Ethics in Action (Ethics Mini-Cases) - Statistical Decision Techniques
Alex_Blackstone
EthicsMiniCaseForm.docxEthics in Action (Ethics Mini-Cases) Response Form
For this assignment, you should download and save this form. Fill it out in response to the Ethics in Action Case. You should consider ethically and statistically sound approaches to the questions raised in these features. The underlying principle here is that unethical statistical practice is bad science and leads to unsound decision making.
Consult these guides before you start answering the mini-cases:
http://www.amstat.org/ASA/Your-Career/Ethical-Guidelines-for-Statistical-Practice.aspx
Please also see the Guide pdf files available under Resources at the beginning of this course.
Fill out one (1) of these forms for each mini-case and upload your response to the appropriate Assignment Forum.
All Ethics in Action Cases are found in:
1. Sharpe, DeVeaux, Velleman. (2014). Business statistics. 3rd edition. Pearson.
ISBN: 0321925831
List of Ethics in Action Cases:
1. “Sara” p. 11 (not the Jim Case).
2. “Beth” p. 77
3. “DOD” p. 231 (DOD is Department of Defense).
4. “Honest Harry” p. 259
5. “Jacked Up” p. 320
ETHICS IN ACTION
Beth Tully owns Zenna’s Café, an independent coffee
shop located in a small Midwestern city. Since opening
Zenna’s in 2002, she has been steadily growing her business
and now distributes her custom coffee blends to a number
of regional restaurants and markets. She operates a microroaster
that offers specialty grade Arabica coffees recognized by
some as the best in the area.
In addition to providing the highest quality coffees, Beth
also wants her business to be socially responsible. Toward that
end, she pays fair prices to coffee farmers and donates funds to
help charitable causes in Panama, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.
In addition, she encourages her employees to get involved in
the local community.
Recently, one of the well-known multinational coffeehouse
chains announced plans to locate shops in her area. This chain
is one of the few to offer Certified Free-Trade coffee products
and work toward social justice in the global community.
Consequently,
Beth thought it might be a good idea for her to
begin communicating Zenna’s socially-responsible efforts to
the public, but with an emphasis on their commitment to the
local community.
Three months ago she began collecting data on the number
of volunteer hours donated by her employees per week.
She has a total of 12 employees, of whom 10 are full time. Most
employees volunteered less than 2 hours per week, but Beth
noticed that one part-time employee volunteered more than
20 hours per week. She discovered that her employees collectively
volunteered an average of 15 hours per month (with a
median of 8 hours). She planned to report the average number
and believed most people would be impressed with Zenna’s
level of commitment to the local community.
• Identify the ethical dilemma in this scenario.
• What are the undesirable consequences?
• Propose an ethical solution that considers the welfare of all
stakeholders.
Your Name:
Date:
Course Title: MMG 525.ON01 Statistical Decision Techniques for Managers
Summer 2018
Instructor:
Ethics in Action Case Title: Ethics in Action
Page Number: 77
Respond to each question with several sentences. The best responses will use the case material itself to show what is going on and what is going wrong.
1. Identify the ethical dilemma in this scenario,
2. What are the undesirable consequences?
3. Propose an ethical solution that considers the welfare of all stakeholders.
3
