enough when it is time to pick up the medicine.

This month, when you entered in her information, you see that her insurance company is no longer covering the pain medicine she has been prescribed. In order for her to get it, she will have to pay full price for it: a whopping $800. When you tell her this, she looks bewildered and upset. She asks you if—just this once—you could give her the medicine (she will still give you her normal $150), so she can make it through the month and figure out what to do next. If she does not get her medication, you know that her pain will quickly escalate, and she will be unable to walk or even really function. If you do give it to her, you run the risk of your boss figuring it out and firing you. While some discrepancies in cash totals are normal, this would be a significant one. However, the system at the pharmacy is such that it would be difficult for your boss to know who made the mistake.

There are a number of options available to you: You can explain to the customer that giving her the medication is not possible. You can give her the medication. You can speak to the insurance company on the customer’s behalf. Or is there another possible course of action? What do you do?

Information TechnologyYou are the IT manager at a midsize corporation, and you have been tasked with creating a detailed employee database that includes the following information for each employee: name, personal background information, application history at the company, social security number, work history, compensation history, and any relevant account information (including passwords for work-related accounts). Your boss has given you a budget of $50,000. You must collect and organize the information, acquire the equipment to store it, acquire or develop software to make it easily accessible by management, and provide for its security. Knowing this is a huge and complex task, your boss offers you an incentive. If you complete the project under budget, you will receive the difference as a bonus.

It costs you $35,000 to assemble the database and organize its storage to make it accessible. When looking for companies to secure the information, you receive two bids. One—for $15,000—is for a top-notch security system from a very well-respected company. The other—for $10,000—is for a mid-level security system from a company with a decent record, but some history of mistakes. If you go with the first bid, you know that the employees’ information will be very secure and protected, but you will have no money left in the budget. If you go with the second, and there is a security breach, you will be blamed for not knowing better. However, you will receive a $5,000 bonus, and a security breach may never happen anyway.

There are a number of options available to you: You can choose the better security firm, ensuring that the information is in the best possible hands. You can engage the mid-level security firm and hope that nothing happens. Or is there another possible course of action? What do you do?


Documents

NAF Curriculum - Homecurriculum.naf.org/packaged/assets/downloads/shared... · Web viewCircle or draw a star next to the dilemma you will use for this assignment, or talk to your