Ethics Case Studies

Ethics Case Studies*

Sharon Stoerger MLS, MBA
sstoer@yahoo.com

Anthropology ~~ Art ~~ Bioethics ~~ Business ~~ History

Journalism ~~ Plagiarism ~~ Research ~~ Sociology ~~ Additional Ethics Resources

Anthropology

Case Studies
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Lab/9893/cslinks.html
Karen Supak designed this site to be used as a scholarly resource for those interested in biological anthropology or related fields. Her "Case Studies" section has 5 different anthropology-related case studies to investigate.

Handbook on Ethical Issues in Anthropology
http://www.aaanet.org/committees/ethics/toc.htm
The American Anthropological Association site presents two different "chapters" that include a total of 25 case studies. Twelve cases can be found in "Chapter 3: Cases and Solutions" and 13 cases can be found in "Chapter 4: Cases and Comments." Both chapters are great resources for anthropological scenarios.

Examples:

Chapter 3: Cases and Solutions
http://www.aaanet.org/committees/ethics/ch3.htm

Chapter 4: Cases and Comments
http://www.aaanet.org/committees/ethics/ch4.htm

The Online Ethics Center for Engineering & Science
http://onlineethics.org
The Online Ethics Center is a great ethics resource for the sciences. It was established in the fall of 1995 under a grant from NSF, and its mission is to "provide engineers and scientists and science and engineering students with resources useful for understanding and addressing ethically significant problems that arise in their work life." Links to cases, essays, codes of ethics and reference materials are merely a few of the resources found at this site.

Example:

The Gladiator Sparrow: Ethical Issues in Behavioral Research on Captive Populations of Wild Animals
http://onlineethics.org/reseth/appe/vol4/gladiator.html
A graduate student in psychobiology is studying the development of aggressive behaviors in non-human animals. She decides to test environmental influences on the development of these aggressive behaviors in gladiator sparrows, and she encounters a few problems during the research process. Discussion questions and commentaries follow the scenario.

Commentaries on this case can be found at:

http://onlineethics.org/reseth/appe/vol4/gladiator1.html

http://onlineethics.org/reseth/appe/vol4/gladiator2.html

Smithsonian Institution: Anthropology Outreach Office-Ethical Dilemmas
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/anthro/outreach/edethica.html
This site, which is part of a teacher packet, provides an outline of how instructors can organize discussions on ethical issues and dilemmas faced by anthropologists in the field. Six cases are provided along with a set of questions that are designed to stimulate discussions on the topics.

Example:

Case 1
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/anthro/outreach/edethica.html
A graduate student applied for funds to support research for his dissertation and was recently interviewed by a foundation representative with regard to his application. He sat across the desk from his advisor, laughing and obviously enjoying his success in "faking out the National Foundation people." The student had flunked his oral exams during the spring term but did not reveal this to his interviewer. Instead, he told the foundation that he was scheduled to take his orals in the late autumn. The interviewer hinted that Sawyer was very likely to receive funding if he passed his orals. The student's advisor questions what to do in this case of deception.

Society for American Archaeology Bulletin 16(4) From the Ethics Committee
http://www.saa.org/publications/saabulletin/16-4/SAA13.html
This site posts two of the four invented ethical issue scenarios presented at the Society for American Archaeology (SAA) forum in Seattle.

The Society for Economic Botany (SEB): Teaching Ethics-Ethical Dilemmas
http://www.econbot.org/ethics/teaching_ethics.html
Dr. Will McClutchey, from the University of Hawaii, has contributed the 15 different questions/scenarios that appear on this SEB site, and they are designed to spark ethical discussions in the classroom. Topics include using narcotics in cultures where that activity is introduced, developing relationships with tribal people and becoming indoctrinated into a particular religious sect in order to participate in secret ceremonies.

Art

Case Scenarios
http://grove.ufl.edu/~rolandc/scenarios.html
A mixed bag of case scenarios are presented at this site, and there are even a few addressing ethical issues that arise in the art world. These cases are intended for college-level groups, but they may be adapted to any level.

Ethics, Art & Money in the Work of J.S.G. Boggs
http://www.jsgboggs.com/covey.html
This scenario is based on a situation encountered by the artist J.S.G. Boggs during a time when he was involved in a project using fake paper currency as the medium.

Ethics of Education
http://www.uvsc.edu/ethics/curriculum/education/
The Center for the Study of Ethics at Utah Valley State College (Orem, UT) developed this set of cases for their Ethics across the Curriculum seminar. Topics addressed by the cases presented at this site include equipment usage, software sharing, fair grading policies and copying.

Example:

Art Plagiarism
http://www.uvsc.edu/ethics/curriculum/education/case10.html

Ethics Updates: Ethics Case Studies
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/HomeOverview.asp
Lawrence Hinman founded this site in 1994 to be used primarily by ethics instructors and their students, and he continues to edit and maintain it. Case studies covering ethics topics in business, family, academic and social situations are provided in this section of the Ethics Updates site. A discussion forum for each case is coming soon.

Example:

An Artful Dodger?
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/Detail.asp?ID=33
A major art museum director faces a dilemma over whether or not to compromise standards for the sake of revenue in this case dealing with an exhibit by young, British artists. Costs for undertaking this project are immense, and all the works belong to a British art collector who agrees to donate a large sum in order to help finance the project. Numerous demands have been made by the collector, but his financial support is not made public at the time of the show. The director must examine the code of ethics and decide if this particular exhibit is going to be beneficial to the institution in the end.

Savannah College of Art and Design Case
http://www.scad-and-us.info/
The details of a scenario involving a student enrolled in an Art & Design MA program and the grades he received for classes not attended unfold at this site.

