Ethical Issue in Public Administration Case Study

Trash or Treasure - Case Study

Ethics is an important issue in the field of public administration since it provides accountability between the administration and the public. To enhance accountability, public administrators, public service leaders and other stakeholders in this field are required to adhere to a code of ethics. The code of ethics gives these professionals guidelines for integrity in their work and helps to ensure the public receives its needs in a fair manner (Academic Partnerships, 2016). However, not every professional in the field adheres to the code of ethics because of various factors such as corruption and greed. This paper analyzes the ethical dilemma in the City of Sunville that has left the Deputy Director of Transportation torn apart on what to say during the regularly scheduled monthly City Council meeting.

General Statement of the Ethical Dilemma

The ethical scenario in the City of Sunville is the lost inventory that was to be delivered to the Sunville Physical Plant surplus warehouse from the offices of the Department of Transportation. The lost inventory over the last five years was identified after a new computer system was installed in the warehouse to track inventory of the city’s agencies.

Key Actors

The key actors in this ethical dilemma scenario are Commissioner Richard Mitchell, his wife, Director of Transportation, Nick Kellogg, Deputy Director of Transportation, the City Council, Department of Transportation staff, and the public. These key actions in the scenario have different roles that can further be described through the following table.

Actor

(#2) Actor Relationship

(#3) Roles

(#4) Values

Commissioner Richard Mitchell

Commissioner of the City, Manager of a shelter for pregnant substance abusers

Providing foster children with a loving and supportive home

Honesty, transparency and fairness

Mrs. Mitchell

Mrs. Mitchell – Wife of Commissioner Richard Mitchell

Works together with her husband in taking care of foster children

Honesty, fairness and transparency

Nick Kellogg

Nick Kellogg – Director, Department of Transportation

Manages day to day activities in this department

Honesty, accountability, fairness, and transparency

New Deputy Director (me)

Deputy Director – Mitchell, City Council

Subordinate of Mr. Kellogg, friend of Mr. Mitchell, and member of the City Council

Honesty, transparency, accountability, fairness, and incorruptible

City Council

City Council – Department of Transportation, City officials

Holds regular meetings to evaluate public service delivery

Transparency and accountability

Department of Transportation staff

Staff – Director of Transportation, Deputy Director, Department of Transportation

Handles daily activities in this department

Transparency, accountability, honesty, fairness, and devotion to duty

The Public

The City

Expects better public service that meets their needs

Transparency and accountability

Roles among the Key Actors

Commissioner Richard Mitchell and his wife manages the shelter for pregnant substance abusers in town as they provide many foster children with a loving and supportive home during difficult transitions in their young lives. When executing their duties, Mr. & Mrs. Mitchell should uphold the values of honesty, fairness and transparency. The Director of Transportation, Nick Kellogg manages everyday activities in this department in collaboration with his deputy and other leaders. They should uphold the values of honesty, transparency, fairness and accountability in their work. The City Council holds regular…

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…have failed to demonstrate transparency, honesty and integrity. Failure to notify the City Council of the findings of a review of the shelter’s computer inventory list would essentially encourage this unethical behavior. The City Council needs such information in order to conduct further investigations, identify the culprits, and take necessary disciplinary and/or legal actions against them. Therefore, providing such information would promote integrity, transparency and accountability among city officials.

Action to be Taken

The Deputy Director should share the findings of his investigation and any other information relating to the case. However, the information should be shared in a manner that does not incriminate any of the key actors unless there is proof of their direct involvement in circumstances contributing to the loss of inventory.

Possible Consequences of the Action

First, the action would help promote integrity of the Deputy Director and encourage transparency, honesty and accountability among city officials. Secondly, it would help the City Council to identify the specific individuals involved in the grand theft and ensure they are charged for their actions based on the law. Third, this action would also play a critical role in ensuring the City Council does not wrongly incriminate any of the key actors. Finally, it will prevent further losses of property in the city.

Ethical Criteria Used to Determine Action

The ethical criteria used to determine action is the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) code of ethics. It highlights some key ethical principles such as demonstrating personal integrity, strengthening social equity, fully informing and advising, advancing public interest, advancing professional excellence, and promoting ethical organization (UNC School of Government, 2019). This course of action will help achieve these…