C. Kenneth Meyer

Norms of Professional Behavior in Highly Speclalized Organizations The Case of American Zoos and Aquariums

Three attitude dimensions are apparent among zoological managers. They concern professional ethics, organization, and responsibility toward animals. In this article, four models of the acceptance of professional norms are tested, and career-related goals are found to be the best predictors of such attitudes. Noneconomic goals seem to promote zoological professionalism, whereas entrepreneurial activities reduce support for generally accepted norms of behavior. The implications of these findings and possibilities for further research are discussed.

From Dan To Danita: LGBT Based Discrimination And Issues Of Religious Freedom

In this two-part case study, Dan Flint faced a dilemma that was not of his own making. He saw himself as a “...female imprisoned in a male’s body.” In attempting to get a “grip” on his gender identity, he consults a renowned sex therapist and a barrage of emotions and feelings that make up his inner core nature are revealed. He faces the reality that “coming-out” is fraught with many issues and dilemmas. Will his transgendered state be understood? Will he undergo surgical procedures which will give him female anatomical parts? How will he face his work environment, supervisors, and co-workers? And finally, will he be accepted as a person with value and dignity? The case shows the difficulties that Dan faced in transitioning to Danita in a workforce that reacted with confusion, uncertainty and skepticism. The case presents in the first part, seven questions that bring up the interpersonal, ethical and managerial questions imbedded in the case study, and explore how a supervisor might prepare the organization for dramatic change. In the second part, President Obama’s Executive Order on prohibition of discrimination on LGBT workers, coupled with Employment Non-Discrimination Employment Act (ENDA), and the Supreme Court decision on religious freedom (Hobby Lobby) are woven into a series of important issues, concluding with a debate scenario.

The Thin Blue Line Or Thick Blue Wall

A routine traffic stop turns into a “sticky wicket” when charges are made that customary professional courtesies were not-extended between two officers from neighboring jurisdictions. Police professionalism issues, coupled with preferential treatment expectations and “thin-blue line” implications are embedded in the case study. As this routine occurrence takes on a momentum of its own, complaints are filed, investigations are conducted, public “whistleblowing” is revealed, and the chief of police is presented with conflicting opinions that were printed in the Courier—a regional newspaper. In the final analysis the issue of discretionary use of authority comes into the dynamics of the case study.

Sports, Politics, and Other Gold Rush Games: Why Bad Guys Increasingly Are the Winners

Abstract This commentary describes a type of game called the gold rush, where the prize is great and the chance of winning low. Unlike a lottery, which is based on luck alone, in a gold rush the chance of winning can be manipulated by the actions of players. Here, following ethical rules is a major detriment to winning the grand prize; the declining importance of ethical values is accelerated when the gold rush mentality is coupled with a reasoning that sees the good of ones teammates as threatened by following the rules of the game. An ethical person may come to be resented by teammates, who correctly realize that this player presents an impediment to their winning the game. This increasingly describes the situation in many contemporary public and private organizations.