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• “Ad”mission of guilt
• “Do I stop him?”
• Newspaper joins war against drugs
• Have I got a deal for you!
• Identifying what’s right
• Is “Enough!” too much?
• Issues of bench and bar
• Knowing when to say “when!”
• Stop! This is a warning…
• Strange bedfellows
• Gambling with being first
• Making the right ethical choice can mean winning by losing
• Playing into a hoaxster’s hands
• “They said it first”
• Is it news, ad or informercial?
• Letter to the editor
• Games publishers play
• An offer you can refuse
• An oily gift horse
• Public service . . . or “news-mercials”
• As life passes by
• Bringing death close
• A careless step, a rash of calls
• Distortion of reality?
• Of life and death
• Naked came the rider
• “A photo that had to be used”
• A picture of controversy
• Freedom of political expression
• Brother, can you spare some time?
• Columnist’s crusade OK with Seattle
• Kiss and tell
• The making of a govenor
• Past but not over
• Of publishers and politics
• To tell the truth
• Truth & Consequences
• “Truth boxes”
• When journalists become flacks
• A book for all journalists who believe
• The Billboard Bandit
• Food for thought
• Grand jury probe
• Judgement on journalists
• Lessons from an ancient spirit
• Lying for the story . . .
• Newspaper nabs Atlanta’s Dahmer
• One way to a good end
• Over the fence
• “Psst! Pass it on!”
• Rules aren’t neat on Crack Street
• “Someone had to be her advocate”
• Trial by Fire
• Trial by proximity
• Using deceit to get the truth
• When advocacy is okay
• Witness to an execution
• Are we our brother’s keeper? . . . You bet we are!
• Betraying a trust
• Broken promise
• “But I thought you were . . . ”
• “Can I take it back?”
• Competitive disadvantage
• Getting it on tape
• The great quote question
• How to handle suicide threats
• Let’s make a deal!
• A phone-y issue?
• The source wanted out
• The story that died in a lie
• Thou shalt not break thy promise
• Thou shalt not concoct thy quote
• Thou shalt not trick thy source
• Too good to be true
• Vulnerable sources and journalistic responsibility
• The way things used to be . . .
• When a story just isn’t worth it
• When a story source threatens suicide
• When public should remain private
• The ethics of “outing”
• “For personal reasons”
• Intruding on grief
• Intruding on private pain
• Privacy case settled against TV station
• Seeing both sides
• Two views on “outing”
• Unwanted spotlight
• Whose right is it anyway?
• Other views on the Christine Busalacchi case
• The death of a soldier
• Firing at Round Rock
• A kinder, gentler news media
• Operation: Buy yourself a parade
• Rallying ’round the flag
• “Salute to military” ads canceled
• Tell the truth, stay alive
• The windbags of war
• Absent with no malice
• Anonymity for rape victims . . .
• An exception to the rule
• The boy with a broken heart
• Civilly suitable
• Creating a victim
• “Everyone already knew”
• An exceptional case
• Innocent victims
• Minor infraction
• Names make news
• Naming a victim
• Naming “johns”
• Profile of controversy
• What the media all missed
• Punishing plagiarizers
• Sounding an alarm on AIDS
• Suffer the children
• Anchor’s away
• The day the earth stood still
• Doing your own ethics audit
• Good guys, bad guys and TV news
• Is it just me, or . . . ?
• The Post’s exam answer story
• TV station “teases” suicide
• Yanking Doonesbury
• The year in review
• Colorado media’s option play
• Deadly lesson
• Deciding which critically ill person gets coverage
• When journalists play God . . .
• A delicate balance
• The Fallen Servant
• Handle with care
• It’s the principle, really
• Killing news
• Maybe what seems so right is wrong
• On the line
• Protest and apology after Daily Beacon story
• Red flag for badgering
• Sharing the community’s grief
• The “super-crip” stereotype
• “And then he said *&%*!!!”
• When big is not better
• When the KKK comes calling
• Not the straight story
• Agreeing to disagree
• All in the family
• Family feud
• Author! Author!
• The Bee that roared
• Brewing controversy
• Building barriers
• Other views from librarians
• The ethics of information selling
• Close to home
• Family ties
• How now, sacred cow?
• The ties that bind
• “Like any other story”
• When your newspaper is the news
• Not friendly fire
• Overdraft on credibility?
• The problem is the writing
• Written rules can be hazardous
• Project censored, sins of omission and the hardest “W” of all – “why”
• Risking the newsroom’s image
• The Media School

Ethics Case Studies

Ethics cases online.

This set of cases has been created for teachers, researchers, professional journalists and consumers of news to help them explore ethical issues in journalism. The cases raise a variety of ethical problems faced by journalists, including such issues as privacy, conflict of interest, reporter- source relationships, and the role of journalists in their communities.

The initial core of this database comes from a series of cases developed by Barry Bingham, Jr., and published in his newsletter, FineLine. The school is grateful to Bingham for his permission to make these cases available to a wider audience.

You may download cases for classes, research or personal use. Permission is granted for academic use of these cases, including inclusion in course readers for specific college courses. This permission does not extend to the republication of the cases in books, journals or electronic form.

Note: We are indebted to Professor Emeritus David Boeyink, who developed this project several years ago.

Aiding law enforcement

• “Ad”mission of guilt: Court-ordered ads raise ethical questions
• “Do I stop him?”: Reporter’s arresting question is news
• Fairness: A casualty of the anti-drug crusade
• Newspaper joins war against drugs: Standard-Times publishes photos of all suspected drug offenders
• Have I got a deal for you!: The line between cooperation and collusion
• Identifying what’s right: Photographer’s ID used in hostage release
• Is “Enough!” too much?: Editors split on anti-drug coupons
• Issues of bench and bar: In this case, a TV reporter is the judge
• Knowing when to say “when!”: Drawing the line at cooperating with authorities
• Stop! This is a warning . . . : Suppressing news at police request
• Strange Bedfellows: Federal agents in a TV newsroom

Being first

• Gambling with being first: The media drive to score on the Isiah Thomas story
• Playing into a hoaxster’s hands: How the Virginia media got suckered
• “They said it first”: Is that reason for going for the story?

