WEEK 1 The Business Ethics Workshop (2012) Washington, DC The S.docx

WEEK 1
The Business Ethics Workshop (2012) Washington, DC: The
Saylor Foundation
Chapter 1: What Is Business Ethics? (pages 4-32)
· Ethical Issues, Ethical Dilemmas, & Legal Issues
Theme 2: Why Ethics Matters?
· Culture: The Key to Corporate Governance
· Corporate culture: The second ingredient in a world-class
ethics and compliance program
· The Firm's Stakeholders
WEEK 2
Saylor Foundation
· Chapter 3: Theories of Consequence Ethics: Traditional Tools
for Making Decisions in Business When the Ends Justify the
Means (pages 91-125)
· Utilitarianism
Saylor Foundation
· Chapter 4: Theories Responding to the Challenge of Cultural
Relativism (pages 137-176)
· Aristotle & Virtue Theory
· Kantian Ethics in a Nutshell: The Moral Philosophy of
Immanuel Kant
[For additional information on ethical theories, see Course
Resources under Content]
Theme 2: Ethical Issues Surrounding Banking & Investment
Activity
· The two-year Wells Fargo horror story just won't end
· Tippee Insider Trading after Newman and Salman : Why
Knowledge Is Not Always Your
· U.S. Supreme Court Clarifies Standards for “Tippee” Insider
Trading Liability

· 60 Minutes Flash Boys - High Frequency Trading
· Socially-Responsible Investing for Long Term Safety and
Returns: Tom Van Dyck at TEDxNewWallStreet
· Why Creating Wealth Is Not Exploitative
· What’s in a Name? Regulation Best Interest v. Fiduciary
Week 3: Ethical Treatment of Employees - Workplace Culture
Theme 1: Safety/Civility
Your Person
· OSHA’s Wall of Shame: Agency Targets ‘Severe Violators’
· The Top 10 Bizarre Workers’ Compensation Cases for 2015
Your Psyche
· Kareem Hunt faces more than baseline six-game suspension
· The silent killer of workplace happiness, productivity, and
health is a lack of basic civility
· Chris Porath - "Mastering Civility: A Manifesto in the
Workplace," WJLA Interview
Your Money
· Thinking About Using Payroll Debit Cards? Read This First
· New Overtime Rules Suspended for Now
· Are ESOPs Good Retirement Plans?
Theme 2: Freedom From Discrimination
Illegal Discrimination
· The Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Supreme Court: A
Legal Analysis of Young v. U nited Parcel S ervice
· Legal discrimination in four letters: BFOQ
· The strange loophole that lets Hooters hire only female servers
· Is it okay to hire cooks to match the cuisine? (part I)
· Resources Legal Alerts Newsletters Articles Blogs Mobile
Apps Subject-Matter Booklets State Law Guides Newsletter
PDF EEOC Settles Beef With Restaurant
Legal Discrimination
· The Hidden Obstacle to Great Corporate Culture: Unconscious
Bias
· Former Hooters Waitress Awarded $250,000 in Racial
Discrimination Case

· Lifestyle Discrimination: Is it Legal?
· 8 Ways Employers Can Discriminate Against Workers -
Legally
· Anne Arundel Medical Center Won't Hire Smokers In The
Future
· Pay Transparency Is The
Solution
To The Pay Gap: Here's One Company's Success Story
· If a Law Bars Asking Your Past Salary, Does It Help or Hurt?
· Employers Must Use Caution When Basing Pay Decisions On
Prior Salary History
· Schumpeter: ESOP - When Workers Are Owners
· Employee Rights When Working for Multinational Employers
· EU to push for 40% quota for women on company boards
· EU workplace headscarf ban 'can be legal', says ECJ
BMGT 496 - Project 1: News Event (20%)
Project 1 is due Sunday at 11:59 p.m. eastern time of week 3
(with a 30 minute grace period) unless otherwise changed by the
instructor.
Purpose: In the first assignment, you have the opportunity to
see how ethics can play out in a real world scenario. You will
read the case scenario and answers the questions in a narrative

