These are two separate discussion posts. Must be APA format, answer thoroughly, must have at least two verifiable legitimate sources, per each discussion post. 250+ words need both Due by Friday September 6, 2019. By 6PM EST. 18 hours.

Discussion # 3.1

Instructions: You are testing for a position with a highly respected public safety agency. As part of you employment assessment, you must prepare and submit a ‘personal ethics statement’. This statement will be presented to the interview board prior to your interview. Of course, there are many areas of life in which personal ethics come into play. However, the instructions for this particular public safety agency require you to only address the following items. Using your results from the ‘personal ethics orientation’ discussion, complete the following and react to the postings of at least two fellow students. I would recommend that you read all of the postings of your fellow students. Understanding the ethical orientation of others will also serve to better inform your own.

Respond by defining the following:

General Personal Ethics Statement

Your ethics as they apply to Respect

Your ethics as they apply to Integrity

Discussion #3.2

After reading the following post, take a few minutes and share with us what you feel that your ethical filters are and how they might augment your ethics or perhaps hinder them.

Thanks for a very thoughtful and robust discussion. My biggest take away from this situation and a key reason I continue to utilize this scenario in ethics related training and classes on ethics stems from my close involvement in Mayor Keegan’s dilemma. You see, I was an employee of the City of Peoria when this story broke (working for the city fire department). More importantly, however, was the fact that I was also a full time Assistant Professor with Grand Canyon University (managing and teaching in the Public Safety Administration program).

As you know, those of us in higher education (my subculture) are very particular about the serious topic of plagiarism. When I saw the headlines, I literally said, “He will be forced to resign”. For you see, plagiarism is a death penalty offense in academic circles. I had been trained and conditioned as a student and as an academician to believe that plagiarism was the equivalent of ‘high treason’ in my profession.

I waited patiently, a few days, for the hammer to drop…and I waited, and I waited…still nothing. Not a rebuttal, not a statement from city hall, not a peep from city council members, not an update from the city manager….NOTHING! I was amazed!

It was at this juncture, that an important learning moment started to emerge. I gradually came to realize that the average person on the street really didn’t care about plagiarism. This act seemed like ‘no big deal’ to the citizenry at large. Why? I do not know but….the fact that most did not care forced me to reconcile what I felt was important with what the real-world felt. You see, I had a different ethical filter by being immersed in another culture of sorts than those not of the academic ilk. Not better, not worse, just different.

In fact, we all have different ethical filters. Again, not better, not worse, just different. What does this mean for leaders of organizations? Well, for one, as leaders we need to know our people to a degree that instructs us as to their values, beliefs, ethical orientation and the subcultures they have been influenced by. Had I been in a greater position of power within the city structure, I very well may have put a leash on a dog that wouldn’t hunt. I could have stepped out in front of the ‘crowd’ and attempted to make an issue of what most considered a non-issue (not good for my ‘career dissipation light’; see Backdraft, the movie).

I have also reconciled to the fact there exists what I term ‘Hierarchical Ethics’. This structure is a pyramid. In this informative structure, the closer you are to the top of the pyramid, the greater your ‘ethical liberties’. Those in power are often not judged as severely as those closer to the foundation of the pyramid. This is sad, as I am a firm believer in equal justice for all. But as we all know, the world is not equal.

Final words of wisdom: Know your personal ethical filters. Know the ethical filters of those you lead. Be slow to judge when an ethical issue is tied to your ethical filters. I hope you enjoyed this discussion. I know I always learn more about myself and others when this is a topic of discussion. Dr. Woodall