Ethical Decision Making – The Decision to Go to War with Iraq

 

In this assessment, you will analyze the ethical dimensions in “The Decision to Go to War with Iraq” case study. This case study focuses on government bureaucracy and how its various layers compete for influence and power. According to Stillman, each subsystem of a bureaucracy develops its own distinct set of values according to which it organizes its decision-making (Stillman, 2010).

For the purposes of this assessment:

• Analyze how the organizational structure, either intentionally or unintentionally, promoted or disabled ethical values.
• Identify the key ethical decision points.
• Identify the bureaucratic subsystems involved in each of the decision points and the values orientation out of which they operated.
• Evaluate how the various ethical theories and the ethical decision-making process, as described in Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases, might have made an impact on the decisions made. What questions would you have asked, and at what point?

Case Study: Decision to Go to War with Iraq

Click Launch Presentation to view additional material on the decision to go to war with Iraq.

Portfolio Prompt: You are required to save this learning activity to your ePortfolio under specialization outcomes 1 and 4.

Reference

Stillman, R. J., II. (Ed.). (2010). Public administration: Concepts and cases(9th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth