Assignment:
Select two of the scenarios in the Applications list 12.2 (a.-ff.) at the end of Ch. 12 in The Art of Thinking.
Apply the following in a paper of 600 to 800 words for each scenario:
· Evaluate each argument, using the four-step process described on pp. 197-198, regarding soundness of reasoning (truth and validity).
· Explain your assessment, and add alternative argumentation where necessary.
Format your assignment according to appropriate course level APA guidelines.
Tools – 12.2 list
12.2. Check each of the following arguments to be sure that it contains no hidden premises and, if it is a complex argument, that all parts are expressed. Revise each, as necessary, to make the expression complete. Then evaluate the argument and decide whether it is sound. Explain your judgment.
a. Having great wealth is a worthy goal because it is difficult to attain and many famous people have pursued it.
b. Low grades on a college transcript are a handicap in the job market, so teachers who grade harshly are doing students a disservice.
c. The Bible can’t be relevant to today’s problems; it was written many centuries ago and is filled with archaic phrasing.
d. It is dishonest to pretend to have knowledge one does not have, so plagiarism is more virtue than vice.
e. The credit card habit promotes careless spending, particularly among young people. Therefore, credit card companies should not be permitted to issue credit cards to anyone under age 21.
f. No one who ever attended this college achieved distinction after graduation. Marvin attends this college. Therefore, Marvin will not achieve distinction after graduation.
g. Drug dealing should not be a crime because it does not directly harm others or force them to harm themselves.
h. A mature person is self-directing, so parents who make all their children’s decisions for them are doing their offspring a disservice.
STEPS IN EVALUATING AN ARGUMENT The following four steps are an efficient way to apply what you learned in this chapter—in other words, to evaluate your argument and overcome any errors in validity or truth that it may contain:
1. State your argument fully, as clearly as you can. Be sure to identify any hidden premises and, if the argument is complex, to express all parts of it.
2. Examine each part of your argument for errors affecting truth. (To be sure your examination is not perfunctory, play devil’s advocate and challenge the argument, asking pointed questions about it, taking nothing for granted.) Note any instances of either/or thinking, avoiding the issue, overgeneralizing, oversimplifying, double standard, shifting the burden of proof, or irrational appeal. In addition, check to be sure that the argument reflects the evidence found in your investigation (see Chapter 8) and is relevant to the pro and con arguments and scenarios you produced earlier (see Chapter 9).
3. Examine your argument for validity errors; that is, consider the reasoning that links conclusion ...
AssignmentSelect two of the scenarios in the Applications list .docx
1. Assignment:
Select two of the scenarios in the Applications list 12.2 (a.-ff.)
at the end of Ch. 12 in The Art of Thinking.
Apply the following in a paper of 600 to 800 words for each
scenario:
· Evaluate each argument, using the four-step process described
on pp. 197-198, regarding soundness of reasoning (truth and
validity).
· Explain your assessment, and add alternative argumentation
where necessary.
Format your assignment according to appropriate course level
APA guidelines.
Tools – 12.2 list
12.2. Check each of the following arguments to be sure that it
contains no hidden premises and, if it is a complex argument,
that all parts are expressed. Revise each, as necessary, to make
the expression complete. Then evaluate the argument and decide
whether it is sound. Explain your judgment.
a. Having great wealth is a worthy goal because it is difficult to
attain and many famous people have pursued it.
b. Low grades on a college transcript are a handicap in the job
market, so teachers who grade harshly are doing students a
disservice.
c. The Bible can’t be relevant to today’s problems; it was
written many centuries ago and is filled with archaic phrasing.
d. It is dishonest to pretend to have knowledge one does not
have, so plagiarism is more virtue than vice.
e. The credit card habit promotes careless spending, particularly
among young people. Therefore, credit card companies should
not be permitted to issue credit cards to anyone under age 21.
f. No one who ever attended this college achieved distinction
2. after graduation. Marvin attends this college. Therefore, Marvin
will not achieve distinction after graduation.
g. Drug dealing should not be a crime because it does not
directly harm others or force them to harm themselves.
h. A mature person is self-directing, so parents who make all
their children’s decisions for them are doing their offspring a
disservice.