Stolen Property or Finders Keepers
http://home.att.net/~tisone/problem.htm
This site lists an art-related scenario that can be used with a group divided into teams. Each team has an "assignment" with questions that should be considered during the investigation of the situation.

Bioethics

Bioethics at Iowa State University: Classroom Resources
http://www.biotech.iastate.edu/Bioethics/classroom_resources.html
This site contains numerous bioethics case studies. Agriculture, animals, biotechnology, humans and research ethics are just a few of the topic areas addressed at this Iowa State University resource.

Bioethics Case Studies
http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/olc_linkedcontent/bioethics_cases/index.html
Ronnee Yashon, an expert in teaching genetics, ethics and law, developed 20 different cases studies for this McGraw-Hill site. Topics ranging from cloning to organ donation to DNA forensics are included.

Yashon has written two books, Case Studies in Bioethics I and II, that have been used at all educational levels. The focus of her new book, Landmark Cases for the Science Classroom, is more on the legal aspects of science.

Biotechnology & Ethics Electronic Resources
http://www.unf.edu/~mgillis/general.html
Marin Gillis, a visiting professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of North Florida, has compiled an annotated list of biotech and biotech-related Web sites. Several case study resources are included in Gillis' selection of materials.

Chowan Center for Ethics: Case Studies
http://www.chowan.edu/acadp/ethics/studies.htm
Faculty at Chowan College in Murfreesboro, North Carolina voted to establish the Chowan Center for Ethics in 1997. The Center's principle objective is "to heighten ethical awareness and 'moral imagination'" by encouraging discussions about today's ethical issues. Numerous resources can be found in sections like the Ethics and Community Resource Sites.

Example:

Bioethical Case Studies

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~erw/nur301/practice/ethics/gassign3-3-2.html

Examples:

Creating a Life to Save a Life
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/Detail.asp?ID=84
A child in England is suffering from a rare disorder that requires daily medications and frequent transfusions. If the treatments are stopped, the child will die. The parents have decided that in vitro fertilization is the answer, and they plan to use this process to have another child. A relatively new technique will allow them to screen the embryos to see which ones would be most likely to be able to donate blood-making cells to the sick child. The question of whether or not it is ethical to create a new life with the sole intent of saving another life is addressed in this scenario.

Designer Babies
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/Detail.asp?ID=66
Physicians can use a technique called Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) to screen embryos for many things including gender. Future parents can use PGD to decide which embryos will be implanted and which ones will not. This case poses questions that should be considered by government officials and medical personnel, as well as by prospective parents.

Tissue Donations
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/Detail.asp?ID=49
The Ardais Corporation, a biotechnology company, formed a partnership with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston) and Duke University Medical Center. Part of this joint venture involves the creation of a tissue bank that will enable researchers to link specific genetic sequences with diseases. This scenario examines the ethics surrounding the sale of human tissue at a time when the sale of human organs is illegal.

Who Owns Genetic Resources?
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/Detail.asp?ID=36
A Latin American country has enacted a new policy that places limits on the collection of biological specimens. Scientists may apply for collection permits, but they tend to be costly and may take years to obtain. With the development of genetically modified products, some countries are taking the stance that they should be paid if a company makes a profit from a genetically modified seed that was originally obtained from a field in their country. The focus of this case is on who has the rights to materials obtained by scientists in foreign countries.

Institute for Global Ethics (IGE)
http://www.globalethics.org/dilemmas/default.tmpl
The mission of the Institute for Global Ethics is "to promote ethical behavior in individuals, institutions, and nations through research, public discourse, and practical action." Cases presented at this site come from real-life stories told by participants in IGE Ethical Fitness™ Seminars. Business, education and medical issues are some of the topics covered by the cases.

Example:

Dilemma Database
http://www.globalethics.org/dilemmas/default.tmpl

Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/cases.cfm
The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics was founded in 1986 and has grown into one of the most active university applied ethics centers in the country. It is based at Santa Clara University and was initially funded by an endowment by Linda and A. C. "Mike" Markkula Jr. Articles, cases, briefings and dialogue in all areas of applied ethics can be found at this online center.

Example:

Biotechnology and Health Care Ethics
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/medical/

Business

Babson Business College: Business Ethics Program
http://roger.babson.edu/ethics/index.htm
The Babson Business Ethics Program is designed to integrate ethics into businesses and business education. Numerous resources, including case studies, are available.

Example:

Case Studies
http://roger.babson.edu/ethics/business.htm

Business Ethics: Case Studies
http://www.uvsc.edu/ethics/curriculum/business
The business cases presented at this site were developed by the Center for the Study of Ethics at Utah Valley State College to be used in their Ethics Across the Curriculum seminar. Even though the cases in this section are somewhat generic in nature, they are designed to address personal and corporate ethics situations that could occur in any business environment.

BusinessEthics.ca
http://www.businessethics.ca
BusinessEthics.ca is a site created by Chris MacDonald, and it is one of the many EthicsWeb.ca (http://www.ethicsweb.ca) topic areas. Canadian and international resources including articles, case studies, and business ethics in the news reports are provided. A special collection entitled "Enron & Ethics" has recently been added.

Examples:

e-Health and Commercial Genetic Testing
http://www.businessethics.ca/cases/ehealth-and-cgt.html
Veritas Diagnostic, a medical diagnostic company specializing in adult susceptibility testing, is the subject of this case study. The scenario examines whether or not services provided by this company are carried out in an ethical manner.

The Polluter's Dilemma
http://www.businessethics.ca/cases/pollutersdilemma1.html
An environmental compliance manager for a company realizes that a particular toxin that is released by her company into a local lake could be reduced if a new and costly technology were implemented by the company. Her company is not violating any federal regulations, but local researchers question the long-term safety of having the toxin in the lake. This case study discusses what happens if the compliance manager goes forward with the new technology or if she ignores the situation.

