Ethical Dilemma Analysis- Capstone Project (300 POINTS)

This capstone project is an approximately 8-10 paged, double-spaced, 12 point font, 1″ margins essay analyzing an ethical dilemma from your own field of study.  The analysis is a series of exercises which will demonstrate your level of understanding of several of the tools we have acquired through our study of our textbook.

I. Real-life ethical dilemma from your field of study (Chapter 1 and Chapter 12)

– indicate your field of study.

– State a real-life ethical dilemma from your field of study as a question. (form: “Should we do X or Y?”)

– Detail a scenario in your professional life in which this dilemma could arise. (describe a plausible scenario in which this dilemma could arise for a professional in your field)

– Explain why this is an “ethical” dilemma. (make use of definition of “ethics”)

– Explain why this is a “right vs. right” dilemma. (make use of Weston’s notion of “right vs. right”, meaning that each side has some reasons to recommend it)

II. Values in this ethical dilemma (Chapter 4)

-Explain which specific non-moral values are important in this ethical dilemma and why. (understand distinction between moral and non-moral values, detect which non-moral values are important in a dilemma)

– Explain which specific moral values are in conflict in this ethical dilemma, and what families of moral values they belong to. (understand distinction between moral and non-moral values, detect which specific moral values are important in a dilemma, categorize them by family)

III. Ethical theories and this ethical dilemma (Chapters 5-8)

Your ethical dilemma was stated earlier as a question of the form “Should we do X or Y?”, where X and Y are both actions that have some reason to recommend them.  Yet we cannot do both.  

– Pick one of the ethical theories we studied in detail (Kantian ethics, utilitarianism, virtue ethics, and ethics of care) and make an argument from it to support choosing action X. (understand differences between theories, how to make a moral argument from a theory, aligning an ethical theory with an action)

– Pick one of the ethical theories we studied in detail (Kantian ethics, utilitarianism, virtue ethics, and ethics of care) and make an argument from it to support choosing action Y. (understand differences between theories, how to make a moral argument from a theory, aligning an ethical theory with an action)

IV. Relevant facts for this ethical dilemma (Chapter 9)

– List three questions you would research to discover the most relevant facts for this ethical dilemma. (understand the types of questions relevant to researching an ethical dilemma, posing questions clearly and succinctly)

– Why are these three questions the most important to research for this dilemma? Why are the facts they would lead to the most relevant for this dilemma? Explain. (understanding what distinguishes a relevant from an irrelevant fact in an ethical dilemma)

V. Invented cases and consistency (Chapter 10)

– Invent a “like case” to your ethical dilemma.  Explain how it is relevantly similar to your dilemma. (understand notion of “invented cases” in ethics, show relevant similarities between cases)

– Detail your moral intuitions and moral reasoning on this invented “like case.” Explain how these moral intuitions and moral reasoning should apply to your dilemma.  (demonstrate use of invented cases, understanding of moral intutions and moral reasoning based on invented cased)

VI. Bringing Values into Congruence/Value Integration (Chapter 12)

– Choose one of the value integration methods from Chapter  12 (see page 422) and explain how it may be used to integrate the values in conflict in your dilemma. (understand methods for bringing values into congruence, demonstrate their use)

– Choose another of the value integration methods from Chapter 12 and explain how it may be used to integrate the values in conflict in your dilemma. (understand methods for value integration, demonstrate their use)

VII. Creative problem-solving (Chapter 13)

– Employ the “exotic associations” method to your dilemma. Document what random words you chose and what creative ideas they led to regarding your dilemma. (understand and demonstrate “exotic associations” creative problem-solving method and its use in ethics)

– Employ the “reversal and exaggeration” method to your dilemma. Document what normal features of the dilemma you chose to reverse and exaggerate and what creative ideas they led to regarding your dilemma. (understand and demonstrate “reversal and exaggeration” creative problem-solving method and its use in ethics)

VIII. Reframing problems (Chapter 13)

– Employ the “think prevention” method to your dilemma. What are the root causes that give rise to this dilemma? Explain what might be done to avoid the dilemma or lessen its severity. (understand and demonstrate “think prevention” reframing method and its use in ethics)

