...Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Teaching and Teacher Education journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tate Teachers’ critical incidents: Ethical dilemmas in teaching practice Orly Shapira-Lishchinsky 1 Department of Educational Administration, Leadership and Policy, School of Education, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: Received 21 March 2010 Received in revised form 10 November 2010 Accepted 11 November 2010 The aim of this study is to explore ethical dilemmas in critical incidents and the emerged responses that these incidents elicit. Most teachers try to suppress these incidences because of the unpleasant feelings they evoke. Fifty teachers participated in the study. A three-stage coding process derived from grounded theory was utilized. A taxonomy of critical incidents by means of the ATLAS.ti 5.0 revealed a multifaceted model of ethical dilemmas, among them clashing with rules, standards, or norms in school, as well as a multitude of derived responses. The results encourage the development of educational programmes based on teachers’ critical incidents. Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Teaching Ethics Ethical knowledge Ethical dilemmas Schools 1. Introduction 2. Theoretical background Teachers deal with many ethical problems in their practice. They encounter issues such as inappropriate allocation of resources, situations in which pupils are being discussed inappropriately...
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...Journal of Medical Ethics 2001;27:98–103 What makes a problem an ethical problem? An empirical perspective on the nature of ethical problems in general practice Annette Joy Braunack-Mayer University of Adelaide, Australia Abstract Whilst there has been considerable debate about the fit between moral theory and moral reasoning in everyday life, the way in which moral problems are defined has rarely been questioned. This paper presents a qualitative analysis of interviews conducted with 15 general practitioners (GPs) in South Australia to argue that the way in which the bioethics literature defines an ethical dilemma captures only some of the range of lay views about the nature of ethical problems. The bioethics literature has defined ethical dilemmas in terms of conflict and choice between values, beliefs and options for action. While some of the views of some of the GPs in this study about the nature of their ethical dilemmas certainly accorded with this definition, other explanations of the ethical nature of their problems revolved around the publicity associated with the issues they were discussing, concern about their relationships with patients, and anxiety about threats to their integrity and reputation. The variety of views about what makes a problem a moral problem indicates that the moral domain is perhaps wider and richer than mainstream bioethics would generally allow. (Journal of Medical Ethics 2001;27:98–103) Keywords: Empirical ethics; general...
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...philosophy concerned with the study of questions of right and wrong and how we ought to live. Ethics involves making moral judgments about what is right or wrong, good or bad. Right and wrong are qualities or moral judgments we assign to actions and conduct. Within the study of ethics, there are three branches: metaethics , concerned with methods, language, logical structure, and the reasoning used in the interpretation of ethical terms, for example, what exactly the term “good” means; normative ethics , concerned with ways of behaving and standards of conduct; and applied ethics , concerned with solving practical moral problems as they arise, particularly in the professions, such as medicine and law. Ethics provides us with a way to make moral choices when we are uncertain about what to do in a situation involving moral issues. In the process of everyday life, moral rules are desirable, not because they express absolute truth but because they are generally reliable guides for normal circumstances. Normative Ethics Normative ethics is fundamental to ethical decision making in the criminal justice system. A central notion in normative ethics is that one’s conduct must take into account moral issues; that is, one should act morally, using reason to decide the proper way of conducting oneself. Essentially, ethics, in prescribing certain standards of conduct, gives us a way of making choices in situations where we are unsure how to act. What are these standards of conduct and...
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...Ethical dilemmas, also known as a moral dilemmas, are situations in which there is a choice to be made between two options, neither of which resolves the situation in an ethically acceptable fashion. In such cases, societal and personal ethical guidelines can provide no satisfactory outcome for the chooser. Ethical dilemmas assume that the chooser will abide by societal norms, such as codes of law or religious teachings, in order to make the choice ethically impossible. What Causes an Ethical Dilemma in Conducting Business? by Terry Mann, Demand Media Businesses must have ethical standards. Related Articles • How to Resolve Ethical Dilemmas in the Workplace • Examples of Making Ethical Decisions in Business • Ethical Dilemma in the Use of Information Technology • Ethical Exercises in Business • Importance of Ethical Conduct in a Business • What Is the Difference Between Ethical Business Practices & Legal Practices? In a perfect world, businesses and their employees would always do the right thing. Unfortunately, in the real world, ethical dilemmas are a common occurrence in the workplace. According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, dilemmas are situations or problems where a person has to make a difficult choice; an ethical dilemma is a problem where a person has to choose between a moral and an immoral act. Employees must deal with pressures to perform and help the company succeed as well as personal temptations to take the easy way out. In the end, workers...
