Analyzing Ethical Dilemmas in Public Administration: A Case Study

1 Much Ado About Something . Your name Institutional affiliation Course Date

2 Discussion. The case “Much Ado About Something” reminds me of the movie " Down of the Planet of Apes ( 2014 ) ”. The movie concerns a post-apocalyptic narrative of a conflict brewing between apes (descendants of genetic manipulation and animal experimentation), and the remaining humans (survivors of the human-made ape virus pandemic). Both stories follow similar political lines of mistrust, provocation between camps, and enmity. Despite that the movie is perceived as science fiction, it reflects contemporary cycles of violence; two communities in a pre-political state, struggling in isolation, with no internal conflict or disagreement. These communities have leaders, but leaders who are only obeyed because they are accorded exclusive respect. The movie’s theme depicts that when normal rules that govern normal behavior are deemed insufficient, politics as an exception emerges in its various forms. The Grassroot investigation in the case “Much Ado About Something” highlights several questionable activities in which the administrators of departments engaged. To manage the above case, there are several courses of action that can be undertaken to resolve the issue. While addressing ethical conundrums, we always have to turn into systems of control. Cooper highlights two major takes on this; external and internal controls. Cooper highlights that Americans' response to the discovery of breaches of ethical conduct constitutes the adoption of new regulations or legislation. The other common recourse is to restructure the organization or create new organizations to monitor the said organization. Optionally, most would also resort to cultivating and strengthening professional values and standards of people in public service through professional socialization or training (Cooper, 2012 pg.150). The textbook approach prescribes various measures including the need to respect "the people" since they are the ultimate source of administrative authority. In such a case, conflicts of

3 responsibility should be resolved in an idiosyncratic fashion. If we must be responsive t the wishes of the public, then the general course of conduct to be implemented should be guided by established policies reinforced or enforced by prescribed public service values. Based on the case presented in Much Ado About Something, limits regarding conformity and loyalty must be established to specific hierarchies in the organization. Every individual should be held accountable for his/her actions. It is somewhat reasonable to expect someone to accept employment in a fiduciary role and act in accordance with the collective values just like it is expressed in a political system and direct citizen participation. To subvert such acts, individuals should be aggregately employed by the public but should function in accordance with personal values and should be held accountable on a similar basis. Other options for external control also entail ethic legislation. Professional associations cab be used to impose a code of ethics on their members. An example of an association code of ethics is the 'Code of Ethics of the American Society for Public Administrators. For the people to form a perfect union, they must establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, and enhance the general welfare.

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4 References. Cooper, T. L. (2012). The responsible administrator: An approach to ethics for the administrative role . John Wiley & Sons.

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