Preview

The Reluctant Security Guard

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
867 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Reluctant Security Guard
The Reluctant Security Guard

Companies in today’s society are often required to abide by an abundant amount of rules and regulations imposed upon them which stem from government and law enforcement authority. In analyzing the Case of “The Reluctant Security Guard” we will examine the decision making process which led to David Tuff effectively ‘whistle blowing’ for what he felt was the right thing to do.
The policy that was in place for David Tuff was ultimately an oath he subscribed to when he became a security guard, as well as his integrity of being a former U.S. Marine. He was required to abide by the Security Officer’s Manual, which included obeying the rules and regulations of the Superintendent of Police. There is no ambiguity in this. The dilemma of Tuff was whether or not to abide by his companies rules or the Security Officer’s Manual. When the two sources conflicted it caused a situation where whistle blowing was an option.
In taking a look at Utilitarianism we can argue that allowing a patron to leave an establishment intoxicated with the intent of operating a vehicle will have a negative effect on society as a whole. The overall utility of allowing this can lead to disastrous tragedy. Tuff voiced this to his company, they would not listen. He did what he could internally with the exception of forming a group of security guards to rally together on this cause and see it through until a change occurred. Traditional utilitarians would deny, however, that any kinds of actions are always right or always wrong.1 This forces us to take a close look at whether or not what Tuff did was in line with Utilitarian rational. An action whose net benefits are greatest by comparison to the net benefits of all the other possible alternatives.2 With this in mind Utilitarianism would promote that the greater good would be to select the choice that would benefit society the most, which in this case would be to not allow an intoxicated person to operate a vehicle.
If

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    In many cases, the subculture of a unit can be so entrenched that actual department policy is never exercised. Department policy’s need to be explained and taught to every officer in the unit. Clear and decisive policy’s need to be drafted by all members of leadership. If an officer violates policy after they are explained and initiated, leadership needs to make an example out of them. There should be a zero tolerance policy on behalf of the commissioner’s office. In Robert Barton’s case, the police commissioner needs to ensure that an officer has the ability to file a complaint if he or she sees something wrong within a unit without the fear of excommunication.…

    • 878 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    This incident Challenger present us a case study in organizational communication, ethics and culture as it promotes or discourages necessary communication and the ethics of whistle blowing.…

    • 427 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to DeGeorge, for whistle-blowing to be considered ethical there first must be a serious harm that the whistle-blowing aims to prevent, which is greater than the harm it causes the firm and stakeholders. In this case, the corrupt activities are very serious and would have posed a greater harm going undetected than the negative media attention and charges brought against the firm. DeGeorge’s second condition states that the whistle-blower is required to first attempt to prevent…

    • 1698 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A utilitarian would approach an ethical dilemma by identifying the alternative actions and their harms and/or benefits for all stakeholders.…

    • 285 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Mike Rich

    • 2507 Words
    • 11 Pages

    The whistleblower poses no single entity, whether it being a single person or a business as a whole, to count itself immune to the dangers of corruption or malfeasance. Those who blow the whistle can neither risk the silencing of themselves for reasons of concrete evidence that question the proper moral and ethical interests of the public eye. According to Sissela Bok, “’Whistleblowing’ is a new label generated by our increased awareness of ethical conflicts encountered at work. Whistleblowers sound an alarm from within the very organization in which they work, aiming to spotlight neglect or abuses that threaten the public interest.” Take Frank Serpico, for example, a man whom was willing to risk his life, yet alone his career, to sound the alarm on the corruption within the very organization for which he worked for, the New York Police Department. Here in my discussion, we will examine and discuss Serpico’s case in correlation to the points made by Sissela Bok’s discussion on whistleblowing.…

    • 2507 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Utilitarianism theories hold that the moral worth of actions or practices is determined by their consequences. An action or practice is right if it leads to the best possible balance of good consequences over bad consequences for all affected parties. (Arnold, pp 17)…

    • 790 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In many situations police must use discretion, and according to Kantian (deontological) reasoning one should “act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law”. Therefore in this situation Officer Platt is making an ethical decision because he is willing that in this situation an officer should always issue a DUI. Most human beings would agree this is the correct decision because driving under the influence is very dangerous. In this situation, if he did not issue a DUI he would be willing that officers should never issue DUI’s. This would create a dangerous environment because not all individuals handle their alcohol the same. Some people with a .07 blood alcohol level are very impaired. Therefore from the deontological perspective this would be unethical. Choosing to issue of DUI can also be looked at through a teleological perspective using both situational ethics and utilitarianism. Using Situational Ethics Officer Platt’s decision to issue a DUI is ethical because the ends justify the means. By issuing a DUI (means) Officer Platt is correcting a destructive habit (ends). A utilitarian would argue that issuing a DUI is the correct action because it creates the greatest good for the greatest number. Mr. Hansen’s unhappiness about getting a DUI is outweighed by the happiness of the community that a driver under the influence of alcohol is off the…

