Conflicts in Ethics

Being a public administrator is not always easy. Sometimes, a public administrator may have to make difficult decisions in contradiction to one’s own personal ethics. For example, consider eminent domain from Week 5 or terminating an employee from Week 4. Taking the home of an economically disadvantaged person or terminating an employee who has a family may be in opposition to your personal ethics. Nevertheless, these decisions must be carried out. What would you do?

To prepare for this Discussion:

Review the assigned pages of Chapter 14 “in The Study of Law: A Critical Thinking Approach (4th ed.). Reflect on how a public administrator could provide legal services to unpopular, low-income, or non-traditional people.

Review the article “Engaging Frontline Workers in Times of Organizational Change,” and explore the responsibilities of public administrators during organizational change.

Consider what conflicts may exist between your responsibilities as a public administrator and your own personal ethics.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post a 300 word example by Thursday February 16, 2017 of a potential conflict between your responsibilities as a public administrator and your own personal ethics. Hypothesize how that conflict may affect your decision making.

Support your work with proper APA citations from the Learning Resources and any other sources.