Assignment #1: (Week 4)
Purpose:
Business stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, customers, and the general public, receive positive benefits from businesses that follow ethical principles and practices. In the workplace, employees may find themselves in situations in which they have to choose the appropriate behavior. It is possible to encounter situations that give rise to conflicts of interest, conflicts of loyalty or issues of honesty and integrity. When they do, difficult decisions have to be made.
Outcomes Met With This Assignment:
• describe the ethical and social responsibilities that confront a business
Instructions:
This assignment is the first of two assignments. You will read a case scenario related to business ethics. In completing the assignment, you will analyze a case study scenario and apply the concepts learned in week 1 by answering a series of required elements. You will complete the assignment by not asking questions but by responding to each required element thoroughly answering in paragraph and sentence format without bulleting.
NOTE: 1) There are four classifications of ethical dilemmas: 1) conflict of interest; 2) conflict of loyalty; 3) issues of honesty and integrity; 4) bribes; and 5) whistleblowing.
2) An ethical dilemma is when someone struggles with deciding between two or more alternatives so the ethical dilemma is an either/or statement.
Step 1: Preparation for Writing the Assignment
Before you begin writing the paper, you will read the following requirements that will help you meet the writing and APA requirements. Not reading this information will lead to a lower grade:
Review “How to Analyze a Case Study” under Week 4 Content. You are expected to use the facts from the case scenario focusing on using this information to determine opportunities and solve problems.
Read the grading rubric for the assignment. Use the grading rubric while writing the paper to ensure all requirements are met that will lead to the highest possible grade.
In writing this assignment, you will read and following these tasks:
Task 1: Third person writing is required. Third person means that there are no words such as “I, me, my, we, or us” (first person writing), nor is there use of “you or your” (second person writing). If uncertain how to write in the third person, view this link: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/first-second-and-third-person.
Task 2: Contractions are not used in business writing, so you are expected NOT to use contraction in writing this assignment.
Task 3: You are expected to paraphrase and are NOT to use direct quotes. You are expected to paraphrase, which can be learned by reviewing this link: https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/QPA_paraphrase2.html.
Task 4: You are responsible for APA only for in-text citations and a reference list.
Task 5: You are expected to use the facts from the case scenario paired with the weekly courses readings to develop the analysis and support the reasoning. No more than two (2) external resources can be used in completing the assignment. The expectation is that you provide a robust use of the course readings. If any material is used from a source document, it must be cited and referenced. A reference within a reference list cannot exist without an associated in-text citation and vice versa. View the sample APA paper and the How to Cite and Reference file located under Week 4 content.
Please see Week 1 Content area – “How to Cite the Saylor eBook” to learn how to cite and reference the course eBook.
Step 2: How to Set Up the Paper
Create a Word or Rich Text Format (RTF) document that is double-spaced, 12-point font. The final product will be between 4-5 pages in length excluding the title page and reference page. You may not exceed five (5) pages so it is important to write clearly and concisely.
Follow this format. Consider making an outline to ensure the correct headings are in place and to keep you organize the paper.
• Title page with title, your name, the course, the instructor’s name; date
• Introduction;
• Part One, in paragraph form using the following section headings:
o Jordan’s Ethical Dilemma
• Part Two, in paragraph form using the following section headings:
o Employees’ Roles/Responsibilities in Ethical Situations
o The Organization’s Role/Responsibility in Ensuring Ethical Practices
• Summary paragraph
Step 3: Read the Case Scenario provided under Week 4
Step 4: Write the Introduction
Create the introductory paragraph. The introductory paragraph is the first paragraph of the paper and tells a reader the main points covered in the paper. To help you know how to write an introduction, view this website to learn how to write an introductory paragraph: http://www.writing.ucsb.edu/faculty/donelan/intro.html
Step 5: Part One
A. Review the meaning of the different ethical dilemma categories and identify the correct category depicted in the case scenario? Using the case scenario facts and the course readings, explain in detail why this this category was selected?
B. Identify the ethical dilemma Jordan is faced with now. Using the case scenario facts and the course readings, explain the ethical dilemma. Note that an ethical dilemma should be phrases as an either/or statement.
C. Explain in one paragraph (about 4 -5 sentences) what Jordan should do now.
Step 6: Part Two
A. Identify and discuss a minimum of three factors that contribute to employees not operating ethically in business? Please refer to the grading rubric.
B. Identify and completely explain a minimum of two steps employees can take to making the most appropriate decisions when faced with an ethical situation. Be sure to describe in detail. Please refer to the grading rubric.
C. Discuss a minimum of three ways an organization can help employees make appropriate decisions when faced with making a mistake in judgment. Please refer to the grading rubric.
D. Identify and discuss a minimum of two ways an organization can ensure that all parts of the organization operate ethically. Please refer to the grading rubric.
Step 7: Write the summary paragraph
Write the summary paragraph. A summary paragraph restates the main topics of the paper. Make sure to leave a reader with a sense that the paper is complete. The summary paragraph is the last paragraph of a paper and does not need a heading.
Step 8: Review the Paper
Read the paper to ensure all required elements are present. Use the grading rubric to ensure that you gain the most points possible for this assignment.
Proofread the paper for spelling and grammatical issues, and third person writing.
• Read the paper aloud as a first measure;
• Use the spell and grammar check in Word as a second measure;
• Have someone who has excellent English skills to proof the paper;
• Consider submitting the paper to the Effective Writing Center (EWC). The EWC will provide 4-6 areas that may need improvement.
