¶ … Lead Return Material Authorization Technician I am responsible for failure investigations of defective products. I must determine if, how and why particular products are failures according to specified quality standards, and prescribe remedies, if at all possible -- if not, then the manufacturer must engage in further modifications. This is a process requiring careful attention to detail and protocol, and thus, quite often, egos can become frayed when a particular product is found not to be up to standard.
What were ethical issues you experienced?
In one ethical conflict, my finding regarding a particular product was in dispute. I felt that it was still not up to standard, despite modifications, and that the entire product needed to be overhauled. It was alleged that I was biased because, although the product in question was very close to code regulations, I still found it to be faulty because the necessary modifications were not fully implemented and thus the product still merited its previous status as defective and a failure.
b. Who was involved? (Please use only the first names or initials for the participants.)
Mr. X was a notable client, who often had dealings with the establishment I work with. I had authority because of my job description in relation to Mr. X, but only regarding the particular product and project I had been appointed to investigate.
c. What was the relationship of the other individual(s) to you?
Despite assumptions to the contrary, few technicians enjoy finding fault with any type of product. We would like things to proceed as smoothly as possible, according to plan. Everyone wants one's supervisor, customers, and everyone involved in the transaction process to be as happy as possible, and for the fault investigation to be minimal, with little blame apportioned to anyone. In fact, it would be ideal if my occupations involved nothing but approval. However, I would not be doing my job and honoring my ethical obligations to my profession and to the employer who hired me if I simply found every client up to standard.
Analyze the ethical dilemma:
a. Was there a difference in power and authority? Explain.
The ethical relationship between every verifier of quality control and the product's creator or owner is always complicated. On one hand, as the technician, I have a great deal of power in the sense it is my 'say so' that matters -- just like the person behind the desk at the DMV says whether your car is up to standard or not, no ifs ands or buts! However, this does not mean that my status is all-powerful, in terms of the way I am socially perceived. I deal with many individuals of powerful monetary, class, and status positions who might…
