Each online simulation presents two (2) ethical dilemmas/situations that introduce students to ethical frameworks, provide them with a framework for making ethical decisions, and reinforce the learning by immersing them in real-world situations. The first dilemma is called ≴The Case of the Mysterious Blogger” and deals with Privacy and NDA issues. The second dilemma, “The Case of the Veiled ID,” deals with Religious Expession.

In the first case, an unknown employee is violating company policy by posting proprietary information to a private blog. An IT staff member, working from home and without authorization, hacks into the blogger's ISP and ultimately into the blogger's home computer and learns their identity, which he shares with his supervisor. The challenge is whether or not the supervisor can use the information obtained by the hacker to reprimand the blogger for violating company policy.

In the second dilemma, “The Case of the Veiled ID,” religious and cultural practices are pitted against the company's need for protection. Responding to a recent break-in by a former employee, the company has adopted a new policy requiring picture IDs and key-cards to gain entry. One of the current employees is a Muslim woman who wears a burqa that keeps her face hidden. Her religious tradition prohibits any male except a close relative to see her face unveiled.

With a male photographer and several male guards, how do you balance the need to maintain appropriate security for all employees, while acknowledging religious expression?

About the Author: Catharyn A. Baird, J.D., is the CEO and Founder of EthicsGame and Professor Emerita of Business at Regis University, Denver, Colorado. She began researching personal and professional ethics when she was a practicing attorney, representing children and parents who found themselves enmeshed in the juvenile justice system. As she worked with families, she became intrigued by the question of why some children seemed to know the “right thing to do” while others did not. [more]