Ethical Decision Making
According to Kezar and Maxey (2014), more than 70% of instructional faculty employed by nonprofit institutions work outside of the tenure track. Part-time faculty have recently become the majority of instructional faculty (at least 51.2 percent). As a result, these positions are typically distinguished by low pay, a lack of benefits, professional development opportunities, and opportunities for advancement, as well as exclusion from curricular decision-making and participation in faculty meetings and governance. Those who work in them are sometimes denied necessary forms of support, such as email accounts, library privileges, access to copiers and fax machines, or technology and administrative support (Kezar & Maxey, 2014). Furthermore, institutions engage in harmful practices such as last-minute hiring and failing to evaluate contingent faculty performance. These practices degrade the entire academic profession and risk driving talented and dedicated educators out of the academy (Kezar & Maxey, 2014).
Students suffer as a result of instructors’ limited opportunities to properly prepare to teach in an effective manner as a result of contingent faculty being under-compensated and under-supported. Faculty with little time to plan but also little, if any, access to professional development opportunities are unlikely to learn about and integrate innovative pedagogies like service or active learning, as well as culturally sensitive teaching approaches (Kezar & Maxey, 2014). The authors (2014) pose the ethical question, “What kind of example are institutions setting for students when they deny instructors a living wage and access to healthcare, treating them as expendable resources?”
According to Kezar and Maxey (2014), campus leaders are typically motivated by prestige (e.g., improving the institution’s ranking in various ranking systems), revenue generation, market competitiveness, and managerial efficiency. As a result, even in the face of irrefutable evidence, leaders will rationalize their ethical violations. As a result, college and university leaders become blind to the unethical nature of their decisions.
Recommendations for dealing with/resolving the problem
According to Hou (2017), leaders of higher education institutions serve as guardians of their respective institutions. As a result, their decisions tend to adhere to the framework of institutional guardianship. This framework is made up of institutional values, institutional sustainability, and institutional community (Hou, 2017). Nonetheless, administrators make critical decisions that affect the institution’s ability to embody its most deeply held values, to endure into the future and carry out its worthy purposes, and to maintain a powerful sense of community that extends beyond time and campus boundaries. As a result, their guardianship approach to decision-making may serve as a useful model for ethical decision-making in other mission-based or even for-profit organizations.
According to Oliver and Hioco (2012), administrators should begin by understanding their own ethical values and principles. They must then comprehend the ethical perspectives of stakeholders and incorporate these assessments into a critical thinking process. Furthermore, doctoral programs and professional development training for administrators should include decision-making tools and a model for making ethical and information-based decisions.
According to Kezar and Maxey (2014), decision-making in colleges and universities has undoubtedly become increasingly centralized and requires broader input from diverse stakeholders with diverse needs and concerns. Additionally, communication and feedback channels must be improved to support more ethical decision-making. These include opportunities for anonymous feedback, forums for discussing issues and concerns, and the appointment of adjunct advocates, who are now a voice for contingent faculty on some campuses (Kezar & Maxey, 2014). Oliver and Hioco (2012) cite Kant’s theory that people should be treated as the end, not just as a means to an end. This principle requires that others be treated with respect and consideration for their desires and perspectives; people should not be exploited. The time has come to challenge the notion that hiring contingent faculty carelessly and then providing them with poor working conditions and scant support is acceptable. When confronted with an ethical situation, being constantly challenged to consider other points of view leads to more informed decisions and actions (Sanchez et al., 2017).
References
Hou, B. (2017). Institutional Guardianship: How Leaders in Nonprofit Academic Organizations Resolve Ethical Dilemmas in their Work. International Journal of Knowledge, Culture & Change in Organizations: Annual Review, (1), pp. 1–18. https://doi- org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.18848/1447-9524/CGP/v17i01/1-18
Kezar, A., & Maxey, D. (2014). Troubling Ethical Lapses: The Treatment of Contingent Faculty. Change, 46(4), 34–37. https://doi- org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1080/00091383.2014.925761
Oliver, D. E., & Hioco, B. (2012). An Ethical Decision-Making Framework for Community Colleges Administrators. Community College Review, 40(3), 240–254. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=E J969351&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Sanchez, E. R. H., Fulcher, K. H., Smith, K. L., Ames, A., & Hawk, W. J. (2017). Defining, Teaching, and Assessing Ethical Reasoning in Action. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 49(2), 30–36. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=E J1143203&site=ehost-live&scope=site
ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE
We’ll write everything from scratch
Question 
You have been working as a nurse in the adult oncology unit for the past year. You have developed a close relationship with many of your patients, but Mr. Newcomb has a special place in your heart. He has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and has undergone aggressive chemotherapy. Each day his wife has come to the unit to be with her husband. They have been married for over 40 years and share a deep love.
Ethical Decision Making
Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb have made the decision to no longer continue with treatment and have decided that hospice care is needed. Over the past few days, you have watched Mr. Newcomb’s health decline, and you can tell from your experience that he does not have much time left to live. Mr. Newcomb has been very open about discussing his death, and you have had the opportunity to learn about his life and the legacy he will leave behind.
While you are completing your rounds, you stop in Mr. Newcomb’s room to see how he is doing. You ask, “Is there anything else I can do for you?” Mr. Newcomb has rarely asked for anything, but today he has one request. Mr. Newcomb states, “Before I die, I would like to see my mistress one more time. Mrs. Newcomb is always here. Do you think you could tell her that I will be busy for a few hours tomorrow so I can make arrangements to see my mistress one more time?”
Reflect on the following questions before you begin working on this task:
• What would you do in this scenario?
• How can your knowledge of ethical principles be utilized to determine your response to Mr. Newcomb?
• How would this affect you as a nurse and direct provider of care for Mr. Newcomb?
A. Summarize how the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice apply to the scenario by doing the following:
1. Describe how you would respond to Mr. Newcomb’s request.
2. Evaluate how you applied the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice to the scenario.
3. Examine how personal beliefs and values influenced your response to the scenario.
4. Describe three strategies to promote self-care.