2009 School of Bank Management Home Study Problem
Ethical Decision-Making
Richard Coughlan, Ph.D.
During the early part of our class, we discussed four categories of right-vs.-right
dilemmas (truth/loyalty, justice/mercy, long-term/short-term, and individual/community).
Later, we discussed the four elements that make up an organizations system of ethics
(culture, code, compensation, and communication). Your task for this assignment is to
think about how each element in the ethics system helps individuals resolve a different
category of right-vs.-right dilemmas.
Your response will have four sections. Each section must begin with this sentence:
A {name of category} dilemma is best resolved through the organizations {name of
element}.
For example, you might decide to write: A long-term vs. short-term dilemma is best
resolved through the organizations communication efforts.
Remember, you choose which element best addresses which category of dilemma.
You must use each element only once and you must cover all four categories of
dilemmas.
So, the first sentence of the second section of the paper must have a different category
and a different element, and so on with the third and fourth sections.
In each section, after your first sentence, you must explain why you chose that particular
element as the best one to guide individuals through that particular category of dilemma.
In other words, justify your first sentence during the next couple of paragraphs.
Finally, conclude each section with a relevant example drawn from your professional
experiences, either with your current employer or with a previous company.
I expect each section to be one page, for a total of four pages.
Grades will be determined as follows:
Adhered to assignment plan 10%
Chose appropriate element for each dilemma 10%
Justified choice of element for each dilemma 40%
Provided relevant example for each section 20%
Overall professionalism of paper 20%