STEPS IN EVALUATING AN ARGUMENT The following four
steps are an efficient way to apply what you learned in this
chapter—in other words, to evaluate your argument and
overcome any errors in validity or truth that it may contain:
1. State your argument fully, as clearly as you can. Be sure to
identify any hidden premises and, if the argument is complex, to
express all parts of it.
2. Examine each part of your argument for errors affecting
truth. (To be sure your examination is not perfunctory, play
devil’s advocate and challenge the argument, asking pointed
questions about it, taking nothing for granted.) Note any
instances of either/or thinking, avoiding the issue,
overgeneralizing, oversimplifying, double standard, shifting the
burden of proof, or irrational appeal. In addition, check to be
sure that the argument reflects the evidence found in your
investigation (see Chapter 8) and is relevant to the pro and con
arguments and scenarios you produced earlier (see Chapter 9).
3. Examine your argument for validity errors; that is, consider
the reasoning that links conclusions to premises. Determine
whether your conclusion is legitimate or illegitimate.
4. If you find one or more errors, revise your argument to
eliminate them. The changes you will have to make in your
argument will depend on the kinds of errors you find.
Sometimes, only minor revision is called for—the adding of a
simple qualification, for example, or the substitution of a
3. rational appeal for an irrational one. Occasionally, however, the
change required is more dramatic. You may, for example, find
your argument so flawed that the only appropriate action is to
abandon it altogether and embrace a different argument. On
those occasions, you may be tempted to pretend your argument
is sound and hope no one will notice the errors. Resist that
hope. It is foolish as well as dishonest to invest time in refining
a view that you know is unsound.
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Required Resources
Text
Fieser, J. (2015). Introduction to business ethics [Electronic
version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
Chapter 5: Discrimination in the Workplace
Chapter 6: Employees
Ashford Course Materials
Hardy, J, Foster, C., & Zúñiga y Postigo, G. (2015). Section
9.1: The Argumentative Essay. In With good reason: A guide to
critical thinking. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
Section 9.1: The Argumentative Essay is a section of Chapter 9
of the introductory course in logic textbook that
4. is employed in the PHI103 Informal Logic course offered at
Ashford University. The link for this source will take
you to a PDF format of this chapter. Section 9.1 introduces the
thesis and premises in an argumentative essay,
which are elements that students in this course must employ in
both assignments in this course.
Hardy, J, Foster, C., & Zúñiga y Postigo, G. (2015). Section
9.2: Strengthening the Argumentative Essay. In With good
reason: A guide to critical thinking. Retrieved from
https://content.ashford.edu/
Section 9.2: Strengthening the Argumentative Essay is a section
of Chapter 9 of the introductory course in
logic textbook that is employed in the PHI103 Informal Logic
course offered at Ashford University. The link for
this source will take you to a PDF format of this chapter. For
the purposes of the work for this week, it will be
necessary to read only thesubsection called Clarification and
Support. This subsection explains the kind of
support needed in an argumentative essay for the claims offered
in its premises, which students in this course
must know in order to apply in discussions and both
assignments.
Hardy, J, Foster, C., & Zúñiga y Postigo, G. (2015). Section
9.4: Confronting Disagreement. In With good reason: A guide
to critical thinking. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
Section 9.4: Confronting Disagreement is a section of Chapter 9
of the introductory course in logic textbook
that is employed in the PHI103 Informal Logic course offered at
Ashford University. The link for this source will
take you to a PDF format of this chapter. Section 9.4 covers the
philosophical principle of charity, which is a
principle that students in this course must employ in their
5. analyses for discussions and assignments.
Zúñiga y Postigo, G. (2015). The moral good in three traditional
ethical theories [PowerPoint Slides].
This PowerPoint document covers the main characteristics of
utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics, and
what is the moral good in each of these.
Articles
Collins, C., & Sokolowski, J. (2015, June 12). Supreme Court
sides with EEOC in Abercrombie & Fitch hijab case [Blog
post]. Retrieved from
http://www.laboremploymentlawblog.com/2015/06/articles/discr
imination/supreme-court-sides-
with-eeoc-in-abercrombie-fitch-hijab-case/
This chronicles the Supreme Court’s reversal of judgment of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth
Circuit.
