Learning Activity

Name: Irishgaile S. Cutiongco Score:

Block: (2C) BSA 2 Date: Jan. 29, 2025

Determine if these cases are examples of moral dilemma. Defend your answer.

1. The Project Manager

Anne is the project manager of a large industrial project in a developing country, run by a Nordic
company. On a crucial day for the project, the electricity is suddenly gone from the entire plant.
Large quantities of cement are about to congeal in the blenders, and it is crucial to activate them
again, quickly. More than a thousand employees are unable to do their work. Anne contacts the
local authorities to solve the problem. A bureaucrat turns up at the plant and explains that he
can get the electricity back on again very quickly, on the condition that he can bring ten of the
company's PCs back to the town hall. There is a desperate shortage of PCs there, and the
bureaucrat and his colleagues are therefore unable to provide adequate service to the local
community. Thus, he suggests a trade-off: PCs for electricity. In this manner, Anne and her
company can make a significant contribution to the society in which they operate. Time is of the
essence, and Anne has little time to dwell on the alternatives. There is no time to contact top
management in her home country to get advice or instructions about what to do. She has to
figure this out by herself. If the cement congeals today, it will mean a considerable delay in the
project. Several operations will mean a considene, at a high cost, particularly compared to cost
of losing ten PCs that can be easily replaced. Anne also has sympathy with the local
bureaucrats and the population they are serving. They will probably make very good use of the
PCs. On the other hand, if she gives in to blackmail this time, the same may happen again, at
other crucial stages of the project. Anne faces a difficult choice.

What should she do?

Anne wants to honor the moral value of finishing the project on time and within budget, but also
the moral value of not giving in to blackmail or corruption. One of these values will have to give
way at the expense of the other. There is no harmonious way out, where Anne can say that she
has done everything right.

ANSWER: Anne is facing a difficult decision caused by moral dilemma wherein she must
weigh the options whether restoring electricity and finishing their tasks immediately or
succumbing to blackmail. Whereas, if she accept the trade-off, her sympathetic giving
towards bureaucratic people will be satisfied, however will incur risks later on. On the
other hand, if she refuses the trade-off, it will lead to project delays and financial losses.
But then, I believe that Anne should refuse the offer, especially if she don’t have any
permission from higher ups to do so. Instead she should find another alternatives, this
will prove her resourcefulness and quick problem solving skills.
2. The Deliberate Infection

Ken is a doctor. One of his patients, whom he has diagnosed as HIV positive, is about to receive
a blood transfusion prior to being released from the hospital. He has told Ken, in the confidence
of their doctor-patient relationship, that after he gets his transfusion, and his medicine from Ken,
he intends to infect as many people as possible with HIV starting that evening

Because Ken is bound by doctor-patient confidentiality, there is no legal way to stop this man
from carrying out his plan. Even if Ken warned the police, they would not be able to arrest him,
since his medical information is protected.

It occurs to Ken that he could contaminate his medication by putting an untraceable poison in it
that will kill him before he gets a chance to infect others.

Should Ken poison this man in order to prevent him from spreading HIV?

ANSWER: Ken is situated in a moral dilemma wherein he must take into account the
possible harm that his patient plans to cause to others, while he is bound by
doctor-patient confidentiality. Additionally, poisoning the patient in order to stop the
transmission of HIV presents serious moral and legal concerns. Ken should consider
other options before using violence and breaching confidentiality, like getting legal
advice. This solution agrees between his moral commitments and the possibility of
protecting others from harm without using violent means.

3. The Unfaithful Wife

You are an emergency worker that has just been called to the scene of an accident. When you
arrive you see that the car belongs to your wife. Fearing the worst you rush over, only to see
she is trapped in her car with another man. He is obviously her lover, with whom she's been
having an affair.

You reel back in shock, devastated by what you have just found out. As you step back, the
wreck in front of you comes into focus. You see your wife is seriously hurt and she needs
attention straight away. Even if she gets immediate attention there's a very high chance she'll
die. You look at the seat next to her and see her lover. He's bleeding heavily from a wound in
the neck and you need to stem the flow of blood immediately.

If you attend to your wife, her lover will bleed to death, and you may not be able to save her
anyway. If you work on the lover, you can save his life, but your wife will definitely die.

Who should you choose to work on?

ANSWER: Emergency workers’ duty is to save lives and provide care, regardless of any
personal relationships. However, even with the overwhelming feeling he felt as a
husband, he should not forget his responsibility and it should not confuse his judgement
as a professional. He must quickly assess the severity of both individuals and attend
who’s in greater need of attendance of medical professionals. Regardless of personal
feeling, prioritizing life-saving is important in this critical situation.

4. The English Teacher

You are an English teacher at a high school. One of your pupils is a very bright and gifted girl
whom you have always enjoyed teaching. She has always achieved A grades throughout her
school years, and is now in her final year and getting ready to graduate. Unfortunately, she has
been very ill this term, and missed several weeks of schooling. She has just turned in a report
which is worth 40% of her final grade, but you realize that she did not write it herself - she has
copied a report found online and tried to pass it off as her own work.

If you report her plagiarisation to the school authorities, it will be entered on her permanent
record and she will no longer be eligible to attend the prestigious university that she has
dreamed of attending all through high school. If you refuse to accept the report, her final mark
will be very poor and may harm her chances of being chosen for this university. If you mark the
paper as though you believed it was her own work, she will do very well, and stand every
chance of getting her desired university place.

What should you do?

ANSWER: In this case, honesty and kindness must be taken into consideration. While it
can be important to report plagiarism, the teacher could also support the situation of her
student and show sympathy like assisting her in learning from this experience by
conversing with her about her situation and providing a chance for improvement.