PHI 445 week 4 Discussion

  

Ashford 5: - Week 4 - 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.

 

     

The   Effects of Business on Consumers and the Environment: Case Study: Perdue   Farms

  

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 preparation for your first   post in this discussion, you will become familiar with the case of Perdue   Farms by means of the material listed under Required Resources (Generally).   You will also find more material under Required Resources (Per Subject   Heading) because the specific task for this discussion is to examine this   case with an eye for any one of the following four subject headings in   business ethics: (1) the environment, (2) advertising, (3) consumer safety   and (4) moral responsibility. You must select one of these subject headings   and your selection will be the specific focus of your work for your   discussion. Accordingly, you will be responsible to complete the readings and   videos listed under your chosen subject heading.

Reflect: If you choose the environment   subject heading, reflect on the sheer density of chickens raised at any given   time in the Perdue facilities. The disposal of their discarded remains and   their processing for distribution, either individually and most definitely   together, pose a number of environmental concerns.

If you   choose the advertising subject heading, reflect on how the two videos on   Perdue farms present the sharp contrast between the way the company presents   its product and the way in which it has been discovered to run its chicken   farms. Consider whether this is an example of failure to provide truth in   advertising and how you would support such a stance.

If you   choose the consumer safety subject heading, reflect on the way in which   chickens raised in factory farms risks consumer safety. These might include   (a) bacterial contamination, (b) the effects of antibiotics on the meat that   is consumed, or (c) the release of adrenaline, cortisone, and other chemicals   resulting from the acute stress endured by factory farm animals, which then   becomes part of the meat that is later consumed by humans.

If you   choose the moral responsibility heading, reflect on the stewardship role that   may fall upon humans toward non-human animals. Can we utilize them as mere   means to an end (for entertainment, companionship, or food)? Or do we have   special obligations toward them (e.g., not to mistreat or torture them and to   slaughter them quickly and without stress) because they are sentient beings?

Once you   have completed the indicated readings and videos, reflect on the ethical   theories that we have covered in the discussions thus far and identify one   that you want to apply for your analysis in your discussion post.

Also,   reflect on the regulations (or lack thereof) in the factory farming industry   in order to be able to examine how our nation’s laws affect the operations of   the business. You will need to research the applicable laws on the factory   farming industry.

Finally,   since Perdue Farms is an American corporation, reflect on the mixed economic   system in the United States in order to articulate the setting for the   operations of factory farming, and then, be able to analyze the ethical   actions of Perdue given this setting.

Write: In the first part of your initial   post, you will need to introduce the Perdue case within the particular   subject heading that you have chosen. In this introduction, you will also   need to (1) articulate the relevant characteristics of our mixed economic   system and (2) present the regulations for the factory farming industry.   These will provide the setting for you to be able to examine how the nation’s   laws affect its operations.

In the   second part of your initial post, present your analysis of the problem in a   way that identifies which entities (Perdue as a corporation, the economic   system in the USA, the regulatory control of the state, or all of these) have   a role in the problem that you have presented. In your analysis, you must   assess the negative effects of the interplay between business activity and   one of the following: the environment, advertising, consumer safety, or   corporate social responsibility. Your focus must be an ethical analysis of   this interplay, and it must be well supported by reliable and/or scholarly   sources by clearly identifying the ethical theory that you are applying in   your analysis.

 

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   an improved 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 for this discussion, the Instructor Guidance, and any        other announcements presented to you by your professor. List all the        course material that informed your work in the list of references and        cite these too where appropriate. In addition, your references should        include any other sources that you consult to inform yourself (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 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 was 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 not just submit a post with vague language such as: “duty ethics        works better here” or “I did not consider the economic system.” 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?) , and it is important to write in clear        language and complete sentences.
• 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 directlyor 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.