Case 1-1 A Student’s Dilemma
1.
a) Helen bears the responsibility and obligation of following the rules and doing the best she can. I’m pretty sure cheating wouldn’t be considered following the rules. She also has a responsibility to earn her grade point status the right way.
b) Helen stealing the exam is really setting an unfair advantage against her fellow students. Everyone should be even the same rights and opportunity to achieve the same grade on the exam.
c) Helen has a responsibility to her future employer to give them what they are asking for; a CPA with integrity and knowledge. Cheating shows a lack of strength and ability in both areas. What if a serious problem came up and she didn’t have the correct knowledge on how to handle it and her company ended up being sued?
d) She has a responsibility to live up to the standards and rules the professor laid out in their class.
e) Helen should encourage her friend to not lie, cheat or steal. She has a responsibility to help her friend become a better person and anyone who doesn’t do that shouldn’t be considered a real friend.
f) She is really just cheating herself out of the opportunity to learn, grow and achieve the status on her own. She had a chance to prove to herself that through hard work and discipline she could of accomplished the same grade the right way. Once that line gets blurry, it’s hard to tell when you cross it.
2. Fairness is the first one that comes to mind. It really isn’t fair to the professor, who invested a fair amount of time to teach her what she needed to know, and her fellow students, who all working for a fair grade. If she had had the integrity to apply the skills and brainpower that it took to steal the exam, she probably would have achieved the status on her own. She also needs to be honest. Honesty really is the best policy.
3. I would tell Helen that she is smart enough and has the determination to achieve her status on her own and pass the test. I would also ask her if she doesn’t learn the information the right way, how does she plan to pass the CPA test? Is she planning to cheat on that too? I would have to tell the professor. I think you have to be careful though because people can get crazy when they are put under pressure and Helen might do something out of character in revenge. The money wouldn’t change anything for me because I believe in karma. If you do the right thing, it will all come back to you. The motive to tell the truth should simply be because you want to do the right thing and be honest.