ETHICAL/MORAL CASES CASE 1: EPILEPTIC CASE Alex, a 35 year old man, is an epileptic.

Although he is under medication, he still suffers seizures from time to time. One day, he was alone at home at around 1 a.m. when he was suddenly awakened when he heard Rina, a neighbor, frantically screaming for help. He ran towards the door to check what the problem was and even before he opened the door, he heard Rina banging at the door. When Alex finally opened the door, he was shocked when he saw blood in Rinas hands and dress. Hysterically, she said that her husband, Tony, was stabbed while having a drinking session with some friends. She begged Alex to drive them to the nearest hospital. Without any hesitation, Alex took his brothers car keys and ran with Rina to where Rinas husband was. Tonys body was sprawled on the ground and blood was oozing profusely from his throat and stomach. They were screaming for help, but unfortunately, nobody responded. The other neighbors stayed inside their houses and did not seem to be involved. So, Alex, with all his strength, carried Tony to the car, and, sped away. But, while he was driving, Alex suddenly had a seizure and the car moved uncontrollably that it hit three (3) people who were hailing a cab. The 3 victims suffered from severe head injury and broken ribs that after almost 5 hours of struggle at the I.C.U., eventually died. Questions: W hat is your moral evaluation of the case? Should A lex be held liable for an act that is indirectly willed ? Justify your answer.

CASE 2: MARKETING STRATEGY

Rachel was quickly hired out of the university during the dot-com boom to a company of 100 employees that ran an innovative social networking website. She was immediately put in charge of email communication to customers-both existing and potential. Rachel handled all online contact with existing users and was asked to market to these existing online community members via email. But she struggled with finding a balance of the right amount of marketing. With Internet competition growing everyday within the social networking websites, these users had plenty of alternatives. Flooding their email inboxes, she thought, wasn't the best way to attract them. Unfortunately, Rachel's boss had a different approach. The VP for Marketing wanted results he wanted existing customers to upgrade their networking packages and follow through on advertisements. He told Rachel to be as aggressive as possible with her email campaigns. Rachel found subtle alternatives to the mass emails. She developed links on the company website to advertisements, but she was not getting the results her boss demanded. One day when Rachel arrived at the office, her boss said he had a brilliant idea. He said that everybody knows Boy Abunda, so they could send emails to their users from that name to trick them into opening the email, which would display a link to their website. Questions: W hat is you moral evaluation? Is there any ethical dilemma that Rachel faced? If you were Rachel, Ethical/Moral Cases 1

what is your moral disposition? Justify your answer. CASE 3: INDECENT EMPLOYEE Trixie is a beautiful 22 year old young professional. She has a very pleasant personality that she can blend well with almost all the employees at their office. She has also been a consistent outstanding employee in the company because she has turned in a lot at the sales office resulting to increase in clients, prestige and income for the company. You happen to be the newly-hired manager of the company she works with. After 6 months as manager, your attention was called that Trixie has a sex video. You were skeptic at first because some people may just be out to pull her down, however, when you saw the said sex video, you shockingly confirmed that it was indeed Trixie. When you confronted her, she did not deny that it was, in fact, her and even defended herself by saying that It is my personal life; it is between me and my boyfriend having our most intimate moment. It has nothing to do with my performance in the company! Questions: W hat is your moral evaluation? W hat are the ethical dilemmas? W hat is the most cogent and prudent way to solve the moral dilemma? Justify your answer. CASE 4: BORROWING MONEY You have known Krizzy since high school. You have always known her to be a devout Catholic, a very responsible school leader and an exceptionally intelligent student belonging to a poor family. She topped the CPA board exam. She is also the eldest among the 7 siblings and is now married with 3 children. Even now that she is an accountant, she is still trying her best to make both ends meet because she still helps in the education of her other siblings plus she has a family to take care of. Years after college graduation you were happily reunited when you both discovered that you are working in the same company. She works as accountant and you are the executive secretary of the president of the company. You saw Krizzy come out of the president's office one early morning. You smiled and greeted each other, then, she said, I just came to get something. A week passed and you saw Krizzy again leave the president's office early in the morning. The following week, you decided to come earlier because you have to prepare for the president's board meeting. You were standing behind a cabinet when Krizzy entered the office. Krizzy did not know that you were already around. From where you are standing you could see her but she cannot see you. You went to surprise her when she was standing facing the vault but you were surprised instead when you saw Krizzy in the act of placing 4 bundles of huge money (P50,000/bundle) inside the vault where the president keeps important documents and valuables. To Krizzy's dismay, she exclaimed, Oh my God! I didn't know that you were around! She was just staring speechlessly at you when you asked, How come you know the vault's combination? And what is the P200,000 for? After moments of silence, she broke into tears and confessed that there was an emergency at home and she borrowed the money and is now returning it. Please don't tell our manager about this. Anyway, the money is now intact. You can check it's all there she said. Questions: Ethical/Moral Cases 2

