Couse Essays Example

Navigating Ethical Issues

I have found myself in the midst of an ethical dilemma regarding three of my friends who are unknowingly involved in a love triangle style relationship. My friend David has recently been pursuing what he believes to be a long term relationship with a woman named Janet, who happens to be married to my friend Tony. David is unware that Janet is married, and Tony is presumably unaware that Janet has been seeing another man, so I believe as a mutual friend of everyone it is my duty to make the “right” decision to remedy this ethical issue. One potential solution which may be considered the “right” decision would be to tell David that Janet is married to Tony, which would undoubtedly leave David heartbroken, but at the same time would prevent him from unknowingly participating in infidelity with Janet and potentially ruining Tony’s marriage with Janet. I have considered telling David because the bonds of trust and honesty that frame our relationship compel me to be honest with him and I believe that it is my responsibility as his friend to inform him of the situation he has unknowingly placed himself in. Furthermore, I believe that telling David about Janet’s marriage to Tony may serve to uphold the western marital values of monogamy and fidelity by discouraging David from participating in an affair. Another potential “right” decision I have debated is confronting Janet in a one-on-one setting to inform her of my revelation and to encourage her to stop cheating on Tony and leading David on. The potential positive consequences of this could be Janet choosing to break off her relationship with David without either David or Tony having to deal with the heartbreak of a cheating spouse. Conversely, Janet could react negatively to my intervention and potentially retaliate by spreading false information to Tony and David regarding my intentions and actions. I believe this decision would be ethically sound because I am responsible as a friend of both Tony and David for attempting to mediate a solution which will result in a minimal degree of emotional harm to all parties involved. I believe that in consulting Janet I would be upholding a policy of open and honest communication, but this decision may also violate the code of conduct among male friends which would virtually mandate that I consult either David or Tony instead.
I have come to believe that appealing to Janet directly and urging her to break off her relationship with either tony or David might be the “right” decision in this ethical dilemma, because through discussion I may be able to encourage her to correct her behavior without instigating an entire upheaval of her marriage with Tony. If Janet chooses to continue the simultaneous relationships with David and Tony after I confront her with my discovery and urge her to cease such behavior, I believe I would have no choice but to inform Tony of his wife’s infidelity. I have come to this decision based on a similar experience I encountered between two other friends who experienced marital issues related to infidelity. In that particular case, the wife of my friend Adam had been engaging in a relationship with another man, but after sitting down and talking with her I was able to convince her that her choices would lead to a potentially catastrophic conclusion which could jeopardize her marriage. A potential obstacle to this course of action I can foresee is Janet viewing my choice to intervene in the situation as an intrusion into her personal life and thus potentially reacting with hostility or disregarding my attempts to mediate the issue. One way I may be able to mitigate this potential complication is to assure Janet that my intentions for confronting her are in the best interests of everyone by using examples of similar situations I have witnessed first-hand as a warning of the potential negative consequences of the current situation. If Janet proves to be completely unreceptive to my advice, or worse yet if she reacts with hostility and chooses to tell Tony that I am spreading false information to undermine her marriage, then I would be forced to rely upon the strengths of loyalty and trust that compose my relationship with tony to appeal to him and inform him of Janet’s infidelity. The main motivation that I have for choosing to pursue this course of action despite the potential obstacles is the responsibility I have as a mutual friend of everyone involved to attempt to mediate the situation. The values of trust and friendship between Tony, David, Janet and myself dictates that I cannot remain silent and thus must act upon the discovery of Janet and David’s relationship in a manner which might be mutually beneficial or cause the least amount of emotional trauma to David and Tony.
Two primary strengths which aid me in making ethical decisions and upholding academic integrity are my tendency to value absolute honesty, as seen in my refusal to cheat on academic assignments or engage in plagiarism, and my ability to use logical reasoning to evaluate and determine ethically sound courses of action in the face of morally ambiguous situations. I believe that the value I place upon absolute honesty would aid me in upholding professional integrity in situations where coworkers are engaging in illegal or unethical behavior, such as stealing or fabricating information, because I would be compelled to report such unethical behavior to superiors and avoid engaging in such behavior due to my ability to logically evaluate the potential consequences and ethical dimensions of such choices.
In contrast, I have a few weaknesses which may inhibit my ability to make ethical decisions and uphold academic integrity, and two primary weaknesses are the overarching degree of loyalty I perceive between myself and my friends and peers, and the seemingly inherent disposition I have against the role of institutionalized authority figures like academic officials to regulate behavior. One instance in which the value I place upon loyalty may jeopardize my ability to uphold professional integrity might be my refusal to report wrongdoings of friends who work with me to supervisors. For instance, if a friend was repeatedly late to work and altered the time clock to reflect that he or she arrived to work on time, I may be compelled by my loyalty to him or her to look the other way and neglect to report it to a supervisor. An instance in which my disposition against institutionalized authority might cause an issue with my ability to uphold professional integrity would be my questioning the competency of my supervisors and the relevancy of their instructions. One way I could remedy the weakness resulting from the values of trust that exist between myself and my coworker friends would be to develop effective communication strategies aimed at dissuading them from participating in unethical behaviors, the effectiveness of which could be measured through their subsequent choices. In addition, the disposition I have towards institutionalized authority is a mental stigma which I would need to overcome through consciously conditioning myself to respect the role of authoritative hierarchies in the structure of professional environments, which could be observed through how easily I complied with managerial instructions without questioning the competency of the supervisor.
One obstacle I can foresee which might impede my ability to uphold professional integrity, particularly in the professional arena of broadcast journalism, is the tendency of broadcast news outlets to engage in editorial policies which censor or omit certain aspects of news stories to suit the demands of advertisers. These editorial policies can be seen to challenge the ethical integrity of professional journalism, which is the communication of factual objective information. One way I could mitigate such an obstacle would be to publish such censored or omitted materials through the avenues of the alternative press, such as in online newsletters. The primary motivational factor I have for composing journalistic reports with professional integrity, despite the widely accepted editorial policies of most major news networks, is my belief in the ethical value of truth and honesty, particularly in the field of journalistic reporting. I believe that professional journalism should focus on the ethical communication of objective factual information to help enlighten the greater public audience, and thus my belief in the overarching value of the truth would compel me to resist any attempts at censorship.
Professional integrity is an integral component of any professional environment which operates on the principles of truth and honesty and forms the foundation for collective collaboration in a professional setting. Therefore, professional integrity may be defined as the ability to conduct one’s duties in a particular professional environment in an ethically responsible manner, such as by avoiding unethical behaviors like plagiarism or theft. Thus, professional integrity is the ethical cornerstone of effectively functioning in a professional environment.