Bottom-line decisions

• Is it news, ad or infomercial?: The line between news and advertising is going, going . . .
• Games publishers play: Allowing an advertiser to call the shots
• An offer you can refuse: The selling of Cybill to the Enquirer
• An oily gift horse: saying “No!” to Exxon
• Public service. . .or “news-mercials”: The blending of television news and advertising

Controversial photos

• As life passes by: A journalist’s role: watch and wait
• Bringing death close: Publishing photographs of human tragedy
• A careless step, a rash of calls: “Unusual” photo of AIDS walkathon raises hackles” 
• Distortion of reality?: “Punk for Peace” photograph draws fire
• Of life and death: Photos capture woman’s last moments
• “A photo that had to be used”: Anatomy of a newspaper’s decision
• A picture of controversy: Pulitzer photos show diverse editorial standards

Covering politics

• Freedom of political expression: Do journalists forfeit their right?
• Brother, can you spare some time?: TV stations give candidates air time
• Columnist’s crusade OK with Seattle Times
• Kiss and tell: Publishing details of a mayor’s personal life
• The making of a governor: How media fantasy swayed an election
• Past but not over: When history collides with the Present
• Of publishers and politics: Byline protest threatened at Star Tribune
• To tell the truth: Why I didn’t; why I regret it
• Truth & Consequences: The public’s right to know . . . at what cost?
• “Truth boxes”: Media monitoring of TV campaign ads
• When journalists become flacks: Two views on what to do and when to do it

Getting the story

• A book for all journalists who believe: Accuracy is our highest ethical debate
• The Billboard Bandit: Did the newspaper get graffiti on its reputation
• Food for thought: You are what you eat . . . and do
• Grand jury probe: TV journalists indicted for illegal dogfight
• Judgment on journalists: Do they defiantly put themselves “above the law?”
• Lessons from an ancient spirit: Why I participated in a peyote ritual
• Lying for the story . . . :Or things they don’t teach in journalism school
• Newspaper nabs Atlanta’s Dahmer: Another predator who should’ve been stopped: Was it homophobia?
• One way to a good end: Reporter cuts corners to test capital drug program
• Over the fence: A case of crossing the line for a story
• “Psst! Pass it on!”: Why are journalists spreading rumors?
• Rules aren’t neat on Crack Street: Journalists know the rules; they also know that the rules don’t always apply when confronted with life-threatening situations
• “Someone had to be her advocate”: A newspaper’s crusade to keep a child’s death from being forgotten
• Trial by Fire: Boy “hero” story tests media
• Trial by proximity: How close is too close for a jury and a reporter?
• Using deceit to get the truth: When there’s just no other way
• When advocacy is okay: Access is an acceptable journalist’s cause
• White lies: Bending the truth to expose injustice
• Witness to an execution: KQED sues to videotape capital punishment

Handling sources

• Are we our brother’s keeper? . . . You bet we are!
• Betraying a trust: Our story wronged a naive subject
• Broken Promise: Breaching a reporter-source confidence
• “But I thought you were . . .”: When a source doesn’t know you are a reporter
• “Can I take it back?”: Why we told our source ‘yes’
• Competitive disadvantage: Business blindsided by unnamed sources
• Getting it on tape: What if you don’t tell them?
• The great quote question: How much tampering with quotations can journalists ethically do?
• Let’s make a deal!: The dangers of trading with sources
• A phone-y issue?: Caller ID raises confidentiality questions
• The source wanted out: Why our decision was ‘no’
• The story that died in a lie: Questions about truthfulness kill publication
• Thou shalt not break thy promise: Supreme Court rules on betraying sources’ anonymity 
• Thou shalt not concoct thy quote: Supreme Court decides on the rules of the quotation game
• Thou shalt not trick thy source: Many a slip twixt the promise and the page
• Too good to be true: Blowing the whistle on a lying source
• Vulnerable sources and journalistic responsibility: Are we our brother’s keeper?
• The way things used to be . . . : Who says this new “objectivity” is better?
• When a story just isn’t worth it: Holding information to protect a good source
• When a story source threatens suicide: “I’m going to kill myself!”

Invading privacy

• The ethics of “outing”: Breaking the silence code on homosexuality
• “For personal reasons”: Balancing privacy with the right to know
• Intruding on grief: Does the public really have a “need to know?”
• Intruding on private pain: Emotional TV segment offers hard choice
• Seeing both sides: A personal and professional dilemma
• Two views on “outing”: When the media do it for you
• Two views on “outing”: When you do it yourself
• Unwanted Spotlight: When private people become part of a public story
• Whose right is it anyway?: Videotape of accident victim raises questions about rights to privacy

Military Issues

• The death of a soldier: Hometown decision for hometown hero
• Firing at Round Rock: Editor says “unpatriotic” story led to dismissal  
• A kinder, gentler news media?: Post-war coverage shows sensitivity to families
• Operation: Buy yourself a parade: New York papers pitch in for hoopla celebrating hide-and-seek war
• Rallying ’round the flag: The press as U.S. propagandists
• “Salute to military” ads canceled
• Tell the truth, stay alive: In covering a civil war, honesty is the only policy
• The windbags of war: Television’s gung-ho coverage of the Persian Gulf situation

