Ethics in Emergency Management

Emergency management is the field responsible for overseeing certain preventative strategies are put in place, following the happening of a disastrous incidence. After a major happening affecting the people, for instance a political crash has happened, an emergency management team is put in place, to make ensure that the same does not recur. The team appointed for this task is looked upon with great expectations to see to it that everything is under control. The society puts massive pressure on managers to do whatever it takes to give the best in the responsibilities given to them. General preparedness, quick response, recovery and alleviation of negativity are expected to be the factors given utmost importance (Alexander, 2002). The executives above the managers feel much pressure, considering the fact that compensation and pay will heavily be dependent on performance. This pressure is translated on the management and added pressure is given. To keep up with the pressure and give the best as expected, managers will be faced with situations that call for them to make difficult ethical choices.

Ethics are the some of the greatest aspects that determine the destinations of any society in all aspects of life. This can be attributed to the fact that ethics influence the decisions made by individuals involved, and could positively or negatively determine the kinds of actions taken following the decisions made. Some of the ethical principles which should exist in a person serving an organization include high levels of integrity, honesty, staying and acting true to one’s word, showing respect to others and practicing the golden rule (Ghere, 2005). In emergency management, such decisions are common; bearing the fact that emergency is just like any other management organization. Different kinds of people will make varied decisions, depending on the kind of people they are.

A moral manager will make rightful choices, owing to the fact that his interests are the success of the organization for which he is working. Making such selfless decisions has benefits, which may include being trusted by the people that relate directly and indirectly with the company as well as having self confidence in all the undertakings within the organizations. However, moral-guided acts do not always come with benefits, especially for people who aim at making great benefits fast and efficiently. For this reason, some managers make amoral decisions.

Amoral acts usually, are made intentionally or unintentionally. A manager making amoral decisions with the intention of doing so bears the belief that morality should not go hand in hand with business. For this reason, the choices made are guided by the idea that ethics are inappropriate in the tough competitive world of business. Considering the fact that moral judgment is not given importance by such persons, personal considerations are perceived as ideas that could possibly be used for the benefit of the organization (Alexander, 2002). For instance, a manager may come up with the idea of creating a bad attitude towards a rival company or organization among the people served by the two rivals. This may be implemented, being considered as a wise decision. Consequences for making amoral decisions should only be judged by the law, and as far as it does not violate the law, it is considered rightful by these people. For instance, an amoral manager in the emergency management field will overuse his authority on the staff under his power just to see that the person follows the rule of quick response (Zack, 2009). Some amoral decisions are done unintentionally.

An unintentionally amoral manager is blind to ethical acts in decision making and other business actions. This kind of manager shows little or no concern regarding the application of ethics in his management. Such people believe that the all the choices they make are right and personally ethical. Such decisions may include violating a religious concept that the people negatively affected are aware of but the manager is not.

There are various factors that lead to adoption of unethical acts and decision making. These are among others, influence by other people within the organization. If the number of unethical persons outdoes that of the ethical people, a manager will easily be influenced into making decisions that are unethical. Still, there are some managers who would like to achieve some levels of self-satisfaction that cannot be achieved by merely making the rightful things. Such a person is not likely to be patient enough by doing what is expected of him by his authorities and those that work with or under him. For this reason, these people will quickly rush into actions that are not guided by personal principles.

In an organization that does not give importance to moral principles, there are common beliefs and practices, which may entail ignoring what feels right, as long as it does not violate the law. Considering the fact that these organizations are numerous, with each looking upon beating the rest in the services offered, competitiveness will be definite and this calls for the managers to offer the best they can (Menzel, 2009). For this reason, they will be skewed towards making choices that will be for the benefit of the company. This will be done to ease the pressure put upon them by those that have great expectations upon them. This could entail doing everything in their capacity to achieve the competitive advantage required of them.

Other ethical dilemmas that managers in emergency management may encounter include determining the area to allocate finances provided for funding the most affected areas in a catastrophe. In such a situation, his home area or an area in which a person the manager is linked to might be among the areas affected. The damage could then be equal damage with that of the other location the manager has no links with. In such a situation, the manager will be likely to act in favor of his home area and may allocate more funds than the other place. This is an example of an amoral decision made in management. In the same case, applying principles in management would entail distributing the resources provided indiscriminately (Ghere, 2005).

In the cases in which distribution of facilities to prevent catastrophic events is involved, it would not be considered wrong ethically by most individual to distribute in favor of a specified group, owing to the fact that prevention is not done for the purpose of solving any problem already experienced. Managers who do this kind of biased choices do not consider any consequences, and may only realize how wrong after lawful action has been taken upon them (Ghere, 2005). Contrary to the fact that alleviation is a factor that can be violated, it is not considered as so in emergency management. Management in emergency management is a field that entails choosing ethically right and wrong decisions.

References

Alexander, D. (2002). Principles of emergency planning and management. Oxford: Oxford          University Press

Ghere, R. (2005). Ethics in public management. London: M.E Sharpe Sharpe Ltd

Menzel, D. (2007). Ethics Management for Public Administrators: Building Organizations of         Integrity. London: M.E Sharpe Sharpe Ltd

Zack, Naomi. (2009). Ethics for disaster. New York: Rowman & Littlefield