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...accountants will increasingly be asked to design systems to control, evaluate, interpret or apply ethical judgement. The following develops the basis for forming ethical judgements. The management accountant fulfils four broad roles concerning ethics: 1. to ensure that management has developed and installed a comprehensive and internally controlled code of ethics. 2. to verify that the code of ethics and its controls are comprehensive and that everyone in the organization understands and complies with it. 3. to report to management any deviation from the code of ethics and its control systems. The Board of Directors may ultimately have to address any failures in the code or its controls. 4. to act in accordance with the code of ethics in making personal decisions. What are Ethics and Morals? Ethics are the rules people use to define and regulate moral behaviour. Morals distinguish right from wrong. Descriptive ethics are codes of ethics as actually practiced. Descriptive ethics provide no value judgements. Normative ethics, or moral reasoning, develops statements about whether a practiced ethical system is good or bad and suggests how ethical dilemmas, which are conflicts between individual systems of ethics ought to be resolved. Metaethics questions the meaning and universality of ethical statements. There is wide agreement that there is no basis for making universal normative ethical statements. A popular, but not universal, view is that ethics are the principles that people...
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...Ethics Get?” and the effects of ethics within the workplace. In the case study, Valerie is facing ethical dilemmas within her workplace after coming across some controversial information. Valerie must consider her options carefully because she has many things that she could lose. This paper discusses the impact of personal differences and the preference on organizational ethics. It also discusses the impact of organizational policies and procedures on ethics. In the paper, the dilemmas Valerie is facing will be identified and recommendations are given to address the dilemmas. Employees’ Personal Differences and Preferences and the Impact on Ethics in the Workplace: How Personal Can Ethics Get? Personal differences and preferences can impact organizational ethics. People are taught ethics within the home while growing up. However, some individuals believe that there is a separate set or type of ethics just for the workplace. Ethics allows the individual to choose between right and wrong, but not all people have that ability or the same ability to do so. The ethics competency of the individual determines the level in which decisions are made to distinguish between right and wrong. The level of ethics competency is determined by the individual’s ability to identify elements of ethics, assess issues with ethics that arise, apply knowledge and regulations when making ethical decisions, and communicate those decisions to others. As stated by Curry in his discussion...
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...Abstract Increasingly, managers are faced with the challenge to maintain ethical leadership while striving to remain competitive. More often than not, a business culture in many countries may contribute to the decay of ethics in organizations. This paper analyzes a workplace ethical dilemma using Kelly’s model of attribution theory, Adams equity theory of motivation and notes that the dilemma is a result of dysfunctional conflict. An informed ethical decision making that incorporates ethical theories is most effective. Management must avoid participating in any activities that compromise the ability to maintain a culture of ethics. Management must lead by example in order to promote ethics in the organization. Ethical leadership and decision making Introduction: Ethical leadership that embraces moral standards is crucial for every organization’s success. Ethical leadership enables an organization to overcome a storm of ethical dilemmas with sound decisions (Toor & Ofori, 2009). Almost each and every organization has been faced with an ethical dilemma to a certain degree. It is therefore management’s duty to lessen the occurrence of ethical dilemmas in the workplace to the extent possible in order to promote employee morale and job performance (Bruhn, 2009). The aim of this paper is to analyze a familiar workplace situation that presented an ethical dilemma and identify possible solutions to the situation followed by recommendations. This paper advocates that management...
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...TUI UNIVERSITY Module 1 SLP: Ethical dilemma in the Military ETH501: Business Ethics Professor Dr. Michael Garmon January 13, 2012 Describe an ethical problem you have confronted in a business situation. It has been nineteen years since I initially raised my hand and took an oath to serve in the military. Since my initial enlistment there have been many changes within the organization and ethical standards of the Army. The ethical problem that I have confronted in the Military today has been to choose between the commitment that I made to the military, and my commitment to my family. Having to naturally make the decision that is expected of me has been a difficult task. Military Ethics provides the necessary foundation on which to explore the more intricate ethical issues facing those in uniform. However, how does one prioritize between family, and their duty to serve? The most recent missions of the Military are the War in Iraq and Afghanistan. The United States has only formally declared war against foreign nations five separate times; however this is the most documented time that dual military families served over seas at the same time. The U.S. Army recruited more than 2,600 soldiers this year, helping the military accomplish its goal of 80,000 recruits. The Army recruited 80,635 soldiers, roughly 7,000 more than last year. Of those recruited many of them were first-time enlistments who had never served before. But many of them were dual...