format. Use headings for each question. Headings are not the
question. You are required to use the course material to support
your reasoning and the conclusions made.
Outcomes met by completing this project:
1. identify ethical issues that arise in domestic and global
business environments using an understanding of ethical
concepts and of legal and business principles
Case Scenario:
Pacific Gas and Electric Corporation (PG&E) that supplies
electricity and natural gas to 16 million people, owns
the transmission lines attributed to causing the November 2018
California “Camp Fire” that killed 85 people and
destroyed thousands of acres of land including wildlife and the
town of Paradise, California. Facing more than $30 billion
in liability costs, the company has filed for bankruptcy
protection.
Recent investigations including documents obtained under the
Freedom of Information Act, reveals disturbing historical facts
about the company’s knowledge and management of its
infrastructure. The information shows that the company knew
of 49 steel towers needing replacement long before the
November fire (WSJ, 2019). Built in the early 1900s, much of
PG&E’s original equipment remained in service including
towers with a life expectancy of 65 years but kept in operation
up to 108 years (WSJ, 2019). More than 2500 towers in the

system were installed in the 1900s and 1910s, and an additional
6900 towers were kept in operation without knowing their
age (WSJ, 2019).
According to Federal Regulatory findings PG&E repeatedly
delayed upgrades to the older equipment, opting instead to
spend billions on projects like sub-station upgrades.
California’s rules for electrical transmission are a simple three
sentences stating that each utility company must come up with
its own procedures and follow them.
The danger was exacerbated in 2013 when historic drought
dried up California land. In 2017 the company acknowledged in
its internal documents that a plan was needed to
prevent structural failure and ground fires. State officials
concluded that equipment failure on the Caribou-Palermo line,
built in 1921 was the cause of the deadly California fire.
According to an attorney representing victims in a lawsuit
against PG&E, the company spent money from customers to
boost corporate profits and compensation, rather than
infrastructure maintenance and safety (CNBC, 2018).
The lawyer further stated that while other utilities routinely
shut power lines down when windy conditions prevailed,
PG&E’s pattern was to remain in service. He attributed this
to management bonuses that were tied to customer complaints,
rather than safety adherence (CNBC, 2018). On June 18, 2019
PG&E agreed to pay the town of Paradise $569.5 million in

settlements to help rebuild the destroyed community (KRCR,
2019). Other lawsuits are ongoing and pending without final
rulings.
PG&E stated it has begun repairs and spot fixes to the most
severe problems and has closed the Caribou-Palermo line all
together. Its website dedicates a page to reorganization under
Chapter 11 including specific infrastructure and safety
measures. PG&E’s CEO and President, William D. Johnson is
supported by a host of vice presidents including a Chief Ethics
and Compliance Officer and a VP of Community Wildfire
Safety (PG&E website).
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
4-6 pages in length excluding the title page and reference page.
Write clearly and concisely.
Create a title page with a title, the course number and section,
the instructor's name and your name.
Instructions:
Course Material
For this project, you are required to use the case scenario facts
and the course material. External sources are not permitted.
You are not researching on the Internet or using resources from
outside the course. You are expected to answer the
requirements identified below showing the connection between

the case scenario facts and the course material. Using course
material goes beyond defining terms and are used to explain the
'why and how' of a situation. Avoid merely making statements
but close the loop of the discussion by explaining how
something happens or why something happens, which focuses
on importance and impact. In closing the loop, you will
demonstrate the ability to think clearly and rationally showing
an understanding of the logical connections between the ideas
presented in a case scenario, the course material and the
question(s) being asked. Using one or two in-text citations
from the course material throughout the entire paper will not
earn many points on an assignment. The use of a variety of
course material is expected consistently supporting what is
presented. The support must be relevant and applicable to the
topic being discussed. Points are not earned for mentioning a
term or concept but by clearly and thoroughly explaining or
discussing the question at hand.
NOTE: If external sources are used, what is presented will not
count and a penalty for following instruction will apply.
Project Requirements
Introduction
· Write an Introduction paragraph.The Introduction paragraph is
the first paragraph of the paper and will be used to describe to
the reader the intent of the paper explaining the main points
covered in the paper. This intent should be understood prior to