– Employ the “lateral thinking” method (revisiting outlying aspects of the problem) to your dilemma.  What assumptions are we making when we formulate this dilemma? What new ideas emerge when we question these assumptions? Explain. (understand and demonstrate “lateral thinking” reframing method and its use in ethics) 

IX. Resolution of the dilemma

– Indicate in a couple of paragraphs how you would resolve the dilemma, and what reasons you have for your resolution. Indicate which of the tools in I-VIII above were most influential in your decision. (give a reasoned defense of how you would resolve an ethical diilemma

 

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ETHICAL CULTURE PROJECT

Worth: 100 points 

Instructions:

Watch the movie, “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” AND review Enron’s Code of Ethics (posted on course website).

Your paper should consist of the following sections:

 Part 1: Enron’s Culture (Length: two pages, double-spaced) 

-Describe the current organizational culture using the cultural dimensions discussed in the lecture slides (e.g. outcome orientation, detail orientation). Which cultural dimensions does Enron’s culture display? Provide specific examples of employee behavior demonstrated in the movie as “evidence” of each cultural dimension you identify. 

-Discuss how Enron’s cultural dimensions explain or predict the presence/absence of unethical behavior. 

-From what you observe, is ethics/integrity considered an important value in Enron’s culture?  

Part 2: Enron’s Ethics Program (Length: 3-4 pages, double-spaced)

-Code of Ethics/Ethics Policies (Do they have one? Is it good/bad? How could it be improved?)

– Ethics Training (Do they have this? Is it good/bad? How could it be improved?)

-Anonymous Internal Reporting systems (Do they have this? Is it good/bad? How could it be improved?)

-Strong Anti-Retaliation protections (Do they have this? Is it good/bad? How could it be improved?)

– Commitment from Top Management (Do they have this? Is it good/bad? How could it be improved?)

-Reward Systems Promote Ethical Behavior (Do they have this? Is it good/bad? How could it be improved?)

– No Tolerance of Unethical Activity (Do they have this? Is it good/bad? How could it be improved?) 

Be sure to provide specific examples from the movie or Code of Ethics that illustrate your discussion of each item (or lack of each item). 

Format: Your paper should be double-spaced, 12 pt. font, with one-inch margins. Please use headings to label each section of your paper, and subheadings for each item assessed in Part 2.

Review of Enron’s Code of Ethics(PART – I)Introduction: The movie- Enron: The smartest guys in the room (2005)- depends on a book ofthe same name by Fortune columnists Bethany McLean and…

 

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Ethical Considerations in Global Expansion 

In Unit 1 you formed a team and started the process of growing your simulation company. As you saw in the Conscious Capitalism videos, and in this Linda Fisher Thornton video-The Leading from a Strong Moral Center having a strong commitment to your values and ethical stance is critical to business growth, especially as your company grows and you expand into other countries and cultures.  

This Assignment where you research markets outside the United States and discuss how to use the principles of Conscious Capitalism to determine appropriate expansion strategies explores the professional skills of; 

 Global awareness  Awareness of ethical issues and responsibilities  Make ethical decisions and solve problems   Work effectively in teams 

Assignment Goal and Thought Process 

Goal: As a Conscious Capitalism based business, how can we use these principles to help us determine which governments (France Brazil, and China, the countries under consideration expansion) would be the best match to ensure successful expansion into this country 

Thought Process 

 Business decisions are based on a variety of data points including, sales, profit, cultural match. Your goal as a business leader is to make decisions that have the best chance of success so you will need to incorporate as much data as possible before making your decisions.  The role of government and official policies have an important impact on the growth of their nation(s).  In your simulation, you will be creating plans to expand to any or all of these 3 areas, Paris, Sao Paulo, and Shanghai and need to have a foundation for making these choices to augment the traditional sales and profit goals. The 4 principles of Conscious Capitalism can be an additional data source for decision making  As governmental policies will play a large role in our success when expanding we need to know the following; o Can a government operate as a business? 

      GB601 | MBA Capstone 

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o How can we view governments through the lens of Conscious Capitalism to help us make our expansion recommendations? While the principles are usually applied to business, can we apply them to governments? o What is the culture of each country under consideration for expansion and how many principle(s) of Conscious Capitalism do they follow? o How does this information help us make expansion recommendations, if our goal is to expand to countries that have the strongest link to these principles?  

