Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Ethical Dilemma
Truth vs. Loyalty
As a professional working for a large defense electronics firm, Stan found himself riding a roller coaster of concern about layoffs. Every few years, it seemed, top management slashed jobs as work slacked off – only to hire again when things started looking up. So when Stan and his team members noticed that the executives were again meeting behind closed doors, they suspected the worst.
Stan’s boss however, was a good friend – and also a voluble talker. So Stan felt no qualms asking him about the future. His boss explained the contingency plan at length -- mentioning that if layoffs were needed, Stan’s team member Jim would be slated to lose his job. He also made it plain that Stan was to keep that information confidential.
Not long after that conversation, Jim approached Stan and asked whether he could confirm what the rumor mill was saying: that he himself would be the target. That request landed Stan squarely in the truth-versus-loyalty dilemma. Because he knew the truth, honesty compelled him to answer accurately. But he had given his word to his boss not to break a confidence, and felt a strong loyalty to that relationship.
In 3-4 sentences, tell me is it ethical or unethical that Stan told Jim private information that was shared with him by his boss. Explain why you think that?
As a professional working for a large defense electronics firm, Stan found himself riding a roller coaster of concern about layoffs. Every few years, it seemed, top management slashed jobs as work slacked off – only to hire again when things started looking up. So when Stan and his team members noticed that the executives were again meeting behind closed doors, they suspected the worst.
Stan’s boss however, was a good friend – and also a voluble talker. So Stan felt no qualms asking him about the future. His boss explained the contingency plan at length -- mentioning that if layoffs were needed, Stan’s team member Jim would be slated to lose his job. He also made it plain that Stan was to keep that information confidential.
Not long after that conversation, Jim approached Stan and asked whether he could confirm what the rumor mill was saying: that he himself would be the target. That request landed Stan squarely in the truth-versus-loyalty dilemma. Because he knew the truth, honesty compelled him to answer accurately. But he had given his word to his boss not to break a confidence, and felt a strong loyalty to that relationship.
In 3-4 sentences, tell me is it ethical or unethical that Stan told Jim private information that was shared with him by his boss. Explain why you think that?
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
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