Essay Sample on Ethical Dilemma Based on Different Situations

Industrial-Organization Psychology

There are a number of ethical issues found in situation 1. The conspicuous of the ethical dilemma is the mere fact that all individual members attending the coerced to do so by the human resource management of the pharmaceutical firm. It is apparent that they attended the three-day job searching seminar as the only avenue of getting their collecting their final paychecks. This act of coercion is highly unethical because all the affected individuals should be allowed to attend the seminar on their own volition. As a seminar leader, I would advise the department of Human Resource to separate the attendance of the seminar and the issues of the final paychecks. Every laid off staff should be entitled to get his/her paycheck s/her attended the seminar or not.

Another significant ethical dilemma that I observe from the above scenario is issues of confidentiality. At the beginning of the seminar at the nearby hotel, the individuals were dispersed into small group workshops and they were guaranteed confidentiality. In sharp contrast, the confidentiality of the attendants were compromised following the presence of the representative from the HR yet the department was not supposed to be informed about the subject of discussion during the seminar. The biggest dilemma therefore remains whether to allow the HR representative who some to assess the progress of the seminar at the hotel or compromise the confidentiality of the attendants.

In an attempt to find a solution to the issues of confidentiality, any form of discussion touching on the Human Resources at the workshop should be held in secluded private rooms of the hotel where the HR representative cannot access unless with the permission of the seminar leader. In addition, I will not disclose information about the group discussions as well as identity of attendants in the final report to the Human Resource Department.

Situation 2

In the situation where professor offers extra credit to students who participate in his/her research studies but later tells students that non-participation will not negatively affects the students’ grade in that particular course, I strongly agree with the learners’ assessment of the dilemma that students may not see non-participation as an option. They must participate in the research so as to get maximum grade from the professor in the course.

The professor’s claim that s/he will offer extra credit to students participating in the research yet at the same time maintains that non-participation in this research will not affect students’ final grade is very conflicting and it also made known his inward intent. Needless to say, the professor is in dire need of students’ participation in the research study and definitely students who participate in the studies will attract professor’s favor. The second statement that non-participation will not negatively affect the student’s grade is just but a clever way of hiding his ulterior intentions of favoring participating students over the non-participants.

Based on the situation at hand, the students’ prediction that professor will favor those who participate in the research study is accurate. The professor is just trying not to coerce students into participating in the research because a practice similar to this would be highly unethical. In another count, the professor does not want to make his plans of favoring a section of students known but at the bottom line students participation in the research is a must if at all they want to get extra credit in the course.