Accessibility Statement does not exist.
Privacy Policy
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Abercrombie &
Fitch. 575 U. S. 1 (2015). Retrieved from
Ashford 6: - Week 5 (Feb 07 - Feb 13)
Week Five Overview Resources Discussion Final Project
http://outboundsso.next.ecollege.com/default/launch.ed?ssoType
=CDMS&redirectUrl=https://content.ashford.edu/ssologin?book
code=AUPHI445.16.1
http://vizedhtmlcontent.next.ecollege.com/pub/content/a41cb24
2-6d58-439e-a462-
54f7afc580f3/PHI445.file.Chapter_9WithGoodReason.pdf
7. fitch/
This article questions the reasons that a Muslim would have to
seek employment at a company that has a look
policy that would appear to be unsuitable to Muslim values.
Accessibility Statement
Privacy Policy
Olson, W. (2015, June 1). EEOC v. Abercrombie: Headscarfs
and judicial modesty. Retrieved from
http://www.cato.org/blog/eeoc-v-abercrombie-headscarfs-
judicial-modesty
This article examines the shortcomings and risks of this
Supreme Court decision.
Accessibility Statement does not exist.
Privacy Policy does not exist.
Religion in the workplace: Bias unveiled. (2015, June 3). The
Economist. Retrieved from
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2015/06/r
eligion-workplace
This article examines the complicated nature of the ruling,
which is in sharp contrast with Justice Scalia’s
musings that this case was “really easy.”
Accessibility Statement does not exist.
Privacy Policy
Zakrzewski, K. (2005). The prevalence of “look”ism in hiring
decisions: How federal law shoud be amended to prevent
appearance discrimination in the workplace. U. Pa. Journal of
Labor and Employment Law, 7(2), 431-461. Retrieved
from
https://www.law.upenn.edu/journals/jbl/articles/volume7/issue2/
Zakrzewski7U.Pa.J.Lab.&Emp.L.431%282005%29.pdf
8. This article examines the role of appearance in hiring decisions.
Multimedia
Wall Street Journal. (2015, June 3). Supreme Court rules
against Abercrombie & Fitch in head scarf case [Video file].
Retrieved from https://youtu.be/lhePN3HMHxI
This video covers the 8-1 ruling by The Supreme Court.
Transcript
Accessibility Statement
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http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/06/02/why-
would-a-devout-muslim-want-to-work-at-abercrombie-and-fitch/
http://www.economist.com/help/accessibilitypolicy
http://www.breitbart.com/about-us/privacy-policy/
http://www.cato.org/blog/eeoc-v-abercrombie-headscarfs-
judicial-modesty
http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2015/06/r
eligion-workplace
http://www.economistgroup.com/results_and_governance/gover
nance/privacy/
https://www.law.upenn.edu/journals/jbl/articles/volume7/issue2/
Zakrzewski7U.Pa.J.Lab.&Emp.L.431%282005%29.pdf
https://youtu.be/lhePN3HMHxI
http://vizedhtmlcontent.next.ecollege.com/pub/content/9345bb6
0-1082-41f2-92c1-
f4334730cf26/PHI445.W5.SupremeCourtRulesAgainstAbercrom
bieFitch.pdf
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/189278?hl=en
https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy
http://vizedhtmlcontent.next.ecollege.com/(NEXT(4301a4bcfc))
9. /Main/CourseMode/VizedHtmlView/RenderVizedHtmlView.ed?
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mType=CourseUnit&
Required Resources: Moral Resposibility
Text
Fieser, J. (2015). Introduction to business ethics [Electronic
version]. Retrieved from
https://content.ashford.edu/
Chapter 1: Ethical Principles and Business Decisions
Articles
Hamilton, N. D. (2008). One bad day: Thoughts on the
difference between animal rights and animal
welfare. Michigan Law Review First Impressions, 106, 138-142.
Retrieved from
http://repository.law.umich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=111
8&context=mlr_fi
This is an examination of the debate of animal rights vs. animal
welfare.
Regan, T. (1985). The case for animal rights. In P. Singer (Ed.),
In defense of animals (pp. 13-26).
