Fionas Ethical Dilemma - Essay Example

Fiona’s ethical dilemma is to come to an impartial decision after the evaluation process of the Human Services program. She is to decide whether they should cut the budget of the program as per the predetermined evaluation outcome by the commissioner. In addition, she is to choose whether to take on the case or to allow external contractors to deal with it. Fiona should undertake the evaluation process instead of contracting it out. Failure to undertake the evaluation herself has serious career implications (Brandon et al, 2011).

The department may not seek her advice on issues from then on making her easily dispensable. Due to her experience and her reputation on evaluation, Fiona is the best person to deal with the case as she will combine her prowess with the interests of her department and come up with a sound decision. Ethical behavior is not so much a matter of following principles as of balancing competing principles (Stake & Mabry, 1998). I would ensure that ethical values are observed and that they are balanced with the commissioner’s goals.

I would critically assess the Human services program, how funds are used, whether there are areas where funds were wasted and if some projects are not benefitting the program. I would then moderate the usage of funds in the projects, ensure that all the resources are used effectively, and get rid of projects that are not important to the program. As a result, I would have cut back on the meaningless projects, retained useful projects, and ensured that there was an effective use of resources.