Whistleblowing & the Environment: The Case of Avco Environmental
http://www.businessethics.ca/cases/wb-env1.html
Avco Environmental Services is a small, toxic waste disposal company. A clerk for the company discovers that some medical waste from a local hospital is being dumped in a local municipal landfill. Her immediate supervisor tells her not to be concerned about the situation. This case discusses the dilemma faced by the clerk, and whether or not the dumping issue is her concern.

Carnegie Mellon: Ethics Teaching Materials
http://ba.gsia.cmu.edu/ethics/teaching.htm
This site, developed by the Center for International Corporate Responsibility, provides links to categories such as the role of ethics instruction in B-schools, case studies, tutorials and business scandal articles. Academic resources, membership organization information and other ethical materials are also available.

One of the many resources included in this collection of teaching materials is the Arthur Andersen Case Study Library. Ninety business ethics case studies are posted along with supporting materials. It is important to note that Arthur Andersen provided funding for this project but was not involved in the development of the cases. The Case Library can be found at http://ba.gsia.cmu.edu/ethics/AA/arthurandersen.htm.

CasePlace.org
http://www.caseplace.org
CasePlace.org is a free service for business faculty and students offered by Aspen Institute's Initiative for Social Innovation through Business (Aspen ISIB). Cases and topics for discussion are posted at this site, and they are searchable by topic or discipline.

Case Studies: Analyses
http://businessmajors.about.com/cs/casestudies/index.htm?once=true&iam=dpile&terms=+IT++case++stud
About.com's collection of case studies is presented at this site. A few of the studies provided deal with business ethics or related topic areas.

Examples:

Business Ethics Collections of Cases
http://www.businessethics.ca/cases/

Case Studies in Business and Financial Ethics
http://www.stuart.iit.edu/ethics/cases.html

E-Ethics Center
http://www.e-businessethics.com
The goal of the E-Ethics Center at Colorado State University is to "create a virtual community of organizations and individuals that share best practices in the improvement of business ethics." Businesses, non-profit organizations, government agencies and other academic institutions have provided much of the information found at the Center's Web site.

Example:

Business Ethics Case Studies
http://www.e-businessethics.com/case.htm

Ethics Case Studies: Illinois CPA Society (ICPAS)
http://www.icpas.org/icpas/consumer/ethics-casestudies.asp
Dr. Howard A. Kanter at the DePaul School of Accountancy and the ICPAS Ethics Committee have developed the case studies found at the Illinois CPA Society Web site. The cases presented cover areas like discreditable acts, compliance with standards, accounting principles and general standards.

Examples:

Conflicting Interest
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/Detail.asp?ID=6
A cement company, based in Albany, NY, operates a plant that has been emitting large amounts of pollution, as well as causing loud noises and vibrations. Residents have filed a lawsuit hoping to stop operations until changes can be made to the plant. The fairness of the court's decision provides the premise of this case.

Integrity in Business
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/Detail.asp?ID=10
Your job at an executive recruitment firm is to find appropriate candidates for the position of President of one of the largest corporations in the U.S. If one of the candidates you recruit is selected, your firm will be generously compensated. Several weeks into the process, it appears that the search for candidates is flawed. This case examines what should be done even though the recruitment firm is not legally liable if an inappropriate candidate is selected.

Oprah Speaks Out
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/Detail.asp?ID=2
A group of Texas cattle ranchers sued Oprah Winfrey after she aired a program on the safety of American beef. The program appeared at a time when news of England's battle against the mad cow disease outbreak was prevalent. This case examines a Texas statute that creates legal liability for questioning food safety without "sound scientific proof." Issues surrounding an individual's right to free speech versus the damage caused by that speech are addressed.

The Ford Pinto Case
http://www.law.wfu.edu/courses/Law&value-Palmiter/Papers/1999/Leggett-pinto.html
In May 1972, a Ford Pinto stalled out on a Minnesota highway and was struck from behind at 28 m.p.h. After impact, the fuel tank burst into flames, killing the driver and severely injuring and disfiguring the passenger. Did Ford know about the flawed design, and if so, was the company guilty of murder? This study discusses the case that followed the 1972 incident. There are numerous versions of the Ford Pinto case, and this site merely presents one version of the scenario.

Gray Matters
http://college.hmco.com/business/ferrell/ethics/5e/students/gmatters
Gray Matters is an ethics game used by Lockheed Martin to discuss ethical dilemmas with company employees. Not all the answers to the game are clear-cut, and some sections present only partial answers.

IMA Ethics Center
http://www.imanet.org/content/About_IMA/EthicsCenter/ethic1.asp
IMA, the Institute of Management Accountants, is a nonprofit organization of management accounting and financial management professionals that was founded in 1919. In 2002, IMA issued a challenge to its members to "uphold and reaffirm the highest standards of professional ethics." Ethical resources, including case studies, are provided by IMA.

Example:

Case Studies
http://www.imanet.org/content/About_IMA/EthicsCenter/CaseStudies/cases.asp

Inc.comGuide: Case Studies in Business Ethics
http://www.inc.com/personal_and_professional_growth/guides/20806.html
Editors at Inc.com select the resources found at this site. Ethics case studies covering topics such as environmental challenges, community involvement and global connections can be found in this section of the Inc.com site.

Other Inc.com guides can be found at http://www.inc.com/home/.

Example:

Dilemma Database
http://www.globalethics.org/dilemmas/default.tmpl

Institute of Business Ethics (IBE)
http://www.open.ac.uk/business-ethics/index.htm
The development of the IBE site was a joint effort between the Open University and the Institute of Business Ethics and is sponsored by the Foundation for Business Responsibilities. It is designed to be an online information center for academics and students interested in business ethics.