10. Retrieved from http://www.animal-rights-library.com/texts-
m/regan03.htm
This article presents Regan’s argument for animal rights.
Singer, P. (1989). All animals are equal. In T. Regan & P.
Singer (Eds.), Animal rights and human
obligations (pp. 148-162). Retrieved from
http://spot.colorado.edu/~heathwoo/phil1200,Spr07/singer.pdf
Peter Singer presents the argument for extending the principle
of equality to all species.
Solotaroff, P. (2013, December 10). In the belly of the beast.
Rolling Stone. Retrieved from
http://www.rollingstone.com/feature/belly-beast-meat-factory-
farms-animal-activists
This is an investigative report on the state of animals in factory
farms.
Accessibility Statement does not exist.
Privacy Policy
Vining, J. (2008, October 10). Animal cruelty laws and factory
farming. Michigan Law Review First
Impressions, 106(5), 123-127. Retrieved from
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?
abstract_id=1282251
This article presents the argument that laws criminalizing
animal abuse should apply to
animals raised for food. Criminal liability should include, the
argument goes, criminal
liability of the corporate entity itself, and it would thus also
introduce the most effective
12. regulation of individual handling of farm animals.
Multimedia
Alfie A. (2010, November 22). Meet your meat [Video file].
Retrieved from
https://youtu.be/32IDVdgmzKA
This is a brief exposé about how farm animals raised for food
are treated on today’s
factory farms. Please beware that is difficult to watch, yet it is
important to get a glimpse of
the realities behind much of what we find in restaurants and the
supermarket. Transcript
Accessibility Statement
Privacy Policy
Ebert, R. [Rainer Ebert]. (2008, March 15). Carl Cohen: Why
animals do not have rights 1/6 [Video
file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/kbk7xY9t-UQ
Professor Cohen presents the argument that animals do not have
rights. Transcript
Accessibility Statement
Privacy Policy
Ebert, R. [Rainer Ebert]. (2008, March 16). Tom Regan: Animal
rights–An introduction 1/5 [Video file].
Retrieved from https://youtu.be/fTNNJspZXA4
Professor Regan presents the argument that animals have rights.
Transcript
Accessibility Statement
Privacy Policy
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14. Text
Fieser, J. (2015). Introduction to business ethics [Electronic
version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
Chapter 4: Consumers
Articles
Dantzer, R., & Mormède, P. (1983). Stress in farm animals: A
need for reevaluation. Journal of Animal Science, 57, 6-18.
Retrieved
from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/16846544_Stress_in_f
arm_animals_A_need_for_reevaluation
Evidence from experiments in farm animals is presented to
support the view that psychological responses to
environmental stimuli are powerful activators of endocrine
responses. Accordingly, the amount of psychological stress
that an animal experiences determines how much the pituitary-
adrenal axis responds. In intensive animal husbandy
(such as that in factory farms), chronic and multiple stress is the
norm.
Lipinski, L. (2003). Milk: It does a body good? It all depends
on where it comes from–Doesn’t it? Retrieved from
http://www.spiritofhealthkc.com/wp/wp-
content/uploads/Health%20Library/Food%20and%20Herbs/Dair
y/MILK%20-
%20Milk%20-%20It%20Does%20a%20Body%20Good.pdf
This article questions the marketing of milk as a healthy
necessity.
Mason, J., & Finelli, M. (2006). Brave new farm? In P. Singer
(Ed.), In defense of animals: The second wave (pp. 104-122).
15. Retrieved from
http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic983317.files/Readings
%20October%2026/AgainstZoos_DaleJamieson.pdf#page=114v
Article in pages 104 to 122 that presents the stark reality of
modern-day farmed animal production.
O’Brien, T. (1997). Factory farming and human health.
Retrieved from http://www2-
ciwf.doteditor.net/includes/documents/cm_docs/2008/f/factory_
farming_and_human_health_1997.pdf
This article presents current meat production practices and the
health risks to both human and non-human animals.
Rostagno, M. (2010). Stress in farm animals and food safety: Is
there a connection? [Food safety fact sheet]. Retrieved from
http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/50201500/Stress%
20and%20Food%20Safety%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
This report presents the connection between stress in farm
animals and food safety.
