PHI 445 week 3 Discussion

  

Ashford 4: - Week 3 - Discussion

 

Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses.

 

     

Currrent   Business Problems: Case Studies: Lehman Brothers, British Petroleum,   Monsanto, Merck, ...

  

This   discussion assignment requires you to submit at least four posts: an   initial post, two reply posts to fellow students in threads other than your own,   and a revised post.

Prepare: In your first post in this   discussion, you will identify and apply one ethical theory of your choosing   to a current problem in business, also of your choosing. Start by reviewing   your notes on the Week One course material and your completed work for Week   One. Then, choose one of the three ethical theories—i.e., utilitarianism,   deontology, or virtue ethics—on the basis of your thoughtfully considered   preference in general and independent of the business problem that you will   select here. Keep in mind that you will employ this ethical theory for   supporting your position not only for this discussion, but also for this   week’s assignment and the Final Project.

To prepare   for your selection of the current problem in business, look at the list of   required articles and multimedia which are divided in the six case-categories   as follows:

• Banking (Lehman Brothers)
• Environment (BP)
• GMOs (Monsanto)
• Pharmaceuticals (Merck)
• Gender Discrimination        (Goodyear)
• Factory Farms (Perdue)

Choose the   case-category that you find the most interesting and note that each category   also corresponds to one particular case. Please choose carefully because your   choice for this discussion will establish the case that will be central to   your argumentative essay this week as well as your Final Project in Week   Five. It is recommended that you leaf through all the required resources   indicated for the possible case-categories that you identify as possible   contenders before making your final choice.

Reflect: Once you have selected your   ethical theory and your case category, articulate the characteristics of the   economic system (or combination of both systems) that serves as the setting   for the case presented in the case category sources. Given this context, examine   how the nation’s laws affect the operations of the business.

Next,   identify the characteristics of your chosen ethical theory and its notion of   the moral good. For the latter, you will need to review again the PowerPoint   that was introduced in Week One, which is also listed in this week’s Required   Resources and it is titled The Moral Good in Three Traditional Ethical   Theories. Then, think how you would apply the ethical theory to the specific   problem presented in the case category sources.

Write: Start your post by (a)   identifying the issue or problem that you want to address in the case that   you have selected and providing an impartial presentation of the controversy,   (b) articulating briefly the characteristics of the economic system that serves   as the setting, and (c) examining the laws that affect the operations of the   business.

The   following illustration should help. Consider, for example, the case of Uber   that we examined in Week Two. If the California decision establishes a   precedent for similar claims, then Uber would have to do business as an   employer and not merely as a service that pairs consumers with ride sharing   services by means of a unique phone app. Accordingly, the law would require   Uber to reimburse its drivers for certain costs and perhaps offer benefits.   Take in consideration, then, the legal setting for the case that you have   chosen. Does the case take place in the United States or another country?   What are the laws that are relevant to the problem under examination? Keep in   mind that all laws are constraints on our actions, whether those by   individuals or corporations. The relevant laws, then, will be (a) any laws   that present not only a constraint on the company’s operations, (b) any laws   that are being violated by the corporation, or (c) any laws that unfairly   limit the goods and services that can be offered to and are demanded by   consumers.

In a   second paragraph, formulate a sentence that presents the moral position that   you want to defend in regard to the issue or problem introduced in the   previous paragraph.

In the   same paragraph, present the ethical theory that you choose to employ. Your   choices are utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics, and the necessary   material is included in the required readings and media. Make sure to   identify the characteristics of the ethical theory, and include in-text   citations and full references in APA form at the end of the post. Once you   have done this, apply the ethical theory to your selected case by explaining   how it lends itself to the moral position that you are defending.

 

Revise: Read the feedback provided by   your professor to your initial post, either directly to you or to your fellow   students. Use this as an opportunity to learn from your professor, especially   with regard to the best ways to apply the course material and your research   to your analysis. On the basis of what you have learned in this process, post   a revision of your initial post that applies the additional knowledge that   you have gained.

Remember   that your grade depends on the quality of your initial and revised responses,   not just on the submission of an attempt at improvement. It is thus to your   advantage to post the best initial post you can and then to also improve that   best effort as much as you can through revision. Taking this process   seriously will help you develop the skills you need to do well on the final   project.

 

Requirements   for Your Initial Post:

• Your initial post should be        at least 400 words in length and have citations and references in        APA notation. It should address the prompt in its entirety. This means        that you should not split your response to the prompt in multiple posts.        Your examination should be both thorough and succinct. This is a        combination that demands time and thought, so give yourself sufficient        time to draft and revise.
• Please be advised that until        you post, you will not see what your fellow students are posting. Once        you submit your post, you will be able to view the posts from your other        classmates. You can then proceed to reply to at least two different        threads based on the required material for this discussion.
• Your list of references for        your initial post should include the videos and the other required        reading material pertaining to your chosen subject heading, as well as        the ethics, economic, and law components of Weeks One and Two, the        Instructor Guidance, and any other announcements presented to you by        your professor. In addition, your references should include any other        sources that you consult to inform yourself about your chosen case        category (but not Wikipedia or similar sources).
• Your initial post for this        discussion should be submitted no later than the end of Thursday        (11:59 pm, U.S. Mountain time).

 

Requirements   for Replies to Other Threads:

• At least two of the four        posts required should be in the form of replies to fellow classmates in        threads other than your own.
• Each of your replies should        be at least 200 words and informed by the required course material.        As such, the replies must have citations and references in APA notation.        Your list of references for each reply should include all of the course        material that has informed your reply, in addition to any research that        you have obtained on your own.
• Your replies should focus on        the specific examination presented by your fellow student and these        should include an examination of whether or not the characteristics of        the ethical theory and/or economic system were identified well, and        whether or not their application and analysis were also carried out        successfully. Providing such an examination is not an attack on your        fellow student but an attempt to work together with your fellow student        toward the better understanding of the ethical theories employed, as        well as their application.

 

Requirements   for Revising your Initial Post:

• Submit a revision of your        initial post by either replying to your own post, or to the feedback        provided to you by your professor.
• There is no minimum word        requirement for your revised initial post. But you should always explain        the reasons for revising your post so that it is clear what you are        doing. If you are revising only a few words, or an ethical theory, you        should avoidsubmitting a post with vague language such as: “another        ethical theory works better here” or “I now understand how to do the        analysis.” It is important to recognize that no one can read your mind        so you need to provide the setting for your revision (Why? What prompted        it? What course material informed you?).
• Your revised initial post is        your chance to correct any oversights or errors in your initial post, or        show your improved understanding of the material and its applications to        the case at hand. You may, for example, come to the realization that        another ethical theory is better than the one that you initially chose.        Accordingly, your revision should indicate that you chose another        ethical theory and an explanation why you find the replacement more        suitable. You may also find the need to revise any relevant portions of        your analysis. Or, you might have realized that your conclusion did not        take into account important factors necessary for your evaluation of the        situation.
• You should maximize the        improvement of your initial post by employing your professor’s feedback        as a guide.        Keep in mind that you may not always receive direct feedback from your        professor. But your professor will have submitted feedback in the        discussion to other posts. So read your professor’s feedback whether it        is addressed to you directly or to other fellow students. This will give        you much to think about and apply to your own post.
• If your professor or a fellow        classmate responds to your revised initial post, and on this basis, you        find good reason to submit yet another revision, then by all means do        so. The more you improve your initial post, the more you will benefit        both in terms of your learning and most likely your grade.

 

Carefully   review the Discussion Forum   Grading Rubric   for the criteria that will be used to evaluate this Discussion Thread.