Example:

Case Studies
http://www.open.ac.uk/business-ethics/case-studies.htm

Example:

Business Ethics: Cases
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/cases.cfm?fam=BUSI

History

Example:

The Crimes of Augusto Pinochet--History Case Studies
http://www.trentu.ca/~mneumann/pinochet.html

History News Network: Plagiarism Cases
http://historynewsnetwork.org/articles/article.html?id=504
The Stephen Ambrose plagiarism controversy has gained a lot of press coverage and has brought the issue of sloppiness versus deliberate copying into the limelight. The History News Network has links that track the Ambrose case from the initial reports in the press to its present status.

Journalism

Example:

Journalism Ethics Cases
http://www.journalism.indiana.edu/Ethics/

Example:

Death on the Screen
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/Detail.asp?ID=61
At times, television news stations air live coverage of events that could become potentially violent. Small children are often home watching television during these broadcasts that sometimes result in a person being fatally shot. This case looks at the value of live broadcasts and discusses the possible benefits of delaying mechanisms for stations who continue with this type of news coverage.

Example:

Dilemma Database
http://www.globalethics.org/dilemmas/default.tmpl

Journalism Ethics Cases Online
http://www.journalism.indiana.edu/Ethics/
The School of Journalism at Indiana University has compiled numerous ethics cases for this often cited resource. Barry Bingham Jr. developed the core set of cases found at this site, and they were initially published in his newsletter, FineLine. Cases are designed to be used by teachers, researchers, professional journalists and anyone interested in media ethics.

Journalism.org: Case Study Curriculum for Journalism Students
http://www.journalism.org/resources/education/case_studies/default.asp
Nine cases are available, with more to be added, that discuss issues surrounding media events like Watergate, McCarthyism, and the Olympic Bombing and Richard Jewell to name a few. Abstracts of each case are provided, but an e-mail address must be entered before full cases can be downloaded.

Poynter.org
http://www.poynter.org
Nelson Poynter, former publisher for the St. Petersburg Times, founded the Poynter Center to act as a vehicle that would add academic excellence to the field of journalism. The motto of the Center is "everything you need to be a better journalist."

Example:

Media Ethics Bibliography
http://www.poynter.org/content/content_view.asp?id=1208&sid=32
This Poynter Center site provides an annotated list of online resources dealing with media ethics. Codes of ethics, publications, ethics centers and cases studies are just a few of the materials found at this site.

Texas Seven Interview Provides Case Study in Media Ethics
http://www2.drury.edu/rtvj/PDF%20files/March01.Static.pdf
Lee Hood, Teaching Standards Committee Chair of RTVJ, the Radio-Television Journalism Division of AEJMC, discusses whether or not the decisions made by a Colorado Springs (Colorado) television station helped law enforcement officials capture two of the "Texas Seven" fugitives hiding out in their area. Hood presents criticisms voiced regarding the station's decision to give into demands made by the fugitives and the factors considered by the station in making their decision to cooperate.

Plagiarism

Examples:

Art Plagiarism
http://www.uvsc.edu/ethics/curriculum/education/case10.html

Plagiarism
http://www.uvsc.edu/ethics/curriculum/education/case15.html

Plagiarism in the News
http://www.bridgewater.edu/WritingCenter/Workshops/PlagiarismCases.htm
The Bridgewater College (VA) Online Writing Lab has designed this site to help foster discussions on the ethical use of sources by writers. Lab staff have compiled and posted numerous articles on plagiarism issues, including the Doris Kearns Goodwin and Stephen Ambrose scandals.

Selected RRP Case Studies & Materials
http://www.responsibility.research.umich.edu/casematerialsdir.html#plag
Shaké Ketefian adapted this case for the University of Michigan Research Responsibility Program (RRP). The case was taken from Teaching the Responsible Conduct of Research through a Case Study Approach (Association of American Medical Colleges, 1994).

Suspicious Signs Exercise
http://www.lib.umich.edu/acadintegrity/instructors/case_studies/beat_movement.htm
Renoir Gaither, Shapiro Undergraduate Library at the University of Michigan, constructed this case that represents what might be considered to be a problematic paper submitted by an undergraduate student. The design of this case is conducive to discussions in a workshop environment.

Teaching Ethics for Research, Scholarship & Practice: Case Studies
http://www.research.umn.edu/ethics/case.html
The Office of the Vice President for Research and the Dean of the Graduate School at the University of Minnesota have developed this site to be a resource for faculty who are integrating research ethics into their curriculum. It is also designed to "foster increased awareness of ethical issues", and numerous resources are provided.

Example:

Plagiarism
http://www.research.umn.edu/ethics/plagiarism.html

Research

Applied Ethics in Professional Practice: Case of the Month Club
http://www.niee.org/case-of-the-month/index.htm
In 1997, Ronald E. Bucknam, P.E., Ph.D., developed the "Case of the Month Club." This frequently accessed site is used by more than 100 universities. The program presents cases taken from "professional practice in order to stimulate greater emphasis on ethical issues in a real-world context."

Example:

Don't Ask, Don't Tell
http://www.niee.org/case-of-the-month/ethics6.htm
A wastewater process engineer has spent the last few weeks designing an equalization tank for the wastewater treatment plant. During a design review, the reviewer notices that the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Code Section 820, which requires certain areas to be "explosion proof", covers sewage plant headworks. Concerns about the potential problem and actions that could be taken by the engineer are covered in this case.

The Case of John Roland Darsee
http://www.unmc.edu/ethics/data/darsee.htm
Darsee was considered to be a golden boy in the area of scientific research. After suspicions were raised that his abstracts contained no actual research, his career was detrimentally damaged. This case outlines details surrounding the Darsee situation and what happened after he admitted to falsifying data.

