Personal Ethics Statement Assignment - Case Study Example

Personal Ethics ment Assignment Part Mini Case The three questions I would ask myself to see if there is an ethical issue are as follows. What kind of problem is it? What is the nature of the solution that I have to provide? Does this situation lead me to compromise my ethical beliefs? According to the mini case, the problem faced is to not tell Joe that he will be laid off. The nature of the solution is either to lie to him, tell him the truth, or tell him nothing. This situation threatens me to lie to him in order to help Joe, but I am also faced with the problem of breaking the promise I made to my superior.

To make sure that I have all the facts, I would ask myself the following questions. What did your superior tell you? Is there a possibility that your superior may not lay Joe off? How did Joe know about the lay off? According to the mini case, my superior said he wants to lay Joe off, to be sure of this, I would call him. There is no hint of a possibility that he will change his plans of laying Joe off, therefore I would proceed to him to evaluate the options. The case also does not specify how Joe knew of the rumour; therefore, I would inquire it from him.

A utilitarian would view these three courses of actions in the following way. Calling the superior to re-evaluate his decision is a practical thing, so as to ensure that Joe’s job is not in jeopardy. But someone holding to virtue would not call the superior, because it would lead him to think that you are attempting to tell Joe. Proceeding to the superior to re-evaluate his decision would also seem a practical thing to do from a utilitarian view point, and to a person that holds virtue, it would also be the best thing.

The third course of inquiring from Joe how he knew it would seem the best thing from a utilitarian view point as well as from virtue. Utilitarian method upholds practicality at all cost, while virtue upholds honesty under any circumstance. The fourth step is to make a decision and test it. My decision would be to tell Joe that I know the answer to his question but I am obliged by my superior not to divulge this information to anyone. I would do this, because virtue states I should uphold honesty under all circumstances.

Someone else may say this is not the best option to take because Joe is about to adopt a baby and he needs the job. But my reply would be, principle is not dependent upon circumstance. Part 2: Your Moral DNA Based on the ethic ability test, my strongest moral philosophy is obedience, where I scored 6. Once during my early years of life, I was told by my father to not play before finishing my school assignments. Afterwards, my friends came and invited me to join them to play. The urge to follow them was strong, but I chose to obey my father and stay at home to finish my assignment.

My lowest moral philosophy was reason, where I scored 4. The two questions I would ask myself to remind myself to consider my weakest moral philosophy are as follows. What is the issue in this situation about? Is reason being threatened to be compromised? The three course of actions stated in the mini case adhere to the three moral philosophies. They are reasonable because they can be rationalized, they are obedient because none of them disobeys the orders of the superior, and lastly they are caring because they do not tell Joe that he will be laid off.

Telling Joe this information would hurt him and the same time would also hurt my superior for telling him. Therefore, being silent in this situation is the best course of action to take. The course of action in part 4 A above is exactly in line with my moral philosophy. This is because I believe honesty is very important in order to establish trust and loyalty in the workplace. Without honesty there will be no trust, and without trust, there can be no unity.