(by Email - no class that day)
Basic
assignment:
Write a 5-7 page (typed, double-spaced) paper explaining and supporting your
position on one of the ethical issues we have (or will have) discussed in this
course.
Some
guidelines:
1.
Be
sure that the question or issue your paper is addressing is clear and well
focused.
2. Be sure that you have provided a clear statement of your position on that issue (or your answer to that question). Be careful to explain any technical terms you use and to try to distinguish your position from other similar positions with which it might be confused.
3.
Taking a position is not the same thing (necessarily) as taking a side. You may find yourself wanting to stake out a
"middle ground" position. Or
your position may be that no definite opinion on your topic can be adequately
defended. Any position is O.K. as long
as it is clearly explained and carefully reasoned.
4.
In addition to explaining what you
think, your paper should contain reasons why you take the position you
do. Your main job is to explain why a
reasonable person should agree with the opinion or position you are expressing.
5.
Whatever your position is, there will be
other points of view on the issue or topic you are discussing. So, include in your paper at least one
statement of an objection to your view and a reply to that objection. How might someone who disagreed with you
criticize your argument? And how can you
respond to that criticism? (Statements
and replies to several objections would be even better.)
Some possible topics:
(Note:
These are fairly general questions. You
will probably want to develop a more specific, more narrowly focused topic for
your paper.)
1.
Do businesses have obligations other
than the obligation to maximize profits for their stockholders? What are their responsibilities, if any, to
other ‘stakeholders?
2. Can principles of justice be developed and
rationally defended? Can our
understanding of those principles make an important difference to our ethical
assessments of more specific business practices (executive compensation, say)?
3. To what standard should businesses be held
with regard to hazards that they may impose on employees, on customers, or on
the community? Can we 'let the market
decide' what risks are worth taking? Is
it enough if businesses inform people of risks, or should they try to reduce
those risks to an ‘acceptable’ level?
4, Is it really
acceptable for businesses to hire and fire employees 'at will' or should
employees be regarded as having a right to be treated 'fairly' or even a right
to job security? To
participate in decision-making? To 'living wages'? To
'decent' working conditions?
5. Can
employers expect their employees to be 'loyal' even in the face of layoffs and
'restructurings'? Are employees
betraying their employers when they 'blow the whistle' on various sorts of
wrongdoing? 6. Do employees have an obligation (to the
public) to ‘blow the whistle’ when they become aware of serious wrongdoing?
7. What's wrong with discrimination? If racial and gender discrimination is
wrong, then don't 'affirmative action' programs amount to an unjustifiable form
of 'reverse discrimination'?’
8. Is sexual harassment a form of
discrimination? If so, how can it be
distinguished from legitimate expressions of affection or interest?
9. Is there anything wrong with taking advantage
of the low labor costs available in so-called ‘third world’ countries?
10. Does a business firm have any responsibility
for addressing environmental problems? Or is it enough to obey the law?
11. Is
honesty the best policy in business?
Isn't bluffing a necessary tool of negotiation? Are there forms of
deception which are legitimate in business?
12. Does a seller have any obligation to look out
for the interests of the buyer? Is it OK
to put the best possible 'spin' on your product and let the buyer look out for
him or herself (caveat emptor)?