Case Studies in Engineering Ethics
http://clawww.lmu.edu/~jkasmith/phil330/cases.htm
The 8 cases presented at this site have been written by James K. A. Smith and are based on actual cases. This project was funded in part by a grant from the Center for Teaching Excellence at Loyola Marymount University to "support collaborative learning and teaching innovation."

Example:

Don't Drink the Water
http://clawww.lmu.edu/~jkasmith/phil330/cases.htm#3
This scenario examines a situation faced by a chemical engineer who is contracted by a small, cash-strapped municipality to test drinking water samples. A small municipality simply cannot afford extensive or frequent testing, and the result is a system with a number of gaps and lots of room for dangerous drinking water to go unnoticed. However, earlier this month, the engineer did detect dangerously high levels of a particular strain of E. coli bacteria in a test of the water. Residents have no knowledge of the danger they might be drinking.

Cases on Research Ethics
http://rcr.ucsd.edu/tools/cases.htm
The case studies posted at this site are intended to facilitate discussions about scientific integrity. Scenarios provided address issues such as research misconduct, data management, publication and conflict of interest.

Examples:

Case Studies in Research
http://www.acts.twu.ca/lbr/chapter7.htm

Information Literacy 101
http://www.ycp.edu/library/ifl/reserves/case_studies.html

Markkula Ethics Center's Cases and Comments
http://www.scu.edu/SCU/Centers/Ethics/dialogue/candc/

Clinical Research Workshop Program
http://ethics.ucsd.edu/workshops/CRW/cases/case6.htm
The Clinical Research Workshop Program site is a collaborative effort between the University of California San Diego (UCSD) and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF). Michael Kalichman (PhD, UCSD) and Susan Eastwood (ELS, UCSF) developed this site to operate as a framework for workshops that focus on practical and ethical research activities. Case studies are provided for each topic category. Michael Kalichman has also been involved in the Ethics and Survival Skills Workshop.

Example:

Misconduct in Science: Various Cases
http://ethics.ucsd.edu/courses/survival/resources/misconduct.htm

College Administration Publications: Case Studies
http://www.collegepubs.com/ref/CaseStudies.shtml
College Administration Publications was founded in 1973 and provides periodicals, monographs and seminars. Publications focus on law and policy issues in higher education. The case studies provided at the site address topics such as academic integrity, free speech, harassment and suicide prevention.

Ethical Case Studies
http://www.jgsee.kmutt.ac.th/exell/JEE613/EthCases.html
Many of the case studies presented at this site are from the booklet On Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct in Research (1995).

Example:

Polywater
http://www.jgsee.kmutt.ac.th/exell/JEE613/EthCases.html#s11
In 1966, the Soviet scientist Derjaguin announced in a lecture in England that another Soviet scientist named Fedyakin had discovered a new form of water, which was later called polywater. He claimed that polywater was formed by heating ordinary water, and then letting it condense in quartz capillary tubes. Hundreds of papers on the properties of polywater were published during the next few years. Some scientists warned that if polywater escaped from the laboratory it would cause all the water in the world to polymerize! However, very little polywater was available for analysis. This case examines the scenario that evolved when scientists discovered that they had been misled by badly conducted experiments.

Ethical Dilemmas in the University: University of British Columbia (UBC)
http://www.cstudies.ubc.ca/facdev/services/newsletter/89/mar89-1.html
Academics at the University of British Columbia (Canada) began a series of workshops designed to address ethical dilemmas encountered at UBC. The cases presented at this site have been excerpted from The Teaching Professor (January 1989).

Ethics Decisions Exercise
http://www.outopia.org/teach/intro/EthicsEx.pdf
Thirteen different ethics scenarios are provided that address possibly questionable situations. A set of four instructions are outlined and are to be applied to each of the cases presented at this site.

Ethics in the Science Classroom
http://www.wmich.edu/ethics/ESC/
This project, developed by Theodore D. Goldfarb (Department of Chemistry-SUNY-Stony Brook) and Michael S. Pritchard (Department of Philosophy-Western Michigan University), began as an NSF-funded program designed to encourage teachers to include ethics and values content into the classroom. Ethical dimensions of science are addressed, as well as the incorporation of ethics into the science classroom curriculum. Six different case studies outlining a variety of ethics scenarios that may be encountered in the field of science are also presented. Some of the cases are based on actual events, while others are fictional.

Example:

Overly Ambitious Researchers-Fabricating Data
http://www.wmich.edu/ethics/ESC/cs1.html
Dr. John Darsee was regarded as a brilliant student and medical researcher at the University of Notre Dame (1966-70), Indiana University (1970-74), Emory University (1974-9), and Harvard University (1979-1981). Faculty at all four institutions saw him as a potential "all-star" with a great research future ahead of him. At Harvard, he reportedly often worked more than 90 hours a week as a Research Fellow in the Cardiac Research Laboratory headed by Dr. Eugene Braunwald. In less than two years at Harvard, he was first author of seven publications in very good scientific journals. All of this came to a sudden halt in May 1981, when three colleagues in the Cardiac Research Laboratory observed Darsee labeling data recordings "24 seconds", "72 hours", "one week", and "two weeks." In reality, only minutes had transpired. Darsee's actions of research misconduct that led to his downfall are explored in this real-life scenario.

Examples:

An Artful Dodger?
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/Detail.asp?ID=33
A major art museum director faces a dilemma over whether or not to compromise standards for the sake of revenue in this case dealing with an exhibit by young, British artists. Costs for undertaking this project are immense, and all the works belong to a British art collector who agrees to donate a large sum in order to help finance the project. Numerous demands have been made by the collector, but his financial support is not made public at the time of the show. The director must examine the code of ethics and decide if this particular exhibit is going to be beneficial to the institution in the end.

