2D1-08-Write about the different meanings regarding Ethics, Morality and Values and provide examples from the 3 peers reviewed sources
Ethics, morality, and values are often used interchangeably, yet the terms have very different meanings. Using the text and at least three other peer-reviewed sources, define the three terms, and provide examples from the work environment of a public administrator. Argue which term is most important when considering the provision of public services and the individual public administrator’s role in that work
You will be presented with four cases involving ethics and public service. In each case, you are not
provided with an answer. Instead, think about these cases and the additional information that you might
want as you prepare for the first discussion of this unit. Pay particular attention to issues of ethics,
morals and values.
Decision 1
Dave really wants to move up in his government department and is sitting for the civil service test that
will allow him to move up to the next grade. The extra pay he will earn from the promotion will help him
support his young son who has medical issues, and as a single dad, Dave believes that anything that
helps him to keep his boy happy and healthy is justified.
As he works through the multiple-choice section of the test, Dave realizes that he does not have enough
time to finish all of the responses. The woman sitting next to him has finished this part and he can see
her answers. Should Dave cheat and copy her answers, in light of his concerns about the extra pay
enabling him to better care for his son?
Things I might want to know:
• Is the son’s condition temporary or chronic? How sick is he?
• Where is the mother and is she also providing financial support?
• Does the woman sitting next to him really know the answers?
• What are Dave’s chances of successfully navigating the rest of the promotion review?
• What is the position Dave would have if promoted?
• How does this situation fit within Dave’s overall values, and will he feel bad later if he cheats?
• Is cheating ever justified?
Decision 2
After a natural disaster, the poorer people of the community were unable to leave the area, and services
such as water, power and transportation disappeared. Police watched over the streets in an attempt to
maintain the peace. However, because relief services did not seem to be arriving quickly enough, the
people were getting restless and increasing vocal and violent about their needs.
In search of food, people began smashing windows in grocery and convenience stores. Some were
taking food to feed their families, while others were seeing this as a free shopping spree for anything
they believed they could later sell. It was difficult to tell who was truly in desperate need and who was
taking advantage of the situation. The police were not outnumbered, but chose to look the other way
because so many people really did need food and supplies. Should the police officers have enforced the
law and stopped the stealing, or were they justified in trying to help those in need?
Things I might want to know:
• How long had it been since the disaster?
• How many people were stealing?
• How many appear to be in real need, and how many are just looting?
• How close are the relief services?
• What is the environment like – hot, cold, wet, dry, etc.?
• Would the police be mobbed by the angry public?
• Is stealing ever justified?
Decision 3
A flu epidemic of unknown proportions has hit the country, and people of all ages and health conditions
are contracting this virulent and deadly virus. The CDC has provided guidelines about who can receive
the vaccine that may prevent the disease in some cases, but not all who get the vaccine get well. As the
public health director of the community, you are charged with assuring that your county is in regulatory
compliance with the administration of the vaccine.
According to the guidelines, emergency workers and health personnel receive the first doses. However,
there is some controversy about who should receive the next rounds of vaccine. Those who have
existing medical conditions that put them at risk are part of the population that can be helped, but
greater numbers are saved by giving the limited supplies of vaccine to people who are sick with this flu
but who do not have chronic conditions and are otherwise healthy. Your professional code of ethics
guides you to triage the sickest first, but then the ones who stand a better chance of survival may get
worse rapidly. As an added dilemma, those who are chronically ill make up a more affluent part of your
community, and those who are sick with the flu but otherwise healthy are from the poorer parts of the
county. How should you decide to distribute the limited doses of the vaccine?
Things I might want to know:
• How many doses are available and how many people are sick?
• What percentage of people who are chronically ill die even with the vaccine, compared to the
healthy people with the flu who get the vaccine?
• What group do you identify with, the more affluent or less well off in your community?
• How fast spreading is this disease?
• How long does the sickness last?
• What are the long-term impacts on the community if the otherwise healthy are left to get better on
their own?
• Which code is strongest—professional ethics, CDC guidelines, or what you believe is right based on
your values?
• Is doing right even if it harms some ever justified?
Decision 4
Mary Ann has been working on a major information technology project for her federal department. Each
week, she provides her boss with a progress report about her portion of the work. For the time being,
what she is doing is a stand-alone endeavor, and within the next couple of months, her component of
this system will be joined with the other parts being completed by others who are not working in her
office.
While she has made some progress, Mary Ann is not meeting the deadlines that were agreed upon for
the project. Her boss trusts her, though, and believes her when she says she has everything under
control and will present her work on time. She will not make the final deadline, though, and her part will
not be ready for the consolidation that is just ahead. Mary Ann is afraid that when her boss discovers
she has been less than honest on her progress report, she will lose face in the department. Her job,
though, is secure. Should Mary Ann confess her delays to her boss now, or wait until the various parts of
the project are brought together?
Things I might want to know:
• How far behind is Mary Ann on her work?
• Will being honest help get more resources assigned to the project?
• Is anyone else behind on their parts of the project?
• How big an issue will it be if Mary Ann’s is the only part that is not complete?
• Does Mary Ann understand the work she is being asked to do?
• What does it mean for Mary Ann’s job to be secure, if she is pulled off the project and stuck in a
dead-end job?
• Is lying ever justified?
Conclusion
As you can see from the examples, there are a lot of reasons why a person might be tempted to
rationalize what at first might seem like unethical behavior. How might having a personal code of ethics
help you in navigating these rocky situations? This is a question that you will explore further in the
discussions for this unit.