Naming newsmakers

• Absent with no malice: Omitting part of the story for a reason
• Anonymity for rape victims . . . : should the rules change?
• An exception to the rule: a decision to change names
• The boy with a broken heart: Special problems when juveniles are newsmakers
• Civilly suitable: If law requires less, should media reveal more?
• Creating a victim: Plot for a fair story may not be foolproof
• “Everyone already knew”: A weak excuse for abandoning standards
• An exceptional case: Hartford Courant names rape victim
• Innocent victims: Naming the guilty . . . but guiltless
• Minor infraction: A newspaper’s case for breaking the law
• Names make news: One newspaper debates when and why
• Naming a victim: When do you break your own rule?
• Naming “johns”: Suicide raises ethical questions about policy
• Profile of controversy: New York Times reporter defends story on Kennedy rape claimant 
• What the media all missed: Times reporter finally sets record straight on Palm Beach rape profile
• Punishing plagiarizers: Does public exposure fit the sin?
• Sounding an alarm on AIDS: Spreading the word about someone who’s spreading the disease
• Suffer the Children: Journalists are guilty of child misuse

Other topics

• Anchor’s away: Where in the world is she? Or does it matter?
• The day the earth stood still: How the media covered the “earthquake”
• Good guys, bad guys and TV news: How television and other media promote police violence
• The Post’s exam answer story
• TV station “teases” suicide
• The year in review: 1990’s biggest ethical headaches and journalistic bloopers

Sensitive news topics

• Colorado media’s option play: Most passed; did they also fumble?
• Deadly lesson: Warning about sexual asphyxiation
• A delicate balance: Mental breakdowns & news coverage
• The Fallen Servant: When a hero is not a hero
• Handle with care: Priest murder story required extra sensitivity
• It’s the principle, really: Timing and people’s money matter, too
• Killing news: Responsible coverage of suicides
• Maybe what seems so right is wrong: A medical condition media-generated money can’t cure
• On the line: A reporter’s job vs. human decency
• Red flag for badgering: Ombudsman takes sportswriter to task
• Sharing the community’s grief: Little Rock news coverage of three teen-age suicides
• Suffer the children: Was story on molestation worth the human cost?
• The “super-crip” stereotype: Press victimization of disabled people
• “And then he said *&%*!!!”: When sexist and vulgar remarks are new
• When big is not better: Playing down a story for the community good
• When the KKK comes calling: What’s the story?
• Not the straight story: Can misleading readers ever be justified?

Workplace issues

• Agreeing to disagree: How one newspaper handles off-hour activities
• All in the family: When a journalist’s spouse creates a conflict of interests
• Family feud: Handling conflicts between journalists and partners
• Author! Author!: Ethical dilemmas when reporters turn author
• The Bee that roared: Taking a stand for editorial independence
• Brewing controversy: The commercialization of Linda Ellerbee
• Building barriers: The case against financial involvement
• Other views from librarians: When interests of client and newsroom conflict
• The ethics of information selling: Problems for library reference services
• Close to home: When your newsroom is part of the story
• Family Ties: When are relationships relationships relevant?
• How now, sacred cow?: United Way’s favored treatment by the media
• The ties that bind: Publisher’s link to United Way raises questions
• “Like any other story”: Can it be when it’s your union vs. your paper?
• When your newspaper is the news: Editors discuss their experiences
• Not friendly fire: News director at odds with CBS over story
• Overdraft on credibility?: Reporter faces conflict-of-interest charges
• Written rules can be hazardous: A lawyer views ethics codes
• Project censored, sins of omission and the hardest “W” of all – “why”
• Risking the newsroom’s image: How editors, in a good cause, can strain independence

Ethics Case Studies resources and social media channels

• Ethics Cases
• Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
• Ethics Resources

Find case studies and scenarios on a variety of fields in applied ethics.

Cases can also be viewed by the following categories:

For permission to reprint cases, submit requests to [email protected] .

Looking to draft your own case studies?  This template provides the basics for writing ethics case studies in technology (though with some modification it could be used in other fields as well).

A fitness tracker aimed at children raises issues of design ethics, incentives, and more.

Six case studies explore how accessibility intersects with health care, education, and workplace ethics. The cases serve as a foundation for difficult dialogues, in-class discussions, or workshops and should be used by stakeholders involved in disability advocacy, education, health care, and policy-making.

AI-generated text, voices, and images used for entertainment productions and impersonation raise ethical questions.

The importance of academic institutions in shaping the societal narrative is increasingly showcased by constant media exposure and continuous requests for social commentary. This case study outlines effective methodologies of leadership, ethics, and change management within an organization, for the purpose of motivating and engaging stakeholders to empathize with and carry out a shared directive.

How might news platforms and products ensure that ethical journalism on chronic issues is not drowned out by the noise of runaway political news cycles?

Ethical questions arise in interactions among students, instructors, administrators, and providers of AI tools.

In water rights discussions, there is an ethical responsibility to include Indigenous people in both conversations and legislation decisions.

In this business ethics case study, Swedish multinational company IKEA faced accusations relating to child labor abuses in the rug industry in Pakistan which posed a serious challenge for the company and its supply chain management goals.

A dog may be humanity’s best friend. But that may not always be the case in the workplace.

A recent college graduate works in the finance and analytics department of a large publicly traded software company and discovers an alarming discrepancy in sales records, raising concerns about the company’s commitment to truthful reporting to investors. 

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" Gilbane Gold: A Case Study in Engineering Ethics "  - 1989 (23 min.) National Institute for Engineering Ethics Texas Tech University , Box 41023 , Lubbock , TX 79409-1023 Phone: 806-742-3525 (3521)  /  Fax: 806-742-0444 Gilbane Gold shows the dilemma of an engineer caught between doing what he feels is right, and remaining loyal to the company. When the engineer discovers that his company is polluting the environment despite compliance with regulations, he must convince his superiors that their deceptive water quality reporting policy isn't ethical. Eventually, he is forced to risk his career by making the deception public. This video also shows factors that motivate companies as they balance tradeoffs between safety and profits, and how cities make tradeoffs between tax revenues from companies and the strictness of pollution standards applied to those companies. This video is well acted and written, making it easy for students to identify with the engineer's crisis. A discussion guide is included.