Conflicting Interest
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/Detail.asp?ID=6
A cement company, based in Albany, NY, operates a plant that has been emitting large amounts of pollution, as well as causing loud noises and vibrations. Residents have filed a lawsuit hoping to stop operations until changes can be made to the plant. The fairness of the court's decision provides the premise of this case.

Integrity in Business
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/Detail.asp?ID=10
Your job at an executive recruitment firm is to find appropriate candidates for the position of President of one of the largest corporations in the U.S. If one of the candidates you recruit is selected, your firm will be generously compensated. Several weeks into the process, it appears that the search for candidates is flawed. This case examines what should be done even though the recruitment firm is not legally liable if an inappropriate candidate is selected.

Oprah Speaks Out
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/Detail.asp?ID=2
A group of Texas cattle ranchers sued Oprah Winfrey after she aired a program on the safety of American beef. The program appeared at a time when news of England's battle against the mad cow disease outbreak was prevalent. This case examines a Texas statute that creates legal liability for questioning food safety without "sound scientific proof." Issues surrounding an individual's right to free speech versus the damage caused by that speech are addressed.

Information Literacy Ethics Cases
http://www.ycp.edu/library/ifl/etext/etcases.htm
Kimberley Donnelly and Susan Campbell, professors at York College (PA), developed the cases posted at this site for an Information Literacy 101 class. Each of the 12 case examples are designed to spark discussions about the ethical dilemmas posed in each case, as well as possible solutions to the situation described.

Example:

Dilemma Database
http://www.globalethics.org/dilemmas/default.tmpl

Memorial University of Newfoundland: Case Study Workshop--Resource Materials
http://www.mun.ca/sgs/grip/cases.html
The section on Case Study Workshop Resource Materials provides links to case studies on issues such as authorship, data fabrication, laboratory selection plus other areas of research misconduct. Some of the cases focus on the areas of microbiology and medical science.

The Milgram Obedience to Authority Experiments
The Milgram experiments are considered to be psychological experiments, but the results are telling from a sociological perspective as well.

Background: Stanley Milgram conducted his "Obedience to Authority" experiments from 1961-1962 at Yale University. The experiments tested whether or not subjects would do what they were told even when they considered those actions to be morally wrong.

Examples:

Milgram Reenactment: About Milgram and the Obedience Experiments
http://www.milgramreenactment.org/pages/section.xml?location=3
As the title of the site suggests, this page is about the "reenactment" of the Milgram obedience experiments and not the actual experiment. Even though that is the case, a lot of information about Stanley Milgram and his experiments are presented as background information for the "reenactment."

Stanley Milgram - The Stanley Milgram Website
http://www.stanleymilgram.com/?location=6&page=1&text=1
Thomas Blass, a psychology professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, has developed this site to "be a source of accurate information about the life and work of one of the most outstanding social scientists of our time." This is the place to start for information about Milgram and his experiments.

Blass has also written an article that appeared in Psychology Today called "The Man Who Shocked the World", and it can be found at http://www.psychologytoday.com/htdocs/prod/ptoarticle/pto-20020301-000037.asp.

Moral Reasoning in Scientific Research: Cases for Teaching and Assessment
http://www.indiana.edu/~poynter/mr.pdf
Materials found at this site were developed for the "Teaching Research Ethics: A Workshop at Indiana University (TRE)" program in December 1995. It is designed to help instructors formulate responses to ethical situations that arise in science. Case studies plus information on how to use these materials and how to judge responses to moral problems are just a few of the sections included in this document.

National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
The National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science at the University of Buffalo is not an ethics case site like Ethics Online (http://ethics.acusd.edu) or the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics (http://www.scu.edu/ethics), but it does discuss dilemmas faced in various subject areas.

Examples:

Case Ideas
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/ideas.htm
"In the news" sites covering different areas of study are posted in this section.

Case Study Collection
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/ubcase.htm
New studies are constantly being added to this collection of case studies, and the most recent submissions appear at the top of the list.

National Institute for Engineering Ethics (NIEE): Ethics Cases
http://www.niee.org/cases/index.htm
NIEE is an "official component" of the Murdough Center for Engineering Professionalism in the College of Engineering at Texas Tech University. Ethics resources, provided by the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), include cases dating back to 1976, ethics reference guides and the NSPE Code of Ethics.

Example:

Joint Authorship of Paper
http://www.niee.org/cases/78-88/case85-1.htm
Engineer A and Engineer B are required to author articles for publication in scholarly and technical journals as part of the tenure process at a major university. Engineer A developed a paper as a graduate student, which was never published, and which forms the basis of what he thinks would be an excellent article for publication in a journal. Both engineers agree to collaborate in developing the article, but Engineer B's contributions are minimal. Engineer A agrees to include Engineer B's name as coauthor of the article as a favor in order to enhance Engineer B's chances of obtaining tenure. The dilemma of whether or not this situation is ethically acceptable is presented in this case.

On Being a Scientist, Responsible Conduct in Research
http://search.nap.edu/readingroom/books/obas/content.html
This 40-page publication is a joint production of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of Medicine. It was first published in 1988, and the current edition was released in 1995. The 1995 version reflects changes in the area of ethics over the years and the way those changes affect the field of science. Scenarios included are hypothetical situations that are designed to be discussed and debated.

Example:

The Sharing of Research Materials
http://search.nap.edu/readingroom/books/obas/contents/publication.html#Sharing
This case looks at a situation encountered by Ed, a fourth-year graduate student who was introduced to a new post-doc who was doing similar work. Ed automatically asked about the work going on in the other lab and was surprised to hear that researchers there had successfully developed a reagent that he was still struggling to perfect. Knowing that both labs had policies requiring the sharing of research materials and that the projects were not in competition with each other, Ed wrote a letter to the head of the other lab asking if the laboratory could share some of the reagent with him. A couple of weeks later he got a letter from the lab director saying that the reagent could not be shared because it was still "poorly developed and characterized." The new post-doc, upon hearing the story, said, "That's ridiculous. They just don't want to give you a break."

