4 September, 2020

Step 1: Determine the facts in the situation – obtain all of the unbiased facts possible. Clearly state the ethical issue.

• • The researcher will be conducting this study in Lesotho, a small developing country
  • 10 researchers will be traveling to Lesotho to study the lifecycle of a pathogen
  • The particular pathogen is only found in Lesotho
  •  The researcher does not want to pay community members for their assistance as they themselves feel that they would help others if asked
  •  The team only has two weeks to complete the entire project 
  •  Results from this study can help make water safe for consumption which will be beneficial to the community

 

• Ethical Issue: Research team wants time and knowledge from community members without compensation

 

Step 2: Define the Stakeholders – those with a vested interest in the outcome and Step 3: Assess the motivations of the Stakeholders 

•  Researchers
  • Praise from academic community for identifying/understanding this pathogen
  • Scientific publications
  • Possible promotions in job/career due to discovery
  • Motivations to help others have safe drinking water 
• Universities 
  • Praise and recognition from other
  • More funding in the future as they build their research base
  • Potential awards
  • Recognition leading to higher ranking and more students applying 
  • Build up their brand/reputation for pathogen research
• Funding Sources 
  • Return on their investment → successful project, lead to future work in the area, improved reputation
• Community Members
  • A need to have clean drinking water which could be an outcome from the research 
  • As little interference in their daily life as possible; maximum benefit from research
  • Having clean water could attract more tourists to their country
  • They export water, so having a good reputation for having clean water can help boost exports

Step 4: Formulate (at least three) alternative solutions – based on information available, using basic ethical core values as guide 

Approaches 

• Potential solution 1: Give a financial incentive to community members
  • Ethical Principle or code
    • Beneficence – our actions would result in benefits to the research community (larger understanding of the pathogen), the communities in Lesotho (knowledge of pathogen, eventually hopefully a solution to cleaner water).
    • Justice – Community members would receive compensation according to their contribution to the project.
  • Pros 
    • Covers their time if they took off work to help you 
    • Gives them a larger incentive to donate extra time 
    •  Locals feel they’re contributing to something meaningful and are being appropriately compensated for their effort
  • Cons 
    •  Need additional funds to provide the incentive
    •  May not be sustainable in the long-term if the team were to need to return to gather additional samples
    •  Moving funding to pay for incentive may cause the team to cut corners that might undermine the research results 
• Potential solution 2: Continue as planned
  • Ethical Principle or code
    • Justice – community members are not receiving equal compensation for the effort they are putting in.
  • Pros 
    • No additional planning, time, or funds are required
    • Research team is giving back to the community in the long term through information on the pathogen and is incentive enough 
    • Research team saves money 
  • Cons 
    • Community members might not be willing to provide us with the information we need  
    • There is no immediate incentive or benefit to community members
• Potential solution 3: Provide education about the pathogen and how to clean the water they use
  • Ethical Principle or code
    • Justice – Community members would receive compensation according to their contribution to the project.
  • Pros 
    • Community members gain an understanding of the pathogens that may be affecting their health and the need for clean water.  
    • Involvement of community members in the research may lead to them being more willing to participate and let you return in the future
    • May be more sustainable than a financial incentive
  • Cons 
    • Time consuming to train or educate people 
    • Community members may not see education as an incentive, it may take up too much of their time or they may not care to learn about it
    • May create panic as community members feel that they have no sources of safe drinking water and cause unrest 

Step 5: Seek additional assistance, as appropriate – engineering codes of ethics, previous cases, peers, reliance on personal experience, inner reflection 

When trying to decide if this study was ethical or not, I tried to put myself into the role of the community members. It was especially important to try and base my decision based on the fact that Lesotho is a developing country. If this study were conducted in the U.S.A, and researchers asked me to help guide them around my hometown, I would accept due to the fact that it would not be extremely costly. Yet, in the context of a developing country, it is essential to remember that many people rely on the work they do every day in order to feed themselves and their families. Therefore, I believe it is most ethical to properly compensate the community members for their time and the work they are doing. 

Step 6: Select the best course of action – that which satisfies the highest core ethical values. Explain reasoning and justify. Discuss your stance vis-a-vis other approaches discussed in the class. 

After careful consideration, the best course of action would be Solution 1: Give a financial incentive to community members. This course of action satisfies the highest ethical values, as it provides justice and beneficence. It brings about beneficence as it ultimately maximizes benefits. Not only do the community members get adequately compensated for their help, but also it improves relations between Lesotho and the researchers, and will allow for the study to be conducted in-country (as having community members collect and ship samples may compromise the study). This solution also embodies the principle of justice as it is treating community members equal to other workers in the labor force. It will compensate volunteers for their time that they may have otherwise spent earning money at a job. When comparing this solution to the other proposed solutions, solution number 1 will be more beneficial than solution number 2, as solution number 2 leaves the issue as it is and gives no financial compensation. This solution will not be as helpful as it will not compensate community members for their time. The impact of this solution is that community members may feel as if they are not appreciated, which may decrease relations and will make the community more hesitant to continue working with the research team. When comparing solution 1 to solution number 3, solution number 1 is preferable, as solution number 3 has significant cons. For example, community members may not see education as an incentive, especially when compared to receiving money. Furthermore, education will be very time consuming for researchers who only have two weeks to complete the study, it may also lead to panic when community members are informed of the pathogen that lives within their water sources. 

Step 7: (If applicable) What are the implications of your solution on the venture. Explain the impact of your proposed solution on the venture’s technology, economic, social and environmental aspects.

It must be taken into account that solution 1 will need more funding, as it will provide financial incentives to community members. Yet, it is possible to postpone the study for a while to continue applying for grants and additional funding. Especially since this is a humanitarian issue, NGOs or other organizations that dedicate resources to these problems may be able to provide these additional resources. Additionally, since the typical salary per day is very low in many low- and middle-income countries, a large amount of additional funding will not be needed. The impact of this solution will allow the venture to continue and potentially lead to the study being able to successfully help the communities of Lesotho. It will also lead to better relations between the researchers and the communities of Lesotho.