Analysis Document: Ethical DilemmaLast summer, I had the opportunity to intern at a regional accounting firm just outside from Philadelphia. During the internship, I encountered my first real “ethical dilemma” at work. I had been working at the company for probably 3 weeks before the incident happened. It happened on a Friday in late June. It was no ordinary Friday, as all of the firm's partners were out of the office for an annual retreat. Additionally, this Friday, many of the company's managers and executives were out of the office for vacation. Moving on, it was lunchtime and I was approached by a senior manager (who happened to be some sort of office clown). He invited me to lunch with him and other salaried accountants and wanted to know if I would join him. Of course, being the new intern, I was happy to attend and have the opportunity to meet more people within the firm. I didn't know that this lunch was a little "tradition" and was not a sporadic event. We arrived at a local restaurant/bar where we ended up having lunch and hanging out for almost four hours! During that lunch, I saw employees and managers of the firm speak negatively about other employees and associates I had never met. On top of that, the drink of choice at our table was pitchers of beer. It was weird drinking beer and watching the company managers pound beers at work. Being new to the professional corporate world, I wasn't sure what to think about all of this. I was faced with my first ethical dilemma. Something inside me told me it was unethical to take a long lunch and drink alcohol at work. The other side of me said this must be a special incident... in the middle of a paper... appropriate or not? If I could get an answer to this question first, I could then determine my next course of action. Even if I didn't think I'd have to say anything to a partner, I could at least learn for the future that drinking too much at work and taking long lunches (even once a year) is not okay. One thing is for sure, I completely understand how very difficult it can be, when you find yourself in an ethical situation, to be a “newbie” at work. This is something I think businesses should be more aware of. When you're new to a job, you're not completely familiar with the company culture, the employees around you, and the policies. You can easily find yourself in a situation like I had where I was really confused about what was right and wrong. This is why it is important to have some sort of support system where employees can express their dilemmas to staff..