The assignment is in two parts, Part A and Part B. You should attempt BOTH parts. Parts A and B should be submitted as ONE document to the turnitin drop box on moodle.
NOTE Your answers should be written in the form of two essays.
Part A word count is 2000 words; Part B word count is 1500 words. Part A is worth 60% of the total module marks; Part B is worth 40% of the total module marks.
Part A: Introduction: the task for Part A is to write an essay applying ethical reasoning to a key component of the current economic system, in this case the Gig economy, in order to achieve a defensible ethical analysis of an activity within the sector.
The specific task: Please write an essay that addresses the following topical question:
The Gig economy, characterized by a flexible workforce, has had a fundamental shift in the way people work and earn a living. The use of AI has also assisted in fostering a thriving Gig economy. However, there has been a number of ethical concerns raised, and in particular around the use of AI in the employment process (e.g. recruitment, employee monitoring, performance evaluation etc.)
Using a company of your choice that is operating in the Gig economy as an example, discuss some of the ethical considerations of the use of AI in their HR processes.
Analyse your case study using Utilitarian Ethics AND
ONE OF THE FOLLOWING ETHICAL THEORIES 1.Kantian Ethics OR 2. Amartya Sen’s Theory of Justice OR 3. Christian ethical thought OR 4. Islamic ethical thought.
You MUST explain and apply ethical theories that you have been asked to use in this question and you should structure your essay as follows:
Describe your case study, identify ONE specific HR related issue your essay will focus on, as well as the key stakeholders involved. You will need to draw on both grey literature (some links are provided below as a starting point), as well as good quality academic sources that discuss the Gig economy and AI technology to frame your discussion.
Identify and discuss the ethical issues raised in relation to the different stakeholders you have identified. Note: an issue is a matter of debate; ethics is the study of concepts of right and wrong; therefore: ethical issues= matters that raise debates about right and wrong.
Introduce and explain the two ethical theories to be applied in responding to the essay question. Here you will need to base your introduction and explanation on good quality academic sources that consider the ethical theories in depth.
Apply the ethical theories to analyse the HR related issue from the perspective of TWO key stakeholders. Here you will need to show good understanding of the ethical theories in order to apply them accurately and effectively.
Based on your discussion, provide some relevant practical, future-oriented recommendations on how your chosen company can better implement AI in an ethical manner.
The word limit for this essay is 2000 words and the essay is worth 60% of the module marks.
Remember that this is an essay about business ethics and not business strategy or legal liability. You are being asked to develop an ethical discussion about the implications of two ethical theories for the implementation of AI in the HR processes of your chosen case study.
Make sure you read the marking criteria below.
Below are links to sources that provide some background to this essay question. They should help you understand some of the ethical issues raised. You are strongly advised to use these links as a starting point to research more about the ethical issues of AI use in the Gig economy before writing your assignment.
You should also undertake further reading on ethical theories and ideas, using the module readings and your own research. Please do not use texts such as blogs or student essays as sources. Whatever sources are used MUST be cited.
Links to useful starting points:
AI-Driven Recruitment Trends #17 | AI and the Gig Economy: Enhancing Retention with Smart Algorithms
AI-Driven Recruitment Trends #19 | The Unseen Consequences: Exploring the Domino Effects of AI Decisions in Recruitment
Ethics in the Gig Economy: Tech’s Responsibility
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/gig-economy-research
PART B. Introduction: the task for Part B is to write an essay applying ethical reasoning to a business dilemma within an organisational scenario in order to reach an ethically defensible decision.
The specific task: please read the following scenario and address the question below.
Scenario:
You have recently been employed as a project manager for a green energy technology firm, with the responsibility to review community-based projects in the East African region. The role requires you to assess current projects and decide which ones should be funded.
During one of the assessment trips, you identify a project that is focused on supplying and installing solar panels in a rural village in Rumuruti. Based on the company’s research, energy poverty is a persistent problem in rural communities in the East African region, and correlates with lower educational levels and poorer life expectancy. Providing affordable and reliable electricity to low income remote populations would therefore have a positive impact on the economic and societal wellbeing of such communities. However, you have also found that in previous projects, communities found it costly to maintain solar panels, and many were discarded if they became faulty. Your research has also indicated that such off-grid products, due to their short life span, are potentially contributing to solar e-waste in Africa.
Your company is collaborating with a local sponsor. Providing the solar panels in the community would enable you to foster a good business partnership leading to future business project that would be beneficial to your firm.
The community mainly desires to have better lighting systems in their homes. Providing solar panels would be an expensive and high maintenance project. The project data indicates that it might be more practical to install better lighting inside the homes. You therefore have to decide whether to provide the community with the more simple and efficient solution to their problem, or to go ahead with the solar panel project that could possibly lead to negative side effects.
Based on this scenario write an essay that answers the following question:
Should you recommend that your company goes ahead with the solar panel project? In making your recommendation please analyse the moral responsibilities that you have to two specific stakeholder groups of your company:
stakeholder group 1. Your direct employees; and
stakeholder group 2. Members of the local community in Rumuruti.
To analyse your moral responsibilities, use ONE of the following ethical theories that we have discussed on the module: 1. Ubuntu Ethics OR 2. Ethics of Care OR 3. Kantian Ethics OR 4. Amartya Sen’s Theory of Justice OR 5. Christian ethical thought OR 6. Islamic ethical thought.
NOTE: YOU MAY NOT USE AN ETHICAL THEORY THAT YOU HAVE USED IN PART A.
In addressing this assessment task you are expected to demonstrate a capacity for moral reasoning as discussed on this module.
You MUST explain and apply ethical theory that you have chosen to use in this task and you should structure your essay as follows:
a. Briefly identify the characteristics of the stakeholder groups.
b. Identify three to four ethical issues relevant to the dilemma. Note: an issue is a matter of debate; ethics is the study of concepts of right and wrong; therefore: ethical issues= matters that raise debates about right and wrong. To identify ethical issues you should start with the facts of the scenario, but also refer to relevant sources that can help justify your identification of the issues.
c. Chose ONE ethical issue on which you are going to focus in the rest of the essay.
d. Introduce and explain your chosen ethical theory (that is 1. Ubuntu Ethics OR 2. Ethics of Care OR 3. Kantian Ethics OR 4. Amartya Sen’s Theory of Justice OR 5. Christian ethical thought OR 6. Islamic ethical thought.). You will need to draw on discussions from good quality academic sources that consider the ethical theory and ideas in depth.
e. Apply your chosen ethical theory to your chosen ethical issue, in order to analyse your moral responsibilities to the two stakeholder groups.
f. Based on the preceding discussion, reach an ethically justifiable decision on whether or how your technology firm should go about implementing the solar panel project in Rumuruti, East Africa.
g. Having reached this decision identify the steps that you should take in order to try to ensure that your decision is followed. In so doing indicate the possible challenges you might face in taking these steps given ‘your’ role in the company, and state how you might overcome at least ONE of these challenges.
For (g) you should use relevant academic business literature to identify the challenges and options that might be open to you as project manager.
The word limit for this essay is 1500 words.
The essay is worth 40% of the module marks. Remember that this is an essay about business ethics and not business strategy or legal liability.
You are being asked to develop an ethical argument about what the right thing to do would be in the scenario provided. Make sure you read the marking criteria below.
This scenario has been adapted and modified for educational purposes only. Any similarity to situations or to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental.
The Business ethics file below has all the details, please follow the marking critieria