" Testing Water...And Ethics " – 1998 (28 min.) Institute for Professional Practice 13 Lanning Road Verona, NJ 07044-2511 Phone: 1-888-477-2723 / Fax: 973-857-5952 Helping engineers to think in terms of design problems, Testing Water…and Ethics , shows that some ethical issues don't have completely satisfying solutions. This video examines the case of a young engineer who must decide whether or not to report test information in a complete manner, despite the fact that not all of the information was required. After initially seeing the problem as a clear case of responsibility for public safety, the engineer later finds that there are equally important ethical responsibilities to consider. The engineer adopts a design approach to this complex problem, but finds in the end that even a good engineering solution may necessitate tradeoffs that are somewhat unsatisfying. This video effectively encourages viewers to use their engineering design skills, and the applicable codes of ethics when dealing with ethical issues. A workbook is included.

" Incident at Morales " (NIEE) – 2003 (36 min.) National Institute for Engineering Ethics Texas Tech University , Box 41023 , Lubbock , TX 79409-1023 Phone: 806-742-3525 (3521)  /  Fax: 806-742-0444 / www.nspe.org/ShopNSPE www.niee.org Incident at Morales involves a variety of ethical issues faced by a company that wants to quickly build a plant in order to develop a new chemical product to gain a competitive edge over the competition. After the plant goes into full operation, an unfortunate accident occurs, resulting in serious consequences.   " Ethicana " - 2009 (42 min.) American Society of Civil Engineers https://secure.asce.org/ASCEWebSite/BOOKSTORE/BookDescription.aspx?ProdId=15892   Ethicana is the centerpiece of the Global Anti-Corruption Education and Training Initiative and is a dramatic film that's a powerful exercise in how to not only keep from falling prey to corruption in the global construction and engineering industries, but how to have the ethical courage to expose it. This drama portrays how to avoid falling prey to corruption, as well as how to have the moral courage to expose it. The film is a drama, but it does reflect an unfortunate reality. The program calls on participants to promote greater ethical decision-making in those industries.   " Henry's Daughter " 2010 (30 min.) National Institute for Engineering Ethics Texas Tech University , Box 41023 , Lubbock , TX 79409-1023 Phone: 806-742-3525 (3521)  /  Fax: 806-742-0444 / www.nspe.org/ShopNSPE Henry and his two daughters are involved in a joint Academia/Industry/DOT (Department of Transportation) smart highway design project called SANSHANDS. The goal of the project is to develop specifications for smart highways and car control systems—so we won't drive anymore. The eldest daughter, Laura, works at the DOT. She will be the technical project manager on the SANSHANDS project. She is responsible for compiling and recommending the technical specifications for the computer control system that will be used to guide R&D. The youngest daughter, Julie is an intern with OUTOCAR, a local start-up company recently founded by engineers from the state university in partnership with University's Business Incubator. As the project evolves both sisters begin to see the potential for the corrupting influence that industry money can have on both government and academia.  It falls to Laura and her team to do the cost benefit analysis between the GUIDEME and OUTOCAR systems. There are pressures within the DOT and other state departments indicating that GUIDEME is the preferred choice. OUTOCAR raises allegations that there was ethical misconduct and possible criminal violations during the project. Henry, Laura and Julie are all called to testify at a hearing conducted by the state senate ethics commission.

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Ethics Case Studies

Last updated on April 3, 2024 by Alex Andrews George

Ethics case studies are mainly about decision-making and problem-solving .

The reader will be presented with a situation and he will be asked to decide to solve the problem.

The factors involved may include ethics , but it may not be just about ethics. It can have social, economic, and political dimensions.

Table of Contents

Case Study: Decision Making (Accident)

You are aspiring to become an IAS officer and you have cleared various stages and now you have been selected for the personal interview. On the day of the interview, on the way to the venue, you saw an accident where a mother and child who happen to be your relatives were badly injured. They needed immediate help.

What would you have done in such a situation? Justify your action. (UPSC CSE 2017)

Case Study: Conflict Resolution (Development vs Environment)

Nowadays, there is an increasing thrust on economic development all around the globe. At the same time, there is also an increasing concern about environmental degradation caused by development.

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Many a time, we face a direct conflict between development activity and environmental quality.

It is neither feasible to stop or curtail the developmental process, nor it is advisable to keep degrading the environment, as it threatens our very survival.

Discuss some feasible strategies which could be adopted to eliminate this conflict and which could lead to sustainable development. (UPSC CSE 2014)

Case Study: Ethics vs Easy Path (Advice to Friend)

Suppose one of your close friends, who is also aspiring for civil services, comes to you to discuss some of the issues related to ethical conduct in public service. He raises the following points:-

(i) In the present times, when an unethical environment is quite prevalent, individual attempts to stick to ethical principles may cause a lot of problems in one’s career. It may cause hardship to the family members as well as risk to one’s life. Why should we not be pragmatic follow the path of least resistance, and be happy with doing whatever good we can?

(ii) When so many people are adopting wrong means and are grossly harming the system, what difference would it make if only a small minority tries to be ethical? They are going to be rather ineffective and are bound to get frustrated.

(iii) If we become fussy about ethical considerations, will it not hamper the economic progress of our country? After all, in the present age of high competition, we cannot afford to be left behind in the race for development

(iv) Understandably, we should not get involved in grossly unethical practices, but giving and accepting small gratifications and doing small favours increases everybody’s motivation.

