Objective
You will outline and explain ethical theories and then apply that knowledge to how organizations would function were they to adopt those ethical principles. In addition, you will also examine punishments for corporations and present your own ideas about the relationship between ethical demands on business entities vs. those on individuals in society.
Discussion:
Instructions
The first asks you to explain three of the ethical philosophies you encountered in Chapter 1 of Introduction to Business Ethics, and then determine how companies that abide by these policies would act. In the second prompt, you will be asked to explain various punishments that can be given to corporations and the behaviors that are ethically dangerous to corporations.
Organizations
Select a Not-For Profit and a For Profit organization you would like to study. These will be the organizations that you will be focusing on throughout the course so be sure to choose organizations that you find interesting and that you think will be engaging as you learn about the ethical climates of these organizations.
Place the name of the For-Profit Organization here:
Reflection Prompt
Summarize three of the ethical theories that are explained in Chapter 1 of Introduction to Business Ethics. Explain how people running businesses would construct their companies if they utilized these ethical theories. For example, you might personally think that people should act to increase the overall happiness for the greatest number of people (utilitarianism). You would explain utilitarianism and then explain how a company based in utilitarian ethics would function. In other words:
What products would they make?
How would they treat their employees? How would they treat their customers?
How would they manufacture their products?
How would they utilize their resources and profits were they to become successful?
Reflection Prompt
Analyze three of the punishments that corporations undergo when they have acted unethically (i.e., name them, define them, explain what they are). In addition, explain three threats to running an ethical corporation. Finally, from your own perspective, explain whether or not a corporation should have to function by the same codes of morality that individual people in society have to abide by or if they should be allowed to get away with certain actions that people in society cannot get away with.