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In his Essay Utilitarianism Mill elaborates on Utilitarianism as a moral theory and responds to misconceptions about it. Utilitarianism, in Mill's words, is the view that »actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness.«1 In that way, Utilitarianism offers an answer to the fundamental question Ethics is concerned about: ‘How should one live?' or ‘What is the good or right way to live?'.…

    • 1512 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    As director of security for this company I will ensure a threat and vulnerability assessment to protect the company and remain profitable in business. In preparing to expand my security company in the Middle East and Africa there are several things that I must consider. Some of them are threats, threats of other security companies trying to buy me out, internet hacking, surveillance system, personnel, and how to secure the perimeter when a natural disaster strikes.…

    • 1473 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Utilitarianism is the ethical theory that believes one should do what will promote the greatest utility for as many people as possible, that utility is often considered to be happiness or pleasure. There are different kinds of utilitarian views; hedonistic, preference, rule, and act to name a few, but they all have the same main objective. This theory does indeed seem good at first, but it is flawed. The case of the lonesome stranger challenges utilitarianism by bringing up issues of justice in different kinds of utilitarianism. The lonesome stranger is a persuasive argument to utilitarianism, showing problems pertaining to justice.…

    • 934 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nazi Prisoner Doctors

    • 467 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Mill, J. S. (1863). “Utilitarianism.” Exploring philosophy: an introductory anthology (4th ed., pp. 420-427). New York: Oxford University Press.…

    • 467 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Utilitarianism tells us that in order to make the most ethical decision, one must choose the path that will result is maximizing utility, defined as maximizing happiness and reducing pain. A utilitarian will make their decision based on what outcome produces the greatest good for the greatest number of individuals, where “good” is usually defined as the net benefit (the good minus the bad) for each party affected by the decision. This is also conveyed in the often-stated expression of utilitarianism “the end justifies the means”. A utilitarian will look at all options and select the option that attempts to maximize the overall utility.…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Police officers also have been given a bad reputation because of the actions of some people who have been on-the-job in the past. Many law suits and uprisings have been a result of the American people’s inability to trust and their dislike of police officers. However, like the security industry, they too, are working to make the industry more professional and…

    • 881 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Utilitarianism and Drugs

    • 2163 Words
    • 9 Pages

    A key issue that is seen in media today is the legalization of certain drugs. There is a way to approach the issue, from a moral standpoint, on the use of drugs and whether or not it should be legalized. To solve this moral dilemma, a person can simply use and apply the concepts of utilitarianism. When deciding on whether or not something is considered to be a moral problem, it’s extremely important to differentiate the assumptions that people have made to support their claims. The situation that is being examined is utilitarianism and how it would view the problem of drugs. First when looking at this issue, a person must use what utilitarianism’s use to identify the problems with drug use, and then there must be a solution to resolve the moral issue. The approach to solving this moral issue from a basis of utilitarianism is very simple. The good is that which maximizes utility for the most amount of people on average; this concept is the average utility. The opposite would be that which hinders or leads to what is known as the less average utility and then it is seen as being morally bad; even if it is unintentionally viewed in that light. With all of this being said, a person must then define the word utility to better understand these concepts. The use of the simpler form of the definition of the word utility is most appropriate for this case. According to Jeremy Bentham, it can simply be defined as, “happiness as a necessary component for well being, and it follows that the rules dictating those behaviors or policies that increase the maximum utility will be on par with the increase of happiness as it relates to well-being on a morally relevant basis.”…

    • 2163 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Essay On Deontology

    • 336 Words
    • 2 Pages

    It is hard to keep everyone happy all the time. This can be a problem in using utilitarianism with decision making. Another issue is that utilitarianism disregards the action committed, rather than taking it into consideration. By focusing more on the consequences of an action, officers can disregard the law in which they took an oath to carry out for the community. This can support that society’s feelings should not always be taken into consideration when it comes to the decision-making process of the responding officer and can prevent equality of treatment within the community…

    • 336 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics