Ethical Dilemma - Assignment Example

Hence, conflicts involving personal values should not be considered as ethical dilemmas although they can be uncomfortable and difficult. However there can be some complicated situations that may involve conflicts between values, laws, and policies, such dilemmas are referred as “approximate” dilemmas. “Absolute” or “pure” ethical dilemma occurs only when two (or more) ethical standards are applied to a situation but are in conflict with each other. (Allen 2012) One of the ethical dilemmas in business situations is of sexual harassment and as it is against the laws it is an “absolute” ethical dilemma.

It is considered unlawful to harass a person, an applicant or an employee in case of a business situation. “Sexual harassment” or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature, they all come under and are included in Harassment. Harassment not necessarily has to be of sexual nature it can also include offensive remarks about a person’s sex. An example of this is harassing women by making offensive comments about women generally; this is sexual harassment and is illegal under the law. . Harassment is considered illegal if it is either so frequent or it is severe enough to create a hostile or offensive work environment or resulting in an employment decision victim being fired or demoted, that is adverse.

(Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 2013) For a theoretical approach to define sexual harassment as an ethical dilemma, it must follow the three conditions of an ethical dilemma situation. The first condition is that it must be a situation in which an individual, the agent, must decide about which the best course of action is. That is in case of harassment, a victim should seek for the best possible action. Uncomfortable and difficult situations that do not require a choice are not considered as ethical dilemmas.

Second condition for ethical dilemma requires a situation to have different courses of actions to choose from. In case of sexual harassment as an ethical dilemma, a victim must decide what the best option is to whether go to court for rights and make it a public issue or to resolve it with the firm personally. Last condition of an ethical dilemma is that some principle is compromised no matter what course of action is taken. Even if the victim charges a case against the organization he will lose his job or have fear of losing it.

As all these conditions are fulfilled in sexual harassment, it is considered as an ethical dilemma. (Allen 2012) Other factors that qualify sexual harassment as an ethical dilemma include the complexity of both the situation itself and also of the selection of course of action to be followed post-harassment. A victim’s confusion regarding whether a co worker’s obscene comments and unwanted touching are actually harassment or whether he is being over sensitive, whether the incident should be