Examples:

Beyond Expertise: One Person's Science, Another Person's Policy
http://onlineethics.org/reseth/appe/vol2/expertise.html
Dr. Debra Reams works in the field of environmental chemistry and focuses on the oxidation and reduction reactions of the heavy metal jekylhydium in water and soil. The oxidized form is extremely toxic; the reduced form is harmless. Reams' results have been published in a series of papers in reputable, peer-reviewed journals. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is concerned about the toxicity and potential for human exposure to jeckylhydium, which has been detected in many sites. The Agency is alarmed by news of the possibility of transformation from the less toxic to the more toxic form and asks Reams to help rewrite the regulatory limits for jeckylhydium in soils and water based on her findings. This case discusses Reams' reaction to the EPA's request and the outcome of her decision.

Do the Ends Justify the Means?
http://onlineethics.org/reseth/appe/vol1/justify.html
A social psychologist wants to study attitude change. She plans to administer a pre- and post-test in order to identify attitude changes in her subjects. The dilemma posed in this case explores the effects of deception and full disclosure on the results of a study.

The Gladiator Sparrow: Ethical Issues in Behavioral Research on Captive Populations of Wild Animals
http://onlineethics.org/reseth/appe/vol4/gladiator.html
A graduate student in psychobiology is studying the development of aggressive behaviors in non-human animals. She decides to test environmental influences on the development of these aggressive behaviors in gladiator sparrows, and she encounters a few problems during the research process. Discussion questions and commentaries follow the scenario.

Commentaries on this case can be found at:

http://onlineethics.org/reseth/appe/vol4/gladiator1.html

http://onlineethics.org/reseth/appe/vol4/gladiator2.html

Improper Credit Given for Research Data
http://onlineethics.org/cases/nspe/ec92-7.html
The head of a chemical company offers to provide funding to the chemical department of a major university for removing poisonous heavy metals from waste streams. In return, the university agrees to give the company the exclusive rights to any technology developed in the field of water treatment or waste stream management. As a compensation, the university will also receive a royalty from the company from the profits derived from the use of the technology. At the university, a group of professors decides to form a company to exploit the technology obtained except for water treatment and water waste management. A faculty member unknowingly obtains data that originated from the company but does not give the company proper credit in articles published on the topic. The issue of plagiarism is explored in this case.

A pHish Tale
http://onlineethics.org/reseth/appe/vol5/phish.html
A post-doc participating in a government-funded project to study the pH levels in a series of lakes scattered throughout an area of 100 square miles determines that a number of lakes have alarmingly low pH levels, although some have normal pH levels. High acidity (low pH) is known to be deadly to many fish species. The post-doc is almost certain that the low pH levels are due to acid rain caused by emissions from power plants in the surrounding region, but the data from his study are not sufficient to show that the power plant emissions are causing the lakes' acidity. The post-doc's dilemma is outlined in this case study.

Protection from Proposal Idea Scooping?
http://onlineethics.org/reseth/appe/vol1/scooping.html
Dr. Susan Ness is a post-doc in material science, and she has been developing a new material, which remains superconductive at higher temperatures than any other measured substance. Ness has almost completely expended her post-doc fellowship, but her sponsoring faculty member has indicated that he would like to submit a joint research proposal to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for funding to support the costly final conclusive tests on the new material. NSF has indicated that superconductivity research is a top priority, and many people have applied for funding. Idea "stealing" by researchers is the focus of this case.

When Researchers Disagree
http://onlineethics.org/reseth/okie.html
This article examines the case of Margot O'Toole, a post-doc researcher at MIT who brought concerns about the research of Thereza Imanishi-Kari, Nobel Prize winner David Baltimore, and other senior scientists to light. When her own experiments did not turn out as expected, O'Toole poured over the data in the notebook and subsequently uncovered what she believes are flaws. She brought her concerns to a former teacher at Tufts, Dr. Henry Wortis, who was trying to recruit Imanishi-Kari. The possible ramifications of whistleblowing are presented.

Kenneth Pimple's Home Page
http://php.indiana.edu/~pimple/
Kenneth Pimple is the director of the Teaching Research Ethics Programs at the Poynter Center. His home page has numerous ethics resources including papers, presentations and letters on federal policy. Eight ethics case studies are also included among the plethora of materials available at this site.

Examples:

Adventures in Collaborative Research
http://php.indiana.edu/~pimple/adventures.pdf

Faculty Responsibilities and Student Rights
http://php.indiana.edu/~pimple/mentor.pdf

Selected RRP Case Studies & Materials
http://www.responsibility.research.umich.edu/casematerialsdir.html
The cases presented at this site have been adapted for the University of Michigan's Research Responsibility Program (RRP). Responsibility in research, authorship issues, conflict of interest and data management are a few of the topics addressed by the cases.

SHiPS: Research Ethics
http://www1.umn.edu/ships/ethics/research.htm
Ships began in 1989 and is made up of a network of science teachers. They developed this online library to help researchers learn more about the social sciences and about social science issues. The section on Research Ethics contains classroom and historical case studies, institutions & policies, periodicals and essays.

The Stanford Prison Experiment
The Stanford Prison Experiment is very much like the Milgram Obedience to Authority experiment in that it was designed to be a psychology experiment. As was true with the Milgram experiments, though, the Stanford Prison Experiment is an interesting commentary on power and our society.

Background: Philip Zimbardo began his prison experiment during the summer of 1971 at Stanford University. The study was designed to answer the following questions:

What happens when you put good people in an evil place?

