Psychological Egoism

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Week 1

Discussions

  1. Psychological Egoism
    After reviewing Chapter 1 in your textbook and watching “Virtue Ethics,” find a contemporary article showing how the theory of psychological egoism in a corporation resulted in an ethical dilemma.
    • Is there a way that the decision-making process within a large corporation can overcome this fact of human selfishness?
    • What would be a solution in this scenario?
    • How does the theory of psychological egoism fit within your personal body of ethics and values?
    • How does the theory of psychological egoism fit within the ethical structure of the company or organization you work for now or have worked for in the past?
  2. Self-Interest or Community Interest 
    As read in Chapter 2 of the course text, Adam Smith argued that self-interest is a critical element in a society’s economic development. Karl Marx, by contrast, argued that society functions better when each of us is more community oriented.
    Pretend you are either Adam Smith or Karl Marx, and explain economic recession from these perspectives.
    • Discuss when greed and selfishness in businesses go too far and become a hazard to society.
    • Stepping back into your shoes again, contrast your system of values and ethics concerning greed and self-interest with the system of values of Smith or Marx.
    • Discuss if the ethical perspective of a particular group to which you currently belong, or previously belonged resembles the perspective of Adam Smith or Karl Marx?

Quiz
To complete the following quiz, go to this week’s Quiz link in the left navigation.

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Week One Quiz
This quiz consists of 10 questions. The amount of time the quiz will take to complete will vary by individual. 

Journal
To complete the following assignment, go to this week’s Journal link in the left navigation. 

Week One Journal
Download, review, and populate the Week One Journal. Submit your completed work by Day 7.

Week 2

Discussions

  1. Puffery and Deception
     A critical point of distinction between deceptive advertising and mere puffery is whether a claim is a measurable statement of fact.
    • Think of some contemporary examples of each and explain why they are or are not measurable statements of fact.
    • When you notice deceptive advertising or puffery, how does your sense of personal ethical perspectives and values affect the way you make decisions about those advertised goods and services?
    • How does the ethical program of a particular group to which you currently belong, or previously belonged, treat the topic of misrepresentation or exaggeration of company goods and service?
  2. Unintentional Discrimination
     Unintentional discrimination occurs when a company’s policies uncritically reflect prejudicial stereotypes yet do not involve overt racial prejudices of its managers or executives. Does legislation to verify voter identification fall under the domain of unintentional or intentional discrimination? Explain your views.
    Also, how does your personal ethical perspective on discrimination- intentional or unintentional- compare to the culture of a particular group to which you currently belong, or previously belonged?

Journal
To complete the following assignment, go to this week’s Journal link in the left navigation. 

Week Two Journal
Download, review, and populate the Week Two Journal. Submit your completed work by Day 7.

Week 3

Discussions

  1. Managerial Incentives
     Henry Manne believed that companies cannot become too incompetent or corrupt, as eventually their share price would fall and they could be taken over by another firm that would get rid of incompetent management. Adolf Berle and Gardiner Means believed that company managers have an incentive to feather their own nests and to undermine shareholder wealth.
    Can elements or parts of these theoretical perspectives have governmental applications? If so, which theory do you think best describes the segment of American government known as the Congress and the Senate? Explain your answer.
    Which theory best fits your ethical perspective? Which theory best fits a particular group to which you currently belong, or previously belonged?
     
  2. Child Labor
     Child labor is endemic in the poorer countries of the world, and for many children it is seen as way of keeping their families out of poverty. Critics point out that if the governments were to invest more in educating children, they could be more productive and create more wealth for their nation when they are older. In the meantime, multinational enterprises often secure suppliers who use children.
    In your opinion, what is the best way to reduce child labor for multinational corporations? How is the phenomenon of child labor viewed from your ethical perspective? Given the ethical perspective of a particular group to which you currently belong, or previously belonged, how would child labor be viewed?

Quiz
To complete the following quiz, go to this week’s Quiz link in the left navigation.

Week Three Quiz
This quiz consists of 10 questions. The amount of time the quiz will take to complete will vary by individual. 

Journal
To complete the following assignment, go to this week’s Journal link in the left navigation. 

