BUS 670 Final Paper Already Started, with outline and sources provided

Prepare an 11- to 15-page paper (not including the title and reference pages) that assesses a legal/ethical issue or situation relating to a current, previous, or potential future work environment. Use at least 10 scholarly sources that are suitable for research in a graduate-level course.

Your paper must include the following::

1. A description of a business situation that presents a legal and ethical issue. The business situation must be from prior, current, or anticipated future employment experiences or from a current event. The description of the business situation must not exceed two pages.

2. An analysis of the ethical concerns raised by the situation.

a. Apply at least two different ethical theories to the situation to support at least two different outcomes.

b. The paper must determine which ethical outlook as applied to this particular situation will result in the best legal outcome for the business.

3. An explanation of at least three of the relevant areas of law that have been addressed in this course (e.g., constitutional law, contracts, anti-trust law, securities regulations, employment law, environmental law, crimes, or torts) and an assessment of the each area of law as it applies to the business situation identified.

4. A recommendation to reduce liability exposure and improve the ethical climate or the overall ethics of the situation. Your recommendation must be supported by specific legal, ethical, and business principles.

Eriksson, S., & Lagerstrom, J. (2012). Detecting Discrimination in the Hiring Process: Evidence from an Internet-Based Search Channel.Empirical Economics, 43(2), 537-563. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1007/s00181-011-0496-6

Ahmed, A. M., Andersson, L., & Hammarstedt, M. (2013). Are Gay Men and Lesbians Discriminated against in the Hiring Process?.Southern Economic Journal, 79(3), 565-585.

Hiring case could cost city $780,000 - Federal officials found discrimination in Fire Department's process.

Austin American-Statesman (TX) - Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Author:  Ciara O'Rourke, American-Statesman Staff

A proposed settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over the hiring of minority firefighters could cost the city up to $780,000 in back pay for unsuccessful Hispanic and African-American firefighter candidates from 2012, according to city documents. The so-called "consent decree" also carves out 12 positions for African-American candidates and 18 positions for Hispanic candidates in future fire cadet academies for up to eight years, according to the documents, and includes provisions that would let the Austin Fire Department resume and complete its current hiring process with some modifications.  The city suspended the current process after the Justice Department announced in April that it was investigating the Fire Department's hiring practices.  In September, federal officials said they had found evidence that Hispanics and African-Americans were discriminated against as a result of the Fire Department's hiring process in 2012, and that Hispanics and African-Americans were less likely to be hired than white applicants because of how the Fire Department ranked eligible applicants. The Justice Department also said that a preliminary analysis of a different hiring process the Fire Department used to screen fire cadets in 2013 would be discriminatory to minorities.  A memo from the city's law department about the proposed settlement notes that federal officials never concluded that the city had intentionally discriminated against candidates.  A spokeswoman for the Fire Department said fire officials aren't allowed to discuss what modifications could be made to how cadets are hired, or speak about the settlement, until after the City Council votes on whether to approve it. Council members are expected to consider it Feb. 27.  If both the council and the Justice Department approve the proposed settlement, it would then be presented to a federal judge, who in turn would have to approve it before it becomes binding.  A spokeswoman for the city said there is not yet a timeline for when a federal court hearing could happen.  If the city and the Justice Department can't reach an agreement, an assistant attorney general indicated in a letter last year that it would sue the city.  City officials declined to discuss any details about the decree Tuesday, but four sources familiar with the negotiation process told the American-Statesman last month that it could include a financial settlement for about 30 to 40 minority firefighter applicants who might have been discriminated against during the 2012 hiring process, or, in lieu of a financial settlement, guaranteed placement in a future cadet class.  Bob Nicks, president of the Austin Firefighters Association, said the union is trying to work with the Justice Department but that he doesn't agree with the consent decree as it's proposed now. He said he plans to ask the council to again delay voting on it. (A motion to approve a settlement with the DOJ first appeared on the council's Jan. 30 budget but it was pushed back for consideration this month instead.)  Last year's hiring process was the most successful in the Fire Department's history, Nicks has said, with 13 African-American and 23 Hispanic firefighter applicants among the top 100 cadet candidates.  "These numbers represent the best demographic results in the history of AFD hiring processes," he said in a recent letter to the association's members. "Instead of a thank you the firefighters of Austin are being punished... no contract, no pay raise and the threat of a consent decree."  Contact Ciara O'Rourke at 512-445-3548.  Twitter: @ciaraorourke  (Box)  What's next?  After months of negotiations, the Austin City Council is expected on Feb. 27 to consider whether to approve a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over federal findings that the Austin Fire Department's hiring process discriminated against Hispanic and African-American candidates. If both the city and the Justice Department approve the settlement, it will then be presented to a federal judge. If the federal judge approves the settlement, it becomes binding. If the city and the Justice Department cannot reach an agreement, the Justice Department has indicated that it will sue the city in federal court.

Ciara, O. (2014, February 19). Hiring case could cost city $780,000; Federal officials found discrimination in Fire Department's process. Austin American-Statesman (TX).

Christaforea, D., & Leguizamon, J. (2013). Revisiting Evidence of Labor Market Discrimination against Homosexuals and the Effects of Anti-Discriminatory Laws.Review Of Regional Studies, 43(2/3), 213-238.

Schoenbaum, N. (2007). IT'S TIME THAT YOU KNOW: THE SHORTCOMINGS OF IGNORANCE AS FAIRNESS IN EMPLOYMENT LAW AND THE NEED FOR AN "INFORMATION-SHIFTING" MODEL. Harvard Journal Of Law & Gender, 30(1), 99-150.

Weiss, D. H. (2004). Fair, Square & Legal : Safe Hiring, Managing & Firing Practices to Keep You & Your Company Out of Court. New York: AMACOM, American Management Association.

Strength in numbers: Lawsuit-proof your hiring process with double-team interviews. (2011). HR Specialist: Employment Law, 41(1), 4.

Job interviews: The risk of going 'off script'. (2014). HR Specialist: Employment Law, 44(5), 1-2.

How not to manage HR: Forget about formal hiring and promotions processes. (2010). HR Specialist: New York Employment Law, 5(5), 2.

Seaquist, G. (2012). Business Law for Managers. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.