Stathopoulos, A. S. (2010). You are what your food eats: How
regulation of factory farm conditions could improve human
health and
animal welfare alike. Legislation and Public Policy, 13, 407-
444. Retrieved from http://www.nyujlpp.org/wp-
content/uploads/2012/11/Anastasia-S.-Stathopoulos-You-Are-
What-Your-Food-Eats-How-Regulation-of-Factory-Farm-
Conditions-Could-Improve-Human-Health-and-Animal-Welfare-
Alike.pdf
This report finds that the animal product-heavy American diet
leads to dangerous levels of fat intake, antibiotics, and
growth hormones that are all part of the diet and treatment of
16. factory farm animals.
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Ashford 5: - Week 4 (Jan 31 - Feb 06)
Week Four Overview Required Resources Required Resources:
Environmental
Required Resources: Advertising Required Resources: Safety
Required Resources: Moral Resposibility
Discussion
http://outboundsso.next.ecollege.com/default/launch.ed?ssoType
=CDMS&redirectUrl=https://content.ashford.edu/ssologin?book
code=AUPHI445.16.1
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/16846544_Stress_in_f
arm_animals_A_need_for_reevaluation
http://www.spiritofhealthkc.com/wp/wp-
content/uploads/Health%20Library/Food%20and%20Herbs/Dair
y/MILK%20-%20Milk%20-
%20It%20Does%20a%20Body%20Good.pdf
http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic983317.files/Readings
%20October%2026/AgainstZoos_DaleJamieson.pdf#page=114v
http://www2-
ciwf.doteditor.net/includes/documents/cm_docs/2008/f/factory_
farming_and_human_health_1997.pdf
http://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/50201500/Stress%
20and%20Food%20Safety%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
http://www.nyujlpp.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Anastasia-
S.-Stathopoulos-You-Are-What-Your-Food-Eats-How-
Regulation-of-Factory-Farm-Conditions-Could-Improve-Human-
Health-and-Animal-Welfare-Alike.pdf
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emType=CourseUnit&
Required Resources: Environmental
Text
Fieser, J. (2015). Introduction to business ethics [Electronic
version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
Chapter 9: Environmental Issues
Articles
Carman, N. (2009, March 30). Hydrogen sulfide needs
hazardous air pollutant listing under CAA Title III [Letter to
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]. Retrieved from
http://www.earthworksaction.org/files/publications/H2SLetterT
oEPA.pdf
Letter requesting EPA to list Hydrogen Sulfide in air emissions
from various industrial wastes (such
18. as those from slaughterhouses, including chicken factory farms
with waste incinerators) as a
hazardous air pollutant.
Heinzen, T., Frantz, T., Nivens, J., Kimbrell, G., Jarrett, J.,
Malott, M., … Edwards, S. (2011). Petition for the
regulation of ammonia as a criteria pollutant under clean air act
sections 108 and 109 [Citizen petition to
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]. Retrieved from
http://www.environmentalintegrity.org/documents/PetitiontoList
AmmoniaasaCleanAirActCriteriaPollutant.pdf
This is a petition to the EPA for the regulation of ammonia as a
pollutant.
Hoover, J. (2013). Can’t you smell that smell? Clean air act
fixes for factory farm air pollution. Stanford Journal of
Animal Law and Policy, 6, 1-29. Retrieved from
http://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?a
rticle=1043&context=student_pubs
The article argues that the EPA should regulate the emissions of
hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, two
pollutants for which factory farms are major sources.
U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2008). Concentrated
animal feeding operations: EPA needs more
information and a clearly defined strategy to protect air and
water quality from pollutants of concern (GAO-
08-944). Retrieved from
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08944.pdf
This is a governmental report on concentrated animal feeding
operations (i.e., factory farms).
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)/Main/…edHtmlView.ed?courseItemSubId=81818969&courseIt
emType=CourseUnit&
Required Resources: Advertising
Text
Fieser, J. (2015). Introduction to business ethics [Electronic
version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
Chapter 4: Consumers
Articles
Barnes, I. R. (1962). False advertising. Ohio State Law Journal,
23(4), 598-664. Retrieved from
https://kb.osu.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/1811/68396/OSLJ_V
23N4_0597.pdf?sequence=1
This article provides an examination of the nature and
consequences of false advertising.
