Students will be asked to compose two short dialogues (modeled after the Socratic dialogues of Plato) in which they engage critically with a live issue in business ethics not directly addressed in our readings. Dialogues should involve two or more characters representing differing viewpoints debating the chosen issue in a rigorous and philosophically informed fashion. The issue need not be fully resolved by the end, but the dialogue should attempt to illuminate the underlying philosophical questions of the topic and charitably depict the arguments and motivating concerns on all sides. The first will be due on 02/08 and the second on 04/15. The purpose of these assignments is to introduce students to the process of doing philosophy themselves, as well as to foster broadly applicable critical reading and writing skills. Essays should be 3 – 4 pages, doubled-spaced in twelve-point Times New Roman font with 1- or 1.25-inch margins.
Sample topics include: When/why is discrimination wrong when it comes to hiring decisions? Are sweatshops immoral, and, if so, why? Are CEOs paid too much? What does determine a “fair wage?” Do corporations have obligations towards non-shareholding employees? When is a product too unsafe to be sold? How much truthfulness is it reasonable to expect out of advertising? What special considerations are appropriate when advertising to children? Is bluffing in a negotiation morally equivalent to lying? What determines a “just price” for a good? Is price gouging immoral, and, if so, why? Is price discrimination problematic? Do humans have a right to “meaningful work?” When is corporate whistleblowing permissible, justified, or required? What is “corporate social responsibility,” and do we have a right to demand that business be “good corporate citizens?” What rights and limitations are appropriate for corporate interventions in the political sphere? To whose laws should multinational corporations be beholden? And many more.
The issue analyzed should be one that we haven’t covered extensively in class, but students can and should use the philosophical theories we’ve covered as tools for analysis. It is also encouraged, though not required, that students bring in external sources (including other philosophers and articles dealing with the chosen issue directly) to help inform the conversation.
Students are encouraged to contact me to discuss ideas and go over possible topics. More stylistic guidelines and writing tips will be forthcoming as these assignments approach.
