Week 3 Questions

Week 3

Week 3 - Overview & Learning Objectives

Attached Files:

·  Chapter 5. Ethical Decision Making.pptx  Chapter 5. Ethical Decision Making.pptx - Alternative Formats (804.251 KB)

·  Chapter 6. Individual Factors Moral Philosophies and Values.pptx  Chapter 6. Individual Factors Moral Philosophies and Values.pptx - Alternative Formats (443.421 KB)

Assigned Readings:

Chapter 5. Ethical Decision Making.

Chapter 6. Individual Factors: Moral Philosophies and Values.

Overview:

Chapter 5 summarizes our current knowledge of ethical decision making in business and provides a model so you may better visualize the ethical decision making process. Although it is impossible to describe exactly how any one individual or work group might make ethical decisions, we can offer generalizations about average or typical behavior patterns within organizations. These generalizations are based on many studies and at least six ethical decision models that have been widely accepted by academics and practitioners. Based on this research, we present a model for understanding ethical decision making in the context of business organizations. The model integrates concepts from philosophy, psychology, sociology, and organizational behavior. This framework should be helpful in understanding organizational ethics and developing ethical programs. Additionally, we describe some normative considerations that prescribe how organizational decision making should approach ethical issues. Principles and values are used by organizations as a foundation for establishing core values to provide enduring beliefs about appropriate conduct. Therefore, we provide both a descriptive understanding of how ethical decisions are made as well as a normative framework to determine how decisions ought to be made.

Chapter 6 provides a description and analysis of how individuals’ background and philosophies influence their decisions. It is important to determine when one action is considered right and when another is viewed as wrong, as well as the individual moral philosophies that are often used to justify decisions or explain actions. To understand how people make ethical decisions, it is useful to have a grasp of the major types of moral philosophies. This chapter compares and contrasts the teleological, deontological, virtue, and justice perspectives of moral philosophy in order to give students a solid working basis of the different moral philosophies and to understand how they impact business. This chapter discusses the stages of cognitive development as it relates to these moral philosophies, along with their shortcomings. We then examine white-collar crime as it relates to moral philosophies and values.

Chapter 5. Ethical Decision Making

Learning Objectives

1. Provide a comprehensive model for ethical decision making in business

2. Examine ethical issue intensity as an important element in the ethical decision making process

3. Introduce individual factors that influence business ethical decision making

4. Introduce organizational factors that influence business ethical decision making

5. Explore the role of opportunity in ethical decision making in business

6. Provide a comprehensive model for ethical decision making in business

7. Examine ethical issue intensity as an important element in the ethical decision making process

8. Introduce individual factors that influence business ethical decision making

9. Introduce organizational factors that influence business ethical decision making

10. Explore the role of opportunity in ethical decision making in business

Chapter 6. Individual Factors: Moral Philosophies and Values

Learning Objectives

1. Understand how moral philosophies and values influence individual and group ethical decision making in business

2. Compare and contrast the teleological, deontological, virtue, and justice perspectives of moral philosophy

3. Discuss the impact of philosophies on business ethics

4. Recognize the stages of cognitive moral development and its shortcomings

5. Introduce white-collar crime as it relates to moral philosophies, values, and corporate culture

Reflection and Discussion Forum Week 3

Assigned Readings:

Chapter 5. Ethical Decision Making.

Chapter 6. Individual Factors: Moral Philosophies and Values.

Initial Postings:  Read and reflect on the assigned readings for the week. Then post what you thought was the most important concept(s), method(s), term(s), and/or any other thing that you felt was worthy of your understanding in each assigned textbook chapter.Your initial post should be based upon the assigned reading for the week, so the textbook should be a source listed in your reference section and cited within the body of the text. Other sources are not required but feel free to use them if they aid in your discussion.

Also, provide a graduate-level response to each of the following questions:

1. Big Bang Theory - Obedience to Authority - in this clip you see the various characters deference to Sheldon and how they are ‘significant others’ but with his strict standards of acceptability, they defer to him and as a result find no acceptable way to go to dinner and a movie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Amu3UBj-qw

Length: 1:46

Questions:

1. What are the positive and negative implications of having a work culture that is dominated by a leader?

2. When significant others are so deferent to an authority figure, how do you think they resolve ethical issues in the workplace?

3. What types of organizations tend to operate with more centralized leadership and authority as opposed to a decentralized, empowered work environment?

[Your post must be substantive and demonstrate insight gained from the course material. Postings must be in the student's own words - do not provide quotes!]

 [Your initial post should be at least 450+ words and in APA format (including Times New Roman with font size 12 and double spaced). Post the actual body of your paper in the discussion thread then attach a Word version of the paper for APA review]

Activity 3

Don Draper of Mad Men on Compensation and Intellectual Property -Don Draper lectures Peggy on the employee/employer relationship related to her work, her ideas and who owns the final end product of this process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2MV-x924KA

Length: 2:50

Questions:

1. What role do principles and values play in understanding who owns the intellectual property that emerges in the workplace?

2. In terms of ethical issue intensity, how would you value intellectual property issues in the workplace from having a low intensity to high intensity?

3. What role does opportunity play in supporting intellectual property rights and standards in the workplace, particularly as it relates to software and licenses?

Top 10 CEOs Whose Crimes Sent them to Jail – this clip features high profile CEOs who engaged in crimes that damaged their companies and ruined their lives and families.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SjQiDmrltA

Length: 9:38

Questions:

1. How do you think such highly educated, esteemed, individuals rationalize engaging in white collar crimes?

2. How do individuals with such flawed character rise to the top of these organizations?

3. How can you pre