Ethical Awareness Assessment

In chapters 1 and 2, Ghillyer discusses ethical theory, and applied ethics.

Applied ethics is putting ethical theories into practice. Ghillyer, p. 8.

This assignment calls for you to give an example of applied ethics.

Recall that Step 1 of Ghillyer’s three-step process for solving ethical problems was to analyze the consequences of unethical actions. This requires identifying who is helped, and who is harmed by the unethical behavior. In other words, to identify the stakeholders or “key players impacted by any potentially unethical behavior”. Ghillyer, p. 24.

Your assignment is to:

(20 pts) Give an example of unethical business behavior (briefly describe what is going on). You can choose from the list in Ghillyer, p.25, or choose any example from the news, or invent your own hypothetical scenario of unethical business behavior.

(30 pts) LIST at least 3 stakeholders and explain how each is negatively impacted by the unethical behavior. See Ghillyer, p. 25, Figure 2.2, for an example listing WorldCom’s attempt in the 1990s to hide extensive debt and losses. Notice that Ghillyer LISTS the six classifications of stakeholders and the impact upon each stakeholder in that case. You are to do the same for your chosen example of unethical business behavior by LISTING at least three stakeholders and the negative impact upon each.

Penalties will apply for failure to follow these instructions:

Number your stakeholders in LIST form so that each stakeholder is LISTED next to the impact on that stakeholder. See my example of a list below.
Do not exceed 1 page, Times New Roman, double-spaced. Allow 1 inch margins.
Type your answer as a Word doc, and copy and paste into the assignment window. There is no time limit. Keep your original document as backup.

For example (my own hypothetical but based on a real case):

XYZ Tobacco Company imports a special Brand X tobacco from Brazil that is higher in nicotine content than tobacco from the United States. By blending Brand X tobacco into its products, XYZ manipulates the nicotine content of its products. The company conceals its activities from the Food and Drug Administration because blending Brand X tobacco to manipulate nicotine levels would subject the company to the agency’s regulatory authority as a drug manufacturer. Each year, XYZ files false statements with the FDA that do not properly disclose its Brand X imports in response to official requests the government sends to all U.S. tobacco companies asking for a list of all tobacco imports.

Stakeholder A (list them here)  —         negatively impacted by…
Stakeholder B (list them here)  —         negatively impacted by…
Stakeholder C (list them here)  —         negatively impacted by…