Final Essay Description and Rubric

This assignment may be completed and submitted individually or by a group (3 members maximum). The choice is up to you. There is no difference in criteria or grading for these two options. If the assignment is submitted by a group, you are free to choose the members yourself but only one submission for the entire group is required. Be sure the name and student number of every member are clearly indicated on the title page.

To begin this assignment, read the following:  

• Baker, A. (2018), What it’s like to live through Cape Town’s Massive Water Crisis.
• International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) (2023), IAEM code of ethics and professional conduct.

Next, imagine you are an emergency management professional in an extreme drought situation, like what happened in South Africa. For this paper you will describe the community you are talking about. Ensure you discuss the demographics of the population (i.e. vulnerable populations, etc.) and the situation. While writing your paper, keep in mind the professional codes of ethics, and all ethical theories we have covered in the course.

Your paper must answer the following questions:

• Who gets water and can you treat every member in your community equally when it comes to water distribution?
• Do you have an ethical dilemma with what you ought to do versus what your personal values hold? If so, what ethical frameworks can help guide you work through this dilemma?
• Which of the ethical theories we studied is best suited to deal with this particular situation and why? Which are least helpful and why?

Your paper must be formatted in APA style, including all referencing and submitted in MS Word format. It should be between 2000 and 2250 words long, not including title page, quotes, and references.