Brunello, A. (2010). Ethics and advertising [Unpublished
conference paper]. Retrieved from
http://www.bursedoctorale.ro/public/documente/articole/133208
5838_Articol_conf_Brunello_A_FEAA_Iunie2010.pdf
This paper examines the relationship between ethics and
advertising.
Dillard, C. (2004). False advertising, animals, and ethical
consumption. Animal Law, 10(25), 25-62. Retrieved from
https://www.animallaw.info/sites/default/files/vol10_p25.pdf
This article investigates the ways that consumers can protect
themselves from false advertising through the
21. use of federal and state agencies, independent review, federal
and state courts, and private attorneys
general actions.
Freeman, C. P. (2009). This little piggy went to press: The
American news media’s construction of animals in agriculture.
The Communication Review, 12(1), 78-103. Retrieved from
http://scholarworks.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=1007&context=communication_facpub
This article reports how farm animals are represented in news
media.
Lipinski, L. (2003). Milk: It does a body good? It all depends
on where it comes from–Doesn’t it? Retrieved from
http://www.spiritofhealthkc.com/wp/wp-
content/uploads/Health%20Library/Food%20and%20Herbs/Dair
y/MILK%20-
%20Milk%20-%20It%20Does%20a%20Body%20Good.pdf
This article questions the marketing of milk as a healthy
necessity.
Nantel, J., & Weeks, W. (1996). Marketing ethics: Is there more
to it than the utilitarian approach? European Journal of
Marketing, 30(5), 9-19. Retrieved from
http://neumann.hec.ca/pages/jacques.nantel/notes/53-102-
96/lectures/ethicsnantel.pdf
This article presents the argument that there is a wide gap
between theory and practice in marketing.
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Ashford 5: - Week 4 (Jan 31 - Feb 06)
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mType=CourseUnit&
Required Resources
Text
Fieser, J. (2015). Introduction to business ethics [Electronic
version]. Retrieved from
https://content.ashford.edu/
Chapter 2: Capitalism
Read only the Media Feature titled Capitalism: Perdue located
in Section 2.1, at the
end of the Capitalism subheading.
Ashford Course Material
Zúñiga y Postigo, G. (2015). The moral good in three traditional
ethical theories [PowerPoint Slides].
This PowerPoint document covers the main characteristics of
utilitarianism, deontology,
and virtue ethics, and what is the moral good in each of these.
Multimedia
CompassionUSA. (2014, December 3). Chicken factory farmer
speaks out [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://youtu.be/YE9l94b3x9U
Chicken farmer opens his farm that is run by Perdue in order to
24. share the realities of
raising chicken according to the contractual arrangements with
Perdue. Transcript
Accessibility Statement
Privacy Policy
PerdueChicken. (2014, August 1). Perdue cartoon commercial–
Fresh taste [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://youtu.be/jz2jkpN_DGo
This is a cartoon commercial aired by Perdue to promote the
freshness and quality of
Perdue chickens, who are depicted as living well. Transcript
Accessibility Statement
Privacy Policy
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Ashford 5: - Week 4 (Jan 31 - Feb 06)
Week Four Overview Required Resources Required Resources:
Environmental
Required Resources: Advertising Required Resources: Safety
Required Resources: Moral Resposibility Discussion
http://outboundsso.next.ecollege.com/default/launch.ed?ssoType
=CDMS&redirectUrl=https://content.ashford.edu/ssologin?book
code=AUPHI445.16.1
http://vizedhtmlcontent.next.ecollege.com/pub/content/f0951cd0
-a7d0-4521-bf2f-
59f21e277cb8/PHI445.file.TheMoralGood3EthicalTheories.pptx
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Required Resources: Pharmaceuticals (Merck)
Text
Fieser, J. (2015). Introduction to business ethics [Electronic
version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
Chapter 10: Investments
Read only Pharmaceutical Products in Section 10.2
Articles
Friedman, M. (1970, September 13). The social responsibility of
business is to increase its profits. New York
Times Magazine. Retrieved from http://highered.mcgraw-
hill.com/sites/dl/free/0073524697/910345/Appendices.pdf
Friedman presents a two-part clarification of what we may
understand as social responsibility. The
first part states that the responsibility of business is to its
shareholders by using its resources to
increase profits. Most stop here and assume that Friedman is
advocating an ethics of egoism. But
the important second part is that Friedman argues that business
must be bound by the law and rules
of honesty and decency toward others.
