Ethics are the moral standards and principles by which entities (individuals and organizations) govern their behaviors and decision-making. When these standards and principles conflict with each other in a decision-making situation, an ethical dilemma may occur. Show
What is an Ethical Dilemma?An ethical dilemma takes place in a decision-making context where any of the available options requires the agent to violate or compromise on their ethical standards. We observe that ethical dilemmas can be characterized by the following three elements:
Ethical standards are the moral frameworks that individuals and organizations use to guide their decision-making and differentiate between right and wrong. Companies and professional organizations may adopt their own ethical standards and require that employees/members adopt those standards as part of their personal business ethics. Common ethical practices in the workplace include:
Ethical dilemmas happen because ethics are inherently contradictory. Employees may face situations where compromising on telling the truth or following the law seems to serve other valued goals, such as maximizing profits or avoiding layoffs. Types of Ethical DilemmaThere are several different types of ethical dilemmas that agents may encounter in the course of performing their roles and responsibilities:
What is an Example of an Ethical Dilemma?Ethical dilemmas occur regularly in the business environment where employees make decisions that impact the success and profitability of organizations. Employees may experience an ethical dilemma when deciding whether to report an incident of workplace harassment or declare a conflict of interest. In the first case, the employee might understand that the harassment is wrong, but feel guilty about getting their colleague in trouble. In the latter case, the employee might recognize their fiduciary duty to the organization, but feel a sense of loyalty to their family and friends that makes it difficult to do the right thing. How Do You Identify an Ethical Dilemma?Experts agree that identifying an ethical dilemma starts with recognizing your gut reaction to a problematic situation. If a decision seems to challenge your moral compass, it’s time to take a step back and investigate further. You might proceed by writing down:
How Do You Resolve an Ethical Dilemma?An ethical dilemma does not always offer a clear solution that conforms with ethical norms. Here’s how entities can cope with the most challenging ethical dilemmas:
Maximize the Good & Minimize the Bad – When a problem has no perfect solution, the best approach is to analyze the outcomes of each potential action and choose the action with the greatest positive impact and least negative impact.
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Which of the following is an example of an ethical dilemma?Some examples of ethical dilemma include: Taking credit for others' work. Offering a client a worse product for your own profit. Utilizing inside knowledge for your own profit.
Which of the following is not part of the code of conduct?Hence code of management is not a part of code of conduct.
Which of the following defines an ethical dilemma?The Oxford dictionary defines an ethical dilemma as, “a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two courses of action, either of which entails transgressing a moral principle.”
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