31 May 2022

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Ethical Issues and Action Plan

Format: APA

Academic level: University

Paper type: Research Paper

Words: 1849

Pages: 6

Downloads: 0

The presented case is an ethical dilemma that is common in the world today where people who fill some positions are decided based on their facet: race, religion, original, orientation, sex and nationality. The presented case is a clash between organization demands and ethics. Such kinds of dilemmas require an ethical decision where accepted rules no longer serve and decision makers must weigh values and reach a judgement (Catherine, 2008) . Values and judgement play a critical role when we make ethical decisions. It is a question of discrimination based on religion. In this kind of moral dilemma, there are two choices; to retain Aalia in her position or to push her to go to the book keeping position. However, neither will resolve the problem in a completely acceptable fashion. In this case, the company must abide by the provisions of the federal law, societal beliefs and religious teachings to resolve the issue (American Psychological Association, 2010)

Some religions value their religious order and consider their teachings and beliefs sacred and thus cannot be convinced to do otherwise. To maintain order in the workplace, all businesses must be inclusive and flexible enough to accommodate persons from diverse background. This will help disintegration of workers and avoid legal battles and ramifications (Celia, 2009) . It is important for businesses to understand that some people are still rooted in religious customs and beliefs and the management should understand them and consider them in their code of ethics. 

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Ethical standard regulation organizations such as International Labor Organization (ILO), Social Accountability International (SAI), Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) and Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), requires that every organization must be inclusive and flexible in their organization demands to accommodate people of different cultural background (Celia, 2009) . They expect that every human being is treated with dignity and respect regardless of their cultural background. According to the federal law, the Civil Rights Acts of 1963, there should be no discrimination on any basis and any person with professional qualifications is entitled to hold the post they qualify for. Therefore, pushing Aalia to go for a much lower position from what she has rightfully qualified for, is against the federal law and the provisions of the international labor laws. The Equal Opportunity Act 2010 sets the regulations against any form of discrimination, either directly or indirectly. Recruitments and terms of conditions should be fair and should promote inclusivity (Robert, 2013)

Organizations have always put some rules and regulations that still deter people of different culture and beliefs from securing certain positions in business. People who strongly believe in religious and cultural ethics find it very difficult to secure some positions and managerial posts. These regulations confer indirect discrimination to potential workers because they consider such rules unreasonable. The workplace conditions and practices are very important, but some confer disadvantageous conditions to persons protected by law and thus unfair treatment (Andrew, 2013)

Applied ethical principles and standards 

Psychologists are guided on their daily activities by the APA ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. The document presents a comprehensive set of principles and standards that are key to the analysis and solving of ethical problems effectively. Aalia’s case touches on two major aspects of the ethics code whose keen analysis is important in solving the case. First and foremost, Aalia’s treatment at the jewelry shop is disrespectful of her rights and dignity. Aalia being a Muslim woman who is expected by her religion to put on the hijab in public is generally vulnerable and must, therefore, have her rights and welfare protected in a special way as opposed to the rest of her colleagues whose religion cannot be determined at first sight and may not be violated easily (Celia, 2009) . Aalia deserves privacy, confidentiality and the right to self-determination. She has a right to decide which job satisfy her needs and which religion she approves of. The general principle of respect for people’s rights and dignity dictates that all psychologists must be aware of and be respectful of the differences that exist between individuals, cultures and roles including all the differences that may arise from gender, age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status and even disability (Andrew, 2013) . Aalia’s religion differentiates her from the rest and therefore it important to understand her religion and respect the same. 

The other ethical standard being touched on in Aalia’s case is that which stipulates how conflict between ethics and organization demands come into existence and how psychologists are advised to handle the same. Aalia’s case is a conflict between her right to self-determination, religious beliefs as well as protection against discrimination and the policies of the company she is employed in (American Psychological Association, 2010) . The business has reasons for not allowing a woman dressed in hijab to get into contact with her customers while Aalia has religio us reasons for putting on the hijab anytime she is in the public. Both the reasons are valid and in the best of interest of those championing for them. Aalia cannot compromise her religious beliefs to satisfy the interest of the business while the business cannot compromise its profitability to satisfy Aalia’s religious interest (Andrew, 2013) . Therefore, it becomes important for a third party to intervene on behalf of the two conflicting parties and champion for a win-win solution. The win-win settlement, however, must be consistent with the ethics code and must not under whatever circumstance be seen to justify human rights violation (Catherine, 2008)

Alternative solutions 

Faced with the scenario where she has to compromise her religious beliefs or otherwise settle for a job she does not approve of, Aalia is most likely to consider quitting the job or involve herself in protracted legal battles against the management of the store. However, there exists a wide range of solutions to her predicament that will ensure the business remains in the profit-making trend and she remains committed to her religion while doing the job of her choice and expertise (Catherine, 2008) . There is need to involve a psychologist as a third party in the negotiations. In the first scenario the third party is involved in getting the business manager to understand that their action towards Aalia is in violation of the ethics code and to urge them to rectify the same. The psychologist, however, does not get involved in rectifying the ethical problem. This model presents an audit challenge in that gauging whether the company took any action or not as well as gauging how much progress the company has made in solving the problem is very difficult (American Psychological Association, 2010) . Moreover, the management of the business may end up taking offense leading to deeper conflicts between Aalia and her employers. 

