Question 1)

Ethical dilemmas are situations in which there is a difficult choice to be made between two or
more options, neither of which resolves the situation in a manner that is consistent with
accepted ethical guidelines. When faced with an ethical dilemma, a person is faced with
having to select an option that doesn’t align with an established code of ethics or societal
norms, such as codes of law and religious teachings, or with their internal moral perceptions
of right and wrong. Explore ethical dilemma examples to see how you might handle these
difficult situations.
Ethical dilemmas occur all too frequently in everyday life. There is rarely a clear answer
regarding right and wrong. Instead of being able to rely on external standards, people have to
rely on their moral values and ethics to navigate such situations.
Since I was a child, there had been a lot of animosity in my family between my grandparents,
as well as my father's sister, my aunty, and my mother. Despite this, the family has always
stayed together and has been present even during difficult times. Things began to normalise
as time passed and the next generation arrived, but this was not the case for my cousin, my
aunt's daughter, who had several issues with her mother. It was during my bachelor's studies
in Jaipur that I returned home for Diwali celebrations. My aunt used to take all four children,
including me, my sister, and her two children, to a restaurant for dinner whenever I visited
home. This time, we went to Ming Garden, a well-known Chinese restaurant in Varanasi, and
ordered everything we wanted. While everything was going well, the temperature began to
rise when my aunt and cousin got into an argument about an issue on their father's side of the
family. They both began to hurl statements at each other without taking into account where
we were. My cousin was only 14 years old at the time and had been through a lot in her life
that no one can imagine at that age. Both parties were seated opposite each other at the table,
and the dinner was served. As we began to enjoy the meal, the argument escalated to a level
that neither of us could control. Then came the moment that altered the course of their lives in
both positive and negative ways. My cousin threw the fork at my aunt, and it just missed her
eyes; if it had been a centimetre higher, she might have lost her sight. We were all shocked by
what had just occurred and quickly finished our dinner and rushed back home, while my aunt
was crying over what her daughter had just done to her, despite the fact that she had done so
much for her as a single mother (My aunt and uncle were not in good terms, so they
separated). As the eldest of the four, I was at a loss as to whom I should support. In business
terms, both parties were my stakeholders, and I needed to understand and manage them both.
It was a true crisis that needed to be managed. So, as soon as we got home, I sat with both of
them, despite my parents yelling at me not to get involved in their argument. But I knew it
was only I who could have solved the problem, so I made them sit and listen to both parties'
arguments; after listening to them, I realised it was not the fault of a single entity, but of both.
I made my cousin realize that its ok to argue verbally but it was not at all a good idea to
throw fork at her and that too at a social gathering, the same I told my aunt as well that she is
just a child, you should think twice before saying anything wrong to her about her father and
his family because for her he is still his father. The situation that I experienced can be fully
linked to crisis management which had occurred due to the argument between both the
individuals. After all the talks, they apologized to each other and made sure that such a thing
is not repeated, specially from my cousin’s side. Even today ups and downs are there but as
time passed, level of maturity and understanding has also scaled which has led to healthy
arguments.
I'd give myself an 8/10 for handling the situation given my maturity level at the time, which
was in my late twenties. However, I believe that I could have managed the situation much
more effectively if I had taken issue management steps as soon as the argument began to flare
up. My actions at the time would not have allowed the crisis to occur. If the same situation
had occurred today, I would have given myself a 8/10 because I possessed the maturity and
knowledge required to resolve the problem.

Question 2)
Treating people fairly is one of the most important characteristics of a good leader. This
entails fairness and consistency, as well as applying the rules equally to everyone. Taking
tough calls and following the rules in these situations when my close friends are on the other
end is an ethical quandary that I have faced many times in my professional and academic
lives.
As a leader, I've had to make difficult decisions against members of my own team, which
resulted in a chain of unfortunate events. It has an impact not only on the team's results, but
also on the workplace environment.
Following rules is one of the ethics that I follow in my life, but when I am faced with
situations where I must maintain both rules and friendships, it is a difficult task. Here are a
few dilemmas and problems that I have personally encountered while sticking to the rules and
hoping not to lose my friendship:
• What if I make a decision against my friend that is against the rules? Will my friend get it,
or will he retaliate?
• What if I make a decision in favour of my friend that violates the rules? Will I ever be able
to forgive myself? Will my morals allow me to do so?
In these situations, I choose to follow the rules because breaking them would be a violation of
my own ethics. It would be preferable to follow the rules and act ethically in these situations.
Ethics is a personality trait that causes you to do things in your favour at times and against
you at other times. It is entirely up to me whether to be ethical and lose a few relationships or
unethical and keep a few relationships. I would choose the first option because being ethical
will not only make you appear to be a better human being, but it will also provide you with
inner peace that you may not find through unethical means.
Also, there have been times when I've been in a group with two of my best friends. I am
aware that one of my friends is a good team player who completes the assigned work
efficiently, whereas the other is merely a member of the team but does not contribute to the
team's efforts. When I am aware of these characteristics in my friends, I am in a quandary in
the following situations:
• When I have to choose between two options for a specific task.
• When I need to persuade other teammates to consider my non-contributing friend.
• When I need to make sure that both of my friends are treated equally.
In these situations, my ethics are called into question. Whether I am doing my team and the
work for which they are striving justice? Whether I am doing my friends justice by
maintaining my friendship?
Deontology was chosen as the ethical model.
According to the deontological viewpoint, having a moral intention and following the right
rules is a better path to ethical behaviour than achieving the right results. A deontologist is
likely to believe that doing one's duty leads to ethical action, and that duties are defined by
rational thought. Duties are not limited to specific types of people, but are owed universally
to all people.