Business Ethics Rubric: What We Will Be Looking For

Business Ethics Rubrici Will Be Looking For The Following Items In You

Developing a comprehensive case study analysis in business ethics requires a structured approach centered on identifying ethical viewpoints, analyzing moral conflicts, assessing embedded levels of decision-making, applying ethical considerations, and effectively structuring the essay. This process involves choosing and articulating a clear ethical perspective, such as utilitarianism, deontology, ethical intuitionism, or virtue ethics, and interpreting moral situations through these frameworks. Critical questions include ensuring actions do not exploit others, involve deception, or violate human dignity, while affirming responsibilities to uphold legal and human rights. Recognizing professional practice issues, linking ethical principles, adopting perspectives, and questioning obligations and prohibitions are essential for thorough analysis.

Embeddedness involves evaluating how deeply ingrained a proposition is within professional and ethical contexts, ranging from surface to deep levels of practice, ethics, and costs. Applying ethical issues involves brainstorming arguments for and against positions, contrasting premises through ethical considerations, and ultimately making justified judgments. The essay must be clearly structured into an executive summary, introduction, body, and conclusion, with adherence to spelling, mechanics, and length requirements. Examples drawn from financial models such as CAPM elucidate how risk and return are measured, and why certain managers may face challenges in applying such models. Case studies like Monsanto and Sears highlight practical risk mitigation strategies and financial decision-making complexities regarding intellectual property, commodity fluctuations, market share, and insolvency risks.

Paper For Above instruction

In today’s complex business environment, ethical decision-making is fundamental to maintaining trust, integrity, and sustainability. Ethical analysis within business contexts necessitates a systematic evaluation of moral principles, conflicting interests, and practical implications. This paper explores the process of developing a practical ethical viewpoint, identifying and resolving moral conflicts, understanding embedded levels of ethical influence, applying ethical reasoning, and structuring a comprehensive analysis. Through exemplification with real-world cases like Monsanto and Sears, this discussion underscores the importance of integrating ethical theory with financial and operational strategies to foster responsible business practices.

Developing a Practical Ethical Viewpoint

The first step in ethical analysis involves selecting and explicitly stating an ethical viewpoint. For this analysis, I choose deontology, which emphasizes adherence to moral duties and principles regardless of outcomes. Deontology aligns with many professional ethical standards, such as honesty and fairness, and provides a clear framework for evaluating moral issues in business. By interpreting moral situations through deontology, actions such as honesty in financial disclosures or respect for human dignity become paramount (Kant, 1785). This framework guides me to focus on duties and obligations, avoiding consequentialist justifications that might justify unethical behavior if outcomes are favorable.

To deepen understanding, I interpret the same situations through utilitarianism, which assesses actions based on their overall utility or happiness produced. Ethical intuitionism emphasizes immediate moral instincts, while virtue ethics focuses on character and moral virtues like integrity and courage (Aristotle, 384–322 BC). Each theory offers unique insights; utilitarianism considers collective welfare, whereas virtue ethics emphasizes moral character. Strengths of deontology include clarity of duties, while limitations involve rigidity and potential conflicts between duties. Utilitarianism's strength lies in outcome-based assessment but can justify morally questionable actions if they produce greater happiness. Ethical intuitionism offers immediacy but may lack consistency, and virtue ethics fosters moral development but can be subjective.

Identifying Ethical Conflict

In evaluating ethical conflicts, the analysis begins by posing questions about exploitation, deception, injury, falsification, and competitive fairness. For example, does the company exploit workers or manipulate financial data? Is misinformation used to deceive stakeholders? These prohibitions highlight actions to avoid. Concurrently, efforts to uphold human dignity, legal rights, and personal responsibility must be observed. Are all parties’ rights being respected? Are leadership and employees committed to ethical standards? These obligations demand proactive measures to foster an ethical culture.

