Final Project - Business Ethics
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Lectures.zipLectures/OSX_Ethics_Ch01_PPT.pptx
Business Ethics
Chapter 1 WHY ETHICS MATTER
PowerPoint Image Slideshow
Chapter Outline
1.1 Being a Professional of Integrity
1.2 Ethics and Profitability
1.3 Multiple versus Single Ethical Standards
Figure 1.1
Each of us makes innumerable decisions every day. In a business context, these choices have consequences for ourselves and others whom we must take into account in our decision-making process. (credit: modification of “business paper office laptop” by “rawpixel”/Pixabay, CC0)
Learning Objectives
1.1 Being a Professional of Integrity
Describe the role of ethics in a business environment
Explain what it means to be a professional of integrity
Distinguish between ethical and legal responsibilities
Describe three approaches for examining the ethical nature of a decision
Figure 1.2
Stakeholders are the individuals and entities affected by a business’s decisions, including clients, customers, suppliers, investors, retailers, employees, the media, the government, members of the surrounding community, the environment, and even competitors. (credit: modification of “Unisex toilets sign” by AIGA/United States Department of Transportation, Public Domain)
Extension: Stakeholder v. Shareholder Distinction
All shareholders are stakeholders in a company because they are affected by a company’s actions.
Still, not all stakeholders are shareholders. Shareholders specifically hold shares, or stock, in a for-profit firm that is publicly traded.
Traditionally, shareholders have been given preeminence in a company’s strategic decisions. Today, however, that priority is weakening as firms accord additional value to other stakeholders, as well.
Figure 1.3
Immanuel Kant was an eighteenth-century philosopher, now associated with deontology, who spent nearly all his professional life teaching at the university in Königsberg (which today is Kaliningrad, the westernmost point in Russia). (credit right: modification of “Kant foto” by “Becker”/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Feature Box: Ethics Across Time and Culture
Critical Thinking
In the article cited, the authors stress the importance of being well versed in the liberal arts, such as philosophy, history, literature, and in the fine arts to cultivate judgment. How do you think a strong background in the liberal arts would impart practical wisdom or help you make ethical decisions?
Discussion Questions
Some business students believe they should only have to take business courses in their undergraduate curriculum. The article cited suggests otherwise. Where do you believe the truth lies in this issue? What is your rationale?
When Kant speaks of what we have a duty to do, he says this sense of duty is based on a good will that should govern all of our actions. Would you agree with this? Why or why not?
Learning Objectives
1.2 Ethics and Profitability
Differentiate between short-term and long-term perspectives
Differentiate between stockholder and stakeholder
Discuss the relationship among ethical behavior, goodwill, and profit
Explain the concept of corporate social responsibility
Figure 1.4
Warren Buffett, shown here with President Barack Obama in June 2010, is an investor and philanthropist who was born in 1930 in Omaha, Nebraska. Through his leadership of Berkshire Hathaway, he has become one of the most successful investors in the world and one of the wealthiest people in the United States, with an estimated total net worth of almost $80 billion. (credit: “President Barack Obama and Warren Buffett in the Oval Office” by Pete Souza/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Figure 1.5
Imagine you are the CEO of a mid-sized firm—about five hundred employees—and your company is publicly traded. To understand what matters most to all your stakeholders, complete the preceding exercise to evaluate the impact of a particular action or decision. (credit: modification of “legal pad paper” by “tswedensky”/Pixabay, CC0)
Feature Box: What Would You Do?
Critical Thinking
Which of these opportunities would you pursue and why?
How important an attribute is salary, and at what point would a higher salary override for you the nonmonetary benefits of the lower-paid position?
Discussion Questions
Work-life balance—a balance between workplace responsibilities and time to enjoy experiences off the job—can be an important consideration. What priority do you assign to this balance as you pursue your post-graduate career?
Do you believe you might ever have to decide between salary and the opportunity to have significant relationships, a hospitable work environment, and leisure time outside of work? If you do, how will you make that choice?
Feature Box: Cases from the Real Word
Critical Thinking
Which elements of this case might involve issues of legal compliance? Which elements illustrate acting legally but not ethically? What would acting ethically and with personal integrity in this situation look like?
How do you think this breach will affect Equifax’s position relative to those of its competitors? How might it affect the future success of the company?
Was it sufficient for Equifax to offer online privacy protection to those whose personal information was hacked? What else might it have done?
Learning Objectives
1.3 Multiple versus Single Ethical Standards
Analyze ethical norms and values as they relate to business standards
Explain the doctrine of ethical relativism and why it is problematic
Evaluate the claim that having a single ethical standard makes behaving consistently easier
Discussion Points
Yet, does one size fit all when it comes to ethical standards?
When applying an ethical standard in the workplace, is consistency the primary goal to achieve?
Might an ethical business leader sometimes have to implement a flexible standard in order to be as fair as possible? Why or why not? If your answer is yes, explain your rationale.
Feature Box: What Would You Do?
Critical Thinking
How would you handle this situation and why?
Would it matter if the relative were someone closer to you, perhaps a brother or sister?
If so, why?
Discussion Questions
Ultimately, do we typically have different standards for ethical behavior when it comes to family and friends? Is this how it should be?
As a business leader, would you have different standards for ethical behavior on the job when working with family and friends?
This file is copyright 2019, Rice University. All Rights Reserved.
