Ethical decision-making simulation

Posted: March 20th, 2024

Word/time limit: 13-15 Slides (Approx. 5-7 min of audio)
Weighting: 25%
Due date: Wednesday 20th September (by 11.59pm)
Reflection
The aim of this personal reflection is to analyse your simulation experience and use the available literature to help you make sense of your ethical decision-making process. As part of this reflection, you will need to consider the factors that influenced your attitudes/behaviour and interactions in the simulation, including cultural awareness, and how they led to the group’s recommendation to the Australian confectioner, Bilby Health Snacks Limited. While your experience is the raw data for this analysis you may discuss the behaviour of others in your three-person team or the simulation avatars if this assists in clarifying and explaining your experience.
You should also reflect on what you have learned from the simulation experience about ethical decision making, and how that will influence your attitudes and/or behaviours when facing similar ethical dilemmas in the future.
Referring to your simulation recording and making some notes of the experience at the time may assist you to write this personal reflection piece.
In your reflection piece you should:
• Analyse your experience within the simulation and how it influenced the recommendations that were proposed in the simulation. What recommendation would you make? What ethical perspective did you use? What are the likely impacts on stakeholders of your recommendation?
• Consider the broader cultural context of this simulation experience, by articulating insights into own cultural rules and biases, and showing empathy by recognising intellectual and emotional dimensions of more than one worldview
• Select significant examples from your experience to support your reflection. Where possible, link these examples to relevant academic theory (e.g. ethics, ethical decision making, leadership, roles, etc.)
• Discuss what you have learned about yourself from this simulation experience and how this simulation experience will influence your approach to making ethical decisions in the future (e.g. in your first career-related role as a graduate)
You will also be assessed on:
• Evidence of relevant reading and the application of concepts, frameworks or theories (use of at least three references to literature)
• Ability to present an articulate, coherent and well-presented response; clear expression, well structured, style, and use of the APA system for referencing are expected.
• Ability to present visually engaging and appealing presentation that

Slide 1:
Introduction
This presentation reflects on my experience participating in the ethical decision-making simulation as part of my university coursework. I will analyze how cultural factors influenced my recommendations, consider lessons learned, and implications for my future career.
Slide 2:
Simulation Experience & Recommendation

In the simulation, I was part of a three-person team advising an Australian confectionery company on introducing a new indigenous product. We recommended launching a bilby-shaped chocolate to celebrate Aboriginal culture and generate profits for Indigenous communities (Lynch et al., 2019).
Slide 3:
Cultural Influences on Decision-Making
Growing up in an urban area meant I had limited exposure to Indigenous issues. My individualist Western values led me to focus on economic benefits over community consent (Markus & Kitayama, 1991). However, consulting with my more culturally aware teammates helped broaden my perspective.
Slide 4:
Insights into Cultural Blindspots

Recognizing my own cultural biases was an important lesson. As Lynch et al. (2019) note, we all have “intellectual blind spots” shaped by our backgrounds. This experience highlighted the need to proactively seek out diverse views to avoid unintentionally offending others.
Slide 5:
Empathy for Multiple Perspectives
Talking through the simulation with my teammates from different cultures helped me better understand how the bilby idea could be viewed as culturally appropriative by some Aboriginal groups. I learned the importance of empathy in ethical decision-making (Costa et al., 2019).
Slide 6:
Lessons for Future Ethical Challenges
This experience showed me that carefully considering all stakeholder perspectives is crucial for making ethical recommendations, especially around cultural issues. In my future career, I will be more proactive about understanding different worldviews and mitigating any unconscious biases through open discussion (Lynch et al., 2019; Markus & Kitayama, 1991; Costa et al., 2019).
Slide 7:
Conclusion

In conclusion, this simulation provided valuable lessons about the cultural influences on my decision-making and how to approach complex ethical dilemmas with empathy, awareness of blindspots, and consideration of diverse views. I will apply these lessons as I face real-world challenges in my first post-graduate role.
Slide 8:
References
Costa, P. T., McCrae, R. R., & Lima, M. P. (2019). Culture and personality: The view from American and European research traditions. European Journal of Personality, 33(1), 62–87. https://doi.org/10.1002/per.2176
Lynch, J., van den Broek, D., Creely, E., & Nicholson, N. (2019). Unconscious bias and the role of ethics education. Nurse Education Today, 79, 104–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2019.05.002
Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychological Review, 98(2), 224–253. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.98.2.224

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