**PLEASE FOLLOW SCORING GUIDELINES ***
Experienced communications professionals know that credibility can be undermined if ethical norms aren’t recognized in communications. Honing your ability to navigate the complexities that often arise will prepare you to craft effective communications.
Captain Crozier, Commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, wrote and emailed a controversial letter that pleaded for help for crew members stricken by the Covid-19 virus in March of 2020. The communication was sent to several recipients and was eventually leaked to the news media. The situation became front-page news and was actively debated in the media. Senior leaders believed that Captain Crozier may have avoided his chain of command for fear that his immediate leader would suppress the issue and expose the sailors to unnecessary danger. His decisions and actions that lead up to his writing the letter are fraught with ethical dilemmas.
In this assessment, you are asked to analyze the ethical aspects surrounding Captain Crozier’s decision to widely disseminate the emailed letter.
Consider the Captain’s decision to send the letter, the manner in which the letter was sent, and the recipients of the letter. Complete both parts of this assessment in a single Word document. Be sure to cite all sources using the APA reference style.
Part 1: Analyze the Scenario
Analyze the ethical decision that the Captain faced as it relates to how he communicated his plea and in the context of his position. Consider the sender, receiver, message, and channel.
Analyze the primary failures and successes of the Captain’s communication strategy. Make sure to consider how the letter was distributed, the Captain’s possible intent, and the content of the letter.
If this situation had occurred in the private sector and not the military, would the outcomes have been similar or different? Defend your reasoning.
Part 2: Write a Communication
Imagine that you were the commanding officer of another naval ship who had followed this sequence of events closely. Your ship’s Public Affairs Officer reports to you and is responsible for many of the ship’s external communications, and you are anxious to share your lessons learned from the USS Theodore Roosevelt situation.
Send a communication to your Public Affairs Officer that conveys and re-enforces the primary lessons learned from the incident on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. Be sure you focus on the actions of the Captain. The medium is your choice, but it is also very important, so state the medium you have chosen within your message and the reason you feel it is the most appropriate medium to use. Address possible reasons such as confidentiality, tone, and convention.
Complete both parts of this assessment in a single Word document.
Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
APA style and formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to current APA style and formatting standards. See the Campus page Evidence and APA. Also refer to the Business Academic Professional Document Guidelines [PDF] Download Business Academic Professional Document Guidelines [PDF], which provides basic formatting and APA guidelines you should follow to create attractive and usable documents not just within your business program but in the workplace as well.
Font: Times New Roman, 12 points.
Length: Part 1 should be 3–4 pages, double-spaced, and Part 2 should be 1 page, double-spaced. Page count does not include your cover page or reference page.
Cited resources: Use a minimum of three scholarly sources. All literature cited should be current, with publication dates within the past five years