Lectures/OSX_Ethics_Ch02_PPT.pptx
Business Ethics
Chapter 2 ETHICS FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE PRESENT
PowerPoint Image Slideshow
Chapter Outline
2.1 The Concept of Ethical Business in Ancient Athens
2.2 Ethical Advice for Nobles and Civil Servants in Ancient China
2.3 Comparing the Virtue Ethics of East and West
2.4 Utilitarianism: The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number
2.5 Deontology: Ethics as Duty
2.6 A Theory of Justice
Figure 2.1
Their accuracy and practical use in the marketplace made scales, held aloft here by the figure of Justice in Bruges, Belgium, a common symbol in jurisprudence and law in the East and the West. Even today, the concept of counterbalancing different ideas and philosophies underlies many approaches to the law and ethics. (credit: modification of “Golden Lady Justice” by Emmanuel Huybrechts/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)
Learning Objectives
2.1 The Concept of Ethical Business in Ancient Athens
Identify the role of ethics in ancient Athens
Explain how Aristotelian virtue ethics affected business practices
Figure 2.2
Nicomachean Ethics, by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle (a), is a rough collection of Aristotle’s lecture notes to his students on how to live the virtuous life and achieve happiness; it is the oldest surviving treatment of ethics in the West. The collection was possibly named after Aristotle’s son. This 1566 edition (b) was printed in both Greek and Latin. (credit a: modification of “Aristotle Altemps Inv8575,” by “Jastrow”/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain; credit b: modification of “Aristotelis De Moribus ad Nicomachum” by "Aavindraa"/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Figure 2.3
Penelope and Odysseus in a scene from Homer’s Odyssey, as depicted in 1802 by the German painter Johann Tischbein. For the ancient Greeks, Penelope represented all the virtues of a loving, dutiful partner. She remained faithful to her husband Odysseus despite his absence of some twenty years during and after the Trojan War. (credit: “Odysseus and Penelope” by H. R. Wacker and James Steakley/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Feature Box: Ethics Across Time and Cultures
Critical Thinking
Consider how democracy has expanded since the Golden Age of Greece, eventually including universal suffrage and fundamental rights for everyone. Although we try not to judge cultures today as having right or wrong practices, we often judge earlier cultures and civilizations. How might you assess a practice like slavery in antiquity without imposing modern values on a civilization that existed more than two and a half millennia ago?
Are there absolute truths and values that transcend time and space? If yes, what might these be and where might they come from? If not, why not?
Discussion Question
Also consider how women were typically excluded from formal education in ancient Greece, as education was considered preparation for a career in the professional world, which was restricted to men. Does this practice discount any of the positive values of antiquity?
Feature Box: Ethics Across Time and Cultures
Critical Thinking
How is the ancient concept of distributive justice understood in today’s political debate?
What are the underlying values that inform each side of the debate (e.g., values like wealth maximization and corporate social responsibility)?
Can these sides be reconciled and, if so, what must happen to bring them together? Does virtue have a role to play here; if so, how?
Learning Objectives
2.2 Ethical Advice for Nobles and Civil Servants in Ancient China
Identify the key features of Confucian virtue ethics
Explain how Confucian virtue ethics can be applied to contemporary business
Discussion Point
Similar to Aristotle, who prepared young men for service in business, government, and the law in ancient Greece, Confucius trained young men to serve as officials in the emperor’s administration. How might these ancient Confucian ethical values complement those found in Aristotelian virtue ethics?
Figure 2.4
Confucius (Kung Fu-tzu or Master Kung), depicted here in front of the Confucius Temple in Beijing, lived during a turbulent period in China’s history. He sought to end violence and chaos through a return to order, harmony, and reverence, especially within the family. (credit: “KongZi, Confucius Temple with Gold Roof, Main Statue” by “klarititemplateshop.com”/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)
Feature Box: What Would You Do?
Critical Thinking
If you were Yijing, what would you have done?
Discussion Questions
If, like Yijing, you had initially agreed to disguise yourself as a man, would you have thrown off this pretense once you had enabled the business to become even more profitable?
If Yijing had a daughter, what role might her mother have given her in the family business?
Figure 2.5
The Analects of Confucius is a collection of Confucius’s teachings and sayings regarding the virtuous life and how to attain harmony. They were compiled by his followers and written with ink and brush on strips of bamboo. (credit: “Rongo Analects 02” by “Fukutaro”/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Learning Objectives
2.3 Comparing the Virtue Ethics of East and West
Compare the origins and goals of virtue ethics in the East and the West
Describe how these systems each aimed to establish a social order for family and business
Identify potential elements of a universally applied business ethic
Discussion Point
Despite the fact that all ethics, including business ethics, is conditioned by time, culture, and geography, do similarities between virtue ethics in the East and the West demonstrate that some ethical values are constant and objective? Why or why not?
Figure 2.6
The Aristotelian and Confucian systems of virtue ethics have in common the theme of control, as this comparison shows. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Feature Box: What Would You Do?
Critical Thinking
What do you suppose Confucius and Aristotle, teachers of virtue ethics, would say about the Colombians’ case, and how would they go about assessing responsibility? What would they identify as the crime committed? Would they think the executives at Chiquita had acted prudently, cravenly, or deceitfully?
What would you do if confronted with this case?
Discussion Question
How might your perspective on this change depending on whether you were an executive at Chiquita or a Justice Department government official?
Learning Objectives
2.4 Utilitarianism: The Greatest Good for the Greatest Number
Identify the principle elements of Jeremy Bentham’s utilitarianism
Distinguish John Stuart Mill’s modification of utilitarianism from Bentham’s original formulation of it
Evaluate the role of utilitarianism in contemporary business
Discussion Points
Some claim that business leaders make utilitarianism their go-to instrument for determining ethical business strategy. Would you agree with this assessment? If so, what might render utilitarianism an attractive mechanism for determining the right course of action for a company?
Regardless of the extent to which utilitarianism functions commonly in business decision-making, what weaknesses would you identify in this ethical system?
Figure 2.7
At his request, Jeremy Bentham’s corpse was laid out for public dissection, as depicted here by H.H. Pickersgill in 1832. Today, his body is on display as an “auto-icon” at University College, London, a university he endowed with about half his estate. His preserved head is also kept at the college, separate from the rest of the body.) (credit: “Mortal Remains of Jeremy Bentham, 1832” by Weld Taylor; H. H. Pickersgill/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 International)
Feature Box: Ethics Across Time and Cultures
Critical Thinking
What do you think of Bentham’s final request? Is it the act of an eccentric or of someone deeply committed to the truth and courageous enough to act on his beliefs?
Do you believe it makes sense to continue to honor Bentham’s request today? Why is it honored? Do requests have to make sense? Why or why not?
Figure 2.8
In On Liberty (1859) (a), John Stuart Mill (b) combined utility with human rights. He emphasized the importance of free speech for correcting error and creating value for the individual and society. (credit a: modification of “On Liberty (first edition title page via facsimile),” by “Yodin”/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain; credit b: modification of “John Stuart Mill by London Stereoscopic Company, c1870,” by “Scewing”/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Extension: The Intellectual Team of John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor Mill
John Stuart Mill dedicated On Liberty to his wife, Harriet Taylor Mill (1807–1858). The book was published a year after her death, and J.S. Mill still deeply felt his loss. Each spouse was an accomplished writer in his or her own right. Some commentators note that each served as a trusted editor to the other. Though the nineteenth century did not feature many celebrated women writers, particularly in political science, J.S. Mill publicly noted the intellectual debt that he owed to his wife. By all accounts, she credited him in the same way. (credit: modification of work “Harriet Mill from NPG by anonymous” by National Portrait Gallery/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Learning Objectives
2.5 Deontology: Ethics as Duty
Explain Immanuel Kant’s concept of duty and the categorical imperative
Differentiate between utilitarianism and deontology
Apply a model of Kantian business ethics
Discussion Point
Explain the strengths and weaknesses of utilitarianism and deontology.