reading the remainder of the paper so the reader knows exactly
what is being covered in the paper.
· Consider writing the introduction last to ensure that all of the
main points are covered.
Ethical Issue(s)
· Identify and discuss the ethical issue(s) related to Pacific Gas
and Electric Corporation.
Stakeholders Implications
· Identify the stakeholders involved in the Pacific Gas and
Electric Corporation ordeal.
· Discuss the potential implications of the company's actions on
each stakeholder or stakeholder group. Give examples.
Kantian Viewpoint
Explain how Kant would view the actions of Pacific Gas and
Electric Corporation.
Utilitarianism Viewpoint
· Explain how a utilitarian would view Pacific Gas and
Electric's actions.
Moral Responsibility
· Discuss whether Pacific Gas and Electric had a moral
responsibility to be honest with customers even when doing so
may reduce company's profits? Why or why not?
Conclusion
· Write a concluding paragraph that is brief and summarizes
the main points. Provide specific information related to the

major topics discussed in the paper.
Review the Paper
Read the paper to ensure all required elements are present.
The following are specific requirements that you will follow.
Use the checklist to mark off that you have followed each
specific requirement.
Checklist
Specific Project Requirements
Proofread your paper
Read and use the grading rubric while completing the paper to
ensure all requirements are met that will lead to the highest
possible grade.
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/firs
t-second-and-third-person.
Contractions are not used in business writing, so do not use
them.

Paraphrase and do not use direct quotations. Paraphrase means
you do not use more than four consecutive words from a source
document. Removing quotation marks and citing is
inappropriate. Instead put a passage from a source document
into your own words and attribute the passage to the source
document. There should be no passages with quotation marks.
Using more than four consecutive words from a source
document would require direct quotation marks. Changing
words from a passage does not exclude the passage from having
quotation marks. If more than four consecutive words are used
from source documents, this material will not be included in the
grade.
You are expected to use the research and weekly course
materials to develop the analysis and support the reasoning.
There should be a robust use of the course material. Material
used from a source document must be cited and referenced. A
reference within a reference list cannot exist without an
associated in-text citation and vice versa. Changing words from
a passage does not exclude the passage from having quotation
marks.
Use in-text citations and provide a reference list that contains
the reference associated with each in-text citation.

You may not use books in completing this problem set unless
part of the course material. Also, do not use a dictionary,
Wikipedia or Investopedia or similar sources.
Provide the page or paragraph number in every in-text citation
presented. Since the eBook does not have page numbers,
include the chapter title and topic heading. If using a video,
provide the minutes and second of the cited material.
Submit the paper in the Assignment Folder (The assignment
submitted to the Assignment Folder will be considered
the student's final product and therefore ready for grading by
the instructor. It is incumbent upon the student to verify the
assignment is the correct submission. No exceptions will be
considered by the instructor).
Self-Plagiarism: Self-plagiarism is the act of reusing
significant, identical or nearly identical portions of one's own
work. You cannot re-use any portion of a paper or other graded
work that was submitted to another class even if you are
retaking this course. You also will not reuse any portion of
previously submitted work in this class. A zero will be
assigned to the assignment if self-plagiarized. Faculty donot
have the discretion to accept self-plagiarized work.
NOTE: All submitted work is to be your original work. You
may not use any work from another student, the Internet or an
online clearinghouse. You are expected to understand the

Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism Policy, and know that it is
your responsibility to learn about instructor and general
academic expectations with regard to proper citation of sources
as specified in the APA Publication Manual, 6th Ed. (Students
are held accountable for in-text citations and an associated
reference list only).

WEEK 1 The Business Ethics Workshop (2012) Washington, DC The S.docx

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to WEEK 1 The Business Ethics Workshop (2012) Washington, DC The S.docx

Similar to WEEK 1 The Business Ethics Workshop (2012) Washington, DC The S.docx (17)

More from jessiehampson

More from jessiehampson (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

WEEK 1 The Business Ethics Workshop (2012) Washington, DC The S.docx