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...How personal can ethics get? This document presents a discussion about an ethical dilemma in a fragrance company. Ethical dilemmas, also known as moral dilemmas, have been a problem for ethical theorists as far back as Plato. An ethical dilemma is a situation wherein moral precepts or ethical obligations conflict in such a way that any possible resolution to the dilemma is morally intolerable. In other words, an ethical dilemma is any situation in which guiding moral principles cannot determine which course of action is right or wrong. Business ethics can be both a normative and a descriptive discipline. As a corporate practice and a career specialization, the field is primarily normative. In academia descriptive approaches are also taken. The range and quantity of business ethical issues reflects the degree to which business is perceived to be at odds with non-economic social values. Historically, interest in business ethics accelerated dramatically during the 1980s and 1990s, both within major corporations and within academia. For example, today most major corporate websites lay emphasis on commitment to promoting non-economic social values under a variety of headings such as ethics codes and social responsibility charters. In some cases, corporations have redefined their core values in the light of business ethical considerations. And the discussion on ethics in business is necessary because business can become unethical, and there are plenty of evidences today on unethical...
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...order to meet the fluctuating needs of both their students and society, are perpetually connected to reflection. Beginning with John Dewey, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, numerous scholars have articulated their viewpoints concerning the positive and negatives impacts of this reflective teaching, in addition to its influence on the moral dilemmas faced by educators. One of these people, Elizabeth Campbell, asserts her perspectives throughout her text, The Ethical Teacher, wherein she describes the relationship between ethical knowledge and moral agency, the link between moral dilemmas and ethical knowledge, and the methods of lessening moral tensions in education. Within her book, Campbell (2003) maintains that “ethical knowledge relies on teachers’ understanding and acceptance of moral agency as professional expectations implicit in all aspects of their day-to-day practice” (p. 3). These demands of moral agency are important for students’ learning and development. Consequently, it is essential to understand moral agency. Campbell (2003) declares that moral agency “relates to the exacting ethical standards the teacher as a moral person and a moral professional hold himself or herself to” and “concerns the teacher as a moral educator, model, and exemplar” for students (p. 2). Throughout the text, Campbell explains that teachers must be aware of, understand and accept those demands of moral agency. Furthermore, Campbell (2003) opposes the notion that educators’...
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...Ethical awareness is fundamental to the professional practice of social workers. Their ability and commitment to act ethically is an essential aspect of the quality of the service offered to those who engage with social workers. Respect for human rights and a commitment to promoting social justice are at the core of social work practice throughout the world. Professional ethics concerns matters of right and wrong conduct, good and bad qualities of character and the professional responsibilities attached to relationships in a work context. Ethical issues arise in many facets of our working lives. Ethical dilemma occurs in areas of work with conflicting interests and competing rights, have a role to support, protect and empower people, as well as having statutory duties and other obligations that may be coercive and restrict people’s freedoms, people are constrained by the availability of resources and institutional policies in society and be between one personal to another who may be personal friends. On daily basis, social workers face ethical issues at their places. In fact this vexed issue form core of social work. No social worker can practice effectively and efficiently without upholding these ethical matters in the highest esteem. There are three conditions that must be present for a situation to be considered an ethical dilemma. The first condition occurs in situations when an individual, called the “agent,” must make a decision about which course of action...
