Write a 3–4 page ethical assessment of a business issue.
Note: The assessments in this course are sequenced in such a way as to help you build specific skills that you will use throughout your program. Complete the assessments in the order in which they are presented.
Ethics are an important part of life, in our private lives and in business. Sometimes, ethics and the law go hand in hand. Other times what seems moral or ethical to one person, or organization, does not match the law or the opinions of others. Yet, making decisions that the masses view as unethical can lead to tremendous business problems. Thus, developing the ability to analyze situations against an ethical platform is an important part of becoming an effective business leader.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:
· Competency 1: Apply critical thinking to business-related activities.
o Analyze a company's approach to an ethical issue.
Competency 3: Analyze factors, issues, and ethical considerations associated with business activity.
o Answer questions associated with an ethical dilemma to help clarify business decisions.
o Analyze the role of leadership in promoting ethical behavior.
Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is professional and consistent with expectations for members of the business professions.
o Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics.
· Assessment Instructions
Note: The assessments in this course are sequenced in such a way as to help you build specific skills that you will use throughout your program. Complete the assessments in the order in which they are presented.
Preparation
There are many models for judging ethics. Hooker, in his book Business Ethics as Rational Choice, suggests three tests to determine if an action is ethical. Research Hooker's tests or any other recognized and reputable ethical framework or model that is appropriate for evaluating an ethical dilemma.
Scenario
Pretend your company is considering selling customer data gained through their Web site to a 3rd party as a way to increase revenue. However, the company has a written commitment to privacy on its Web site that reads:
"We will not sell your personal information to anyone, for any purpose. Period."
Deliverable
Consider a recognized and reputable ethical framework as you create a well-organized paper that addresses the situation in the scenario presented. In that paper answer the following questions:
· What other information or reference points would help you to make an appropriate appraisal of the ethical nature of the situation?
· Would the company be in ethical violation of the policy if the data was aggregated, stripped of personal data, and then legally sold?
· What if the company did not actually sell the data, but instead shared (allowed use of) it in exchange for a service such as mining of that data?
· Consider that one of the company's other social media sites omitted a mention of data sharing in its privacy policy and there is a single login for all company sites and the data among them was shared with corporate headquarters? Could that information ethically be sold?
· If leadership decided to change their policy to state that they intend to share visitor data, could the company ethically share data collected previously?
Ensure that you write a well-organized, well-supported, flowing paper that addresses the issue. Do not simply list these questions and answer them. You need to have an introduction, conclusion, and various subheadings in between.
Additional Requirements
· Resources: Reference at least three professional resources.
· Formatting: Format resources and citations according to current APA style and formatting.
· Length of paper: Write 3–4 typed, double-spaced pages. (Remember, this always excludes front and back matter such as cover page and references.)
· Font and font size: Use Times New Roman, 12-point font.