Ethical Dilemmas 1
ETHICAL DILEMMAS
As report writers it is crucial that we are consistently ethical in all of our decisions during the writing
process.
Remember that in the world of business you will be faced with decisions about proper business policies and
practices regarding potentially controversial issues, such as corporate governance, insider trading, bribery,
discrimination, corporate social responsibility and fiduciary responsibilities to name a few. You will need to
make decisions and judgement calls on various issues in any given day. Report writing is no different.
Ethics concern an individual’s moral judgements about what is right and what is wrong. Decisions made in
an organization are made by individuals or groups but whoever makes them will be influenced by the
culture of the company. The decision to behave ethically is a moral one; as an employee and a report
writer, you must decide what you think the right course of action should be. This may involve rejecting the
route that would lead to the biggest short-term profit.
When we write – we must use our basic knowledge of grammar and punctuation. Careless typos or other
careless errors are unacceptable. When we write without basic knowledge or leave obvious errors, we
undermine our credibility as report writers.
As report writers attention to details of grammar and punctuation shows that you are:
◦ Thorough,
◦ Informed,
◦ Interested in and proud of your research effort, and
◦ Respectful of your reader
Whereas a lack of attention suggests just the opposite and in extreme cases marks you as:
◦ Unintelligent,
◦ Illiterate,
◦ Uninformed, and/or
◦ Rude
When we research – we must do a thorough job. We must ask all of the questions and thoroughly research
each question. We must look at both sides of the research and remain objective in our process of
presenting our research. We must give credit to those who have the ideas we are using in our report.
When we leave questions unanswered, do not remain objective, and present ideas as if they are ours we
undermine our own credibility.
Read through all of the issues on page 3 of this assignment. Then talk among your team about each of the
issues. You and your team need to come to an agreement even if you have to vote to do so. Once you
decide where each of the scenarios belong on the “line” circle that number. You need to write a paragraph
about each scenario.
As you discuss each issue, remember to use the following concepts in your discussion with your team:
1. Utility – does a particular act optimize the benefits to those who are affected by it? (That is, do all
relevant parties receive “fair” benefits?)
2. Rights – does it respect the rights of all individuals involved?
3. Justice – is it consistent with what is fair?
4. Caring – is it consistent with people’s responsibilities to each other?
Now you need to write out the assignment. For each scenario, answer the following questions:
NOTE: You will have a paragraph for each scenario that will include answers to the following questions.
1. Why did your team place that issue in that location on the line? HINT: Use the test at the top of this
page: utility, rights, justice, and caring.
2. What was some of your team members’ conversation about the issue?
3. Then explain how you came up with the number.
a. Did you agree right away?
b. Did you have to have additional discussion?
c. In the end did you have to vote to determine where to place the issue?
4. You need an opening paragraph and a closing paragraph.
a. The opening paragraph is written last but placed first in your “report.”
b. The closing paragraph is your conclusion and is written after you answer each of the
scenarios and wraps up what you learned in the process of this activity.
