Introduction
People are usually faced with difficult situations that require critical thinking before any action is taken. Sometimes human beings develop various reasons to justify their actions in order to suit various situations. However, people do not always put to consideration ethical decision making aspects and this jeopardizes the value of their actions.
It is known world over that most people apply the principle of the end justifying the means at the expense of other factors (Curtler 2004). In this situations people are confronted with two situations that are not as easy as most of them think they are. This coursework is about ethical decision making regarding an iPod found lying in a classroom.
Participants Involved
It is very important to think and anticipate who will be affected if the student decides to keep the iPod and not tell anyone about it. In this situation the first person to be affected will be the owner of the iPod who will suffer financial and emotional loss when he or she discovers the missing item from his backpack.
The second person to be affected will be the person who bought the item (parent or close friend who offered it as a gift to the owner). Other participants include the person who found the item and the one sitting close to him. The teacher on duty and the one in class should also be involved in locating the owner of the item
Factors to Consider Before Making a Decision
An iPod left lying on the class room floor is a sure indication that it was dropped by someone who was hurrying to attend another class or get home early. The fact that the iPod is in a good working condition means that it was useful to the owner. The first thing that should come to an individual’s mind is to think and understand the situation in order to decide what step to take. The iPod must belong to a student who had attended class in the same room and dropped it without knowing. Accidents do happen and people misplace valuable items. In addition a person must ensure he determines whether he or she is capable of handling this situation or not (Josephson 2002). If the person is able to identify the right owner of the iPod and deliver it to him or her then that should be the best action but if he or she is not able to identify the owner then seeking help from other students and teachers will be the better option.
Consultations will enable the person to identify the correct way of dealing with this situation. The person should also review the ethical implications of keeping the item to himself or herself or leaving it lying on the floor. It should be noted that keeping the item or leaving it ton the floor may impact negative emotions and feelings of betrayal to the student. The person should also consider the social implications should he be found in possession of the item.
He should also consider any other occasion that involved a lost and found item and what were the actions taken and the outcomes of those actions. The person should also consider the religious, cultural and social teachings involved in keeping the iPod or leaving it lying on the floor and how these teachings relate to personal interests. In addition, the person should look for alternative actions that may be helpful in responding to this situation and ensure he or she arrives at the best solution that is not only good but ethical.
Alternatives
There are two ethical alternatives involved in this case. The first one involves taking the iPod and looking for the owner by placing announcements on the school’s notice boards regarding the lost and found item (Curtler 2004). The second alternative is talking the item to the administration and leaving it with them to trace the owner. The third alternative involves keeping the item to himself although this should be the last option after all other options have failed to yield positive results.
Consequences Involved
However, there are varied consequences involved in this scenario. The first issue to consider is if he decides to keep the item and then suddenly the owner comes back to look for it and it is found in his bag people will think he is a thief and may take legal actions against him. Secondly, if he decides to present it to the teacher and the owner traced he will be considered well behaved and this may earn him gifts from the owner.
The main ethical issues involved in this case are transparency and accountability. Transparency is associated with the correct steps taken to ensure the owner gets back his lost and found item despite the fact that it was not stolen but misplaced (Curtler 2004). Accountability involves how committed the person is in taking the correct action with regard to tracing the owner of the iPod.
Conclusion
Making an ethical decision is not as easy as most people think it is especially when there are conflicts of interests involved. However, people should consider the moral, emotional and legal consequences of their actions before taking any step in order to ensure the actions taken correspond with the society’s expectations.
References
Curtler, H. (2004). Ethical Argument: Critical Thinking in Ethics. New York: Oxford University Press.
Josephson, M. (2002). Making Ethical Decisions. California: Josephson Institute of Ethics.