Summarizing the ethical conflict involves listing professional practice issues such as maintaining transparency, safeguarding intellectual property, or managing market risks. Linking principles like fairness, respect, and responsibility within the chosen deontological view helps define moral boundaries. Adopting a stakeholder-centric perspective can clarify which character’s moral stance to assume. Detection questions derived from deontology (e.g., "Does this action respect the dignity of all involved?") facilitate case analysis. For instance, in Monsanto’s case, neglecting intellectual property protection could lead to ethical breaches if the intent is unjust or if it harms other stakeholders.

The interrelationships between ethical mandates and professional practice can support each other by promoting trust, accountability, and sustainable growth. Conversely, conflicts may arise if commercial interests pressure adherence to rigid duties. Ultimately, ethical analysis seeks harmony between moral principles and business practices, guiding decision-makers toward responsible actions.

Assessing Embedded Levels

Embeddedness assesses how deeply rooted ethical issues are within organizational layers. Surface-level concerns involve immediate compliance or operational choices, while medium and deep levels pertain to cultural norms and core values. Regarding Monsanto, superficial issues include direct cost management strategies, whereas deeper levels involve moral considerations about environmental stewardship and intellectual property rights, which influence long-term reputation. Similarly, Sears’ financial struggles reveal embedded issues related to corporate culture, risk tolerance, and societal values about consumerism and employment, extending beyond surface financial metrics into broader ethical implications.

Applying Ethical Issues

In developing arguments for and against positions, it is vital to examine pivotal premises such as economic efficiency versus social responsibility. For example, Monsanto’s use of hedging to mitigate commodity risk can be justified from an economic standpoint but may raise ethical questions about environmental impact and corporate responsibility. Comparing premises using ethical considerations, such as respecting ecological integrity or ensuring fair treatment of stakeholders, informs ethical decision-making. Ultimately, the choice of course depends on balancing these premises—whether prioritizing shareholder profit or stakeholder well-being.

This analysis reveals that ethical principles can either align or conflict with business decisions. For Monsanto, protecting intellectual property safeguards innovation, yet may restrict access to vital technologies. With Sears, cost-cutting measures might restore short-term viability but could undermine employee welfare and community trust. Making judicious judgments entails weighing these tensions and adopting strategies that uphold core ethical values while achieving operational goals.

Structuring the Essay

The essay starts with an executive summary outlining main findings and ethical orientations. The introduction sets the context by describing the importance of ethics in business decision-making. The body explores theories, conflicts, embedded levels, applications, and case insights, supported by scholarly references. The conclusion synthesizes insights and recommends practices for ethical responsibility. Proper spelling and mechanics ensure clarity, while adherence to page requirements demonstrates academic rigor.

Conclusion

Business ethics analysis demands a disciplined approach rooted in ethical theory and practical considerations. By choosing a clear ethical viewpoint such as deontology, examining moral conflicts with probing questions, assessing the depth of embedded issues, and applying balanced reasoning, managers can navigate complex dilemmas responsibly. Cases like Monsanto and Sears illustrate how ethical standards influence strategic choices and stakeholder perceptions. Ultimately, integrating ethical principles into business decision-making fosters corporate integrity and contributes to sustainable success.

References

• Aristotle. (384–322 BC). Nicomachean Ethics. (Translated by W.D. Ross)
• Kant, I. (1785). Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals.
• Investopedia. (n.d.). Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). Retrieved fromhttps://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/capm.asp
• Investopedia. (n.d.). Cost of Equity. Retrieved fromhttps://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/costofequity.asp
• McPherson, M., Byrd, T., & Hickman, H. (2013). Financial management principles.
• Monsanto Company. (2015). 2014 Annual Report. Retrieved fromhttps://www.monsanto.com/investors
• Nolen, R. (2014). Sears store closures amid financial struggles. Financial Times.
• Weston, J. F. (1973). The weighted average cost of capital (WACC). Journal of Finance, 28(2), 503-537.
• Zucchi, E. (2015). Stress-testing the CAPM: Analyzing the risk premium. Journal of Financial Analysis.
• Byrd, T., Hickman, H., & McPherson, M. (2013). Modern financial analysis.