Make note of these comments I received for Assignment 1 and Assignment 2 and make the necessary adjustments in order to properly complete Assignment 3.
Assignment 1 Comments:
Ethical Dilemma:
Great job! Ethical dilemma is identified and described correctly.
Perhaps, you would like to elaborate upon the “conflict in loyalties” here.
Utilitarianism:
Arguments towards application of theory to the case are on the right lines, but need to be more correct and complete. You need to show me how the end-effects you talk of will come about as a result.
In the end, you could more clearly bring out the sum of ALL the consequences (societal harms and benefits) if Luke divulges the information, or if he does not do so. This will help you to more convincingly make a recommendation from this theory for Luke.
Make feasible and practical assumptions while tracing the consequences of the two choices.
Brief explanation needed for your arguments:
For example, while discussing the harms of Luke sharing the information with Owen, you could have discussed aspects such as: Owen benefiting over the other home owners in the neighborhood, risk of protests and potential lawsuits against ABC Co., possibility of Luke being identified as the source of the leak and resulting consequences, etc.
You could also consider the anticipated harms to the neighborhood, as well.
You must also consider the criticisms of the theory for a more balanced analysis, e.g., what’s greater benefit or greater harm; who decides that, etc.
Finally, you must tell me here, what he must do, as per this theory?
Universal Ethics:
Good! Application is on the right lines and you have correctly brought out the need for Luke to make a universally acceptable decision here. However, arguments need to be little more clearly made. It is about what action would be suitable to be a universal rule.
So, how does he resolve this?
You have only looked at loyalty to the company–yes, that’s a good point, but here it needs to be weighed against this loyalty his family as well. So, please word your arguments appropriately and holistically.
You have considered the criticisms of the theory for a more balanced analysis, i.e., it allows no flexibility in action.
You could also apply the “means and ends” perspective of the theory here to further strengthen your arguments.
Final Recommendation:
Good effort! Your final recommendations for Luke needed to be supported by arguments made towards application of theories to case facts. Application of theories to case facts needed to be done more completely, as indicated above. Arguments towards application must bring out the key principles of each theory.
The logic for your recommendations needs to be refined further in line with correct application of the theories, as brought out above.
Also, consideration of the criticism of the theories may help decide which of the theories may be more applicable in this case.
In the end, you need to briefly summarize your earlier arguments and state clearly what you recommend Luke should do.
All relevant aspects of the theories, and the choices and their consequences must be considered in your analysis.
Written Communication:
Good effort! A little better organization of the application of theories to the case facts will help you improve your paper. Some key aspects of theory application have not been considered or do not come across very clearly.
Arguments to support the recommended action could be developed in some more detail to make your point convincingly, in line with the application of the theories.
Arguments needed to be developed more FULLY to support application of the theories convincingly. Also, all aspects related to the theories needed to be considered in their application.
Assignment 2 Comments:
Ethical Dilemma:
Good! Ethical issue has been correctly identified. However, you could have described the conflicting choices for Luke in somewhat more detail. What may be the repercussions of each choice? The readers need to understand why it is so difficult for Luke to take a decision here.
The Golden Rule:
Arguments pertaining to the theory application needed to be developed in a more logical and systematic manner.
You could have put Owen systematically into all relevant stakeholders’ shoes (such as, ABC and its managers, ABC’s stakeholders, Luke, other local community members, regulatory authorities, etc.) and ask what he would want himself to do in each case. You needed to discuss what he should do here as per this requirement.
Also, remember, the Golden Rule leads you to the best decision only if you’re highly ethical. You also needed to consider this aspect.
What should Luke, as an ethical and responsible employee, do?
Virtue Ethics:
Great! Theory has been correctly applied and some good arguments made here, but these are not conclusive or complete.
You have described the dilemma that Luke faces here, considering competing values. So, what does he do?
In general, Luke would face a dilemma choosing between his family and work context.
You could have considered the perspective of both his professional and personal communities.
Perhaps, consideration of his primary role and obligations may help you make your recommendations even more forcefully here.
Luke’s current dilemma applies to his work context. So, what would a virtuous person, who is held as a model in that context, most likely do when faced with this dilemma?
Bring out the logic behind the application of this theory more clearly.
