Example of Ethical Dilemma - Essay Example

? AN ETHICAL DILEMMA Presented By goes here] To [your goes here] [Your goes here] s [Due date of the paper] Ethical Dilemmas An ethical dilemma is a conflicting situation involving two or more than two people. In such situations, one party goes beyond the parameters of moral and ethics creating an ethical problem. In this paper, I will relate an example of a company where a customer confidence problem occurred between an employee and a client of the company. Example of an Ethical Dilemma This ethical dilemma occurred in a company where one of my friends used to work as a customer service representative. The company used to deliver software products and applications to the customers. One day, a customer came to the customer service department and made a complaint about the software that the company developed for him on request. He made a claim that the software had some errors because it was not giving the results of the calculations in the required format. He wanted to meet the software developer who developed that software for him. When my friend contacted that software developer, he started making excuses and did not come to meet the customer. Upon telling the real situation to the developer, he asked my friend to make the customer come after 3 or 4 days. The customer left the office and came again after 3 days. When my friend told the developer about the arrival of the customer, he asked him to apologize to the customer once more. The developer was still unable to remove the errors. The customer became unhappy with the situation and asked my friend to file a complaint to the managers. When the managers investigated the issue, they came to know that the software developer was not able to fulfill the requirements of the customer due to which he was delaying the issue. He tried to hide from the managers his poor skills in removing software errors. Later on, the company provided the customer with his desired software in just two days using another developer. The ethical issue in this example was that the developer tried to hide his inability in removing the errors by trying to delay the issue. The issue not only decreased the customer’s confidence in the company but also resulted in putting a spot on the company’s image. The developer could have tackled the situation in a much different way. He should have made the company aware of the real situation instead of being afraid of losing his job. I believe that if an employee of a company behaves unethically, it puts an adverse impact on the overall image of the company. It not only results in the loss of customers’ confidence in the company’s products but also affects the image of the company. Therefore, employees should behave ethically in all situations because ethical behavior is the key to the resolution of complex issues. What Would I Do If I would be in the position of the software developer, I would handle the issue differently. I would not hide my disabilities on the cost of losing the customer’s confidence in my company’s products. I would use Trevino and Nelson's eight-step model to handle the issue. 1 First, I would collect detailed information to resolve the issue properly. I would not try to hide from the customer; rather I would come to the customer personally to know the concerns of the customer. 2 Next, I would determine the exact issue by analyzing the information obtained from the customer. I would consider the nature of my job responsibilities and my obligations to the company while determining the issue and my role in resolving the issue. Brown (2011) states, “Ethical issues that arise in the workplace should be carefully examined, and handled with care, as the determinations of these ethical issues can lead to the growth or demise of a company”. 3 After determining the key ethical issue, I would identify the individuals who would be involved in the issue. In the above-mentioned case, I would carefully analyze the situation to identify the stakeholders and their interests. In my view, the two persons involved in this issue were the customer and the software developer. 4 The next step in the Trevino and Nelson's eight-step model is to identify the positive and negative consequences associated with the issue. I would analyze the issue to know the possible consequences of my actions as a developer. Had I developed the software for the customer, I would have contacted my supervisor to tell him the real situation. I would have requested my supervisor to assign a skilled developer to the customer who could remove the errors properly. Had I not done this, the consequences would have been worse both for the customer and for the company. The customer would have lost his work, which he had to do using the software, whereas the company would have lost its reputation. “Members of the organization must know that their primary responsibility is to defend and maintain the high reputation of the organization at all times” (Gehrke, 2008). 5 “A company has a special obligation to its customers to ensure that its decisions are legal and ethical” (Hunt, n.d.). It is also one of my main obligations to develop reliable software for the customers. I should not use delaying tactics just to secure my position in the company. 6 The community standards of integrity, which guide me to fulfill my duties properly, include obligations, devotion, customer concerns and truthfulness. 7 Possible creative alternate actions are those that a person takes to accomplish something, as it should be. In the position of the developer in the above-mentioned case, I would handle the situation ethically to retain the customer for my company. 8 In the above-mentioned case, my gut tells me that the customer was asking for the immediate removal of the software errors, whereas the developer was delaying the issue because of his inability. My gut also tells me that the developer should not have tried to escape from the situation just because of his inability to remove the errors. References Brown, M. (2011). Managing Ethical Dilemmas. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Managing-Ethical-Dilemmas&id=5935546 Gehrke, J. (2008). 8 Steps to Prevent Common Ethical Lapses in Organizations. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?8-Steps-to-Prevent-Common-Ethical-Lapses-in-Organizations&id=934381 Hunt, J. (n.d.). Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/way_5290756_business-ethics-ethical-decision-making.html Read More