MGT301A: Ethics and Sustainability Reflective Paper Analysis

This assignment is a reflective paper on ethics and sustainability, focusing on a real-life ethical dilemma faced by a risk analyst. The paper details a conflict between professional certification studies and work hours, exploring the decision-making process involved in resolving this issue. It analyzes various options, including taking leave from work. The student identifies and applies ethical frameworks such as the Utilitarian approach and the virtue approach to the situation, demonstrating an understanding of ethical considerations in professional practice. The assignment aims to develop an ethical mindset and vocabulary for ethical issues, aligning with the learning outcomes of the MGT301A course.

Running head: ETHICS AND SUSTAINABILITY
Ethics and Sustainability
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ETHICS AND SUSTAINABILITY
Table of Contents
Brief Description of the event......................................................................................................2
Decision making..........................................................................................................................2
Identification of Ethical Frameworks..........................................................................................3
References....................................................................................................................................4

2ETHICS AND SUSTAINABILITY
Brief Description of the event
One of the situations faced by me as a part of my job as a risk analyst was related to a
clash between my examination and working hours. As I was studying for a Professional
certification, I had a difficult time in balancing between my studies and fulfilling the
requirements of the job. Even though I had an option of studying during the office hours, I was at
a dilemma of whether to do the same or not. While it continued for a while, there was a time
when I had to make a decision related to the same as it was beginning to affect my work and my
health as well. After some serious thoughts, I decided to take a leave from the job even though it
meant that I lost my pay for a period of two months. I managed to successfully complete my
certification as well.
Decision making
The first option that I did was to analyse the options available to me. The company’s
policy suggested that I would not get any salary for the time I was on leave. Hence, the primary
consideration was whether I could sustain myself for two months without the job. The policies of
the company at the workplace were not very strict. Hence, I could have also continued my
studies in the workplace without anyone questioning me. However, this meant that I had to take
my pay for a month without doing my job properly. Another option was to quit the job altogether
and look for a new job as I could easily get into a new job after completing the certification.
However, I intended to remain loyal to the company and there was no valid reason for me to quit
the job altogether. Hence, the major factors which were considered in making the decision were
the importance of the professional certification and the intention of not deceiving the company.
Other factors were to better my future employment prospects without causing any unnecessary to
the other stakeholders related to me. Apart from these, my financial situation and whether it

3ETHICS AND SUSTAINABILITY
allowed me to take a two month break were also thoroughly analysed. After taking the impact of
my various actions into account, I decided to take a leave from my office for two months and
continue to study for my professional certification.
Identification of Ethical Frameworks
One of the frameworks which could have helped me is the Utilitarian approach which
suggests that every action will have some good and some bad aspects attached with it. However,
the decision undertaken by one should result in the greatest good and be beneficial to all. The
benefits should outweigh the harms done (Cervantes et al., 2016).
The virtue approach which suggests that the actions of individuals should be consistent
with the virtues of human beings. This theory suggests that the actions should be a result of the
virtues obtained by a person and should not be separate from the personal life of an individual
(Segon & Booth, 2015).

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References
Cervantes, J. A., Rodríguez, L. F., López, S., Ramos, F., & Robles, F. (2016). Autonomous
agents and ethical decision-making. Cognitive Computation, 8(2), 278-296.
Segon, M., & Booth, C. (2015). Virtue: The missing ethics element in emotional
intelligence. Journal of Business Ethics, 128(4), 789-802.