Figure 2.9
First published in 1781, Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason provided a new system for understanding experience and reality. It defended religious faith against atheism and the scientific method against the skepticism of the Enlightenment. (credit a: modification of “Immanuel Kant (1724-1804),” by “Daube aus Böblingen”/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain; credit b: modification of “Title page of 1781 edition of Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason.,” by “Tomisti”/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Feature Box: What Would You Do?
Critical Thinking
It has been said that in Kantian ethics, duty comes before beauty and morality before happiness. Can you think of other instances when it is appropriate to break one moral code to satisfy another, perhaps greater one? What are the deciding factors in each case?
What would you do if you were Jean Valjean?
Discussion Points
Some commentators claim that Kantian ethics privileges extenuating circumstances in understanding our motive for acting as we do. For example, if you extend leniency in a criminal case due to the circumstances in which a perpetrator found him or herself, this is an instance of applying a Kantian scale.
Similarly, whenever you forgive the actions of someone who unintentionally hurt you, this, too, is an application of Kantian ethics.
Feature Box: Cases from the Real World
Critical Thinking
How might the Categorical Imperative become a part of organizational culture? Could it ever work in business?
Do you see the Categorical Imperative as applicable to your own interests and hope for a career?
Learning Objectives
2.6 A Theory of Justice
Evaluate John Rawls’s answer to utilitarianism
Analyze the problem of redistribution
Apply justice theory in a business context
Discussion Points
John Rawls thought himself to be a utilitarian, so he regarded his theory to be more of a modification—or radical transformation—of utilitarianism.
With regard to justice theory in a business context, might this conflict with the obligation many senior business leaders feel to return the greatest profit to shareholders?
Figure 2.10
The “veil of ignorance” in Rawls’s “original position.” Those in the original position have no idea who they will be once the veil (wall) has been lifted. Rawls thought such ignorance would motivate people in the community to choose fairly. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Feature Box: What Would You Do?
Critical Thinking
What are you willing to give up so that seniors—whoever they might be—are afforded care and security in their later years?
Should you have to pay into a system that provides medical coverage to other people less health conscious than you? Why or why not?
Discussion Questions
As a business leader, would you feel an obligation to pay for equal health benefits for all of your employees, regardless of whether they practiced a healthy lifestyle? Why or why not?
If it could be demonstrated that private primary education is more effective than public education, what might justice theory pose as a response?
This file is copyright 2019, Rice University. All Rights Reserved.
Lectures/OSX_Ethics_Ch03_PPT.pptx
Business Ethics
Chapter 3 DEFINING AND PRIORITIZING STAKEHOLDERS
PowerPoint Image Slideshow
Chapter Outline
3.1 Adopting a Stakeholder Orientation
3.2 Weighing Stakeholder Claims
3.3 Ethical Decision-Making and Prioritizing Stakeholders
3.4 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Figure 3.1
Starbucks, based in Seattle, Washington, is a company with more than 250,000 employees and locations across the globe. It directly affects countless stakeholders beyond its institutional investors and millions of customers, from coffee growers and milk producers, to urban and suburban communities and developers, to local, state, and national governments. (credit: modification of “StarbucksVaughanMills” by “Raysonho”/Wikimedia Commons, CC0)
Learning Objectives
3.1 Adopting a Stakeholder Orientation
Identify key types of business-stakeholder relationships
Explain why laws do not dictate every ethical responsibility a company may owe key stakeholders
Discuss why stakeholders’ welfare must be at the heart of ethical business decisions
Figure 3.2
Maryland Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford hosts a small-business stakeholder roundtable discussion. Governments consider local businesses to be stakeholders in economic decision-making. Small businesses have their own local and regional stakeholders, who are influenced by the products and services they offer and the decisions they make in building their businesses. (credit: modification of “Lt. Governor Host MBE_Small Business Stakeholders Roundtable Discussion” by “Maryland GovPics”/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)
Feature Box: Cases from the Real World
Critical Thinking
Does the requirement to walk an average of eight or nine miles at a fast pace every day strike you as a reasonable expectation for employees at Amazon, or any other workplace? Why or why not? Should a company that wants to impose this requirement tell job applicants beforehand?
Is it ethical for customers to patronize a company that imposes this kind of requirement on its employees? And if not, what other choices do customers have and what can they do about it?
The center’s general manager may have been exaggerating about the Amazon Pace to impress upon his visitors how quickly and nimbly pickers fill customer orders for the company. If not, however, is such a pace sustainable without the risk of physiological and psychological stress?
Feature Box: What Would You Do?
Critical Thinking
Would your business be driven primarily by a particular social mission or by economics?
How do you think stakeholder relationships would influence your approach to business? Why?
Discussion Questions
Would your business instead be driven by some combination of these motives?
How might you prioritize different stakeholder claims?
Arguably, the primary objective of a for-profit business is to make money. Might a commitment to a social mission help or hinder this objective? Why or why not?
Learning Objectives
3.2 Weighing Stakeholder Claims
Explain why stakeholders’ claims vary in importance
Categorize stakeholders to better understand their claims
Discussion Points
All stakeholders’ claims are important, but different claims still may vary in importance.
How does categorizing your stakeholders help you to better understand them and the claims they could have on your company?
Among your stakeholders, would you assign the highest priority to stockowners, or to customers/clients, or to employees? How would you prioritize these and why?
Figure 3.3
This Edsel Pacer was manufactured in 1958, the first year of production of the ill-fated Ford model, which ceased production in November 1959. (credit: modification of “Edsel Pacer 2-door Hardtop 1958 front” by “Redsimon”/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.5)
Figure 3.4
Grouping stakeholders into meaningful categories according to relationship types allows an organization to prioritize stakeholders’ claims. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Feature Box: Cases from the Real World
Critical Thinking
In its corporate credo, Johnson & Johnson identifies multiple stakeholders: users of its products (output), employees (input), employees’ families (diffused linkage), and the government (enabling linkage). Applying Grunig and Hunt’s theory, do you believe Johnson & Johnson acted as an enlightened company that includes and communicates with a variety of publics?
