Ethics & Responsibility
There is a strong bond that unites ethics and professional responsibilities since professionals are expected to show professional conducts and reflect a professional public image. In professional responsibility, ethics is a fundamental element where behaviors are governed by moral principles in order to produce positive results. Professionals are expected to follow the principles of moral conduct for them to distinguish between the right and wrong actions (Cooper, 2012). Other important point is that professionals have a moral obligation to adhere to the codes of ethics which comprise aspirational and mandatory standards. According to Cooper, in professional responsibility, administrators should be guided by their inner convictions and should follow objective and subjective accountability in serving and fulfilling the public interest (Cooper, 2012). In addition, administrators should have an ethical commitment and ensure integrity, competence, diligence, confidentiality and fairness. In professional and social responsibility, professionals are expected to show high moral standards, act in a moral way, demonstrate commitment and solve problems morally (Cooper, 2012).
- In objective responsibility, Ferguson adheres to legal demands. In this case, he realized that the ‘Buffalo 100’ established a 100-mile trail without seeking permission from the Forest Service. This act was associated with a huge damage such as destruction of fragile forest, destruction of wildlife habitat among other damages (O'Leary, 2009). In subjectivity responsibility, he is controlled by beliefs and personal experience. In this case, he has uses cognitive and affective perceptions that as a forest supervisor, the act of marking a trail on the federal land would contribute to challenges which would cause destruction to the forest (O'Leary, 2009). In ethical responsibility, he feels that it is his role as the forest supervisor to protect the environment. In addressing the matter, he shows commitment and concern and adds extraordinary efforts to protect and preserve the natural environment.
- From the Claude Ferguson’s story, I do not agree with objectivity views. First, Ferguson failed to follow the norms of the organization and as a public servant; he has an ethical obligation and was expected to follow moral standards. According to the culture of the organization, policy statement is made from daily decisions. The decision on prohibiting trail bikes is rooted from personal convictions and individual interest (O'Leary, 2009). His decision is contradictory to the formal policy and this action is unethical and unconscionable. The Guerrilla Government is associated with ethical issues which affect the public organization. The problem with his decision is that he failed to act as a governmental agency and consider taxpaying citizens but rather used personal conflicting opinions and created a conflict of interest. There is a public policy paradox which creates tensions and issues in organization structures (O'Leary, 2009).
- 4. I agree with Ferguson ethical responsibility in that he is a kind of person who shows a gentle spirit and personal love to the wellbeing of the people. In fact, he informed his agency that the act with Buffalo 100 is wrong and he has an obligation to protect the environment. He showed a steadfast devotion and pays no attention to his personal and economic benefit for the wellbeing of the people. Ferguson shows his professional view in maintaining a better environment (O'Leary, 2009).
- 5. I also agree with his subjectivity view in that he uses his personal sense to differentiate between the right and the wrong. In fact, subjectivity is rooted from obligation, personal opinion and desires. In other words, he is driven by parochial views and values, and does what is right and just (O'Leary, 2009).
- 6. According to Cooper (2012), the strategy which Ferguson could employ is associated with situational context. This means that in making ethical decisions. He could reflect on the situation of the ethical dilemma. This involves meeting the public agencies in order to produce alternative courses of action. In other words, Ferguson could take an alternative course of action in addressing responsibility and ethics. First, Ferguson could develop an organization culture where organization members would participate in dialogue and debate for the purpose of generating multiple options, innovation and creativity (Cooper, 2012).
- This alternative strategy could balance responsibility and ethics in that first, it would avoid the conflicts of responsibility through establishing policies regarding the dilemma. Ethical decision making requires situational variables where various agencies would be involved in role taking. Note that in ethical decision making, Ferguson would use formal and informal perception and these would help comply with informal and formal norms (Cooper, 2012). On the same note, Ferguson could respect the voice of the people, deal with the process affecting the people and avoid being too personal. He could value the dissenting opinions and allow the flow of ideas in solving the problem (O'Leary, 2009).
References
Cooper, T. L. (2012). The responsible administrator: An approach to ethics for the administrative role.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
O'Leary, R. (2009). When a Career Public Servant Sues the Agency He Loves: Claude Ferguson, the Forest
Service, and Off-Road Vehicles in the Hoosier National Forest. Public
Administration Review, 69(6), 1068-1076.
