Ethical Dilemmas and Workplace

Rajnish Kumar
Professor (Information Technology) National Academy of Indian Railways

pit@nair.railnet.gov.in

This is not a lecture

A thought provoking discussion only

The World around us Dilemmas

Getting prosperity, how by discouraging thrift (less spending)?

Strengthen the weak how? By weakening the strong.

Improve the wage earner by squeezing the wage payer.

You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money

The World around us

Americans financed homes beyond their means by borrowing much beyond what they could afford. When the housing bubble burst, they were left with nil or negative equity.

Greece is an example of thrift being ignored with wages and benefits being given out of proportion of their GDP. Spain raised wages and became uncompetitive as a result.
Germany is/was expected to lead the support to Greece. A weakened Germany will spell doom for Greece. Ireland has vacant homes with no takers

Eklavya and his Guru Bhakti

The Ethical Dilemma Should he have been rewarded or punished for his learning

Ethical Dilemma
A situation in which a person must decide whether or not to do something that, although beneficial to oneself or the organization, may be considered unethical and perhaps illegal. Examples of Ethical Dilemmas

o Should I conduct personal business on company time? o Should we spend more on pollution control? o Is it O.K. to give a friend a special rate? o If I find out that my boss took a bribe, should I tell someone?

On the Job Ethical Dilemmas

Situation in which a business decision may be influenced for personal gain. Employees disclosure of illegal, immoral, or unethical practices in the organization.

Telling the truth and adhering to deeply felt ethical principles in business decisions. Business: people expect employees to be loyal and truthful, but ethical conflicts may arise.

Ethical Dilemmas vs. Moral Temptations

Kidder (1995) contends that an ethical dilemma occurs only in instances when there are competing rights or there is a struggle to determine the least bad course of action.

Resolving Dilemmas

CRITICAL THINKING

Story on the Importance of Critical Thinking

A middle-aged man called his doctor in the middle of the night. He described the pains his wife was having, diagnosed them as appendicitis (which he himself had experienced) and told the doctor he was bringing his wife to the emergency room.

Story on the Importance of Critical Thinking

The doctor, however, was much less concerned.

He diagnosed the problem as stomach cramps, advised the man to give her some ginger ale, and suggested that an appointment be made in the morning for an office visit. The man persisted.

Story on the Importance of Critical Thinking

Not used to having his medical judgment questioned, the doctor spoke authoritatively, It can not be her appendix, he declared, I distinctly remember removing your wifes appendix eight years ago. And I have never heard of a woman having a second appendix!

Story on the Importance of Critical Thinking

How do you think the story ends?

Story on the Importance of Critical Thinking

Before hanging up and driving his wife to the hospital, the man shot back, Have you ever

heard of a man having a second wife?

The Quality Of Our Thinking is Given in The Quality of Our Questions

"Professors complain about students who arrive at college with strong convictions but not enough knowledge to argue persuasively for their beliefs. ... Having opinions without knowledge is not of much value" -- Diane Ravitch, The Schools We Deserve, p. 8

Critical thinking key principles

Willingness to criticize oneself Reflective thought Competence- not just logic but knowledge

A puzzle
There are three boxes in a table. One of the box contains Gold and the other two are empty. A printed message contains in each box. One of the message is true and the other two are lies. The first box says 'The Gold is not here'. The Second box says 'The Gold is not here'. The Third box says 'The Gold is in the Second box'. Which box has the Gold?

Solution
As the message contains one truth, the third says that the gold is in the second box, if it is to be true, then the first box message will also become true. So Gold cannot be in second and third boxes. Gold is in the first box.

http://easycalculation.com/puzzles/logical/logical1.php

The loyal agents argument Alex C Micholes

As a loyal agent of his or her employer, the manager has a duty to serve his or her employer as the employer would want to be served (if the employer had the agent's expertise).

An employer would want to be served in whatever ways will advance his or her self-interests.
Therefore, as a loyal agent of his or her employer, the manager has a duty to serve his or her employer in whatever ways will advance the employer's selfinterests.

A Case Study

Polluters Dilemma

THINK!!!
Some months have 31 days, some 30. How many months have 28 days?

THINK!!!
Divide 30 by half and then add 10 What do you get?

THINK!!!
If you had only one match (machis ki tili) and you entered a COLD and DARK room. What would you light first? OIL LAMP, OIL HEATER or CANDLE

Strange case of Law Punishing the Victim

A lady in MP was debarred from joining Govt service as she had a child marriage against her wishes.
RULE: MP Civil Services (general condition of service) Rules, 1961, Rule 6(5), inserted into the MP law on March 10, 2005, says, "No candidate shall be eligible for appointment to a service or post who has married before the minimum age fixed for marriage. The minimum age of marriage for a boy is 21 years while that for a girl is 18 years." Case is pending with Supreme Court. In this case she was the VICTIM not the offender.

THE LAST one. Traffic Policemans Decision

A car comes rushing and parks it there, a man come out rushes to the shop to buy medicine. When he comes back, the Policeman books him for parking at NO PARKING and locks his car. HE PLEADS My mother is dying she needs these medicines, please let me go

In front of a medicine shop, there is NO PARKING ZONE.

a situation in which there is not one answer or choice that is clearly right

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