U.S. business leaders are often accused of acting on a short-term obsession with profitability at the expense of the long-term interests of their corporation. Which aspects of the Tylenol crisis demonstrate a short-term perspective? Which show the value of a longer-term perspective?
Learning Objectives
3.3 Ethical Decision-Making and Prioritizing Stakeholders
Identify the factors that would affect stakeholder prioritization
Explain why priorities will vary based upon the interest and power of the stakeholder.
Describe how to prioritize stakeholder claims, particularly when they conflict
Discussion Points
How may your priorities change over time?
How do you prioritize stakeholder claims when members of your management team disagree about how to prioritize them?
Figure 3.5
Stakeholder priority can be expressed as a relationship between the stakeholder group’s influence or power and the interest the stakeholder takes in the relationship. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Feature Box Idea: What Would You Do?
Critical Thinking
Describe the passenger stakeholder claims on Malaysia Airlines.
Describe the government stakeholder claims on Malaysia Airlines.
What would you advise Bellew to identify as a priority—the demand from pilgrims for easy travel at a reduced price or the demand from the government for profitable operations?
Discussion Question
Explain how you would balance demands from different stakeholders that are at variance with each other.
Feature Box: Ethics Across Time and Cultures
Critical Thinking
Does IKEA have a system to influence stakeholder behavior? If so, describe the system and explain who changes more under the system, IKEA or its consumers.
Does IKEA’s strategy reflect a normative approach to managing stakeholder claims? If so, how?
Learning Objectives
3.4 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Define corporate social responsibility and the triple bottom line approach
Compare the sincere application of CSR with its use as merely a public relations tool
Explain why CSR ultimately benefits both companies and their stakeholders
Discussion Point
Do you think it is genuinely possible to apply the values of CSR and have that application also carry a public-relations value for your firm?
Figure 3.6
The three components of the triple bottom line are interrelated. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Feature Box: Cases from the Real World
Critical Thinking
Does the use of CAFOs compromise Ben and Jerry’s mission? Why or why not?
Has the growth of Ben and Jerry’s contributed to any form of greenwashing by the parent company, Unilever? If so, how?
Discussion Question
Ben and Jerry’s success, coupled with the close integration of its mission into its operations have influenced other companies to follow suit. Would you predict this effect on other firms will continue, or is it simply chic to do so now?
This file is copyright 2019, Rice University. All Rights Reserved.
Lectures/OSX_Ethics_Ch04_PPT.pptx
Business Ethics
Chapter 4 THREE SPECIAL STAKEHOLDERS: SOCIETY, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND GOVERNMENT
PowerPoint Image Slideshow
Chapter Outline
4.1 Corporate Law and Corporate Responsibility
4.2 Sustainability: Business and the Environment
4.3 Government and the Private Sector
Figure 4.1
The Japanese concept of nemawashi broadly means “laying the groundwork” or “building strong roots.” In a business ethics context, nemawashi means building a strong foundation for an action or project by reaching out to all stakeholders and seeking their input, demonstrating how much the organization values their opinion as it builds support from the ground up. (credit: OpenStax)
Learning Objectives
4.1 Corporate Law and Corporate Responsibility
Explain how investors and owners benefit from doing business as a corporate entity
Define the concept of shareholder primacy
Discuss the conflict between shareholder primacy and corporate social responsibility
Figure 4.2
Corporate shareholders elect directors who appoint the company’s officers—all of whom benefit from limited liability. (credit: OpenStax)
Figure 4.3
A corporation’s typical stakeholders include (but are not limited to) its customers or clients, the community in which it operates, the natural environment, its employees, the media, and the government. (credit: OpenStax)
Figure 4.4
In 1913, workers are shown laboring on a Ford assembly line (a) in Highland Park, Michigan. In Dodge v. Ford Motor Company (1919), the Michigan Supreme Court ruled that Henry Ford (b) must operate the Ford Motor Company primarily in the profit-maximizing interests of its shareholders rather than in the broader interests of his workers and customers. (credit a: modification of work “Ford assembly line - 1913,” https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ford_assembly_line_-_1913.jpg, Public Domain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain; credit b: modification of work “Portrait of Henry Ford” by the Library of Congress, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_ford_1919.jpg, Public Domain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain)
Feature Box: Cases from the Real World
Critical Thinking
Do you believe Unilever sponsors the Shakti program to help women, to boost its own profits, or both? Explain your answer.
If Unilever has mixed motives, does this discredit the company in your eyes? Should it?
How is this program an example of both corporate and personal sustainability?
Could this model program be duplicated elsewhere, in another area and with different products? Why or why not?
Figure 4.5
This chart demonstrates that social responsibility can be profitable. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Discussion Point
Business commentators and analysts are divided as to whether social responsibility actually drives more profitable business. This chart demonstrates the positive impact social responsibility can have.
Learning Objectives
4.2 Sustainability: Business and the Environment
Explain the concept of earth jurisprudence
Evaluate the claim that sustainability benefits both business and the environment
Identify and describe initiatives that attempt to regulate pollution or encourage businesses to adopt clean energy sources
Discussion Point
Sustainability is interpreted in two different, but related, ways in business. Originally, it referenced the ability of a firm to make money and survive. More recently, however, it has indicated the extent to which a company respects the natural environment in its operations. Both concepts are connected.
Figure 4.6
A warning in Honolulu regarding the damage done by ocean dumping. (credit: “No Dumping - Drains to Ocean” by Daniel Ramirez, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:No_Dumping_-_Drains_to_Ocean_(18761281786).jpg, CC BY 2.0 Generic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/.)
Figure 4.7
Sustainability can create long-term cost savings for companies. (credit: Nattanan Kanchanaprat, https://pixabay.com/en/money-home-coin-investment-2724241/, CC0 1.0 Universal https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/.)
Figure 4.8
According to recent reports, close to fifteen thousand companies worldwide have chosen to be ISO 14000 certified, including Nissan, Ford, and IBM. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Feature Box: What Would You Do?
Critical Thinking
As a member of the urban planning commission, you will have to convince the stakeholders that a proposal to require more green space is a workable solution. You must get everyone, including developers, investors, neighborhood homeowner associations, politicians, media, and local citizens, on board with the idea that the benefit of sustainable development is worth the price. What will you do?
Is this a matter that should be regulated by the local, state, or federal government? Why?
Who pays for flood damage after a hurricane? Are your answers to this question and the preceding one consistent?