Does humanity win over evil, or does evil triumph?

Examples:

Philip G. Zimbardo: Prison Experiment
http://www.zimbardo.com/flash.html
Stanford Professor Philip Zimbardo's home page contains information about him, his research interests and the prison experiment.

The Stanford Prison Experiment: A Simulation Study of the Psychology of Imprisonment
http://www.prisonexp.org
This site has all the details about the Stanford Prison Experiment and the events that led to the project ending a week before it was fully completed.

The Stanford Prison Experiment: Still Powerful After All These Years
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/relaged/970108prisonexp.html
A Stanford University news release that discusses the effect the prison experiments had and continue to have on research and ethics is posted at this site.

Teaching Engineering Ethics: A Case Study Approach
http://ethics.tamu.edu/pritchar/an-intro.htm
A list of numerous cases dealing with issues such as acknowledging mistakes, conflict of interest, dissent, environmental & safety concerns, ownership and more can be found at this site.

Examples:

Fraud and Whistle Blowing
http://www.research.umn.edu/ethics/fraud.html

Plagiarism
http://www.research.umn.edu/ethics/plagiarism.html

Sociology

Allen and Unwin - Sociology Extra
http://www.allen-unwin.com.au/academic/soccase.asp
This site is divided into two modules, each containing 6 different cases, that cover issues such as gender & violence, globalization and race. Dr. Peter Kelly with the Behavioral Studies Program at the University of Queensland developed the cases that are posted at this site.

Cyber-Stalking
http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/psychology/cyberstalking/5.html?sect=19
Wayne Petherick, an adjunct teaching fellow in criminology at the University of Queensland, has developed this case study on cyber-stalking. His research interests involve criminal profiling, and Petherick has examined that technique to see how it affects the new crime of cyber-stalking.

Examples:

An Artful Dodger?
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/Detail.asp?ID=33
A major art museum director faces a dilemma over whether or not to compromise standards for the sake of revenue in this case dealing with an exhibit by young, British artists. Costs for undertaking this project are immense, and all the works belong to a British art collector who agrees to donate a large sum in order to help finance the project. Numerous demands have been made by the collector, but his financial support is not made public at the time of the show. The director must examine the code of ethics and decide if this particular exhibit is going to be beneficial to the institution in the end.

Conflicting Interest
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/Detail.asp?ID=6
A cement company, based in Albany, NY, operates a plant that has been emitting large amounts of pollution, as well as causing loud noises and vibrations. Residents have filed a lawsuit hoping to stop operations until changes can be made to the plant. The fairness of the court's decision provides the premise of this case.

Integrity in Business
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/Detail.asp?ID=10
Your job at an executive recruitment firm is to find appropriate candidates for the position of President of one of the largest corporations in the U.S. If one of the candidates you recruit is selected, your firm will be generously compensated. Several weeks into the process, it appears that the search for candidates is flawed. This case examines what should be done even though the recruitment firm is not legally liable if an inappropriate candidate is selected.

Oprah Speaks Out
http://ethics.acusd.edu/resources/cases/Detail.asp?ID=2
A group of Texas cattle ranchers sued Oprah Winfrey after she aired a program on the safety of American beef. The program appeared at a time when news of England's battle against the mad cow disease outbreak was prevalent. This case examines a Texas statute that creates legal liability for questioning food safety without "sound scientific proof." Issues surrounding an individual's right to free speech versus the damage caused by that speech are addressed.

Example:

Dilemma Database
http://www.globalethics.org/dilemmas/default.tmpl

The Milgram Obedience to Authority Experiments
The Milgram experiments are considered to be psychological experiments, but the results are telling from a sociological perspective as well.

Examples:

Milgram Reenactment: About Milgram and the Obedience Experiments
http://www.milgramreenactment.org/pages/section.xml?location=3
As the title of the site suggests, this page is about the "reenactment" of the Milgram obedience experiments and not the actual experiment. Even though that is the case, a lot of information about Stanley Milgram and his experiments are presented as background information for the "reenactment."

Stanley Milgram - The Stanley Milgram Website
http://www.stanleymilgram.com/?location=6&page=1&text=1
Thomas Blass, a psychology professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, has developed this site to "be a source of accurate information about the life and work of one of the most outstanding social scientists of our time." This is the place to start for information about Milgram and his experiments.

Example:

Do the Ends Justify the Means?
http://onlineethics.org/reseth/appe/vol1/justify.html
A social psychologist wants to study attitude change. She plans to administer a pre- and post-test in order to identify attitude changes in her subjects. The dilemma posed in this case explores the effects of deception and full disclosure on the results of a study.

Background: Philip Zimbardo began his prison experiment during the summer of 1971 at Stanford University. The study was designed to answer the following questions:

What happens when you put good people in an evil place?

Does humanity win over evil, or does evil triumph?

Examples:

Philip G. Zimbardo: Prison Experiment
http://www.zimbardo.com/flash.html
Stanford Professor Philip Zimbardo's home page contains information about him, his research interests and the prison experiment.

The Stanford Prison Experiment: A Simulation Study of the Psychology of Imprisonment
http://www.prisonexp.org
This site has all the details about the Stanford Prison Experiment and the events that led to the project ending a week before it was fully completed.

The Stanford Prison Experiment: Still Powerful After All These Years
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/relaged/970108prisonexp.html
A Stanford University news release that discusses the effect the prison experiments had and continue to have on research and ethics is posted at this site.

Additional ethics resources can be found at the following sites.

Anthropology Ethics

Art Ethics

Bioethics. See also the Biotechnology Web Page (UIUC)

Social Science Ethics: A Bibliography

Sociology Ethics

*This site is an adaptation of Web pages I created for the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.