Ethical Dilemma
Implications of Ethical Dilemmas in Practice
One way of broaching the topic of ethics in professional practice is to focus on particular ethical dilemmas
that arise in the research or practice that surrounds management activities themselves. For example,
well-known ethical dilemmas exist in the field of human resources, and other dilemmas surround the
handling of financial transactions and decisions.
Search the Walden Library for a scholarly or practitioner article in a peer-reviewed journal that deals with
an ethical dilemma in a management context. How might you research the dilemma presented in the
article? Would you examine causation, interventions, solutions, structural issues, or other aspects? Select
one or two aspects of the issue presented, and think about how you might formulate a research-oriented
approach that would benefit the larger professional practice.
Begin by presenting a brief overview of the article you found. Next, present the ethical dilemma, followed
by your research approach and its potential practice-based benefits.
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Ethical Dilemma
Introduction
People encounter ethical dilemmas in their research and practice that affect their
undertakings. Conflicts between moral imperatives lead an individual to obey one decision
causing transgression of the others (Serpil, 2012). The author discusses on ethical dilemma
concept in practice as presented in an article.
Overview of the article
The article ‘E-mail and Ethical Issues’ by Lorettta Bradley provides an insight to the
increased use of email and texting. The article explores on the ethical dilemmas that family
counseling face while using e-mail to render their services. Managers as well use this form of
communication to reach to their customers as well as to engage in personal issues. This form of
communication present various ethical dilemmas and it is important for the users especially
counselors to understand these ethical dilemmas to avoid the same. Email is not problem-free
and has potential to pose various problems to the customers as well as the managers such as
counselors. Some of the issues that characterize email communication include maintaining of
professional relationship, privacy and confidentiality.
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Ethical dilemma
Various ethical concerns manifest in the article. One of the concerns is using email in
maintaining of professional relationship. Emails offer fast and economical method of
communication; it therefore can promote family counseling relationships. Family counselor can
use this mode of communication to provide these services. However, for counseling to be
successful it requires face-to-face and work alliance relationship between the two. This is the
appropriate way to achieve trust and as well impact on the counseling. Therefore, it becomes an
ethical dilemma when it comes to making decision to provide family counseling using email a
supposed to meeting the client face to face.
Confidentiality and privacy of the client and the customer is another ethical dilemma.
Client has a right to confidentiality and privacy of information provided through email (Husser,
Gautier & André & Lespinet-Najib, 2014). Ethical dilemma arises when it comes to determining
what kind of information send through email is considered as private and confidential and which
one does not. Furthermore, selecting and categorizing the message from email as relating to
counseling or administrative posses ethical dilemma.
It is also important for the family therapist to inform the client when they will check
their emails to avoid misunderstanding that may result to ethical dilemma. The family counselor
must indicate the procedures and policies regarding use of email as well inform the client on the
limitations inherent in use of email such as unauthorized readers, confidentiality and security.
Research oriented approach
A research-oriented approach that would benefit the larger professional practice is
evidenced based. This approach would allow collection of systematic data through interview,
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observation and experiment and testing of hypothesis to reach decisive decisions that would help
provide solutions to such ethical problems (Dale, 2005).
Potential practice-based benefits
This practice would accrue various benefits to professional practice. It will provide
enough evidence on the issue and scenarios that ethical dilemma occurs. This scope of
knowledge will provide an avenue of improvising appropriate measures to avoid ethical dilemma
in management practices. Decision making process will improve and the relationships between
the family counselor and the clients will improve. Furthermore, this information will be adopted
or referenced in many other studies that hence helping accumulate information body that will
help practitioners in such situations.
In conclusion, ethical dilemma is challenge and deterrence in delivering quality services.
Professionals in various areas or field of management must understand modalities to manage
instances of ethical dilemma to avoid conflicts and deliver better services.
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References
Bradley, L. (2010). E-mail and Ethical Issues, Texas Tech University
Dale, E. (2005). Evidence-based practice: compatibility with nursing. Nurs Stand 19 (40):
48–53.
Husser, J., Gautier, L., & André, J., & Lespinet-Najib, V. (2014). Linking Purchasing to Ethical
Decision-Making: An Empirical Investigation. Journal of Business Ethics, 123(2): 327-
338.
Serpil, K. (2012). Ethical Dilemmas Experienced by Psychological Counsellors Working at
Different Institutions and Their Attitudes and Behaviours as a Response to These
Dilemmas , Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 12(3): 1806-1812.