Feature Box: Ethics across Time and Cultures
Critical Thinking
Should a U.S. or European company take advantage of a country’s weak approach to business and political ethics?
Would your answer change if your decision saved your company $1 million?
Discussion Question
When a Western company is presented with the possibility of taking advantage of the absence of laws addressing business ethics or lax enforcement of those which do exist in a non-Western setting, what are the appropriate steps for it to take?
Figure 4.9
Although solar panels can reduce your carbon footprint, the tiles are much more expensive than standard roofing tiles. (credit: “Typical Solar Installation” by Tim Fuller, https://www.flickr.com/photos/timtimes/5599777777, CC BY 2.0 Generic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/.)
Feature Box: Cases from the Real World
Critical Thinking
Should corporations and individual consumers bear joint responsibility for sustaining the environment? Why or why not?
What obligation does each of us have to be aware of our own carbon footprint?
If individual consumers have some obligation to support environmentally friendly technologies, should all consumers bear this responsibility equally? Or just those with the economic means to do so? How should society decide?
Learning Objectives
4.3 Government and the Private Sector
Identify three public health issues that might warrant government regulation
Explain what is meant by “revolving door” in a political context
Compare constitutional arguments for and against government regulation of industry
Figure 4.10
Groups across the political spectrum have come together to protest the proposed Keystone pipeline route. (credit: modification of work “Protest against the proposed KeystoneXL tar sands pipeline” by Fibonacci Blue, https://www.flickr.com/photos/fibonacciblue/6186416499, CC BY 2.0 Generic https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/.)
Feature Box: What Would You Do?
Critical Thinking
How should society and governments react to aggressive environmental protest?
How would you balance a protestor’s First Amendment right of free speech, expression, and assembly with concern for public safety and protection of property?
Discussion Point
Consider that aggressive environmental protest entails physical harm to others and/or property damage.
Figure 4.11
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig fire and resulting river of oil in the Gulf of Mexico. (credit left: modification of work “Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling unit on fire” by the US Coast Guard, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deepwater_Horizon_offshore_drilling_unit_on_fire.jpg, Public Domain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain; credit right: modification of work “Defense.gov photo essay 100506-N-6436W-023” by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael B. Watkins, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Defense.gov_photo_essay_100506-N-6436W-023.jpg, Public Domain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain)
Feature Box: Cases from the Real World
Critical Thinking
Should the U.S. government pass a law requiring the use of the automatic shutoff valves on oil rigs in its waters?
Should privately owned oil companies be allowed to lobby against safety regulations?
Research whether public attitudes in the United States support stronger offshore drilling safety regulations. What do you think accounts for your findings?
Discussion Point
This requirement would include automatic shutoff valves and as many redundant, or backup, safety features as possible on oil rigs in U.S. waters.
This file is copyright 2019, Rice University. All Rights Reserved.
Lectures/OSX_Ethics_Ch05_PPT.pptx
Business Ethics
Chapter 5 THE IMPACT OF CULTURE AND TIME ON BUSINESS ETHICS
PowerPoint Image Slideshow
Chapter Outline
5.1 The Relationship between Business Ethics and Culture
5.2 Business Ethics Over Time
5.3 The Influence of Geography and Religion
5.4 Are the Values Central to Business Ethics Universal?
Figure 5.1
Business ethics do not exist in a vacuum. They are a reflection of the underlying values of a society and the way society lives out those values over time. This experience is captured in language, culture, religious traditions, and modes of thinking, all of which have varied throughout history and influence the conduct of business in a range of ways. (credit: modification of “atlas close up dark dirty” by Aaditya Arora/Pexels, CC0)
Learning Objectives
5.1 The Relationship between Business Ethics and Culture
Describe the processes of acculturation and enculturation
Explain the interaction of business and culture from an ethical perspective
Analyze how consumerism and the global marketplace might challenge the belief system of an organization
Figure 5.2
The 1626 purchase of Manhattan as depicted by Alfred Fredericks in The Popular Science Monthly of 1909. (credit: “The Purchase of Manhattan Island” by “Ineuw”/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Discussion Point
Different cultures, geographies, and social values came together in the Manhattan Purchase.
Feature Box: Cases from the Real World
Critical Thinking
Is there any aspect of the case where you think preventive measures could have been taken either by management or government? How would they have worked?
Do you think this case represents an example of a culture with different business ethics than those practiced in the United States? Why or why not? How might corporations with international locations adjust for this type of issue?
Figure 5.3
Ethical decision-making in a global context requires a broad perspective. Business leaders need to know themselves, their organization’s mission, and the impact of their decisions on local communities. They also must be open to varying degrees of risk. (credit: “accomplishment action adventure atmosphere” by unknown/Pixabay, CC0)
Feature Box: Cases from the Real World
Critical Thinking
What ethical responsibilities do individual consumers have when dealing with companies that rely on overseas labor?
Should businesses adopt universal workplace standards about working conditions and employee protections? Why or why not?
What would be required for consumers to have the necessary knowledge about a product and how it was made so that they could make an informed and ethical decision? The media? Commercial watchdog groups? Social-issues campaigns? Something else?
Learning Objectives
5.2 Business Ethics Over Time
Describe the ways ethical standards change over time
Identify major shifts in technology and ethical thinking over the last five hundred years
Explain the impact of government and self-imposed regulation on ethical standards and practices in the United States
Figure 5.4
Philanthropist Anne Morgan, wife of banker and industrialist J.P. Morgan, wearing a fur stole circa 1915. (credit: “Anne Morgan, wearing fur stole, ca. 1915” by “Elisa.rolle”/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Feature Box: Ethics Across Time and Cultures
Critical Thinking
Are such practices ethical? Why or why not?
Figure 5.5
Ida Tarbell (a) was a pioneer of investigative journalism and a leading “muckraker” of the Progressive Era. She is perhaps best known for her exposé of the business practices of John D. Rockefeller (b), founder of the Standard Oil Company. (credit a: modification of “TARBELL, IDA M.” by Harris & Ewing/Library of Congress, Public Domain; credit b: modification of “John D. Rockefeller 1885” by “DIREKTOR”/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Learning Objectives
5.3 The Influence of Geography and Religion
Describe the impact of geography on global relationships and business ethics
Explain how religion informs ethical business practice around the world
Feature Box: What Would You Do?
Critical Thinking
How do you think clothing choices affect the relationships we form at work or in other business situations?
