ETHICAL

ISSUES AND
ETHICAL
DILEMMAS
PA3- ETHICS AND
ACCOUNTABILITY IN PUBLIC
SERVICE
 BARBIE ANGELINE A.
ROMERO

PREPARED BY: JEAN SECRETARIO

DOLAN JAY SALTURIO

ROSELYN BHERT AZULIS

 INTRODUCTION
The society deals with a number of ethical issues on
a regular basis some even go unnoticed unless
personally experienced, went viral using media,
become part of the news headline, or encountered
in professional dealings.
ETHICAL
DILEMMAS
CONFRONTING
PUBLIC SERVICE,
WORKERS AND
COMMON CITIZEN
• Privacy and Confidentiality
• Citizenship, equal value and
opportunities in the society
• Unethical leadership
• Policy dilemma
• Graft and corruption
 Privacy and Confidentiality
Privacy refers to an individual’s right to prevent the disclosure of
certain information to another individual or entity (Allen 1997).
Confidentiality refers to a situation in which information
collected or disclosed within a confidential relationship is not
redisclosed without the permission of the individual (Rothstein
1997). The breach of either privacy or confidentiality happen in
different settings. In the health industry, it manifests in the form
of other member of the workforce gaining access to sensitive
data through unauthorized disclosure.
 Citizenship, equal value and
opportunities in the society
Citizenship or one’s membership status in a political community
implies both rights and obligations. As a citizen, a person has
liberty from some forms of pressure and freedom to pursue certain
goals. Nussbaum (2011) mentioned that one should not be deprived
of the capability to have control over his/her environment. These
may be in the form of being able to have political choices, exercise
right to vote, hold property, seek employment on an equal basis
with others, remain active member of the society, or to have a say
on the way public policies are implemented.
 Graft and corruption

Graft and corruption according to Cruz (1995) is an amoral

offence against public property and to the funds for public use.
Money for the welfare of the people are taken thereby violating
the principle of justice and common good. It is a serious problem
that the Philippine government and other countries are having a
hard time eradicating in spite existence of relevant laws. Cabilo
(2002) even reiterated that there are graft and corrupt practices
which unfortunately have become part of the culture.
 Unethical leadership
According to an article published by Michigan
State University in 2019, abuse of leadership
authority is an unfortunate reality in the workplace
and may come in the form of embezzlement of
funds by manipulating numbers in a report,
spending funds on inappropriate activities,
accepting inappropriate gifts from suppliers, or
asking to skip a standard procedure "just once".
 Policy dilemma
Policy makers are sometimes confronted by
conflicting responsibilities to the society and the
administrator. The official's obligation to respect
the political process may conflict with his/her
view on how the objects of policy making are
treated, leading to a clash between his/her view
of the public interests and the requirements of the
law.
ETHICAL
DECISION-MAKING
1. Utilitarian Approach
2. Individualism Approach
3. Moral-Rights Approach
4. Fairness/Justice Approach
5. The Virtue Approach
 Utilitarian Approach
This approach holds that moral
behavior produces the greatest good for the
greatest number. A decision maker is
expected to consider the effect of each
decision alternative on all parties and select
one that optimizes the satisfaction for the
greatest number of people.
 Individualism Approach
This approach contends that acts are moral
when they promote the individual's long-term
interests. Individual self-direction is
paramount and therefore, external forces that
restrict self-direction should be limited. An
individual sees his/her advantage as a measure
of a decision's goodness.
 Moral-Rights Approach
1. Right of free consent: ability to be treated only as if
knowingly and freely consent to be treated.
2. Right to privacy: control over information about
private life.
3. Right to freedom of conscience: may refrain from
carrying out any order that violates own moral or
religious upbringing.
4. Right to due process: right to an impartial hearing
and justice system.
5. Right to life and safety: right to live without
endangerment violation of health and safety.
 Fairness/Justice Approach
Distributive justice.
 Requires that different treatment of people

Procedural justice.
 Requires fair administration of law

Compensatory justice.
 Requires that individuals should be compensated for the cost

of their injuries
 The Virtue Approach
It is a very ancient approach to ethics which argues
that ethical actions must be consistent with certain ideal
virtues as they provide full development of our
humanity. These virtues are dispositions and habits that
enable one to act according to the highest potential of
his/her character and on behalf of values like truth and
beauty.
 FACTORS AFFECTING
ETHICAL CHOICES
1. Pre-conventional level
2. Conventional level
3. Principled level
4. Transformative/ Servant Leadership
 Pre-conventional level.
Individuals are concerned with external
rewards and punishments, and in obeying
authority to avoid personal consequences. In a
workplace setting, it can be illustrated into a
supervisor using autocratic or coercive
leadership style and with employees oriented
toward accomplishment of specific tasks.
 Conventional level
People learn to conform to the expectations of
good behavior as defined by colleagues, family,
friends, and society in which meeting social and
interpersonal obligations becoming more important.
Organizational goals are then achieved through
collaborations with the supervisor using leadership
styles that encourage interpersonal relationships and
cooperation.
 Principled level
In this level also referred to as "high moral development
level", individuals are guided by an internal set of values and
standards, even disobeying certain rules or laws that violate
these principles when required such as during emergency
situations. Internal values are treated as more important than the
expectations of significant others. People who are able to ascend
to this level are able to act in independent, ethical manner
regardless of expectations from others inside or outside the
organization or in spite organizational consequences for them.
 Transformative/Servant
Leadership
In this level, supervisors learn to focus on the needs
of followers, empowers and gives them opportunities
for constructive participation in governance of the
organization. When faced with difficult situations and a
host of ethical dilemma, others reflect for a while and
ask themselves questions that will force them to think
hard about the social and ethical consequences of their
behaviors.
 THANK YOU!
PREPARED BY:
BARBIE ANGELINE ROMERO
JEAN SECRETARIO
DOLAN JAY SALTURIO
ROSELYN BHERT AZULIS