W hat is your moral evaluation? W hat are the ethical dilemmas? W hat will be your moral disposition in this case? Justify your answer. CASE 5: SEXUAL HARASSMENT Trish is a graduating student in a prestigious university aiming for magna cum laude. She also got the Best Thesis award among other academic and non-academic awards. Three weeks before graduation, Trish received a message from Mr. De Guzman, one of the panelists during her thesis defense, that she should see him as soon as possible. When she finally met Mr. De Guzman, she was told that he just discovered that the two chapters in her thesis were directly lifted from a masteral thesis that has already been defended 20 years ago. With the presentation of the said M.A. Thesis as proof, Trish could no longer contradict nor negate the allegation. Trish asked him to help her what to do because she is vying for honor and she does not want to disappoint and embarrass her parents. Mr. De Guzman suggested that she should subject herself for some sexual favors or he would file a case that would strip her of all honors and awards due her. Questions: W hat is your ethical evaluation in this case? W hat are the ethical dilemmas? If you were Trish, what is the most discreet and prudent way to solve her moral dilemma? Justify your answer.

CASE 6: LOYALTY AND BETRAYAL

Elia Kazan, now 87 years old, was one of the most important American film directors during the 1950s and 1960s, having directed classic films such as On the W aterfront and V iva Zapata, A Streetcar Named Desire, and East of Eden, which launched the careers of Marlon Brando and James Dean. This past year Mr. Kazan was rejected, as he has been now for many years, for lifetime achievement awards by both the American Film Institute and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. The reason for this is that in 1952 Mr. Kazan appeared before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) and informed on eight friends, all film writers and directors as having been, like Mr. Kazan, members of the American Communist Party in the 1930s. Mr. Kazan did not accuse the eight individuals of any specific actions injurious to the United States. Nonetheless, none of them were able to work in the film industry for many years, in some cases, ever again, as a result of Mr. Kazans testimony. Mr. Kazans testimony took place at the height of the McCarthy era when the HUAC was zealously looking for evidence of Communist influence in Hollywood. Mr. Kazan was under pressure to testify, as were other former members of the American Communist Party in the film industry, because failure to cooperate with the HUAC had led to many writers and directors being blacklisted by film studios, which made it impossible to find work. Movie critics are deeply divided over the decision not to honor Mr. Kazan. Some believe that, in the words of one member of the American Film Institute, All that matters is the movies. Youre honoring a persons body of work. Other critics disagree. When youre honoring someones entire career, says another critic, youre honoring the totality of what he represents, and Kazans career, post 1952, was built on the ruin of other persons careers.
Question:Should Mr. Kazan receive a lifetime achievement award? If so, why? If not, why not?

Ethical/Moral Cases

CASE 7: UPLOADING PICTURES A group of students attended Ediths 18th birthday. There were many relatives and friends who were there to grace the occasion. As expected, there were a number who took pictures and videos. Two days after the party, Janine, one of Ediths friends, informed her that several pictures and videos were uploaded on Facebook (one of the most popular sites where people can post and share pictures). Janine said, I dont know if you are aware of this. Some pictures were edited that appeared offensive to me. You are wearing a very sexy and revealing swimsuit in the midst of our male friends. We know that this never happened. You had a picture with our male friends but NOT wearing that swimsuit! After Edith went on line to check the site, she was greatly offended. So, Edith confronted her friends who edited the pictures and uploaded them. They had a heated argument and one of them said, You are only referring to one picture. Dont you like all the pictures we uploaded? I think you are over-reacting! It was just for fun. Questions: How will you react to the situation? What would be the most logical and ethical counter arguments can you present? Defend your answer. CASE 8: STEALING AND CHEATING Two young brothers got into serious trouble. There were secretly leaving town in a hurry and needed money. Jett, the older one, broke into a jewelry store and stole cash and expensive sets of jewelry. Bobby, the younger one, went to the house of a retired old woman who was known to help people in the community. He told the woman that his mother is very sick and that he needed at least P200,000 for the operation. Bobby begged the old woman to lend him the money and promised that he would pay her back. In fact, Bobbys mother is not sick and he had no intention of paying the old woman back. Questions: What is your moral evaluation? Which is worse, stealing like Jett or cheating like Bobby? What makes it worse? Justify your answer. CASE 9: FAMILY ISSUES Eddie, an introvert 18 year old working student in Asian Schools of Arts and Sciences, lives in one of the depressed areas in Quezon City. He is the eldest among his 8 siblings. One of his siblings has to stop schooling in high school due to demanding school expenses. 2 of his siblings were supposed to be in the elementary but one as allowed to enroll due to financial deficiency. The rest of his siblings are still in their tended years. His father works as a security guard in a hardware store. His mother does part-time laundry work. Eddie discovered that his father has another woman and is the one financing his studies since first year. He also learned that his mother is 3 months pregnant. He felt overwhelmingly confused and overburdened on what to do. Questions: What is your moral evaluation of this case? What would be your moral disposition if you were Eddie? Justify your answer. CASE 10: JOB-HIRING You are the director of the Human Resource Department and you received a phone call from your Ethical/Moral Cases 4

