Guidelines for option B‘Imagine you are faced with one of the ethical dilemmas presented (see end – and choose a dilemma where you feel you can make a strong case for what the ethical course of action would be). Imagine you have joined the company as a senior manager and are uncomfortable with the current practice described. With reference to the theories covered in the course explain what you think the ethical course of action would be and why. What barriers might the company face in taking the ethical course of action and how might these be overcome?’
This question has two parts. In the first part you need to deconstruct the problem to expose the ethical dilemma and then use the theories discussed to arrive at the most ethical course of action – allow no more than 1000 words for this section. You don’t need to use every theory – just those which are most relevant. Better to use just a few and explain properly how they apply than try to include every theory in a very shallow way.
The second part asks you to consider how to implement the most ethical course of action. In your answer consider at what level actions could be taken to address the issue (e.g. at individual level, as a senior manager, at organisational level, at sector/industry level, at institutional level -this includes national and global governmental and non-governmental institutions). Where do you think the most effective changes can occur? Give real life examples where you can to illustrate your points. For example at the individual level, this may involve finding a way to convince the decision-makers to take the ethical course of action, so you could discuss how you would present your case to the board and what arguments you would use. At the organisational level this may also require more systematic changes in the company culture or collaboration with other stakeholders e.g. other companies within the sector, regulators, NGOs etc depending on the scenario. Real-life examples of how other companies have managed to behave ethically may strengthen your argument. Allow at least 1400 words for this section.
I’ve provided a wide range for the word limit as (especially for question a) some ethical dilemmas will require more explanation than others. Marks are awarded on quality of content, not quantity, so don’t feel obliged to add irrelevant material or be over-wordy in order to make up the word limit. You can lose marks for irrelevant material so you should aim to be clear and concise.
What makes a good essay
The following checklist is to help you self assess your own work. This is the normal criterion that I use to mark essays. In short, good essays show a sophisticated understanding of the theories we have covered in the course, and are well-written, well referenced, clear and relevant to the question.
If you have just drawn upon the course notes, you will be able to get a reasonable mark if your essay is well written and shows good understanding, but for top marks you need to show evidence of further reading. For example:
:
– Look up company CSR/sustainability reports to get examples of what companies actually do. Another useful resource may be to look up sustainability/CSR/ethics awards to get examples of good practice.
– Google key terms and concepts mentioned to find out what they mean and how they are applied. For example do you know what ISO14001 is? It is in the slides, if you do not know what it means look it up. Do you know what the WBCSD is? It is in the slides, look it up and explore the website for ideas and examples.
– Make use of the resources provided such as corporate critic and ethical consumer websites and the e-newsletters to see what constitutes good and bad practice in the relevant sectors
– Read the articles listed on blackboard – or at least their abstracts
– Most importantly – think! In particular when you have to consider how to address an ethical problem in the work place, it may take creative thinking or creative solutions and there will definitely be more than one right answer or approach. Your opinion is valuable, as long as it is clearly informed by your reading both of the academic literature, but also relating to what business actually does and what solutions have been adopted by existing organisations, and how effective these have been.
Please read this section before you start your essay (this advice will apply to all essays, not just this one).
• Think about what the topic is about
• Can the question be broken down into smaller parts?
• Have you done a plan?
• Is everything you have written relevant to the question?
• Read your essay out loud to someone else – does it make sense?
• Have you referenced the literature, concepts and theories covered in the course and applied the knowledge you have learnt to the question?
Referencing
• Apart from the occasional quote, which should be fully referenced, always write in your own words.
• Use Harvard style for referencing but for this assignment if you are referencing a philosopher that was mentioned in the lecture it is enough to write, for example: ‘Rawls theory of justice states….’ or ‘Kant’s approach is…’ or ‘according to ‘Aristotle’s NichomacheanEthics…..’ But if you are referencing an article (e.g. one provided on blackboard), you need the cite it properly.