You could apply the Golden Mean logic to help arrive at a decision for Luke under Virtue ethics. The Golden Mean in this case—acting as he would without any knowledge of these confidential plans.
A concrete preliminary recommendation needs to be provided.
Final Recommendation:
Good effort! Your final recommendations for Luke needed to be supported by arguments made towards application of theories to case facts. Application of theories to case facts needed to be done more completely, as indicated above. Arguments towards application must bring out the key principles of each theory.
A little more support to your final recommendations would make it more convincing.
A summary reference to both theories in the recommendation can highlight the important elements and also bring out why you prefer the theory (or theories) that you do.
Also, consideration of the criticism of the theories may help decide which of the theories may be more applicable in this case.
In the end, you need to briefly summarize your earlier arguments and state clearly what you recommend Luke should do.
Written Communication:
In general, the analysis needed to be organized for better clarity and effect—to cover all essential aspects needed, as applying to Luke’s case.
Arguments needed to be developed correctly and more FULLY to support application of the theories convincingly. Also, all aspects related to the theories needed to be considered in their application.
Develop your arguments such that they are logical and convincing to the reader.
For Assignment 3, you should be following the General Instructions and the specific instructions (Task) for Assignment 3 that I provided. I have attached the files for everything, but I will also include everything here. First here are the General (Turnitin) Written Assignment Instructions:
Format
a. See the article that says, “What is a Memo” for information about the
form of your assignment. In the spirit of being in a business school, your memo should resemble something that would be used in business; hence, the article to describe what a business memo is.
What is a memo?
Memos are brief printed documents traditionally used for routine, day-to-day communication within organizations. According to Dr. Johnson-Sheehan, “Memos are written to people inside [a] company or organization. They are used to convey decisions, meeting agendas, policies, internal reports, and short proposals” (Technical Communication Today). In alternative settings, memos are used to demonstrate targeted responses to specific topics/questions of interest.
How are memos written?
Learning to write memos can be challenging because they are one of many genres of correspondence often composed by professional writers. The format and layout of business documents vary on macro and micro perspectives — from country to country and organization to organization. In addition, many organizations develop their own variations of standard styles, adapting documents to the types of messages they send and the audiences they are communicating with.
Nevertheless, the memo-writing genre holds standard conventions that can guide your writing. Developing an acute sense of audience and purpose awareness, which parts to include, and general formatting guidelines will aid your composition of a successful memo. Reading sample memos can also help clarify the rules of the genre.
b. Where using headers in any assignment, and this is recommended, you will get better results if you include these:
1. Facts: a brief restatement of the important facts, in your own words.
2. Issue: what must the protagonist decide? What action should he take?
3. Lens: describe the ethical theories being applied including the pros and cons of each.
4. Analysis: apply each ethical theory to the facts and discuss the logical conclusion of that process for each.
5. Recommendation / Conclusion: choose the ethical theory that is superior to the other and explain your rationale, briefly. You must choose one theory on which to base your recommendation – no waffling between theories will be allowed.
Answer the question posed in your framing of the issue.
d. The purpose of the guide is to help you understand whether you have thought deeply
enough about the topic. Your grade does not depend on the number of words written.
However, your grade will be affected by whether you have fully analyzed the issue and
fully supported your conclusion/decision. If you find that you are significantly over this
range of words, you should edit your paper so that your ideas and words are conveyed in
the most concise manner. This does not mean eliminating key arguments. It just means
editing your wording so that it is more concisely written.
Grading rubric/chart
Written communication 50%
Critical thinking and knowledge application 50%
Written communication:
Clearly arranged and
organized;
Professional tone (i.e.,
appropriate choice of
words for business
writing);
Sentences are easily
understood, concise,
direct, and effective;
No noticeable editing
errors; AND
Paper follows required
format.
Critical thinking and knowledge application:
Event discussed
represents most
pressing ethical issue;
Full understanding of
the ethical theories
discussed (including
appropriate discussion
of criticisms or
disadvantages of each
ethical lens applied);
Full consideration of the
issues and application of
the facts to the theories;
Arguments and
sentences are
wellsupported and
rational;
Logical flow of arguments;
Conclusion follows
rationally from the
arguments presented;
AND
Paper presents mostly
original thought (with
use of occasional quotes,
if appropriate).
