Examine the following information and respond:

For this week's discussion, I have chosen the product issue. The first step in the PMI EDMF is to assess the issue and determine to what extent the dilemma agrees with the law, your ethical values, the PMI code of ethics, etc. In this instance, if I, as the project manager, were to do nothing, this would go against my ethical values and the PMI code of ethics. Step two involves considering alternative options; step three consists of identifying the impact the decision will have; stage four requires comparing your decision to the ethical principles (responsibility, respect, fairness, honesty); and step five concludes the EDMF by concluding with a decision.

So, what are my choices? First, I could tell the VP of Marketing and request an update in the design while keeping the volunteer's name out of it; second, I could inform the VP and the attendees of the concerns while keeping the volunteer's name out; or third, I could remain quiet and protect the volunteer completely.

Step three involves identifying the impact of the decision. Given that money is not a concern, my first option would be to discreetly bring up the concerns to the VP of Marketing, without disclosing the source. It could be as simple as saying, "I have unfortunately heard through the rumor mill that there were concerns with the safety of the dog houses last year. Is there anything we can do to improve the safety of this year's event?" How can I best help you with this?" This decision could potentially affect the Vice President's pride, but if executed effectively, it could also protect the company's reputation and ensure the safety of its customers. I believe it could be implemented in such a way that the Humane Society Executive Director, who is an external customer, would never be aware that any information was shared.

Step four requires you to compare your decision to ethical principles. I think this decision aligns well with regards to my adherence to the ethical principles of responsibility, fairness, respect, and honesty. I have a responsibility to our customers to do what is best for them, while also showing fairness, respect, and honesty to our VP and customers. In order to be fair to the volunteer, I should be able to frame the situation so that her name is never mentioned, based on the promise I made not to say anything that might expose her.

The final step is to make the decision public and accept responsibility. Once you complete these steps, there's no going back. The resolution in this case should be fairly straightforward and non-tumultuous.

As I learned in a Leadership & Ethics class, true ethical dilemmas must include three things: one, you must be forced to make a decision; two, there must be multiple courses of action to choose between; and third, an ethical principle must be compromised (Allen, 2018). Making a perfect decision, to put it another way, is impossible. It's more than a battle of right and wrong. It's challenging to present a comparable ethical dilemma because my work doesn't directly impact the safety of customers. In my personal life, however, last week, our neighbor was out of town, and his live-in health aid stayed behind in his home. Our neighbor texted to ask if the health aid was at home (presumably because he could not get ahold of her). We said we were not sure. The health aid (who, mind you, is not the most professional or official of health aids) messaged me this week to say she had seen the neighbor's message and that she did not appreciate it because it was unnecessary for him to be checking in like that. Most of the time, we have a reasonable trust in the aid, but we find ourselves in a peculiar dilemma: Should we assist the aid in establishing a boundary with him? Is this truly the case? Should we disclose this information to Paul, given that it is his residence and could potentially compromise his safety? Also, it is generally not acceptable to read someone else's text messages. Once again, this is an intricate and complex scenario that lacks a firm resolution, as we risk jeopardizing the trust of the assistant or Paul's safety. I'm unsure how to handle this situation, but the EDMF may help.