phl homework

Group Project 4

There are two readings you need to complete for this group project:

· How Herman Miller Has Designed Employee Loyalty, https://www.fastcompany.com/1689839/how-herman-miller-has-designed-employee-loyalty

· Albert Z. Carr, “Is Business Bluffing Ethical?”

https://hbr.org/1968/01/is-business-bluffing-ethical

Note that Carr advocates an ethic that is very different from what you have learned in this Unit. That ethic certainly sides with the enlightened self-interest ethic described by Nash. But it seems Carr goes beyond that. In that article, Carr suggests it is alright, or even ethical, to lie and to do window-dressing by telling your employees and customers that you are ethical (when you are not), hence “bluffing ethical” in the title.

In two full pages, please report your discussion results of the following tasks:

Task 1

One of the CEOs that Nash interviewed back in the 90s was from Herman Miller. Based on the information in this interview of CEO Brian Walker in 2010, do you think Herman Miller still follows the covenantal ethic? State and elaborate two aspects in which you think they are, or are not, following the covenantal ethic. Start a new paragraph for each point. Include a quote or two to back up your claim.

Task 2

State and elaborate two similarities between Carr’s ethic and the enlightened self-interest ethic described by Nash. Start a new paragraph for each similarity.

Task 3

Near the end of Carr’s article, Carr talks about unethical executives pretending to be ethical. Think of a workplace scenario that you will likely run into within five years after your graduation. That scenario would be one in which you will be tempted to pretend to be ethical as the unethical executives do. Describe that scenario and share honestly if you would like to pretend or not. (Different students will certainly think of different scenarios. Your group needs to choose one to write about.)

Notes:

· Your response should be an essay, not in bullet form. There is no need for an elaborate citation system. Stating the page numbers in brackets would be sufficient.

· For best learning experience, you should not use the "divide and conquer" strategy.

· For average work, you will get around 18 out of 25 points. Those who put in extra effort and give thoughtful responses will get 1-5 more points.

· Turn in your responses via email in a double-spaced MS Word document with 2 pages. There should be one submission per group. Please include the first and last names of all the group members, and your section time, in the document. Please use someone’s last name on the filename for easy identification. The email subject line should be “Group Project 4 from [last name 1], [last name 2], [last name 3] and [last name 4], [section time].” In the email submission, you should also CC all other group members.

· The assignment is due by 4pm next Tue, Nov 20.

· Note that this time I have no hurry to return the graded work to you. When you receive the graded work, you should write an email back to me, giving a brief feedback on my comments, which could be as short as two sentences. For example, you may acknowledge a mistaken idea, you may rephrase the correct idea and ask if you get it right this time, or you may explain why you overlooked certain ideas, etc. You are also welcome to share your thought on this whole unit instead. Primarily, it is an opportunity to have personal communication regarding what you have learned. If you write such an email to me within 24 hours of receiving my email, you will get 2 points. A simple "Thank you for your comments!" is not acceptable.

· Points will be deducted if you fail to follow any of the above instruction. If you submit it after 4pm Tue, it will not be graded and you will get only 5 points.