ethical dilemma vs. ethical lapse | BUS 340 Business Communications | Ashford University
In contrast, an ethical lapse is an error in judgement made by someone who intended to act ethically but failed due to lack of knowledge, lack of experience, or poor decision-making skills. Unlike ethical dilemmas where there may be no right answer and the best solution can only be determined based on context, ethical lapses are clearly wrong and can easily be avoided with better knowledge or understanding of professional codes of conduct. (Citation: Stearns SA & O’Connor JA (2020). Nursing ethics: A principled approach)