Ethical Dilemma Analysis: BM100 Project, Business Communication

This project addresses the ethical dilemma of whether to inflate a resume by misrepresenting GPA, experience, or job titles in a competitive job market. The student provides a detailed analysis, answering five key ethical questions: Is the action legal? Would you do it if you were on the opposite side? Can you rule out a better alternative? Would a trusted advisor agree? Would family, friends, employers, or coworkers approve? The student argues that inflating a resume is unethical because it is illegal and gives an unfair advantage to those who may not be qualified for the job. The student would not do it, believes in focusing on real abilities, and would seek honest ways to improve their chances, and believes their trusted advisor, family, friends, and co-workers would disapprove of the unethical approach. The student emphasizes the importance of ethical behavior for long-term success.

Running head: ETHICAL DILEMMA
Ethical Dilemma
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1ETHICAL DILEMMA
Ethical Dilemma
The Chosen Ethical Dilemma:
“Résumé Should you inflate your grade point average or give yourself more experience or a
higher job title than your experience warrants to make your résumé more attractive? The job
market is very competitive”.
Answer 1:
The action that is discussed in the dilemma is not legal at all. This is because, by
inflating the degree or the grade or experience one may get the job that they are opting for but
they are not having the capability to do that job. Moreover, by doing this one is snatching-away
the opportunity of the deserving candidate to appear for the job (Shapiro & Stefkovich, 2016).
Answer 2:
I would not have done it. this is because, I am confident with the degree of education I
have and I would rather like to secure a job where I will be actually be able to show my real
abilities rather than the fake ones. However, I think, if one gets caught in the job while inflating
the degrees, he or she will lose the job and will have a negative image of himself in the job-field
(Bachan, 2017).
Answer 3:
Instead of faking the degrees by inflating the grades, I would like to take additional
measures in securing a good grade for the better job opportunities. The job market is competitive
but if one stays focused and have the ability to perform on field then experiences and degrees
will not be a barrier in the job.

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Answer 4:
I think that the trusted advisor will agree to the alternatives that I have mentioned as it
does not support the inflation of the resume for the job (Fuller & Raman, 2017). My advisor
believes that unethical means can lead to short term success; for long term success, proceeding in
a fair way is more beneficial. There is no risk of being seized due to improper documents.
Answer 5:
Yes, this decision is supported by the family, friends and my fellow co-workers as they
believe in following ethics at work as well. All of them are working and understands the
importance of qualification at job. Hence, they support my point of view as well.

3ETHICAL DILEMMA
References:
Bachan, R. (2017). Grade inflation in UK higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 42(8),
1580-1600.
Fuller, J. B., & Raman, M. (2017). Dismissed by degrees: How degree inflation is undermining
US competitiveness and hurting America’s middle class. Published by Accenture, Grads
of Life, Harvard Business School.
Shapiro, J. P., & Stefkovich, J. A. (2016). Ethical leadership and decision making in education:
Applying theoretical perspectives to complex dilemmas. Routledge.