Essay assessment criteria
Topic
Does the paper stick to the topic? A B C D E
Have you answered the question/s? A B C D E
Is there clear definition of what the central topic or issue is? A B C D E
Ideas
Is there a good balance between ideas and evidence/examples? A B C D E
Have you understood and applied the literature and the theories, or have you merely read and regurgitated them? A B C D E
Are you too general, too descriptive, too full of generalisations that cannot be supported? Are your ideas clichéd, or repetitious? A B C D E
Do you show awareness of problematic or controversial elements: awareness of potential objections or alternate approaches? A B C D E
Does the argument made in the body of the essay lead logically and inevitably to your conclusions/s? A B C D E
Organisation and Structure
Are there clear defined sections in the paper that correspond to the particular requirements of the assignment, and are headings used correctly? A B C D E
Does the introduction define the issue, state a rationale, and indicate a focus for your discussion/analysis? A B C D E
Does each paragraph in the body of the paper address a distinct idea, or contribute to the development of the distinct idea of its section? A B C D E
Does the conclusion merely restate the topic or thesis, or does if offer a genuine conclusion? A B C D E
The three principles of effective organisation: does the paper as a whole, each section, each paragraph and each sentence have unity (deals with one idea), coherence (moves smoothly and logically), and emphasis (important points strategically placed)? A B C D E
Expression
Is the writing style concise, direct and interesting? A B C D E
Is the tone appropriate: never emotional, grandstanding, or ‘creative’? A B C D E
Is there a good variety of sentence lengths and types? A B C D E
Is the diction appropriate: good, varied vocabulary; precision in word choice; clear and simple, or over long and wordy? (e.g., walk vs ‘achieve an ambulatory state’)? A B C D E
Are there errors in the ‘mechanics’: grammar, punctuation, usage, spelling? A B C D E
Is the citation, referencing and formatting complete and accurate? A B C D E
Scenarios for question B. Choose one scenario if answering option B.
1. A manufacturer of children’s sleepwear treated its stock with the flame
retardant agent, TRIS, which has been found to be a carcinogenic agent. TRIS treated textiles are now banned from sale in the UK and US, so the company sold its large stock of the banned products to underdeveloped countries which had no such ban.
2. Tiger Automotive recently acquired a patent for a fuel-efficient device,
which has been proven to increase the average car’s mileage by 45%. Given that Tiger is protected from direct competition by its patent, it has priced its new product at £45 to auto parts dealers even though it costs less than £1 to produce and distribute.
3. A company encourages its accountants to seek out innovative ways to avoid paying taxes, and find loopholes that follow the letter but not the spirit of the law. This is just about classifiable as tax avoidance, which is legal.
4. A security company advertises its products by a powerful advert aimed at elderly people living on their own, designed to create fear and terror in the viewer.
5. A computer manufacturer decides not to market a new chip that would enable computers to be upgraded, without the need for a new computer, because even though this reduces electronic waste, it also reduces sales of their computers which means a definite reduction in revenues in the short term, while the long term pay-off is uncertain.
EthicalRules of Thumb
Economic Responsibilities
Always take the action that generates the greatest profits for the company because this will generate the greatest benefits for society, provided that all markets are fully competitive, all customers are fully informed, and all external and internal costs are fully included.
Legal Responsibilities
Always take the action that fully complies with the law, for the law in a democratic society represents the minimal moral standards of all the people within that society, provided it can be shown that the self-interests of the various groups have been included in the formulation process.
Ethical Responsibilities – Always take the action that you would be:
Willing to see reported in national newspapers.
That you be happy to be on the receiving end of.
That you expect will generate the greatest good for society.
That you believe others should be free or even forced to take in similar situations.
That does not harm the least among us.
Virtue ethics (Aristotle) –should cultivate virtues e.g. wisdom, integrity.
Publicity test: how would this choice look on the front page of a newspaper? Can you be open, honest and proud of your actions?
Religious Ethics – Love thy neighbour,do as you would be done by.
Reversibility test: would I think this choice were good if I traded places?
Universal law (Kant) – we should act so that if everyone acted that way, it would be for the good of society.
Common practice test: what if everyone behaved that way?
Utilitarianism (Bentham) – greatest good of the greatest number.
Harm Test: do the benefits outweigh the harms, short and long-term?
Justice (Rawls) – impartial.
Would I make this decision under the ‘veil of ignorance’ i.e. if I didn’t know whether I’d be one of the people affected by it?
Rights (Locke)– respect basic rights.
Does this decision violate basic rights?