It also makes the system more efficient. What is wrong with adopting such practices? Critically analyze the above viewpoints. Based on this analysis, what will be your advice to your friend? (UPSC CSE 2014)

Case Study: Problem Solving of a Social Issue (Migration)

In our country, the migration of rural people to towns and cities is increasing drastically. This is causing serious problems both in the rural as well as in the urban areas. Things are becoming unmanageable. Can you analyze this problem in detail and indicate not only the socio-economic but also the emotional and attitudinal factors responsible for this problem? Also, distinctly brings out why –

(a) educated youth are trying to shift to urban areas

(b) landless poor people are migrating to urban slums

(c) even some farmers are selling off the land and trying to settle in urban areas taking petty jobs.

What feasible steps can you suggest that will be effective in controlling this serious problem in our country? (UPSC CSE 2014)

Case Study: Decision Making (Order of Rescue in Flood)

There is a disaster-prone state having frequent landslides, forest fires, cloudbursts, flash floods earthquakes, etc. Some of these are seasonal and often unpredictable. The magnitude of the disaster is always unanticipated. During one of the seasons, a cloudburst caused devastating floods and landslides leading to high casualties. There was major damage to infrastructure like roads, bridges and power-generating units. This led to more than 100000 pilgrims, tourists and other locals trapped across different routes and locations. The people trapped in your area of responsibility include senior citizens, patients in hospitals, women and children, hikers, tourists, ruling parties, regional presidents along with their families, additional chief secretaries of the neighbouring state and prisoners in jail.

As a civil services officer of the state, what would be the order in which you would rescue these people and why? Give Justifications. (UPSC CSE 2015)

Case Study: Problem Solving (Policy Making)

Land needed for mining, dams and other large-scale projects is acquired mostly from Adivasis, hill dwellers and rural communities. The displaced persons are paid monetary compensation as per the legal provisions. However, the payment is often tardy. In any case, it cannot sustain the displaced families for long. These people do not possess marketable skills to engage in some other accusation. They end up as low-paid migrant labourers. Moreover, their development goes to industries, industrialists and urban communities whereas the costs are passed on to these poor helpless people. This unjust distribution of costs and benefits is unethical. Suppose you have been entrusted with the task of drafting a better compensation-cum-rehabilitation policy for such displaced persons, how would you approach the problem and what would be the main elements of your suggested policy? (UPSC CSE 2016)

Case Study: Problem Solving (NGO)

Saraswati was a successful IT professional in the USA. Moved by the patriotic sense of doing something for the country she returned to India. Together with some other like-minded friends, she formed an NGO to build a school for a poor rural community. The objective of the school was to provide the best quality modern education at a nominal cost. She soon discovered that she had to seek permission from several Government agencies. The rules and procedures were quite confusing and cumbersome. What frustrated her most was delays, the callous attitude of officials and the constant demand for bribes. Her experience and the experience of many others like her have deterred people from taking up social service projects. A measure of Government control over voluntary social work is necessary. But it should not be exercised in a coercive a corrupt manner. What measures can you suggest to ensure that due control is exercised but well-meaning, honest NGO efforts are not thwarted? (UPSC CSE 2016)

Case Study: Ethical Dilemma (Options and Reasons for Choice)

You are the Executive Director of an upcoming InfoTech Company which is making a name for itself in the market.

Mr. A, who is a star performer, is heading the marketing team. In a short period of one year, he has helped in doubling the revenues as well as creating a high brand equity for the Company so much so that you are thinking of promoting him. However, you have been receiving information from many corners about his attitude towards the female colleagues; particularly his habit of making loose comments on women. In addition, he regularly sends indecent SMSs to all the team members including his female colleagues.

One day, late in the evening, Mrs. X, who is one of Mr. A’s team members, comes to you visibly disturbed. She complains about the continued misconduct of Mr A, who has been making undesirable advances towards her and has even tried to touch her inappropriately in his cabin. She tenders her resignation and leaves your office. (UPSC CSE 2014)

• What are the options available to you?
• Evaluate each of these options and choose the option you would adopt, giving reasons.

Suppose you are an officer in charge of implementing a social service scheme to provide support to old and destitute women. An old and illiterate woman comes to you to avail the benefits of the scheme. However, she has no documents to show that she fulfils the eligibility criteria. But after meeting her and listening to her you feel that she certainly needs support. Your enquirers also show that she is destitute and living in a pitiable condition. You are in a dilemma as to what to do. Putting her under the scheme without the necessary documents would be a violation of the rules. But denying her the support would be cruel.

a) Can you think of a rational way to resolve this dilemma? b) Give your reasons for it. (UPSC CSE 2016)

More Ethics Case Studies

• Ethics Case Study: Personal Ethics vs Professional Ethics
• Ethics Case Study: Change in Eligibility Criteria
• Ethics Case Study: Your Son In Trouble
• Ethics Case Study: Juvenile Justice Act and Heinous Crimes
• Ethical Dilemma: 10 Heartbreaking Case Studies

Ethics Course

The ClearIAS Ethics Course will help aspirants master Ethics, Integrity, and Aptitude.

This course will help candidates understand the difficult concepts connected with ethics case studies.

We will also train you with the right approach to write high-scoring answers.

Know more about the ClearIAS Ethics Course .

Ethics Case Studies: Conclusion

Case studies connected with ethics, integrity and aptitude cover diverse situations and scenarios.

While the major chunk of questions may be connected with solving ethical dilemmas , there can be other types of questions as well.

Through the lens of ethics case studies, the evaluator will judge your decision-making and problem-solving skills.

ClearIAS Ethics Course will help candidates learn the best methods to solve ethics case studies.

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About Alex Andrews George

Alex Andrews George is a mentor, author, and social entrepreneur. Alex is the founder of ClearIAS and one of the expert Civil Service Exam Trainers in India.

