Ethical Dilemma in Professional Environment

This assignment examines an ethical dilemma experienced by a programmer named Harry. He develops a program but faces resistance from a high-ranking official within his IT company, ultimately leading to his unjustified dismissal. The case study analyzes this situation through different ethical lenses – consequentialism, right and duty, and Kant's categorical imperative – to determine the appropriate course of action. The assignment also suggests steps to address similar ethical dilemmas in professional settings.

Running head: PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT
Professional Environment
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT
Table of Contents
Answer 1:.........................................................................................................................................2
Answer 2:.........................................................................................................................................3
Step I:...........................................................................................................................................3
Step II:.........................................................................................................................................3
Step III:........................................................................................................................................4
Step IV:........................................................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................7

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Answer 1:
Ethical dilemma is considered as a moral dilemma that has situations that is made by choice
and is usually in between the two options that revolves around the ethical situations in a way of
acceptable fashion1. From the above case study provided it can be said that Harry was a bright
network programmer and he was very proud of his work. He made a sound reputation in FABIO,
that is a private organization where he works. He made great pride when he developed that anti
virus program and decided to stand out of the crowd by operating and designing the
environmental network. He invested a lot of time in creating those designs of the program but
when he approached his company, it was not willing to buy that program. Depressed he decided
to change his mind from making money to an internet consultant. Hence, he was fired from his
office when Jill, his head IT security at his office got to know that Harry released the program
under the name of Lock Smith, he was instantly fired from his job. In the meantime, Jill
influenced the executive heads that the case need not be investigated and the decision taken for
sacking Harry was justified. Just then when the name Lock Smith became viral and was
recognized by the owner of the FABIO, he was instructed to find that person and to post him in
the position of an expertise. This situation is such where the manager who sacked Harry, was
asked by the higher officials to allot him the place of an expertise in the company. This can be
regarded as the case of an ethical issue where there is no choice for the executive who sacked
harry to bring him back as he is ordered by his superior boss. In this case he has to make a choice
between the two situations, both which does not resolve the problems ethnically. The executive
1 Crane, Andrew, and Dirk Matten. Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and
sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press, 2016.

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does not accept the possible moral imperatives that is neither preferred or accepted as seen from
an unambiguous point of view. Harry in dire need of money made that software and when he
approached Jill, the senior executive he should have been appreciated rather making him sack
from the job. Jill provided with many lame accusations when Harry approached her and hence
later he made that software viral which made the market go insane.
Answer 2:
Step I:
In this case there is a need to understand the situation from the ethical concept. Harry who
is a network programmer loves his job and is very passionate about his work and works in one of
the major graphic software company in Australia. In dire need of money, he decided to launch a
software in the name of the Safe-T and this fact was known to Jill, who is the Head of the IT
department. She was somehow not liking this fact and influenced the executive head of his firm
to sack him from the job and this done accordingly. But in the meantime, the project that he
launched became very popular and the owner of the organization asked the senior manager who
sacked Harry to find that person and grant him the post of an expertise. This is the underlying
situation of the basic ethical dilemma. The deal that was provided by Harry was good but Jill
pulled it down by saying that it had many disputes and the charges which was actually not the
case. Ultimately, the person who was sacked due to unethical grounds was again put back to the
office at a much higher designation.
Step II:
The major ethical dilemma in this case is that there is no choice for making them in between
the two options that is faced by the official who sacked Harry and later has to bring him back to

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the company as per the orders of the company owner. Isolating the ethical dilemma means to
keep aside that dilemma that has been faced by the company2.
Step III:
In this report, the consequentialism of the ethical issues is all about addressing the various
beneficial issues and the harm that has been analyzed by the consequences that will help one to
conduct the ultimate basis. From this case study, it is quite evident consequentialism prevails as
Harry was terminated from the company in an unethical way and later for the reason he was
terminated, was again called back by the owner of the reputed organization.
Right and duty are something that needs to be maintained when analyzing the ethical issues.
In this case, it can be said that from the organization Harry was working in had no right to
terminate him just because Jill could easily influence some of the high officials, he was done so
from the organization. The duty calls back when the organization gets to know about his popular
viral program named SAFE-T and Harry was assigned back to the designation of an expertise.
Kant’s categorical imperative is regarded as the general philosophical concept that is
considered the way for evaluating the motivations for actions3. The work of Harry should have
been motivated by Jill but she did not whereas she made negative obligations of the program and
2 Ferrell, Odies C., and John Fraedrich. Business ethics: Ethical decision making & cases. Nelson
Education, 2015.
3 Shapiro, Joan Poliner, and Jacqueline A. Stefkovich. Ethical leadership and decision making in
education: Applying theoretical perspectives to complex dilemmas. Routledge, 2016.

5PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT
did not encourage him to provide this to the company. Jill did not motivate him rather fired him
from the workplace.
Quite evident it is from the ethical grounds that the case it revolves from is highly
unjustified. The best course of action that can be considered is the consequentialism, where on
one hand Harry was sacked in an unjustified way without any investigation from the company
and on the other due to his famous program that got viral, the owner of the Company demanded
a back4.
Step IV:
There is a need to play defensive in case of the ethical decision that has been taken against
Harry. Harry is a dedicated person who was working for one of the top IT organizations in
Australia, but for his sudden dire need of money he made a program, which a high official
denied to purchase stating various lame allegations against it. Later, when he made that viral and
it became popular and the owner itself of the organization asked the executives to make his
comeback.
The steps that needs to be implemented in order to mark the ethical decision defensive are:
Harry should have consulted with the higher managerial people regarding the reason behind his
sack.
4 Trevino, Linda K., and Katherine A. Nelson. Managing business ethics: Straight talk about
how to do it right. John Wiley & Sons, 2016.

6PROFESSIONAL ENVIRONMENT
The other officials or the HR of the organization should have taken this and investigated the
reason behind this. The main motive is to find out whether the decision taken against him is right
or wrong5.
The decision regarding this should also include an arrangement of a meeting and there
everything will be discussed with the high officials. There is a need to maintain a good ethical
relation in the organization.
If the reason becomes justified, then the reason behind his sack will be applied but if it is not
then he should have the authority to stay with his head high and the company should be ensuring
this6.
5 Congress, Elaine P. "What social workers should know about ethics: Understanding and
resolving practice dilemmas." Social Work Ethics (2017): 1909.
6 Heizer, Jay. Operations Management, 11/e. Pearson Education India, 2016

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References
Congress, Elaine P. "What social workers should know about ethics: Understanding and
resolving practice dilemmas." Social Work Ethics (2017): 1909.
Crane, Andrew, and Dirk Matten. Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and
sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press, 2016.
Ferrell, Odies C., and John Fraedrich. Business ethics: Ethical decision making & cases. Nelson
Education, 2015.
Heizer, Jay. Operations Management, 11/e. Pearson Education India, 2016.
Shapiro, Joan Poliner, and Jacqueline A. Stefkovich. Ethical leadership and decision making in
education: Applying theoretical perspectives to complex dilemmas. Routledge, 2016.
Trevino, Linda K., and Katherine A. Nelson. Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how
to do it right. John Wiley & Sons, 2016.