Rubric interpretation
a. Most pressing ethical issue – You must describe the issue in 1-2 succinct sentences, and
then explain what makes the issue an ethical one. In other words, what makes the issue
an ethical one (as opposed to just a regular business decision)? Considering this will
help you determine the most pressing ethical issue to be discussed (and provide a
context for your arguments).
b. Arguments are well-supported and rational – You should fully define the ethical
theory used, discuss it, tell how it will apply in the case, then apply the facts to
the lens/theory. Definition and introductory discussion of the theories should be brief
(approximately ¼ of your per).
1. Application of the facts to the theories – This is the most critical part of your
paper and should consist of approximately ¾ of your paper. You must consider
criticisms to applying the theories. For example, what is a disadvantage to using
theory “x”? This is where making an outline can really help to organize your
thoughts and ensure you cover all of the topics necessary.
2. You should include a brief conclusion after each lens/theory analysis. This will
provide the reader closure on your analysis for each lens.
c. Writing directly and concisely – If you feel that you are well over the suggested number
of words, eliminate what is not necessary to argue your points. Most papers can cut out
at least 100 words by eliminating unnecessary words/phrases/sentence and still retain all
of the arguments required to support your conclusion.
d. Conclusion – This should directly answer the question you asked AND make sense
given your analysis. You should not restate any arguments here. This is where you tell us your final conclusion, after considering the different lenses.
Assignment 3 Instructions:
Suggested Length: 1400 to 2000 words
Ethical Theories to Apply: Utilitarianism, Universal Ethics, Golden Rule, Virtue Ethics
You are to consider, discuss, and evaluate all ethical theories and then choose the best one on which to base your recommendations. Explain why it is the best choice.
You may reuse your facts and issues from Assignments 1 and 2.
Task
You work in the Ethics Department for ABC Company (ABC). Your department is dedicated
to advising its employees about their ethical obligations in the corporate setting. You are an
internal consultant who provides advice and most importantly, recommendations for action to employees of the firm. All communications you receive in this capacity are confidential.
Luke, an employee of ABC, comes to you with the following scenario and asks for your advice. He wants to fully consider the situation. Your task is to advise and recommend a course of action based on the specified ethical lenses and facts as given.
Your recommendation must be based on only one of the four ethical theories – not both or
a combination of both. In other words, your reasoning must support your choice. Choose
one theory only and support it with your reasoning.
Below are the facts that Luke provides to you.
*****
Luke has been asked to work on a project that involves developing land recently purchased by ABC to build an adult entertainment retail store. According to the plan, the land is located on the corner of the neighborhood where Owen, Luke’s brother, lives.
Luke knows that as soon as the plans for the store are made public, property values for the
surrounding neighborhood will decrease significantly. ABC plans to publicly announce the
project one month from today.
Luke is concerned about his obligations of confidentiality to his company. However, Luke is
also very close to Owen, who recently told Luke that he received an offer to sell his house at an “okay” price given the current real estate market. Owen is considering selling but hasn’t made any final decision yet. He wonders if he might get a better offer a few years from now when the real estate market improves.
What is the ethical issue, why is this an issue, and what should Luke do about it?
*****
For assignment 3, prepare a memo, setting out your analysis and recommendations, that
considers all the following ethical lenses: Utilitarianism, Universal Ethics (i.e., Kant’s
categorical imperative), The Golden Rule and Virtue Ethics.
You must choose only one of the four theories to support your recommendations.
Remember that Assignments 1 and 2 are considered “drafts” for Assignment 3. In other words, you may revise and reuse parts of Assignments 2 and 3 (facts, issues, description of the ethical lenses) for Assignment 3, but please make sure that you make improvements where indicated.
Your analysis for Assignment 3 will be different since you’re incorporating all four theories
into your analysis. But you may reuse other elements of assignments 1 and 2 (facts, issues,
description of the ethical lenses) if they are written as well as you can write them.
I have attached the general instructions file for you to use, my previous Assignment 1 and Assignment 2 along with its task instructions for reference, and finally the Assignment 3 Task Instructions for you to use to complete Assignment 3. Be sure to follow the same format as shown in the previous assignments.
