Ethical Autonomy and Dealing with Unethical Superiors in the Responsible Administrator - Essay Example

In addition, this raises the issue of conflict and advances the sources of organizational pressure on the employees ( Cooper, 2012). Therefore, Cooper crafts four key points in this chapter. The first major point is that revolving around the whole book i.e. ethical conduct by a public officer. Secondly, the ethical conduct of an individual working in a corrupt environment.

Thirdly, the components necessary for individual ethical autonomy, and lastly, the importance of the role played by the administrator and to whose loyalty he or she should act ( Cooper, 2012).In his article, Nurse Autonomy as Relational, Chris MacDonald explores the various autonomous dimensions in the nursing profession. He further explains that in nursing the nurse’s autonomy is relational. Hence, devotion to the social and circumstantial factors that assist profoundly autonomous action is important to advancing the understanding of the connections between professionals and their clients/ patients, in addition to different teams of professionals.

Further, MacDonald explains the descriptive and prescriptive aspects of autonomy. Descriptive autonomy is explained as the capability for self-governance, while prescriptive autonomy refers to the resistance towards interfering with persona life and the steps involved in enhancing such resistances. Lastly, according to this article professional autonomy has been linked to relational autonomy in the nursing profession. According to this article, professional autonomy depends on the social structure because the profession itself is self-governing ( MacDonald, 2002).

This article relates to coopers explanation about ethical autonomy in that it outlines the implications of a relational autonomy model in the nursing profession. The first implication is that through understanding autonomy, the nurse is able to understand the thin line between their personal capabilities for independent actions and the responsibilities they have towards their patients. Secondly, it helps in understanding those situations that nurses can be judged as having adequate or inadequate autonomy.

Consequently, this article has substantiated Cooper’s key points of how to act ethically even under corrupt work environments and a better understanding of where to place individual loyalty while at the same time acting in accordance with outlined ethics ( MacDonald, 2002). This chapter has therefore armed me with a new insight on how to conduct myself while working in corrupt environments. More so, the understanding that ethical autonomy is not equivalent to ethical individualism has been very helpful.

In addition, this chapter has helped me to understand that the main reason for holding an office is to serve the public but not for self-gain and empowerment. Further, this chapter has equipped me with the know-how of handling unethical situations and being reasonable while acting on them. These guides are of great help to an individual while interacting with clients seeking services in the public sector.