COLLAPSE SUBDISCUSSIONStephanie Stubbs Stephanie Stubbs 10:07amAug 5 at 10:07amManage Discussion Entry CLASS: Have you ever been in a situation that tests this, and does that give you a more accurate...

Stephanie Stubbs

CLASS: Have you ever been in a situation that tests this, and does that give you a more accurate sense of your real self (versus your ideal self)? If you were to write your own moral code, which top values stand out?

Kelli Montgomery

Case Study Analysis: Right vs. Right

Standardized Tests

In this case, Mr. Edwards and Mr. Marcus are both special education teachers and are preparing their students to take the state’s annual standardized achievement test (Savage, 2013). Many of their students have problems in reading and the teachers believe they will have difficulty taking this test considering. The principal is anticipating higher test schools this year to bring up their test results. The ethical concerns in this case lie between the principal who has asked the teachers to do whatever is possible to ensure better test results and Mr. Marcus who has decided to do what the principal has asked and followed through by reading parts of the test to the students. Mr. Marcus has jeopardized test results for his employer. By this teacher reading to the students, it does not give a clear result that represents his students. Unfortunately, Mr. Edwards does not agree with these actions.

Based on Kidder’s right versus right this may fit into Truth versus Loyalty for Mr. Marcus. Mr. Marcus feels he should do what the principle has asked because he feels loyalty to his boss. This also fits into short term versus long term. He may be affecting test results for short term results however the long-term effects of these jeopardized test results ill take a toll. It does not benefit the students by not assessing and testing them to know their true results. Mr. Edwards has been faced with what to do in this situation since he is unhappy and feels what Mr. Marcus has doe is unethical.

I am not sure if there is a right answer for this situation however the students can possibly be re-tested to ensure the proper results. Mr. Marcus can be reported or asked to not continue to read to the students. I am sure there would be consequences for his behavior and unethical choices. However, the principle would back up Mr. Marcus since he has already requested the efforts.

Choosing to do what is ethical is based on moral sensitivity, moral judgement and reasoning, moral motivation, and moral character (Johnson, 2007). Mr. Edwards is displaying moral sensitivity because he has identified what Mr. Marcus has done is ethical wrong, against educator's ethics, and has jeopardized test results. If the students can be retested, this would be best case scenario and Mr. Marcus can learn from his mistake.

References

Johnson, C. E. (2007).
Ethics in the workplace: Tools and tactics for organizational transformation(Links to an external site.)(Links to an external site.)(Ch 3, PDF). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. Retrieved fromhttps://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/12906_Chapter3.pdf(Links to an external site.)

Savage, S. (2007, November 13).
Teachers’ ethical dilemmas: What would you do?(Links to an external site.)(Links to an external site.)[Web page]. Retrieved from http://www.redorbit.com/news/education/1141680/teachers_ethical_dilemmas_what_would_you_do/
These case studies focus on the topic of education. Select one of the six cases presented.

Renalta Smith

Case Study Analysis: Right vs. Right

The case study I selected was titled Identify the moral dilemma or ethical decision being presented. The case presented a moral dilemma stating that a family business had hired their first non-related family member, and he has gotten tasked with helping the CEO downsize. The non-family member had much pressure on him due to not being a part of the family, and because some family members already had concerns, he was aware of from hearing a conversation. The company honored the non-family member's way of downsizing by looking at the employees' appraisals performances and wanted him to use the assessments to cut employees.

However, Frank, the non-family member, noticed that certain employees had never gotten appraised. According to the CEO, those employees had been with the company since the beginning.

Moreover, the CEO agreed to the longtime employees' request that they keep receiving informal evaluations "as they always had but noted that they no longer performed well and should be let go. However, Frank questioned if the employees were aware of their poor performance and again was told they should be knowledgeable. In addition, the CEO changed the subject by praising Frank for his work ethic (Thomas Shanks, 1997). Moral sensitivity is the recognition that an ethical problem exists, which Frank noticed.

Moreover, right versus wrong asks how you would feel if your decision became public. The Right versus Right principle of Truth versus loyalty pits loyalty to friends, family, groups, and organizations against our longing to be honest. Truth versus loyalty happens when we must determine whether to keep quiet about the non-documented performance issues or to address the problem with the employees and others.

A recommendation is to make a moral decision that does not compromise who you are and the values you hold. Another solution is to compromise with the CEO on a better way to not release those longtime employees without a proper evaluation (Johnson,2007). You are reminding the CEO of the employee's rights and sending a message of doubt about them not caring if the company let them go unfairly.

Thanks,

Renalta

References

Johnson, C. E. (2007).
Ethics in the workplace: Tools and tactics for organizational transformation(Links to an external site.)(Links to an external site.)(Ch 3, PDF). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. Retrieved from https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/12906_Chapter3.pdf

Thomas Shanks, S. J. (1997, July 1).
The case of the performance appraisal(Links to an external site.)(Links to an external site.)[Web page]. Retrieved fromhttps://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/business-ethics/resources/the-case-of-the-performance-appraisal/