Example research essay topic: Breaking The Law Ethical Dilemma - 994 words

NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote

PORTFOLIO FOR CONTEMPORARY ETHICS AND ETHICS AND THE BUSINESS PROFESSIONAL II. EVIDENCE CASE STUDY # 1 IMMORALE ACTS 2 CASE STUDY # 2 FRATERNAZATION 3 CASE STUDY # 4 SKIPPING WORK 6 CASE STUDY # 5 BUSINESS ETHICS 7 OTHER RESOURCES 8 I feel that I have acquired enough knowledge and experience throughout my lifetime to be awarded credit for an ethics course. People deal with ethical questions throughout their lives and gain experience more valuable than any case study in a semester course. Since most ethics classes would teach via example for my evidence I will present several case studies of ethical dilemmas I have personally encountered in my workplace and in my life. I feel through the course work I have completed in college and the ethical lessons I have encountered in my life have given as much if not more knowledge than an ethics class. If for some reason my case studies are not sufficient then I will request an examination.

USING THE WORK ENVIROMENT TO JUSTIFY IMMORALE ACTS For this example I am going to use a common situation which occurs in the military and that is adultery. Legally and morally adultery is wrong but I am going to show and example where someone tries to use his or her environment to justify their actions. Military members are constantly deploying away from their families to worldwide locations. Now for married people no matter what distance youre away from your spouse you should still be faithful. This is something Ive observed while on deployment and Ive changed all names so nobody is incriminated. Now on this deployment to Europe for two months Mark is away from his wife.

However his justification for his actions on this deployment will be the old saying what goes TDY, stays TDY meaning you can do whatever you want on a deployment because your spouse is not around. So while on the deployment Mark proceeded to drink and smoke, which his wife disapproves of and to have sex when the opportunity arises. He has sex with the local women and thinks nothing of it because in his mind its not cheating since his wife isnt around. So the ethical dilemma here as an observer comes in two parts. Is he breaking the law in accordance with the military regulations and do you have an obligation to turn Mark in? Well according to the UCMJ (Universal Code of Military Justice) Mark is breaking the law, however unless the security police or OSI agents or his direct supervisor observe him he cant be reprimanded.

Also in adultery cases the spouse has to initiate a legal action. Since I didnt meet either requirement I couldnt take direct action. I am still however obligated to let Marks supervisor know of his conduct and maybe inform his wife. So the ethical dilemma here as an observer is whether or not to be Marks buddy and not turn him or follow the regulations and report him to the appropriate officials.

FRATERNAZATION BETWEEN OFFCIERS AND ENLISTED MEMEBERS OF THE MILITARY Here is another example of should you look the other way or turn somebody in because its the right thing to do. A not so everyday problem in the military is fraternization between officers and enlisted personnel. Fraternization is defined as; to have inappropriate conduct with a subordinate in you chain of command or between and officer or enlisted person. The system is set up this way so someone who is in charge of you isnt intimately involved which could affect his or her decision making and lead to favoritism. Once again all names have been changed in order to protect the parties involved. This event also occurred overseas away from home station.

One day a Captain named Dan was hanging out with one of his enlisted members Mary. This in itself is not breaking any rules because they were both off duty. Dan and Mary are drinking and one thing leads to another and they end up having sex. Not only is this breaking the fraternization regulation but Dan is also married so he is now committing adultery. So one day Dan is drinking with his buddies and brings up his encounter with Mary and starts bragging. Now when his friend Matt hears all this he doesnt say anything and just lets Dan brag.

So now Matt has an ethical dilemma. As an officer himself he is obligated to report Dan for fraternization and adultery. He is also a friend of Dans wife so he has a personal interest in the matter. Should he report him or just be Dans buddy and keep his secret? While Matt is obligated to look out for his friend he has sworn an oath as an officer to follow military regulations. So the right and legal thing for Matt to do in this situation is to notify Dans supervisor and let him proceed with the proper legal action.

A common occurrence in the work environment is stealing from your employer. People sometimes justify this by saying well I work here so Im entitled to certain perks like free office supplies to take home etc. For this case study I will cite two examples of such activities. One day Bob is going down to the cafeteria to grab some lunch.

Bob is deciding what to eat when he sees Dominique grabbing some snacks and walking away from the cashier. Bob questions him and says, arent you going to pay for that? Dominique replies no I never pay its not really stealing because they over charge us anyway so they still make money. Bob doesnt say anything else and Dominique walks off. So should Bob turn Dominique into the cafeteria manager?

And how can bob prove that Dominique stole in the first place? The best thing for bob to do is to talk with the cafeteria manager and mention that people might be stealing. This way the ca...

Research essay sample on Breaking The Law Ethical Dilemma