Opportunism

       Taking advantage of a situation to better yourself is how I would define opportunism. However like our topic for the week says, opportunism can in turn be unethical. For instance, students all over the country have the opportunity to attend school, and while at school we students must take tests. Test taking can be very strenuous for a lot of people, whether it be the studying and preparation stages of the process, or the actual test itself, a lot of students become rather nervous. A lot of the times, we students are in class rooms where there is very little room, and students are packed into the few seats available. My example of "opportunism vs. ethical decisions" is in regard to test taking and cheating. Students know that if they took a quick glance at the paper next to them, that it could benefit them by getting an answer on the test from someone else. However, the idea of cheating and it's consequences have been instilled in students minds for years and years, and that is what makes people weary to glance right or left. Not to mention the fact that  cheating on a test is really just cheating yourself. How can you feel right about receiving an A on a test that you cheated on? That wasn't your work, so you shouldn't be rewarded. Moral of the story, students are given the opportunity to cheat and possibly benefit their grades, but most students understand that cheating is unethical, and therefore do not do it. This is how the schooling system lives on.
       An example of an opportunistic situation is at a company function where there is limited food for company employees. There were times this summer where I was sitting at my desk in the office just thinking about lunch and how starving I was. When I went out to lunch with my coworkers and paid for my own lunch, I ate as much as I wanted, or until I was full and satisfied. However, when we had a company picnic, or a company lunch-in I knew that there was not unlimited food, and I knew that a lot of employees would still need to get food. So, even if I was hungrier than ever before, I would take an average sized plate so as to leave enough food for everyone. Moral of the story is that I was offered the opportunity to eat whatever I wanted, and however much I wanted when my boss said, "Eat as much as you'd like." Instead of filling my plate, I decided to be a "good citizen," and cut back on my portions a little bit.
       In conclusion, there are a lot of reasons why people avoid being opportunistic in certain situations. It is not always beneficial to better yourself, because a lot of the times someone else is getting hurt by your choice. Also, a lot of opportunities come with a moral/ethical decision, and in some situations (like cheating) it is better to avoid the temptation of giving in to the opportunity.