He is the author of many best-seller books like 'Important Judgments that transformed India' and 'Important Acts that transformed India'.

A trusted mentor and pioneer in online training , Alex's guidance, strategies, study-materials, and mock-exams have helped many aspirants to become IAS, IPS, and IFS officers.

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• ETHICS CASE STUDY BATCH
• Instructor Lukmaan IAS
• 0 Students Enrolled
• Course Duration 15 day
• Price ₹7,500.00
• Buy this course

ETHICS CASE STUDY BATCH (ECS0724) (JULY MONTH-2024)

• ADMISSION OPEN
• Total No. of Classes/Videos : 08
• Online Video Validity :20 Days
• Only Recorded Video Will be Given

Features and Resource support

• Every day 4 mains case studies model answers and evaluation of the script of Extempore Test
• A compilation of 100 best case studies model answers for practice
• Online students can write their test and submit through portal for evaluation
• A mock test consisting of 6 Case Studies at the end of the session.

FOR LUKMAAN EX-FOUNDATION STUDENTS (PA, ETHICS) (EX- ETHICS TEST SERIES)

TOTAL FEE- Rs 7,000/- Rs-5,500/-

FOR ANY LUKMAAN EX- STUDENTS

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FOR ANY LUKMAAN AIPMT QUALIFIED STUDENTS

TOTAL FEE- Rs 7,000/- Rs-6,200/-

OUR TOP SCORERS FROM ETHICS PROGRAMS

Case studies play strategic role without which, one cannot secure above 110 marks in ethics paper. A good number of students lack confidence in case studies, and they fail to do justice with the demands of the questions. Overall, Ethics paper remains among the most important factor in getting top ranks.

Lukmaan IAS has the patent(unofficially) of case studies course, which started in 2013 with the name of 100 Case Studies Batch. This batch has continuously produced top ranks including AIR 01 Pradeep Singh & AIR 02 Athar Amir, AIR 05 Abhilash Mishra in past and this year AIR 08, Ashish Kumar . The students of this batch have also created records in securing the highest marks in ethics paper.

The case studies batch has total 8 classes. Each day, 4 important expected case studies are properly discussed after Extempore Test (students are supposed to write each day four case studies) and then other important case studies are discussed.

Since case studies are prepared theme-wise as UPSC asks only in this fashion, students become familiar with most of the the common subjects and issues which help them in exam. In fact, not only themes but also Lukmaan IAS case studies match with that of UPSC papers.

The Six popular themes are:

• Ethical dilemma and ethical issues
• Civil services, administration/bureaucracy
• Probity, integrity and corruption
• Social justice, gender justice and vulnerable sections
• Ecology and environment and environmental governance
• Corporate Governance & Transparency and Accountability

Therefore, the classes give quite adequate practice on such matters. The case studies’ discussion work as an enlightening experience for the students as it opens up their mind to all those issues, problems and debates of society and governance which are to be solved with ethical perspective. It also gives so many facts, examples and philosophies which students can also apply in ethics theory section.

Towards the end of the course, one overcomes fears of case studies and become more confident. One is able to improve one’s ethical bent of mind as the most important thing is how to write an ethical answer.

GET ETHICS TAUGHT BY THE BEST TEACHER

• Trend Analysis from 2013 to 2023.
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• Case Study you will learn: approach, structuring, content & how to write ethical answeres based on Current Developments

"Some Case Studies have matched exactly the same as asked by the UPSC"

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Ask the Ethicist: Spot-Checking a Recommendation for Surgery

• Mark Complete

Question : A colleague has four practices in neighboring cities. He operates in one practice on one day, then travels to another the next day, and so on. I learned that his patients’ assessments for cataract surgery are delegated to his referring professionals, who appear to be licensed to provide these services. Following the assessments, the patients are mailed informed consent materials from the ophthalmologist’s office. On the day of surgery, patients give their consent forms to the front desk staff, and then sit together with other patients awaiting surgery. Each patient is then taken, in turn, into the OR suite for cataract surgery. When I casually asked the ophthalmologist about this practice, he said he spot-checks the referring professionals’ work and that examining each patient prior to surgery is “simply not practical”. This seems problematic to me. Is this ethical?  Answer : The first provision of Code of Ethics Rule 7, Delegation of Services, is that ophthalmologists remain "responsible" for the eye care services provided by personnel under their supervision. Whatever the degree of delegation, the ophthalmologist is responsible for the quality of services provided by the eye care professionals to whom he has delegated the preoperative assessment of his patients.  It is ethical for an ophthalmologist to delegate the acquisition of the data required for the preoperative history and physical, however the surgical planning and synthesis of information prior to surgery must be done by the operating ophthalmologist. The surgeon must discuss the findings and recommendations with the patient in advance of surgery rather than meeting the patient moments before surgery begins. Additionally, the ophthalmologist appears to be in violation of Code of Ethics Rule 2, Informed Consent by dispensing with the informed consent process and substituting paper forms in the mail. The patient’s only apparent opportunity to ask questions of the ophthalmologist is in the waiting area with other patients scheduled for surgery that day.  Code of Ethics Rule 7, Delegation of Services, clearly approves delegation to those who are legally qualified to provide the delegated services. However, Rule 6, Pretreatment Assessment, does not allow for spot-checking, but requires oversight on the part of the operating ophthalmologist. Ophthalmologists are responsible for verifying the findings of the examining eye care professional before proceeding with surgery or treatment for all patients.

For more information , see  Code of Ethics .

To submit a question , contact the Ethics Committee at  [email protected].

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Video Case Study – How Avelo Airlines is Elevating Travel with PayPal

PayPal Editorial Staff

September 4, 2024

Known for leading the industry in on-time performance and low cancellation rates, Avelo Airlines collaborated with PayPal to enhance their customer experience and streamline operations.

