Ethical issues
Judy is faced with a dilemma on whether to leave the job she has been doing for years or go for promotion. The dilemma is for the fact that the current job she is doing which is evaluation is not her area of academic training. However, she has realized over the years that she is very good at it. She has grown to love and enjoy it and the accumulated experience is not something she can easily overlook based on an anticipated promotion. The issue of professional ethics arises with Roy’s suggestion that she overlooks part of her responsibility in evaluating a certain program headed by him.
Roy’s offer to give Judy the position of a policy analyst was informal and did not pass through the professional channels of advertising a job or a position in an organization. In Judy’s case, it is obvious that the ethical procedures in getting her into the job will most likely be undermined. Considering almost evident informal friendship between her and Roy, it is possible to assume that there is a conflict of interests in their relationship.
American Evaluation Association’s role
The American Evaluation Association guidelines provide helpful advice on the practice of evaluation presented in this case scenario. However, these are not intended to limit the approach of the evaluation process. As the American evaluation association’s mission stipulates, evaluators must strive to improve evaluation procedures and methods they frequently use. Evaluation use must always be on the rise for development in an organization.
Conflict of interest
It is important to point out that Judy’s reaction is more likely to cause a conflict of interest in respect to this case study. Like indicated in the case, Roy tried to influence her by discouraging Judy against evaluating part of the program that she had been supposed to evaluate. The conflict arises with the fact that Roy captured Judy’s attention when he offered a job promotion. With this case scenario, the most probable behavior for Judy would be to do everything possible to get a promotion. This only means that it is more likely that she will act in favor of Roy’s suggestion.
The conflict of interests and her actions in response are not necessarily to happen as it is just an assumption, but it is obvious that these may occur. Based on her integrity which is not clearly stated in the case, she might choose to stand for the true values and guidelines of her profession which would be the right and ethical course of action. Potential conflict of interests would, however, be in the opposite motivation. If she is influenced by her ambitions to get ahead in her career and forget the ethical stands of the same, then there will be a potential conflict of interests in that case. This is, however, a prospective as we are not aware of whether her decisions were influenced by the same or by some other reasons.
Solution
To be able to show integrity which is, in essence, an ethical stand in evaluation of a practice and career, she must be able and willing to conform to the guiding principles in her field. Although she is excited about the promotion, she must not allow her judgment to be influenced by her employer. If it happens, then this will comprise her integrity and probably undermine her professional practice.