In the event the business management is not committed to solving the problem, the psychologist may report the matter to state or national committees on professional ethics and/or to appropriate institutional authorities that may help in enforcing laws that protect individuals against harm that may be caused by the violation of ethical values. Such an action may offer broader solutions since the resolutions of the committees will not only be effective to the case of Aalia alone but will solve many other similar violations (Robert, 2013) . However, it will definitely make unbearable relationship between Aalia and her employer and may lead to deeper conflicts in future. 

Lastly and arguably most preferably, the psychologist may choose to get involved actively in solving the ethical problem. The psychologists can also decide to gets involved in making the business management understand that their action contravenes the expectations enshrined in the ethics code and helps in drafting an action plan towards solving the same. In the plan he is likely to engage other professionals for instance lawyers and business consultants. The solution will mostly involve reviewing the company’s business module to be more accommodative and liberal yet remain profitable. This is, in my opinion, the best channel towards achieving an amicable solution to the problem. In this case both parties are most likely to be satisfied with the outcome besides the problem-solving plan being reusable in other similar problems. The model, however, pose budgetary challenges. The process of consulting other professionals is costly and is likely to create a conflict on who between Aalia and the business should foot the bill (Catherine, 2008)

Action Plan 

The aims of this action plan are; to enable the organization to acknowledge and accommodate diversity, to respect and protect civil rights of workers as stipulated by the federal laws and to formulate company policies that are consistent with the ethics code. This plan seeks to provide solutions that benefit the workers and the employees without harming the interest of any party (Robert, 2013)

Firstly, the psychologist will seek guidance from business consultants and lawyers. This is done to ensure that the policies formulated are consistent with the federal laws, are guaranteeing the business profitability and are consistent with the ethics code. This team of experts will jointly look into the dilemma between Aalia and the employer, seek to know the cause of the conflict and generate a plan towards reviewing the policies of the company in a way that accommodates diversity across all facets (American Psychological Association, 2010) . The team will interview Aalia’s colleagues as well as workers in other competitor stores to seek their opinion about the predicament. The team will proceed to prepare a comprehensive report bearing the conflict that was involved, the methods that were used to collect data, the recommendations of the committee and clearly state the reviewed business policies and demands (Celia, 2009)

Secondly, the committee will seek to involve state and national committees with the aim of having the bodies give their inputs towards making the reports submitted to them more effective in solving other similar dilemmas. The committees will point out different regulations that requires amendments as stipulated in standard 8.10 of the APA ethics code. This may require research and pooling of knowledge resources by collaborating with other professionals (American Psychological Association, 2010) . Involving these committees is important because the recommendations of the state and national committees are binding and maybe used in any other conflict that may arise within any other organization. The final output is documented and according to standard 8.02 is subjected to the employees for an oral consent to seek their opinion (American Psychological Association, 2010)

Finally, the state and national committee will engage legal bodies such as the ILO and seek to have their recommendations on the organization proposed amendments as required by law. In this case, the legally authorized organizations will indicate whether the recommendations are consistent with the labor and social order or not. Once the amendments are approved by all the key stakeholders, it can be used to define the new organization demands that are fair (Catherine, 2008)

The objectives are succinct and specific because they seek to address two issues; ensure the business remains in it profitable trend and ensure elimination of direct or indirect discrimination. Also, we are able to measure to the objectives by assessing the satisfaction of workers on the recommendations. It takes a few days to interview workers to come up with a report. The only lengthy bit, probably take a few months, is the involvement of the state and national legal bodies 

Conclusion 

Organizations have demands that can lead to direct or indirect discrimination. Policies of every organization should be consistent with the law to accommodate diversity. Ethical dilemma requires ethical decision where accepted rules no longer serve and decision makers must weigh values and reach a judgement. APA is a module that help organizations to solve ethical problems and serve employees with utmost respect and dignity while still maintaining profitability. Individuals should not be forced to compromise their beliefs rather they should be accommodated within the organization demands to ensure that opportunities are presented equally for any qualified persons without looking at their facet. 

References  

American Psychological Association. (2010). Ethical Principles of Psychologists And Code of Conduct. Government of the District of Columbia: Department of Health. 

Andrew, L. (2013). Ethical Leadership: Creating and Sustaining an Ethical Business Culture. Washington DC: Kogan Page. 

Catherine, H. (2008). The Code of Ethics: A Guide for Everyday Practice. Early Childhood Australia Inc. 

Celia, B. F. (2009). Decoding the Ethics Code: A practical Guide for Psychologists. SAGE Publications Inc. 

Robert, A. (2013). Business Ethics and Ethical Business. Oxford University Press. 

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StudyBounty. (2023, September 17). Ethical Issues and Action Plan.
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