business philosophy

Please carefully read all of the instructions and pick one prompt from the following 5 choices.

Please write a paper of approximately 750 words (around 3 typed, double-spaced pages in a standard, 12-point font) responding to ONE of the following prompts. (A few words over or under 750 words is fine; a whole paragraph might be more of an issue.)

PROMPTS (remember, pick ONE). For all of these, make sure you are using the concepts and skills learned in the course (e.g. identifying errors of moral reasoning); (3) making moral arguments and giving good reasons for them, using the concepts and theories we have studied, and (3) carefully considering possible counter-arguments. 

1. Imagine the job you think you will have in 5 years’ time. What, if any, intrusions upon your privacy by your employer are morally justified and why? (Discuss specific examples such as CCTV monitoring, health and genetics testing, drug screening, social media monitoring, etc. and make sure to discuss the specific context of your future workplace and sector.)

2. Facebook has faced considerable criticism recently from consumer privacy advocates about data breaches, unauthorized use of data by third parties such as Cambridge Analytica, and how it has communicated with Facebook users about their privacy. What, if anything, should Facebook do about such criticisms, from a moral perspective, and why?

3. You are an executive at a chemical company. You have witnessed high-level discussions of the company’s secret policy of dumping toxic waste in the river near its main manufacturing facility. You have also seen documents describing how this dumping has been carried out and how it has been kept from public awareness. You have mentioned your concerns to your immediate superior, but you have heard back from them that “there is nothing to worry about here; you can back off.” To your knowledge, the dumping continues. Is it morally obligatory for you to go public with what you know?

4. Imagine you are in a leadership position in your future career field (if you’re not sure take your best guess). You are invited to contribute to a panel on work-life balance in your field. What are the moral obligations of employers, managers, workers, government, and any other relevant actors to improve work-life balance in your field and why? Be specific (e.g. “We should have a (x)-hour week” or “We should have the following parental leave policy: (x) months at full pay for….” ). 

5. You are about to embark on a career in advertising, but you want to harmonize your career goals and your sense of morality. What kinds of ads, if any, would conflict with your moral values, and why?  (These might include targeted ads on social media, ads that undermine autonomy, or ads that offend or harm. Discuss specific examples.) What will you do in such a conflict? What moral principles will guide you in your career?