What is your opinion about workplace dress codes, and how far should employers go in setting dress and other behavior standards? Why are these standards important (or not) from an ethical perspective?
How do you think clothing might affect an international company’s approach to business ethics?
Discussion Question
Are dress codes for the workplace necessarily subjective, in that each of us might have different ideas as to what constitutes “appropriate” dress on the job?
Figure 5.6
Just as concepts of time and space vary from culture to culture, so do the influence of religious tradition and authority on ethics and what is considered appropriate behavior, whether individual or corporate. The Taj Mahal is not the Palace of Versailles. (credit left: modification of “Taj Mahal” by Suraj rajiv/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0; credit right: modification of “Cour de Marbre du Château de Versailles October 5, 2011” by Kimberly Vardeman/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0)
Feature Box: What Would You Do?
Critical Thinking
What do you think would be the effect of Jillian’s accepting the local custom but continuing her own personal preference at mealtimes?
Can two ways of life exist side by side at work? Why or why not?
Learning Objectives
5.4 Are the Values Central to Business Ethics Universal?
Explain the difference between relative and absolute ethical values
Discuss the degree to which compliance is linked with organizational responsibility and personal values
Identify the criteria for a system of normative business ethics
Evaluate the humanistic business model
Figure 5.7
The pursuit of happiness is as near a universal human trait as we can find. It is not a coincidence that it appears in the American Declaration of Independence (1776), which was written by Thomas Jefferson and inspired by the British Enlightenment philosopher John Locke. However, the nature of human happiness is subjective. For example, everyone must eat to survive, but not everyone would agree that eating chocolate-raspberry cake brings happiness. (credit: “Happiness Is a Piece of Cake Close Up Photography” by Antonio Quagliata/Pexels, CC0)
Feature Box: Ethics Across Time and Cultures
Critical Thinking
Can Martin Buber’s notion of love play a role in business? What would that look like?
What responsibilities do companies have regarding justice and care? Should business ethics be grounded only on more concrete tenets? Why or why not?
Figure 5.8
If there is anything that transcends time, place, and culture, it is love. The search for a universally applied set of ethics always comes back to it. But what does love look like in a business setting? (credit: “Love Is All You Need Signage” by Jacqueline Smith/Pexels, CC0)
This file is copyright 2019, Rice University. All Rights Reserved.
Lectures/OSX_Ethics_Ch06_PPT.pptx
Business Ethics
Chapter 6 WHAT EMPLOYERS OWE EMPLOYEES
PowerPoint Image Slideshow
Chapter Outline
6.1 The Workplace Environment and Working Conditions
6.2 What Constitutes a Fair Wage?
6.3 An Organized Workforce
6.4 Privacy in the Workplace
Figure 6.1
Fifty years ago, corporate and regulatory boardrooms were almost exclusively male and white, as this meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, an executive committee of the Federal Reserve banking system, demonstrates. How much has this changed today? (credit: modification of “FOMC meeting, 1970s” by Harris & Ewing/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Learning Objectives
6.1 The Workplace Environment and Working Conditions
Identify specific ethical duties managers owe employees
Describe the provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act
Identify Equal Employment Opportunity Commission protections, including those against sexual harassment at work
Describe how employees’ expectations of work have changed
Figure 6.2
The WARN law mandates advance notice of mass layoffs to workers so that they can adequately prepare for such an event. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Figure 6.3
Harry McShane, who celebrated his sixteenth birthday a month or so before this photo was taken by social reformer and photographer Lewis Wickes Hine, lost his left arm as a result of a workplace injury in May 1908 in Cincinnati, Ohio. McShane had already been working in the factory for more than two years. Before federal safety regulations (such as OSHA and FLSA), catastrophic injuries on the job were common, as was the presence of children in the workforce. McShane received no compensation for his injuries. (credit: modification of “Lewis Wickes Hines - Harry McShane 1908” by “Fordmadoxfraud”/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Figure 6.4
Major figures in the news and entertainment industries, as well as Silicon Valley, have been accused of sexual harassment and often terminated or forced into retirement. Examples include Matt Lauer of NBC (a) and Travis Kalanick at Uber (b). (credit a: modification of “Hires 090402-N-0696M-018b” by Chad J. McNeeley/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain; credit b: modification of “GES Opening Plenary on June 23, 2016” by GES Photo/Flickr, Public Domain)
Discussion Point
These figures were also accused of creating a hostile workplace environment.
Figure 6.5
Workplace or clubhouse? Some companies offer playful perks in an effort to attract the best employees and increase worker satisfaction. (credit: work by Jason Putsche Photography/Spark Baltimore, CC BY 4.0)
Figure 6.6
As this chart shows, men and women view the importance of various benefits differently, even if their top-ranked benefits are the same (i.e., better insurance, work-from-home options, and more flexible hours). (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Learning Objectives
6.2 What Constitutes a Fair Wage?
Explain why compensation is a controversial issue in the United States
Discuss statistics about the gender pay gap
Identify possible ways to achieve equal pay for equal work
Discuss the ethics of some innovative compensation methods
Figure 6.7
Stagnant income has been the reality for lower- and middle-income American adults, with income in 2016 actually lower than it was 10 years before. This has not been the case for upper-income adults. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Figure 6.8
The graph contrasts the U.S. nominal wage (dollar amount) and the real wage (dollar amount’s purchasing power) over the last seventy-five years, indicating a steady decline in purchasing power experienced by most workers. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Figure 6.9
As of 2017, there is a patchwork quilt of state-level minimum wage laws. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Feature Box: Ethics Across Time and Cultures
Critical Thinking
Which of these policies do you think would be the most likely to be implemented in the United States and why?
How would each of the normative theories of ethical behavior (virtue ethics, utilitarianism, deontology, and justice theory) view this issue and these proposed solutions?
Discussion Question
Many universities offer daycare or preschool on their own campuses for the children of faculty and staff. As a convenience for those employees who also are parents, is this a benefit that large companies also should consider?
Learning Objectives
6.3 An Organized Workforce
Discuss trends in U.S. labor union membership
Define codetermination
Compare labor union membership in the United States with that in other nations
Explain the relationship between labor productivity gains and the pay ratio in the United States
Figure 6.10
Right-to-work states have typically been clustered in the South and Southeast, where unions have been traditionally less prevalent. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Figure 6.11
Union membership in the United States has steadily declined since 1980. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Figure 6.12
In the last four decades, wages in the United States have not kept up with productivity. According to the Economic Policy Institute, from 1948 to 1973, hourly compensation rose 91 percent, which closely follows productivity gains of 97 percent. However, from 1973 to 2013, hourly compensation rose only 9 percent, whereas productivity rose 74 percent in the same period. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Figure 6.13
Union workers from the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers are shown walking a Verizon picket line. They are protesting Verizon’s decision to not provide pay raises. (credit: modification of “Verizon on Strike” by Marco Verch/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)
Feature Box: Cases from the Real World
Critical Thinking
How does management reintroduce civility to the workplace to keep peace between different factions?