Week Three Journal
Download, review, and populate the Week Three Journal. Submit your completed work by Day 7.

Assignment
To complete the following assignment, go to this week’s Assignment link in the left navigation. 

Annotated Bibliography
The purpose of the annotated bibliography is to assist you in developing research analysis skills including critical thinking, writing, and literature research skills. The annotated bibliography should include a paragraph for each source containing the following information:

  • Name of the article, including the complete bibliographic citation, using APA format.
  • Summary/abstract of the article – annotation (sometimes it is helpful to ask yourself the following questions in synthesizing the information:
    • Who? (author)
    • What was done? (e.g., an experimental study investigating the interaction of short term memory and attention)
    • How? (was it done)
  • What were the findings? (identify the major ones)
  • Contributions? (new findings, applications, etc.)

Review the complete instructions for the Final Paper in Week Five. To conduct accurate research for the annotated bibliography, consider the following:

  • Research in peer-reviewed journals or other journals that are considered to have reliable information (do not use sources from the secular press (e.g., Time, Newsweek, or Wikipedia). Review the guidelines for acceptable sources by reading the “Academic Research” section within the Student Responsibilities and Policies tab under Course Home on the left navigation toolbar in your online course.
  • Identify at least ten academic sources at least six of which can be found in the Ashford Online Library. If you do find something on the World Wide Web, it must be authored and be a reliable source.
  • In these journals, the research and information is either reviewed by an editorial team (such as for the Academy of Management Review) or a group of peers (such as in many journals you find through the Ashford Online Library). 

For information regarding the annotated bibliography, refer to the Sample Annotated Bibliography found in the Ashford Writing Center within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar.    
You must use at least ten scholarly sources (at least six of which can be found in the Ashford Online Library) other than the textbook. The descriptions for each source must be at least one paragraph in length. For information regarding APA samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center, within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar.
Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

Week 4


Discussions

  1. Power Station Cost-Benefit Analysis
    A power station is planned in your local area and you have been requested to submit a primary cost-benefit analysis of the potential economic and environmental impact that the station could have. Prepare a list of pros and cons and a preliminary judgment on whether it should go ahead.
    If a particular group to which you currently belong, or previously belonged, were to throw-out the list of pros and cons and rely on ethical predisposition of the business, what would be the preliminary judgment? 
     
  2. Portfolio Analysis 
    Reviewing the investments in your portfolio, you realize that the carbon footprint connected to your investments is relatively large, but your oil company stock also pays for the family holidays each year. The company’s website also says that it uses a high proportion of its profits to invest in green and renewable fuels of the future. Do you keep the stock or sell?  Why?  What principles did you apply in making this decision?  Also, how does one check the credibility of the company and its website?
    Consider the ethical perspective of a particular group to which you currently belong or previously belonged, would the group keep or sell the stock? Why?

Quiz
To complete the following quiz, go to this week’s Quiz link in the left navigation.

Week Four Quiz
This quiz consists of 10 questions. The amount of time the quiz will take to complete will vary by individual. 

Journal
To complete the following assignment, go to this week’s Journal link in the left navigation. 

Week Four Journal
Download, review, and populate the Week Four Journal. Submit your completed work by Day 7.

Week 5

Discussions

  1. Federal Domain
     
    The Federal government manages millions of acres of forest land across the country, but there are increasing pressures on the agencies to permit varying levels of commercial access to the timber, other resources, and the water flows. Should the government have an absolute prohibition on commercial access or should there be a working compromise with companies?
    From your ethical perspective, should government have an absolute prohibition on commercial access or should there be a working compromise with companies?
    From the ethical perspective a particular group to which you currently belong, or previously belonged, should government have an absolute prohibition on commercial access or should there be a working compromise with companies?
    Instead of the Federal government, suppose you managed millions of acres of forest land. Given you own set of ethical perspectives and values, what would you do? 
  2. New Stock Opportunity or Exposure
    A friend is excited about a new stock opportunity with a medical company whose products could sell well around the world; having reviewed some of the stories in Chapter 10, you are no longer certain about the benefits that companies say will emerge from their products and you are concerned that the company’s history includes using animals and vulnerable people in experiments.
    From your ethical perspective, do you ignore the company’s past and research the current product, digging around for alternative ethical viewpoints, or do you accept the possibility of earning a simple profit?
    From the ethical perspective a particular group to which you currently belong, or previously belonged, does the group ignore the company’s past and research the current product, digging around for alternative ethical viewpoints, or does the group accept the possibility of earning a simple profit? 

