Business Ethics: Samsung and child labor. Identify the alternatives: What are the other alternatives? (Use your moral imagination)

Management 360: Business Ethics and Social Responsibility—Sec. 08

Group Case Study Project Guidelines:

After the class is formed into 5 groups of 4, I will provide each group with a case. Each case will involve an ethical problem. Groups will conduct research, then use the EDM and other methods as detailed below to analyze the case and/or show how these incidents could have been avoided. The objective of this project is to show your full understanding of these processes as part of your critical thinking skills, while demonstrating your oral and written communication skills.

All group members are expected to do outside research for your group project in order to understand the industry, the stakeholders and the company involved.

Important Dates to Remember:

Monday, April 18, 2016; Draft version must be submitted to ILearn (Steps 1-5&10)—5:00 p.m.

Monday, May 2, 2016; Final submission –5:00 p.m. to SafeAssign

May 9, 11, 2016; Oral Presentations- Submit PowerPoints to SafeAssign before your presentation, and give me a hard copy to take notes on in class

This research project is 15% of the total grade for the semester. The first draft will be assessed only on steps 1-5 and 10. The final submission will include steps 1-10. This will be graded against the BESR and the writing rubric. Be sure to correct all mistakes and look for others in that you made in the first draft. Be sure to use introductory and concluding statements for each section that highlight the purpose of each section and its relationship to the ethical decision making process to address the ethical issue in your assigned case.

Project Steps:

1. Title Page, Table of contents, and Introduction: Tell a story to catch the reader’s attention related to the case. Give an overview of the case. What is this paper about? What is the problem statement? What are you going to do in the paper? What will you prove? Introduce the EDM model and explain its importance. (1 page)

2. Identify the facts:  Study the company/Set the background—state its company values, code of conduct, corporate mission, corporate culture, and brief history of the company. What does the company do? Who is the CEO? What is it known for?  Who was the founder of the company? Why did the founder start the company? What are the last five year profits and projected results for the year of the situation in the company?  What is the industry standard or code of ethics/conduct for this company?  Where does this company sit on the Ethisphere List of Most Ethical Companies?  Is this company a Fortune 500 company? If so, what is its rank? Is this a multinational company? Is it a member of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC)? What other International treaties/laws/policies does it have to abide by? Is this company listed as a best company to work for? If yes, what is its ranking? Are there any media reports about this dilemma?  If so what is the reputation of the company before and after this situation? (3-5 pages)

3. State ethical issues/problems:  What do you think are the ethical issues? What ethical rules, traditions, and/or theories are being broken? What are the legal dimensions of this problem?  What are the financial dimensions of this problem?  What industry standards or ethical considerations/code of conduct is the company violating in its profession? What are the values of the company that are not being upheld? Consider all ethical principles we have learned throughout the semester—Chapters 1-10. (2 pages)

4. Identify the stakeholders:  Who are the affected groups and describe them?  Why are they an affected group?  How do they perceive the ethical issue? Name them specifically and how are they affected by the situation. Are they direct or indirect? How may they be affected by the decision you will take. (2 pages)

5. Identify the alternatives: What are the other alternatives?  Use your moral imagination. Explain each alternative and its effect. (3 pages)

6. Weigh and compare the alternatives for each stakeholder using all ethical frameworks/concepts we have learned that apply to the case—utilitarianism, common good, human rights, virtue/character, Kantianism—duty/obligation, principles, John Rawls’ social justice, corporate social responsibility and HR, marketing, technology, privacy, sustainability and corporate governance principles, best practice and concepts to evaluate each alternative. Make sure to define the ethical perspectives you will use. (6 pages)

7. Make the decision. Why is this decision the best alternative? Justify your decision with the ethical theories and why each applies. Why is this alternative chosen over each of the others? How is each stakeholder group affected? Explain why this decision is a better approach and how this alternative shows a commitment to excellence. (1 page)

8. ‘Implement, Monitor and Learn’ from the decision: Make an action plan. What do you think are going to be the outcomes of your decision? How will the decision be measured/monitored, and who will do the monitoring? Predict what you think will happen to the company because of the decision you have now made. What character traits are being encouraged or shaped with this decision? Explain how your monitoring system will pursue systematic management through standardisation, clarification and the elimination of defects, as well as foster learning, and the sharing of knowledge. (2 pages)

9. Conclusion: Summarize the paper—give an overview of what was discussed. Does your case have an ending? Compare the outcome in your decision to what happened in real life. Tell in how this case has changed each group member’s thinking, your approach to ethical decision making and how you see business operating in the world. (1-2 pages)

10. Bibliography; as with the entire paper, use APA citation style.

i. Paper—Content, Grammar, Concept usage, Ethical Decision Making process—45% Total (Use double spacing in 12 point to make between 20-25 pages not including the bibliography). Submit the draft and final paper and power point presentation in SafeAssign. First draft of paper for steps 1-5&10 is due on Monday, April 18, 2016 by 5:00 p.m. (20%). Final draft due Monday, May 2, 2016 by 5:00 p.m.--(25%) The paper will be LERT assessed by 2 rubrics—writing/ethics.

ii. Group evaluation/participation as indicated by peer assessment---15%

iii. Group presentation—oral presentation, creativity—40%. Be ready to present from the 9-11, May 2016. The presentation will be LERT assessed—oral/ethics. (Presentation should be at least 15 minutes; not more than 20.)