How could Verizon please union workers after the strike without firing the picket-line crossers, some of whom were Verizon union employees who consciously chose to cross the picket line?
Discussion Question
What obligation do companies have to create a harmonious work environment after a bitter strike occurs? Is this a reasonable or even doable task for management?
Learning Objectives
6.4 Privacy in the Workplace
Explain what constitutes a reasonable right to privacy on the job
Identify management’s responsibilities when monitoring employee behavior at work
Figure 6.14
Electronic monitoring often captures data from cameras, computers, and listening devices. This information can then be used against employees accused of violating company policy, raising privacy concerns. (credit left: modification of “Surveillance video cameras, Gdynia” by Paweł Zdziarski/Wikimedia Commons, CC 2.5; credit right: credit: modification of “Keylogger-screen-capture-example” by "FlippyFlink"/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain)
Feature Box: What Would You Do?
Critical Thinking
What issues must you confront as you decide whether you will take the recommendation of your assistant managers?
What, ultimately, will you do? Explain your decision.
Discussion Question
All of us would wish to have a safe working environment that also secures our privacy. Yet if you had to choose one or the other, which would you select? Why?
This file is copyright 2019, Rice University. All Rights Reserved.
Lectures/OSX_Ethics_Ch07_PPT.pptx
Business Ethics
Chapter 7 WHAT EMPLOYEES OWE EMPLOYERS
PowerPoint Image Slideshow
Chapter Outline
7.1 Loyalty to the Company
7.2 Loyalty to the Brand and to Customers
7.3 Contributing to a Positive Work Atmosphere
7.4 Financial Integrity
7.5 Criticism of the Company and Whistleblowing
Figure 7.1
What responsibilities do employees have to coworkers and to the company, as well as to themselves, when they are on the job? (credit (clockwise from top left): modification of “Call Centre 2006” by “AaronY”/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0; credit: modification of “los bolleros” by Agustín Ruiz/Flickr, CC BY 2.0; credit: modification of “Training” by Cory Zanker/Flickr, CC BY 4.0; credit: modification of “Afghan women at a textile factory in Kabul” by Andrea Salazar/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain; credit: modification of “GenoPheno” by Cory Zanker/Flickr, CC BY 4.0; credit: modification of “Group” by Cory Zanker/Flickr, CC BY 4.0; credit: modification of “doin’ work” by Nick Allen/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)
Learning Objectives
7.1 Loyalty to the Company
Define employees’ responsibilities to the company for which they work
Describe a non-compete agreement
Explain how confidentiality applies to trade secrets, intellectual property, and customer data
Figure 7.2
The data on millennials and job mobility indicate that millennials are more likely to “job hop” than their predecessors. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Feature Box: What Would You Do?
Critical Thinking
What questions would you ask your colleague to better determine the advice you should give him or her?
Consider your summer jobs, part-time employment, work-study hours on campus, and internships. What meant more to you—the salary you made or the extent to which you were treated as a real contributor and not just a line on a payroll ledger? Or a combination of both?
What lessons do you now draw about reciprocal loyalty between companies and their workers?
Figure 7.3
Registered trademarks and content covered by patents and copyrights are protected by law, but trade secrets have no official status and so do not enjoy the same level of federal protection. Thus, companies generally protect trade secrets internally, usually with employment agreements or contracts. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Feature Box: Cases from the Real World
Critical Thinking
Other than being punitive, what purpose do non-compete agreements serve when low-level employees are required to sign them?
Suppose an executive chef or vice president of marketing or operations at Jimmy John’s or any large sandwich franchise leaves the firm with knowledge of trade secrets and competitive strategies. Should he or she be compelled to wait a negotiated period of time before working for a competitor? Why or why not?
What is fair to all parties when high-level managers possess unique, sensitive information about their former employer?
Figure 7.4
Common clauses found in employment contracts include those restricting competition and solicitation upon termination of the contract, as well as requiring confidentiality during and after employment. (attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Learning Objectives
7.2 Loyalty to the Brand and to Customers
Describe how employees help build and sustain a brand
Discuss how employees’ customer service can help or hurt a business
Figure 7.5
These Cisco employees, part of a newly formed Virtual Customer Success team in India, help promote the brand and perhaps promote change as well. Women have been underrepresented in STEM careers (science, technology, engineering, math), and this group takes pride in the fact that they are part of a gender-balanced team. This photo was submitted as part of the annual #WeAreCisco #LoveWhereYouWork contest, with the hashtag #womenintech and the photo caption “Sorry, we’re busy making a difference.” (credit: modification of work by Shojana Ravi/Cisco, CC BY 4.0, used with the permission of https://thenetwork.cisco.com)
Feature Box: Cases from the Real World
Critical Thinking
Is there a way for a manager to find, develop, and encourage the next Fryman, or is the desire to “do something good for somebody” an inherent trait in some employees that is missing in others?
What is the appropriate means to reward a worker with Fryman’s level of commitment? Her salary was fixed by school district pay schedules. Should she have been given an extra stipend for service above and beyond the expected? Additional time off with pay? Some other reward?
Employees who display Fryman’s zeal often do so for their own internal rewards. Others may simply want to be recognized and appreciated for their effort. If you were the superintendent in her district, how would you recognize Fryman? Could she, for example, be invited to speak to new hires about opportunities to render exceptional service?
Feature Box: Cases from the Real World
Critical Thinking
Clearly, no employee should expect to be physically assaulted, but how far should an employee be expected to go in the name of customer service? Is taking verbal taunts expected? Why or why not?
Just as every employee should treat customers and clients with respect, so every employer is ethically—and often legally—obligated to safeguard employees on the job. This includes establishing a workplace atmosphere that is safe and secure for workers. If you were the owner of this Pizza Hut franchise, what protections might you put in place for your employees?
