Different Ethical Approaches in Addressing Dilemmas

Ethics Essay
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Institutional affiliation Ethics Essay Dilemmas are common in everyday life, and when people encounter them, they need critical thinking and ethical thinking to make the correct choice. The primary goal of this paper is to analyze an ethical dilemma facing an individual by the name of Greg. Greg and Natalie have shared a business class together ever since freshman year. Although they have never been close friends, they enjoy each other’s company and are even in the same social circle. During the last semester, Greg invites Natalie to join his academic group which she agrees. However all does not go well as unknown to Greg, Natalie is not much of a team player. She shows up for meeting either late or hung over, doesn’t pay attention during group discussion and additionally rarely does the tasks assigned to her. Greg has to do most of the work as she could deliver on time and in this regards has to sacrifice most of his time. Time to hand over the assignment arrives and the teacher asks for an evaluation of each student so that he can use it while preparing grades.  Greg is faced with the ethical dilemma as he does not know what to do. He does not want to throw his colleague under the bus, and at the same time, he intends to do the right thing. If he writes a negative report about Natalie, it could affect her grades, and if he falsifies information, he feels that it will be a wrong decision as Natalie will not get what she deserves. If I were Greg, I would report the matter in the evaluation report. This paper is going to utilize the five approaches of ethical standards to analyze the dilemma and provide a solution on what he could do. The Utilitarian Approach This type of approach emphasizes that an ethical action is one that provides a positive outcome with as minimal harm as possible (Tsalikis & Peralta, 2017). It is more focused on the results of an event rather than the action itself. For instance, if an action is morally wrong but produces a positive result it is then considered ethically right. In the case of Greg, he should indicate that Natalie is a hardworking girl as it would be good if she got good grades and went ahead to get a good job. Instead of indicating that she does not perform well in a group discussion or she is occasionally late he should take one for the team so that his partner can graduate with a good grade.  The Rights Approach This approach suggests that an ethical action is one that protects and preserves the rights of an individual (BURDEN & SAUFL, 2011). It is based on the belief that individuals have the right to enjoy their freedom and do as they please. In this case, Greg should report her to the lecturer because of her lazy and careless behavior. Rights also come with responsibilities, and it was her responsibility to study and create a good future for...