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Since implementing PayPal solutions, Avelo’s conversion rate has increased, offering a smoother, more convenient checkout process for their customers. Avelo views PayPal as more than just a payment processor; it’s their number one technology partner.

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Ethics for UPSC 2024-25: Comprehensive GS IV Syllabus Guide | Real-Life Examples & Sample Case Studies with Solutions | Practice Last 10 Years Questions | QR Codes Detailed Answers on McGraw Hill Edge Paperback – 1 August 2024

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2. Aligned with the exam trend of last 5 years.

3. Comprehensive coverage of each topic- Theory, Diagram, Example from perspective of civil servants, Real Life Examples, Quotations etc.

4. Case studies framework with contemporary approach.

5. ⁠Individual Ethics of civil servants explained through their life stories.

6. ⁠Inspirational social initiatives by some non-government organisations.

7. ⁠Separate chapter on utility of newspaper in ethics .

8. Strategy to tackle quotes-based questions.

9. Last 10 years’ question at the chapter end with QR code.

10. Detailed explanation to all the questions on McGraw Hill EDGE.

11. An exhaustive glossary at the end of the book.

• ISBN-10 9355326440
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• Edition First Edition
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• Publication date 1 August 2024
• Language English
• Dimensions 242 x 174 x 20 cm
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ McGraw Hill; First Edition (1 August 2024); McGraw Hill Education (India) Private Limited, Candor TechSpace, 8th Floor, Tower No 5, Plot No 2, Block B,Sector 62, Noida, Uttar Pradesh - 201309; 18001035875
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
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Videos Concepts Unwrapped View All 36 short illustrated videos explain behavioral ethics concepts and basic ethics principles. Concepts Unwrapped: Sports Edition View All 10 short videos introduce athletes to behavioral ethics concepts. Ethics Defined (Glossary) View All 58 animated videos - 1 to 2 minutes each - define key ethics terms and concepts. Ethics in Focus View All One-of-a-kind videos highlight the ethical aspects of current and historical subjects. Giving Voice To Values View All Eight short videos present the 7 principles of values-driven leadership from Gentile's Giving Voice to Values. In It To Win View All A documentary and six short videos reveal the behavioral ethics biases in super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff's story. Scandals Illustrated View All 30 videos - one minute each - introduce newsworthy scandals with ethical insights and case studies. Video Series

Concepts Unwrapped UT Star Icon

Causing Harm

Causing harm explores the types of harm that may be caused to people or groups and the potential reasons we may have for justifying these harms.

Discussion Questions

1. The students interviewed for this video disagree about which type of harm is the worst — physical, emotional, psychological, financial, reputational — which do you think is the worst and why?

2. Can you think of an example of when you have been harmed? Was this harm ethically justifiable? Was it not? Explain how.

3. The video claims that we should not cause harm to others unless we are willing to suffer the same harm ourselves. Do you agree?

4. In what situation(s) would you knowingly cause harm? How would the benefits outweigh the harm?

5. Do you think an institution such as a business or government can be held accountable for causing harm in the same way an individual can be? Support your position.

6. Are you supportive of governments or institutions taking actions that may cause harm to some but would likely benefit many? How is this justified? Why is it permissible?

7. Can you think of other instances when taking such actions is not ethical?

Case Studies

Patient Autonomy & Informed Consent

Nursing staff and family members struggle with informed consent when taking care of a patient who has been deemed legally incompetent.

Edward Snowden: Traitor or Hero?

Was Edward Snowden’s release of confidential government documents ethically justifiable?

Cyber Harassment

After a student defames a middle school teacher on social media, the teacher confronts the student in class and posts a video of the confrontation online.

Providing radiation therapy to cancer patients, Therac-25 had malfunctions that resulted in 6 deaths. Who is accountable when technology causes harm?

Teaching Notes

This video introduces the general ethics concepts of harm and justification. Causing Harm explores the different types of harm that may be caused to people or groups and the potential reasons we may have for justifying these harms.

To gain a better understanding of when and how harms can be considered justified, watch Systematic Moral Analysis , which explores the moral dimensions we face when making ethical decisions.

To learn about the behavioral ethics biases that may affect our decisions to cause harm, watch Tangible & Abstract , Incrementalism , Framing , and Self-serving Bias .

The case studies covered on this page explore different types of harm that can be caused, at varying scales. “Edward Snowden: Traitor or Hero?” raises questions over whether or not Edward Snowden’s release of confidential government documents was ethically justifiable. “Patient Autonomy & Informed Consent” explores the difficult decisions involved in taking care of a patient who has been deemed legally incompetent and refuses certain types of treatment. “Cyber Harassment” examines the case of a teacher who confronts a student in class and posts a video of the confrontation online in response to that student defaming the teacher on social media. For a case study about causing harm to the environment, read “Climate Change & the Paris Deal.”

Terms defined in our ethics glossary that are related to the video and case studies include: diffusion of responsibility, framing, incrementalism, justice, moral agent, self-serving bias, subject of moral worth, tangible & abstract, and values.

For more information on concepts covered in this and other videos, as well as activities to help think through these concepts, see Deni Elliott’s workbook  Ethical Challenges: Building an Ethics Toolkit , which may be downloaded for free as a PDF. This workbook explores what ethics is and what it means to be ethical, offering readers a variety of exercises to identify their own values and reason through ethical conflicts. Discussion and exercises regarding harms and justifications may be found beginning on page 14. More information and activities on justified harm can be found in the sections that address the concept of systematic moral analysis, pages 35-44.

Additional Resources

Harrosh, Shlomit. 2012. “Identifying Harms.” Bioethics 26 (9): 493-498.

Rodin, David. 2011. “Justifying Harm.” Ethics 122 (1): 74-110.