Learning Objectives
7.3 Contributing to a Positive Work Atmosphere
Explain employees’ responsibility to treat their peers with respect
Describe employees’ duty to follow company policy and the code of conduct
Discuss types of workplace violence
Figure 7.6
Which type of personality are you? (credit: Jackson Ceszyk/Flickr, CC BY 4.0)
Feature Box: What Would You Do?
Critical Thinking
Working relationships are extremely important to an employee’s job satisfaction. What options would you use to foster a cooperative working relationship in your department?
Discussion Question
People working with others do not have to be friends with them. Still, employees should respect one another in order to work well with them. How could an effective manager create such an atmosphere on the job?
Learning Objectives
7.4 Financial Integrity
Describe an employee’s responsibilities to the employer in financial matters
Define insider trading
Discuss bribery and its legal and ethical consequences
Feature Box: Ethics Across Time and Cultures
Critical Thinking
Employers in financial services must have stringent codes of professional behavior for their employees to observe. Even given such a code, how should employees honor their fiduciary duty to safeguard the firm’s assets and treat clients equitably? What mechanisms would you suggest for keeping employees in banking, equities trading, and financial advising within the limits of the law and ethical behavior?
This case dominated the headlines in the 1980s and the accused in this case were all severely fined and received prison sentences. How do you think this case might be treated today?
Should employees in these industries be encouraged or even required to receive ethical certification from the state or from professional associations? Why or why not?
Figure 7.7
“Under the table” and “off the books” are terms applied to payments that are really bribes. (credit: modification of “Graft for Everyone!” by Chris Potter/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)
Feature Box: What Would You Do?
Critical Thinking
Would you change prices and delivery dates to beat your rival? Or would you inform both your rival and potential customer of what you have learned? Why?
Discussion Question
Provided you are not breaking the law, is all fair in business in terms of operational tactics? Why or why not?
Learning Objectives
7.5 Criticism of the Company and Whistleblowing
Outline the rules and laws that govern employees’ criticism of the employer
Identify situations in which an employee becomes a whistleblower
Feature Box: Cases from the Real World
Critical Thinking
What ethical and legal obligations do employees have to refrain from badmouthing their employers in a fit of pique, especially on the firm’s own website?
Should management allow employees to criticize the company without fear of retaliation? Could management benefit from allowing such criticism? Why or why not?
Feature Box: Cases from the Real World
Critical Thinking
Did Watkins owe an ethical duty to Enron, to its shareholders, or to the investing public to go public with her suspicions? Explain your answer.
How big a price is it fair to ask a whistleblowing employee to pay?
Discussion Question
Whistleblowers sometimes act on the basis of a grudge against their employers. If they are acting in good faith and disclosing what they believe to be true, do such motives discount their credibility in any way?
Feature Box: Cases from the Real World
Critical Thinking
Could you do what Sallie Krawcheck did and risk being fired a second time? Why or why not?
Krawcheck went on to start her own firm, Ellevest, specializing in investments for female clients. Why do you think she chose this route rather than moving to another large Wall Street firm?
Discussion Question
Some people believe that it is easier to do the right thing in a small firm, as a large company may pose too many bureaucratic obstacles to making timely ethical decisions. What do you think?
Feature Box: What Would You Do?
Critical Thinking
What are you going to do? Will you swallow your discomfort because making the overcharges public may very well put your job and those of one hundred friends and colleagues at risk?
Would the overall quality of the firm’s work on the contract persuade you it is worth what it is charging? Or would you decide that fraud is never permissible, even if its disclosure comes at the cost of the survivability of the firm and the friendships you have within it? Explain your reasoning.
This file is copyright 2019, Rice University. All Rights Reserved.
Lectures/OSX_Ethics_Ch08_PPT.pptx
Business Ethics
Chapter 8 RECOGNIZING AND RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF ALL
PowerPoint Image Slideshow
Chapter Outline
8.1 Diversity and Inclusion in the Workforce
8.2 Accommodating Different Abilities and Faiths
8.3 Sexual Identification and Orientation
8.4 Income Inequalities
8.5 Animal Rights and the Implications for Business
Figure 8.1
The globalization of the economy highlights one of the advantages of a diverse workforce that can interact effectively with customers all over the world.(credit outside, clockwise from top left: modification of “GenoPheno” by Cory Zanker/Flickr, CC BY 4.0; credit: modification of “Look at that!” by Gabriel Rocha/Flickr, CC BY 2.0; credit: modification of “Eyes” by “Dboybaker”/Flickr, CC BY 2.0; credit: modification of “doin’ work” by Nick Allen/Flickr, CC BY 2.0; credit: modification of “Man Young Face” by “gentlebeatz”/Pixabay, CC 0; credit: modification of “Training” by Cory Zanker/Flickr, CC BY 4.0; credit: modification of “los bolleros” by Agustín Ruiz/Flickr, CC BY 2.0; credit: modification of “Pithorgarh to Dharchulha on Nepal Border in Uttarakhand India (158)” by “rajkumar1220”/Flickr, CC BY 2.0; credit: modification of “mother and child” by Peter Shanks/Flickr, CC BY 2.0; credit: modification of “Afghan women at a textile factory in Kabul” by Andrea Salazar/Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain; credit: modification of “Open kitchen” by Dennis Wong/Flickr, CC BY 2.0; credit middle left: modification of “Begging for the photographer” by Pedro Ribeiro Simões/Flickr, CC BY 2.0; credit middle right: modification of “Calling it a day” by Staffan Scherz/Flickr, CC BY 2.0)
Learning Objectives
8.1 Diversity and Inclusion in the Workforce
Explain the benefits of employee diversity in the workplace
Discuss the challenges presented by workplace diversity
Figure 8.2
There is a distinct contrast in workforce demographics between 2010 and projected numbers for 2050. (credit: attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Figure 8.3
Google is emblematic of the technology sector, and this graphic shows just how far from equality and diversity the industry remains. (credit: attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Figure 8.4
Companies with gender and ethnic diversity generally outperform those without it. (credit: attribution: Copyright Rice University, OpenStax, under CC BY 4.0 license)
Feature Box: Cases from the Real World
Critical Thinking
Is it possible that Texas Health and Marriott rank highly for diversity because the hospitality and healthcare industries tend to hire more women and minorities in general? Why or why not?
Discussion Questions
Whether diversity in the Texas Health and Marriott companies is accidental or by design, could they still serve as models for other corporations seeking to diversify further?
Suppose senior management at a firm decides to prioritize diversifying its workforce simply because it is good for business and not due to any genuine commitment to diversity in and of itself. Would you still applaud such a decision?