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...Ethics is a term that refers to a code or moral system that provides criteria for evaluating right and wrong. An ethical dilemma is a situation in which an individual or group is faced with a decision that tests this code. Many of these dilemmas are simple to recognize and resolve. For example, have you ever been tempted to call your professor and ask for an extension on the due date of an assignment by claiming a fictitious illness? Temptation like this will test your personal ethics. Ethics deals with the ability to distinguish right from wrong. Accountants, like others operating in the business world, are faced with many ethical dilemmas, some of which are complex and difficult to resolve. For instance, the capital markets’ focus on periodic profits may tempt a company’s management to bend or even break accounting rules to inflate reported net income. In these situations, technical competence is not enough to resolve the dilemma. ETHICS AND PROFESSIONALISM One of the elements that many believe distinguishes a profession from other occupations is the acceptance by its members of a responsibility for the interests of those it serves. A high standard of ethical behavior is expected of those engaged in a profession. These standards often are articulated in a code of ethics. For example, law and medicine are professions that have their own codes of professional ethics. These codes provide guidance and rules to members in the performance of their professional responsibilities...
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...Running head: ETHICAL FRAMEWORKS Applying Ethical Frameworks in Practice NRS 437V September 01, 2012 Appling Ethical Frameworks in Practice A conclusive ethical foundation in the healthcare arena is confidentiality. It is referred to the standard of maintaining secure and private from others health care information revealed during a professional consultation. This is an essential legal right of every client and an ethical duty of the medical community (Bourke, 2008). Maintaining confidentiality between the client and healthcare professional translates to a trustworthy relationship, especially with adolescents. This paper will discuss implications to breach confidentiality, ethical principles, alternatives and ethical committee applications to an ethical dilemma. Implications of Breach of Confidentiality To promote trust between the patient and healthcare provider is a good reason to appreciate confidentiality in health management. To release information to a third party without consent of the patient is considered a breach of confidentiality and illegal. For example, adolescents are encouraged to participate in health care prevention. Many are depressed and even sexually active, but the challenge to provide access and receive adequate care is necessary. Confidentiality is the primary reason this juvenile group deter from health care prevention and management (English & Ford, 2007). A breach of confidentiality in juvenile health care has...
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...by a clearly communicated example. Each employee should then know how to comply with the policies in place and follow outlined guidance when facing ethical dilemmas. With consistent ethical and moral confrontation, how should individuals in a company be groomed to respond to such issues? Jacob’s Ethical Dilemma After receiving praise and a monetary reward of $10,000 for work he did not complete on his own, Jacob is facing an ethical dilemma. Jacob and his colleague, Krystal, work for a small ad company in Topeka, Kansas. The five-year-old company is in need of a profit boost and sets out to score a government contract. Jacob’s personal struggle of an ill child prevents him from contributing fully to the project. Although, his colleague is responsible for the bulk of the work, Jacob is seen as the one responsible for the contract deal after delivering the presentation. The reward will certainly help with medical expenses, but Jacob realizes Krystal is more deserving of the reward than he is. By initially accepting the praise and recognition for a job well done, Jacob dismisses good ethics by using one of these rationales: 1.The behavior isn‘t really illegal or immoral. 2.The action is in everyone‘s best interests. 3.No one will find out what I‘ve done. 4.The company will condone my action and protect me (Exploring business, 2014). Jacob, realizing the issue, should examine his personal “code of ethics” and identify that he is facing an ethical dilemma. Although he is experiencing...
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...The two principles that are in focus are beneficence and non-maleficence. Both beneficence and non-maleficence have played a fundamental historical role in medical ethics (Beauchamp &ump; Childress, 2009). Non-maleficence is often paired with beneficence, but there is a difference between these two principles (Rich, 2008). According to Beauchamp and Childress (2009) conflating beneficence and non-maleficence into a single principle obscures important distinctions. In addition, both of these ethical principles beneficence and non-maleficence are strengthened by state nursing practice acts, which mandate that nurses are legally obligated to safeguard patients and the profession (Bjarnason &ump; LaSala, 2011). Furthermore, it is with great purpose that we discuss the two principles beneficence and non-maleficence and their importance to the nursing profession. The principle of beneficence is concerned with a moral obligation to act for the benefits of others (Kennedy, 2004). Additionally, beneficence is the principle consisting of deeds such as mercy, kindness, and charity (Rich, 2008). There are other forms of beneficence including altruism, love, and humanity (Beauchamp &ump; Childress, 2009). We use beneficence in order to cover beneficent actions more broadly, so that it includes all forms of action to benefit other persons (Beauchamp &ump; Childress, 2009). Overall, beneficence implies that an individual takes action to do good by benefiting others and facilitating...
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