Business

Module 2 Assignment (150 possible points) – Fall 2021

RULE OF THUMB FOR DR. CLARK’s CLASSES -- One point = 1 quality sentence

I like discussion. I like more discussion in contrast to short discussion. A general guideline for me is if a question is worth 4 points, give me at least 4 quality sentences. One point = 1 quality sentence. A quality sentence has content, details, substance to it. “I really like this company for what it does for the environment” is NOT a quality sentence. This sentence is of quality: I really like this company because it only uses recycled building products reducing their contribution to the landfills by 20% over the past year.

Part A (15 possible points)

Recall the continuum of social responsibility covered in class. The continuum contains 4 points along the way:

Traditional Approach to Social Responsibility

Social Obligation

Social Responsiveness

Pure Social Responsibility (needs to have as its business purpose (the reason the company was created) doing good for society or a subpart of society/community). A regular company is not at this point.

I want you to research ONE major company or organization of your choice and place them on the continuum based on your internet research. Be sure to give me enough detail/support for your answers sharing 3 examples of their social responsibility activities and why you placed them where you did on the continuum. Also give me your CITES/URLS for the information about the companies and examples of their social responsibility efforts.

Remember for a company to be placed at the PURE location, the purpose of the company must be to do good for the community or society. This is different than just deciding to do some good – the reason the company exists is to achieve this good or purpose for society. Generally, this is just nonprofits or social businesses.

Part B (15 possible points) – Focus on COVID-19 adjustments/response.

Now, pick a different company (not a nonprofit) and research what has happened to it during the last year due to the COVID-19 outbreak. How has the company responded? How has it acted to address stakeholder needs (employees? Customers? Community? Shareholders?). Based on its reaction to the COVID-19 crisis, what has it done in terms of social responsibility (for the good of others/stakeholders)?

Where you place this company on the continuum during the COVID crisis? Why?

Recall the continuum of social responsibility discussed in class. The continuum discussed contains 4 points along the way but for this question, I’m removing the PURE option:

Traditional Approach to Social Responsibility

Social Obligation

Social Responsiveness

Pure Social Responsibility (needs to have as its business purpose (the reason the company was created) doing good for society or a subpart of society/community). A regular company is not at this point.

Be sure to give me enough detail/support for your answers sharing 3 examples of their social responsibility activities and why you placed them where you did on the continuum. Also give me your CITES/URLS for the information about the companies and examples of their social responsibility efforts.

Part C (45 possible points) – Stakeholder Analysis

In the stakeholder analysis folder in the content area, we considered some information about Facebook. By conducting a little bit of research, you can find some recent information about Facebook and its impact on young users.

https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/facebook-under-more-scrutiny-after-own-research-shows-instagram-is-harmful-to-teens/

https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/using-research-to-improve-your-experience

There are also 3 links to PDFs to Wall Street Journal articles about new investigation into Facebook. They are posted in the content area, in a Facebook folder.

Now, using the win-win approach to social responsibility suggested by the Tomorrow’s Leaders Group, how can Juuls approach this issue to generate a win-win for the company and for society. Be sure to discuss sufficiently paying attention to the rule of thumb explained on the first page. Answer these questions specifically:

How has Facebook actions impacted the following stakeholders (18 points):

· Under age 13 users of Facebook/Instagram:

· 13+ Teens who are authorized uses of Facebook/Instagram?

· Female v. Male users of Facebook/Instagram:

· Parents of teens who use Facebook/Instagram:

· Broader community:

· Health Care professionals:

Describe the public health/mental health crisis that the use of Facebook/Instagram is helping fuel. Provide your source(s) (7 points)

Discuss the actions that Facebook/Instagram (same company) has taken that could be viewed as unethical by others (10 points)

Discuss the actions Facebook/Instagram could take to find a win-win approach to the public health/mental health crisis they helped create. Be sure to explain the win for Facebook/Instagram (5 points) as well as the action that will lead to a win for the community (Teens/society) (5 points).

Part D (15 points) – USE YOUR DOCUMENTARY COMPANY (ex. NFL, Wells Fargo, USA Gymnastics, etc.) for this question. My Company’s Approach to Social Responsibility

Thinking about the company in your documentary and the actions that company has taken, what is that company’s approach to social responsibility? Refer to the Powerpoint Slides that offers some different perspectives about social responsibility. You can choose to classify the company on the social responsibility continuum or use one of the other approaches discussed. But discuss with specific examples of actions/decisions that supports your labeling of the company’s approach to social responsibility in this way.

Part E (40 possible points) Use the rule of thumb (1 quality sentence per each point)

Stakeholder Perspective – use the company you are using for your documentary. Also refer to the STAKEHOLDER Powerpoint slide so that you know what I’m talking about when I seek primary v. secondary stakeholders.

The company you are focusing on for your Documentary Case Analysis: ________________________________

(1) Identify four primary stakeholders for your assigned company and give an example of a concern or interest that each stakeholder has in the company (12 pts). For example, students are a primary stakeholder for MTSU and have an interest in the amount of tuition MTSU charges each student.

(2) Name at least two secondary stakeholders and give an example of a concern or interest that EACH has in the company (6 pts). The residents on Main Street are a secondary stakeholder of MTSU. They have an interest in MTSU’s plan to expand geographically because of the impact on the historical nature of Main Street and their property values.

(3) Briefly discuss a potential ethical issue or situation for this company that was highlighted in the documentary. You need to explain the issue sufficiently for me so I know the issue. (4 points)

Then, analyze and discuss the unethical action/decision from the viewpoint of three primary stakeholders you identified in part (1) above. For each one explain the harm or potential harm caused by the unethical action and what each type of stakeholder could do to resolve the issue? (9 pts)

(4) What is the most ethical approach for the company to take with regards to each stakeholder? Why? You should have 3 separate ethical approaches although some could be the same/similar (9 pts)

Part F (20 possible points) Use the rule of thumb (1 quality sentence per each point)

If your company used the Conscious Capitalism approach urged by John Mackey, then their actions/decisions would be much different. Recall that John Mackey (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYJl3DOMGM8) described Conscious Capitalism in this way:

a. Business has a deeper purpose which is different from maximizing profit and increasing shareholder value. He explained that all business has to make a profit but it is not why a business exists. He urged businesses to discover or create their deeper purpose. Be sure you watch this clip and understand what a deeper purpose would be for your company.

b. Business is not a machine. Rather a business is part of a larger ecosystem understanding the interconnections between different constituents (stakeholders) with the business. Stakeholders are cooperating together to create more value together – but creating value that benefits the system – create value for all of the stakeholders. Mackey believes in the long term that profits are best created in this way than a focus on short-term gains.

For this question, help your unethical acting company discover its deeper purpose. (10 points)

Also, discuss how your “unethical” acting company could change its behavior and use the stakeholder approach Mackey describes to create value for all stakeholders (employees, customers, suppliers, distributors, community, etc.). (10 points)