Ethical Case Study of

Chairman Ben and

Professor Jenny

Ana Armstead-Speaker
Human Resource Trainer
IDEA University
 Chairman Ben and Professor Jenny
Part-time, African-American Professor Jenny, who was preparing for her upcoming course, is interrupted by Caucasian, Department Chairman Ben, who
informs her that colleague Stan's wife has had a stroke and that Stan will be taking the term off to help her and their children. Stan's absence leaves the
University with a staff shortage. This semester, Stan was supposed to teach Biopsychology (Biopsy). Chair Ben wants Professor Jenny to substitute for
Stan, however, Jenny is reluctant to step in because she has never taught the course and is unfamiliar with Biopsy. As an undergraduate, she only took
one Biopsy class. Chair Ben assures her that she does not have to be concerned because she can get all of the required course content and syllabi from
Stan, and she will do an excellent job teaching the course.
Chair Ben further tells Jenny that they cannot fail the 15 graduate students who are required to take the class in order to graduate. Jenny expresses her
uncertainty to Ben, who assures her again that she will be great. He threatens her with a veiled warning that if she refuses, her ambition to become a full-
time professor, after Professor Lee retires, will be jeopardized. Chair Ben concludes the discussion by informing Jenny that he needs her response by
3:00 pm today.
During a coffee break, Jenny confides in her colleague Rhonda that she is unsure if she should teach Biopsy due to her lack of expertise. Rhonda
responds by expressing to Jenny, "Why do we (women) always come to the rescue?” Jenny notes that other full-time professors were not overburdened
with work; Chair Ben did not request any of the male professors to teach Stan's course, why not? Rhonda advises Jenny that it's a "good old boys club,"
and if a male lecturer had been given the task, he would have been offered compensation. Jenny says no such offer was made to her.
Video of Chair Ben and Jenny
Scenario 1 Scenario 2
 Jenny’s Ethical Dilemma
APA Sec 2: Competence - Boundaries of Competence
Not qualified to teach Biopsychology
No previous contact with or training for Biopsychology class
Only one undergraduate class in Biopsychology
Unconfident about teaching class
Chair Ben offers no prior training

https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index?item=4#201
 Chairman Ben’s Ethical Dilemma
APA Sec. 2: Competence – Sec. 2.05 Delegation of Work
to Others
Delegates teaching Biopsy to part-time,
untrained, unqualified teacher instead of
finding a competent professor or teaching the class
himself as a last resort.
APA Sec. 3: Human Relations – Sec. 3.08 Exploitative
Relationships
Threatens not to endorse for the full-time professor
position
APA Sec. 3: Human Relations – Sec. 3.04 Avoiding
Harm
Allows an unqualified/untrained teacher to
teach Biopsy
Jeopardizes licensures/certifications
APA Sec. 4: Privacy and Confidentiality – 4.01
Maintaining Confidentiality
Divulges another colleague’s personal
circumstances
Does not consider the value of privacy
http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx
Compare and Contrast -
Deontology and Utilitarianism
Deontology
The morality of a behavior is determined by its
conformity to moral standards.
Compassionate /empathetic consideration, point of
view, and religious belief were all directly linked to
instincts.
Despite the practical implications of subsequent acts,
fundamental moral principles are definitive and
conclusive.
Tends to take equal civil/human rights into account.
Utilitarianism
The morality of a behavior is determined by its
consequences.
Intuitions were shown to be strongly linked to the need
for reasoning.
The number of positive or negative outcomes for others
determines if an action is ethical or unethical.
Subjective evaluation of other’s emotions.
Ethical Decision-Making with the Fisher’s Model
Ethical Decision-Making with the Fisher’s Model
 Multicultural Issues
 Young, African-American woman
 Part-time professor
 Working environment of “old boys club”
 No compensation for teaching additional class
 Resolutions
Jenny and Chair Jenny and Chair Chair Ben offers Confront why Chair
Ben have Ben consider the position to Ben leverages full-
conversation about harm to the grad qualified, time position to
her competency in students competent sway Jenny
Biopsy and professor
violations to APA
principles
Jenny and Chair Jenny accepts Unheeded concerns
Ben devise position based on merit higher level
alternative training and supervisory
solutions coaching consultation
Conclusion
 References
• American Psychological Association [APA]. (2010). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct. http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx

• Conway, P., & Gawronski, B. (2013). Deontological and utilitarian inclinations in moral decision making: A process dissociation approach. Journal of

Personality and Social Psychology, 104(2), 216–235. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031021

• Fisher, C. B. (2017). Decoding the ethics code: A practical guide for psychologists (4th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage

Publications, Inc. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=88DSCwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Fisher%27s+ethical+decision-

making+model&ots=JENux29Mqk&sig=rmWP-MLjSlrfBM6PBjd1zNAewu4#v=onepage&q&f=false

• Hennig, M., & Hutter, M. (2019). Revisiting the divide between deontology and utilitarianism in moral dilemma judgment: A multinomial modeling

approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 118(1), 22–56. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspa0000173

 References
• Johnson, M.K. (2020). Making a decision on ethical decision-making models (Publication No. 7818) [Doctoral dissertation, Utah State University].

Digital Commons. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=8960&context=etd

• Multiculturalism Case Study Scenario 1. (2021). Capella University.

http://media.capella.edu/CourseMedia/psy7543/CaseStudyScenario1_video/PSY7543_scenario1.asp
 Graphic Links
• Slide 2: http://media.capella.edu/CourseMedia/psy7543/CaseStudyScenario1_video/PSY7543_scenario1.asp
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