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Ethical Dilemma

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Ethical Dilemma
Ethical Dilemma

Ben Lennon

XMGT/216

March 13, 2011

Meisel Randolph

Ethical Dilemmapage 1

An ethical dilemma is any situation which guiding moral principles cannot determine which course of action is right or wrong (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Moral Dilemmas). Often in the work place we are faced with dilemmas all the time. Many have the choice to do the right thing or doing the wrong one. However, doing the right is the moral thing to do, but some choose the alternate. When choosing both one must face the consequences involved. An example of ethical dilemma in the work place is using ones authority to services offered by the company. Working with friends always makes for hard ethical dilemmas. On one hand it is your duty to obey work rules and regulations, on the other this is your very close friend and co-worker. The friend abuses the friendship to gain from the business. Working at a hotel the friend steals rooms for personal pleasures. Morally it is my obligation to the company to report these actions, but the one breaking the rules is a longtime friend and employee. If it was anybody else the decision would be easy, to report the situation to management. Now the dilemma is to save face and my own job or to become a part of the problem and cover for the friend. The right thing to do is to just report the problem or suggest to the friend to find a way to tell what she did and report herself. The external social pressures involved are being such close friends it is hard to get the friend in trouble or fired. The friend confided in me as a friend, but the problem being I was also an employee with the company and the friend would not understand my obligation to report the situation. This may also affect our friendship amongst other friends. When something like this involves mixes business and friendship the other friends tend to take sides. Some may understand the moral responsibility to report the problem and others may think you have



References: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Moral Dilemmas www.globalethicsuniversity.com/articles.php

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