Smilansky, Saul. 2004. “Terrorism, Justification, and Illusion.” Ethics 114 (4): 790-805.

Transcript of Narration

Written and Narrated by

Deni Elliott , Ph.D., M.A. Department of Journalism & Media Studies College of Arts and Sciences The University of South Florida at St. Petersburg

“How can I harm thee? Let me count the ways. Physically. Psychologically or emotionally. Financially. And, I can cause you reputational harm.

Harms rarely come isolated from one another. So, let’s review the categories:

Physical harm is the easiest. It can be short-term, like, oh, being shoved out of the way and into a mud puddle by someone hurrying down the street. Or it can be long-term, like being injured in a car accident by a drunken driver.

Psychological and emotional harm may not carry any visible scars. But, they are true harms. Emotional harm is the short-term version. When we feel offended or embarrassed or humiliated, it may be due to emotional harm.

Psychological harm makes us feel unsure of our worth or lose confidence in ourselves; it can result from a trauma and haunt us from that point on. The tentative child or the volatile, explosive adult may be acting from a place of psychological harm.

Financial harm is important too. If I take advantage of you being naive about investments and convince you to put your life savings into some get rich quick scheme that fails, I’ve caused you harm.

Last of all is reputational harm. This kind of harm has become more prevalent because of the wide reach of the Internet. Cyber-bullying has led teenagers to commit suicide; false or mean-spirited reviews have led to professional ruin for individuals and for businesses.

Now causing harm can be justified, but the harm-causing action must first meet one of the following conditions:

Number one: The person harmed gave consent. Think of someone who agrees to go through a painful surgery so that he will be healthy again. That’s consent to cause harm.

Number two: The harm caused was part of the harmer’s role-related responsibility. Sometimes causing justified harms is just part of the job. If a parent prevents her teenager from hanging out with friends until homework is done, she is fulfilling her role-related responsibility, no matter how much anguish she might cause her child at the moment.

Number three: A harm was caused to prevent an even greater harm to the community as a whole. For example, a government collects taxes, causing financial harm to some citizens, because without taxes the government could not provide services that benefit all citizens.

After meeting one of these conditions, an act of justified harm must also pass a publicity test. The publicity test means that we’re willing for the exception to the general rule, “cause no harm,” to be widely and publicly known, and applied in all similar situations. The harm-causer in this case must also be willing to acknowledge that she or he might be the one hurt in the future by the same exception.

So, maybe I can harm you in a variety of ways. But, being the ethical person that I strive to be, I won’t harm you without justification. And, I won’t harm you unless I am willing to explain to you and the public at large why I am doing so. And, I won’t harm you without believing that you and everyone else is equally justified in causing the same kind of harm, even to me.”

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Spatiotemporal landscape pattern changes and their effects on land surface temperature in greenbelt with semi-arid climate: A case study of the Erbil City, Iraq

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• Suzan Ismail 1 &
• Hamid Maliki 1  

Urban expansion of cities has caused changes in land use and land cover (LULC) in addition to transformations in the spatial characteristics of landscape structure. These alterations have generated heat islands and rise of land surface temperature (LST), which consequently have caused a variety of environmental issues and threated the sustainable development of urban areas. Greenbelts are employed as an urban planning containment policy to regulate urban expansion, safeguard natural open spaces, and serve adaptation and mitigation functions. And they are regarded as a powerful measure for enhancing urban environmental sustainability. Despite the fact that, the relation between landscape structure change and variation of LST has been examined thoroughly in many studies, but there is a limitation concerning this relation in semi-arid climate and in greenbelts as well, with the lacking of comprehensive research combing both aspects. Accordingly, this study investigated the spatiotemporal changes of landscape pattern of LULC and their relationship with variation of LST within an inner greenbelt in the semi-arid Erbil City of northern Iraq. The study utilized remote sensing data to retrieve LST, classified LULC, and calculated landscape metrics for analyzing spatial changes during the study period. The results indicated that both composition and configuration of LULC had an impact on the variation of LST in the study area. The Pearson’s correlation showed the significant effect of Vegetation 1 type (VH), cultivated land (CU), and bare soil (BS) on LST, as increase of LST was related to the decrease of VH and the increases of CU and BS, while, neither Vegetation 2 type (VL) nor built-up (BU) had any effects. Additionally, the spatial distribution of LULC also exhibited significant effects on LST, as LST was strongly correlated with landscape indices for VH, CU, and BS. However, for BU, only aggregation index metric affected LST, while none of VL metrics had a relation. The study provides insights for landscape planners and policymakers to not only develop more green spaces in greenbelt but also optimize the spatial landscape patterns to reduce the influence of LST on the urban environment, and further promote sustainable development and enhance well-being in the cities with semi-arid climate.

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Conceptualization: Hamid MALIKI, Suzan ISMAIL; Methodology: Hamid MALIKI, Suzan ISMAIL; Formal analysis: Suzan ISMAIL; Writing - original draft preparation: Suzan ISMAIL; Writing - review and editing Hamid MALIKI, Suzan ISMAIL; Funding acquisition: Suzan ISMAIL; Resources: Suzan ISMAIL; Supervision: Hamid MALIKI; Software: Suzan ISMAIL; Visualization: Suzan ISMAIL; Project administration: Hamid MALIKI, Suzan ISMAIL; Data curation: Suzan ISMAIL; Investigation: Suzan ISMAIL; Validation: Suzan ISMAIL. All authors approved the manuscript.

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Ismail, S., Maliki, H. Spatiotemporal landscape pattern changes and their effects on land surface temperature in greenbelt with semi-arid climate: A case study of the Erbil City, Iraq. J. Arid Land (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-024-0027-x

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Received : 13 April 2024

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Published : 06 September 2024

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-024-0027-x

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