Final Paper
To complete the following assignment, go to this week’s Final Paper links in the left navigation. 

Analysis of Personal and Organizational Ethics and Values between For-Profit and Not-for-Profit Organizations
Scenario:
You are an ethnographic researcher writing an article for a popular organizational behavior research journal. Your purpose is to identify key problems related to business ethics in a Not-for-Profit and For- Profit organization. In this potential article please complete the following activities:

  1. Outline the company profile of the not for profit company you chose to analyze (consult the week #2 journal for the information you should include).  Explain the ethical dilemma that it faced or is currently facing.  Analyze the way that it responded to this ethical dilemma and outline the legal, social, or political outcomes that emerged after the actions were taken..
  2. Outline the company profile of the for profit company you chose to analyze (consult the week #2 journal for the information you should include).  Explain the ethical dilemma that it faced or is currently facing.  Analyze the way that it responded to this ethical dilemma and outline the legal, social, or political outcomes that emerged after the actions were taken.
  3. In part three of your paper, please provide your personal reflections on the ethical actions that were taken in relation to the problem.  Evaluate those actions from your own ethical standpoint.  Use these questions to inspire your analysis: Did the company respond in a morally responsible way?  Did the company respond in a morally irresponsible way?  Did the company create the ethical dilemma or was the dilemma the outcome of an unforeseen force?  Could the company have done more?  Who was responsible for the problem and how could it have been prevented?
    • Remember that when you analyze something you should present logical reasoning and factual evidence to support your position.  Do not merely answer these questions using simplistic yes and no answers.  Instead, you should always support your position with logical argumentation and evidence that explains why you believe what you believe.
  4. In part 4 of your paper please create a critique of the actions of these companies based on two of the philosophical theories that you studied earlier in the course (deontology, utilitarianism, egoism, virtue ethics, moral relativism).  Determine which moral theory the company appears to be abiding by in relation to this issue.  Explain the attributes of the decision that make you believe that this is the ethical perspective of the company.  If you agree with the ethical theory of the company, explain why this is the best ethical position on the issue.  If you do not, explain which ethical position would be better to utilize in this situation and why you believe that this position is better. Here are some sample questions to guide your thinking:
    • Which ethical theory did the company use in making its decision?  Was it the best?  Why or why not?
    • Which ethical theory should the company have used?  Why?
    • What is the ideal relationship between bad or suffering and profit?
    • What does it mean to run an ethical business?
    • What is the best way for a company to maintain its competitive edge and contribute to overall good or happiness in relation to its workers and customers?

Logistics and Length Requirements

Your paper needs to be 10 double-spaced pages, not counting the cover page and the reference list.  You papers should abide by APA requirements. You must use at least ten scholarly sources, six of which can be found in the Ashford Online Library. For information regarding APA, including samples and tutorials, visit the Ashford Writing Center within the Learning Resources tab on the left navigation toolbar. Here is a breakdown of the page length requirements you should abide by as you complete this project.

Part 1: 3 pages
Part 2: 3 pages
Part 3: 2 pages (one for each company)
Part 4: 2 pages (one for each company)

Writing the Final Paper
The Final Paper:

  • Must be at least ten double-spaced pages in length (not including title page and reference list), and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
  • Must include a title page with the following:
    • Title of paper
    • Student’s name
    • Course name and number
    • Instructor’s name
    • Date submitted
  • Must begin with an introductory paragraph that has a succinct thesis statement.
  • Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
  • Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.
  • Must use at least ten scholarly resources, including a minimum of six from the Ashford Online Library.
  • Must document all sources in APA style, as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.
  • Must include a separate reference page, formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.   

Carefully review the  Grading Rubric  for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.

 

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