BUSINESS ETHICS AND GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP – EXAM II

In responding to the questions that follow, it is very important that you support your response by referencing material that was addressed in the text and/or discussed on the discussion board. In other words, don’t rely on your instincts alone. Be sure to reference articles or other information in the text that would be applicable in responding to each question.

1. Read “How Not to Run a Company” by Joe Nocera. It can be found at newyorktimes.com (July 12, 2014). Having completed the material on corporate governance and drawing from that material, what insights have you gained that might actually expand on and provide more depth to Mr. Nocera’s article?
2.  Hal Spencer has decided to terminate Rick Kemper the Operations Manager for his company.   Kemper has had very good performance reviews and has met his annual goals during each of the ten years he has worked for Spencer. But Spencer explains the “he’s just tired of looking at his face and listening to his hillbilly laugh every day.” Spencer insists he has done nothing wrong. He says that it’s his company, Kemper is an employee at will and he can do as he pleases. What is your ethical assessment of this episode?
3. Female employees of Henderson Controls, a company that produces commercial batteries have been told that in order to keep working for Henderson they will have to undergo a sterilization procedure if they are of child bearing age. The reason is that it has been learned that there is a substance in the batteries that might cause a pregnant women to have a miscarriage. If they refuse, they will be terminated.  What advice or counsel would you offer the company and what particular concepts or ideas that we have considered will you rely upon in the advice that you offer?
4.  Aristotle has observed “we are what we do.” Explain your support for or opposition to a “living wage” in light of this observation.
5. In the age of social media, employers are privy to information that they would not have had access to regarding employees and prospective employees in the past. You have been asked by your company to develop a “statement of policy” relative to social media and its use in employment related decisions for the company. Write a policy statement that reflects your commitment to the theory of virtue ethics.
6. Are transparency and effective marketing incompatible? Explain your position with reference to applicable course materials.
7. “Fracking” has been the subject of considerable debate here in Pennsylvania and in other states. Proponents argue that it represents a future of energy independence. Critics argue that the risks are great and that “fracking” will plunder our future. You are the newly appointed Director of Stakeholder Relations for “Invigorate Enterprises” an energy company fully involved in “fracking.” Explain to those who are concerned with your activities, how “fracking” is justified on moral grounds. In explaining this, identify material in the text that might be helpful.
8. Explain “moral free space” and provide an example of what this means.
9. Law and ethics have often been characterized as being at odds. What is the legal justification for a company drug testing employees and what is the ethical justification for doing so?
10. Acme Inc is facing a difficult decision- who will lose their jobs in the upcoming downsizing.  They are especially concerned about which of the two employee relations managers, will lose her job. Lorraine has been with the company for 15 years and is regarded as an excellent employee. Linda has been with the company for 14 years and 10 months and is likewise an excellent employee. Lorraine is African American and Linda is white.  The only blemish on either record is that Lorraine once dated a co-worker in violation of the company’s anti-fraternization policy, which has since been repealed. Linda was captured on Facebook doing a keg stand at her sister’s 50^th birthday. If you had to make to make this decision, what would you do and how would you justify your decision on moral grounds? Be sure to reference concepts in the text that will support your decision.

 

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