boss and godfather, who was also the president of the board of trustees, asking you to determine whether or not you received his daughters application for a current job opening. Without making your boss in distress, you already filed and prioritized her paper. Later that day, your senior manager requested to see you. He said, I heard that the boss daughter has applied for the opening. You are to consider her, arent you? She worked here years ago and there were problems. Shes an indecent woman. Your colleagues will be very disappointed when you let her in. He smilingly added, You have a prudent mind, use it well. Questions: What is your moral evaluation of this case? If you are in the same situation, how are you going to resolve this dilemma? What is your moral disposition? CASE 11: DISCLOSURE Your father came home one afternoon looking so down and depressed. As he sat on a chair, you approached to ask what is bothering him. He burst into tears and told you that he was diagnosed of a terminal cancer of the colon. He was given approximately 3 to 6 months to live. He firmly insisted never to tell your mom who was diagnosed of having a heart problem a month earlier. It was found out that three arteries going to her heart are blocked and was advised to undergo bypass operation. Two days after you learned about your father's condition, your mother asked if you know anything about your father's concerns or difficulties because she said, she noticed that your father is extraordinarily quiet and seemed to be problematic. Yet, when she asked him, your mom said that your father simply replied, There's no problem. Everything is ok. Questions: What is your moral evaluation of this case? How will you respond to the situation? CASE 12: FRIENDS AND LOVERS
Tony, Claire, and Beth were the best of friends through high school. Tony and Beth attended the same college and began dating each other in their sophomore year. After graduation they announced their engagement and Beth asked Claire to be her maid of honor. About six months before the wedding, Beth's mother became ill. Since Beth was unemployed, her father asked her if she could stay home and take care of her mother. Because her mother needed her constantly, Beth found little time to spend with Tony. Although Tony became quite lonely, he was very understanding and tried to be as supportive as he could. Two months passed and Beth's mother's condition worsened. Given the circumstance, Claire offered to help Beth to call off the wedding. However Beth explained that the wedding was now even more important to her mother than it was before and that she had no intention of calling it off. Claire understood and continued to be a supportive friend both to Beth and Tony. Knowing Beth's fragile emotional condition and Tony's feelings of loneliness, Claire made a point of spending time with both of them. One evening Claire met Tony for dinner, and noticed while dining that he was very quiet. She asked him if there was something bothering him, other than the obvious circumstance

Ethical/Moral Cases

with Beth and her mother. Tony paused for a moment and asked Claire if she could keep a secret. Claire warmly assured Tony that he could tell her anything. He proceeded to confess that he had had a brief affair shortly after Beth's mother became ill. After his confession, Tony told Claire how grateful he was to have gotten all of that off his chest and thanked Claire for being such a good friend. Still, Claire was speechless. The following week, Beth called Claire and asked her to help her pick out a restaurant for the rehearsal dinner. Beth and Claire spent the afternoon driving around visiting restaurants. In the car Beth mentioned that she thought that Tony seemed a little preoccupied for the past month, but also added that the last few times they were together he seemed like his old self again. She then asked Claire for her opinion about whether "something was going on with Tony Question: If you are in Claires position, what will be your moral disposition?

Your analysis should be: - Logical - Based on facts - Based on sound or defensible moral principles

RUBRICS Clarity and Intelligibility (25%) Statements and defense of position are clear, precise and logically consistent in the line of reasoning Presentation of the defense/ position is profound, deep, and essential to the given case Ethical principles or theories used are relevant to the given case Defense presented indicate both awareness and thoughtful consideration of different viewpoints

Depth and Substance (25%)

Ethical Relevance (25%)

Deliberative Thoughtfulness (25%)

Ethical/Moral Cases

Ethical/Moral Cases