Assignment Details and Rubric-  

In a 4-6 page APA formatted paper excluding text, diagrams, and other visual/oral aids as appropriate, address the following:  

 Section 1- The principles of Conscious Capitalism are usually applied to a business, but to help us make these choices, we will be applying them to the governments of the countries under consideration for growth but first need to answer these questions; o Can/should we view government as a business in order to eventually apply the principles of Conscious Capitalism?  o What information does the research show on this topic? Present an in-depth analysis of the pro’s and con’s of this approach. You will need to use at least 3 scholarly sources to support your thoughts in addition to the readings for this week.  o How would you use the principals of Conscious Capitalism to analyze the possible markets and their governments for expansion goals? 

 Section 2 -Research the markets that you can expand into from your home base in Chicago; Paris, Sao Paulo, and Shanghai  o Create a profile for each of the expansion areas (Paris, Sao Paulo, and Shanghai). Include the following information.   Economic data, i.e., population, Gross National Product (GDP)  Cultural data; i.e., Hofstede Cultural Dimensions  Which of the 4 principles of Conscious Capitalism are demonstrated by the government of the country?  Section 3 – Recommendations for expansion. Using the results of this analysis and knowing the cultural profile your company leadership has already creating, make detailed recommendations for expansion progression. This should include; o Include in-depth description of your company, its products, and other relevant information to support the recommendations.  o The logic that you are using to support your recommendations. This can include the projected sales and profit information, the links to Conscious Capitalism, any other factors which formed your recommendations. 

      GB601 | MBA Capstone 

3 

Criteria  

Maximum Points  

o Can/should we view government as a business in order to eventually apply the principles of Conscious Capitalism? What information does the research show on this topic? Present an in-depth analysis of the pro’s and con’s of this approach.  You will need to use at least 3 scholarly sources to support your thoughts in addition to the readings. o How would you use the principals of Conscious Capitalism to analyze the possible markets and their governments for expansion goals? 

30 

● Create a profile for each of the expansion areas (Paris, Sao Paulo, and Shanghai). Include the following information.  • Economic data, i.e., population, Gross National Product (GDP) • Cultural data; i.e., Hofstede Cultural Dimensions • Which of the 4 principles of Conscious Capitalism are demonstrated by the government of the country 

50 

Recommendations for expansion. This should include; o Include in-depth description of your company, its products, and other relevant information to support the recommendations.  o The logic that you are using to support your recommendations. This can include the link to Conscious Capitalism, any other factors which formed your recommendations 

20 

General writing and APA compliance 10 Total 110 

 

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ETHICAL AND LEGAL DILEMMA:Imagine that you are the Chief Financial Officer of a medium to large company. It is April and the Chief Executive Officer has just returned from a meeting with the company’s bankers. She calls you to her office to discuss the results of the negotiations. As things stand, the company requires a fairly significant injection of capital which will be used to modernize plant and equipment. The company has been promised new orders if it can produce goods to an international standard. Existing machinery is incapable of manufacturing the required level of quality. Whilst the bank is sympathetic, current lending policies require borrowers to demonstrate an adequate current and projected cash flow, as well as a level of profitability sufficient to indicate a capacity to make repayments from an early date. The problem is that, largely because of some industrial problems, the business has not been performing at a level which realizes even its ‘unimproved’ potential. Strictly speaking, the figures would not satisfy the bank’s criteria.The CEO reminds you of all of this and then mentions that she has told the bank that the company is in excellent shape, that she believes that its financial results will meet the criteria and that she will ask the Chief Financial Officer to deliver a financial report to the bank at the beginning of the next week. She tells you that it is up to you to decide upon the contents of that report.Two final pieces of information; you have recently purchased a home – leveraged with a significant mortgage. Failure to invest and gain the promised new orders is almost certain to lead to major retrenchments of personnel.WHAT ARE THE ISSUES?What are some of the ethical issues arising in a case such as this? For the most part they are fairly obvious:

 

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Ethical action plan that focuses on how you shall live:

1. As an individual
2. As a member of an organization
3. As a member of society

In your action plan, determine areas you would like to improve on and how you will make a positive impact as an individual, in your organization, and in society.

 

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