Part 1:
1) What stereotypes do we hold about the poor, and how does this way of thinking perpetuate poverty? Has your understanding of people living in poverty changed as a result of your service experience? If so, how? If not, why not?
2) What, and how do, other systems of oppression contribute to the perpetuation of poverty?
3) Compare, critique, and apply at least one course theory to your service experience. (Choose from: Aristotle's virtue ethics, Appling virtue ethics to business with an emphasis on integrity, Legacy and "What I want out of work life including my end goals," The Corporation as a legal person and a sociopath, CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility, Micro financing from "Creating a World without Poverty," Nickel and Dimed, B-corps.)
4) What would it take to positively impact homelessness, food insecurity, lack of education, transportation, ...self-confidence... from a business perspective? Which practiced values could a business emphasize to make a strong impact on any of these?
5) Put yourself in the shoes of one of the people we served. Now, from this perspective, what might be some of your values? Which virtue or value do you imagine would come first for a person in these circumstances? What thoughts might this person have about business? As this person, do you think businesses have a responsibility to the communities they are involved in? As this person, which business model do you think would work best at getting you and your community moving toward prosperity? Write your answer in first person, as if you really are a person that comes from the same kind of community we encountered during our service. Use I statements.
Part 2:
The fundamental question of ethics is not "What should I do?" but "What kind of person should I be?"
According to "virtue ethics" there are certain ideals, such as excellence or dedication to the common good, toward which we should strive and which allow the full development of our humanity. These ideals are discovered through thoughtful reflection on what we as human beings have the potential to become.
At the heart of the virtue approach to ethics is the idea of "community". A person's character traits are not developed in isolation, but within and by the communities to which he or she belongs, including family, school, governmental setting, neighborhood, economic constraints, business associations, corporate climate and more. As people grow and mature, their personalities are deeply affected by the values that their communities prize, by the personality traits that their cultures encourage, and by the role models their organizations set out through the imitation of the attitudes and behaviors of all those around them. The virtue approach urges us to pay attention to the contours of our communities and the habits of character they encourage and instill.
The moral life, then, is not a matter of following moral rules and of learning to apply them to specific situations. The moral life is a matter of trying to determine the kind of people we should be, and of attending to the development of character within our communities and ourselves. ( Markkula Center for Applied Ethics)
Many people today believe that corporations have a greater influence in forming the communities we live in, then anything else. This influence extends to governments, media, education and the rules, regulations and customs that shape the beliefs and behaviors of humanity.
Although the corporation, as a form and structure, is relatively benign, it provides a method for a collection of individuals to unify their efforts and capital to achieve a mission. Like a pot of stew, corporations are analogous to a container of boiling water. It has no flavor or character, but takes on the characteristics of the ingredients thrown into the pot. The corporate stew consists of such things as the mission, purpose, organizational structure, leadership, employees, policies, and culture (HuffPost).
If a corporation is run by ethical, equitable, socially responsible and environmentally conscious management with a highly functional governance structure for eco-social benefit, and is supported by like-minded shareholders and customers, a corporation can do great good in the world. However, when a corporation, with the rights and powers of an immortal person, is controlled by greedy, corrupt and power hungry sociopaths whose management and shareholders rationalize the abandonment of virtue and values for profit and turn a blind eye to toxicity, injustice and suffering they cause, a corporation can become a dangerous and powerful opponent to humankind and the planet (HuffPost).
Just 150 years ago, the business corporation was a relatively insignificant institution. Today, corporations have become the dominant institution of business and impact practically everything on this planet from people, animals and plants to the quality and availability of water, food, energy and resources (e.g., fossil fuels, timber, metals, gems, chemicals) to transportation, housing, media, education, communications and the shaping our socio-economic-political system (HuffPost).
Questions:
1.) If it is true that people's character traits and personalities are deeply affected by the values of their communities, and it is also true that corporations have a great influence on nearly every aspect of people's communities, what conclusion follows, and why? Explain your answer in detail.
2.) Which part will you play in this conclusion? Where will you choose to invest your time, energy, and attention? Who do you want to be, how do you want to influence or change the culture of business, what influence do you, as a business person, want to contribute to communities, and how are you going to become that person?