Reference no: EM133257550

"Issue spotting" may seem easy but don't be misled. There are so many variables at work that an ethical issue may remain hidden in plain sight. The facts may be screaming that an ethical principle has been violated but you will be oblivious to the outcry if you are ignorant of the relevant ethical principles. You may know everything about am ethical principle except for the key piece of information needed to make the connection in that particular fact situation before you. You may misread the facts or fail to pick up on a nuance. Time pressure may cause you to overlook something that would have been apparent if you had not been in a rush. A haphazard approach may miss things that a systematic approach would find.

Not noticing an ethical issue, for whatever reason, has consequences. To not ask a question is to forfeit the answer and relevant conclusion.
The "I" step is only about recognizing the question. Figuring out the answer is the purpose of the remaining steps. Even if you are absolutely, positively certain you know what the answer is, restrain the urge to jump to the "C" step. Your initial reaction could be wrong. You may have overlooked a critical fact. Your understanding of the ethical principle may be incorrect. Bias or emotion may have influenced your perception. Doing a complete FIRAC analysis is the only way to catch such errors.

An issue is a single, certain and material point arising out of the case. In the issue section of an FIRAC it is important to state exactly what the ethical question is. It is a statement of the general ethical question answered by or illustrated in the case. To find the issue, ask who wants what and then ask why did that party succeed or fail in getting it. Once this done, the "why" should be turned into a question?