Accessibility Statement does not exist.
Privacy Policy
Rea, P., Zhang, V., & Baras, Y. (2010, July-August). Ivermectin
and river blindness. American Scientist, 98, 294-
303. Retrieved from
http://izt.ciens.ucv.ve/ecologia/Archivos/ECO_POB%202010/E
27. COPO6_2010/Rea%20et%20al%202010.pdf
This is a report of how Merck brought together science and
philanthropy in order to put an end to
river blindness.
Multimedia
Annual Reviews. (2012, February 3). A conversation with P.
Roy Vagelos [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://youtu.be/-fRpgGkgA-c
This video is a biographical interview of the former Research
Director and later CEO at Merck, who
made the call to produce Ivermectin and distribute it for free.
[Note: The discussion relevant to Merck
and Ivermectin starts at the 60:00 mark.] Transcript
Accessibility Statement
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Ashford 4: - Week 3 (Jan 24 - Jan 30)
Week Three Overview Required Resources Required Resources:
Banking (Lehman Brothers)
Required Resources: Environment (BP) Required Resources:
GMOs (Monsanto)
Required Resources: Pharmaceuticals (Merck) Required
Resources: Gender Discrimination (Goodyear)
Required Resources: Factory Farming (Perdue Farms)
Discussion Assignment
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Required Resources
Text
Fieser, J. (2015). Introduction to business ethics [Electronic
version]. Retrieved from
https://content.ashford.edu/
Chapter 2: Capitalism
Chapter 3: Corporations
Articles
Friedman, M. (1970, September 13). The social responsibility of
business is to increase its profits. New
York Times Magazine. Retrieved from http://highered.mcgraw-
hill.com/sites/dl/free/0073524697/910345/Appendices.pdf
Friedman presents a two-part clarification of what we may
understand as social
responsibility. The first part states that the responsibility of
business is to its shareholders
by using its resources to increase profits. Most stop here and
assume that Friedman is
advocating an ethics of egoism. But the important second part is
30. that Friedman argues
that business must be bound by the law and rules of honesty and
decency toward others.
Smith, J. W. (2015). The Uber-all economy. Market News,
49(6), 26. Retrieved from
http://www.ama.org/
The full-text version of this article can be accessed through the
EBSCOhost database in
the Ashford University Library. This article outlines the
characteristics of the Uber business
model.
Steinmetz, K. (2015, June 17). Why the California ruling on
Uber should frighten the sharing economy.
Time. Retrieved from http://time.com/3924941/uber-california-
labor-commission-ruling/
This article examines the effects of the ruling on the growing
independent contractor
sector.
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Multimedia
IJ Sales. (2014, February 4). What is Uber? [Video file].
Retrieved from https://youtu.be/pZBMo59iwPo
An operations manager from Uber presents how the Uber
service works. Transcript
Accessibility Statement
Ashford 3: - Week 2 (Jan 17 - Jan 23)
Week Two Overview Required Resources Recommended
32. 5Ps
Jeffrey Miron, a Harvard University economist, clarifies that
being a capitalist is not the
same as being pro-business, explains why capitalism does not
create an unfair distribution
of resources, and shows why the view that capitalism was
responsible for the recent
financial crisis and recession is not justified. Transcript
Accessibility Statement
Privacy Policy
LibertyPen. (2009, November 13). Milton Friedman–Lesson of
the pencil [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://youtu.be/4ERbC7JyCfU
Economist Milton Friedman describes the machinery of the
price system by illustrating
how a pencil is made. Transcript
Accessibility Statement
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Macat Education. (2015, August 10). An introduction to
Friedrich Hayek’s The road to serfdom–A
Macat economics analysis [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://youtu.be/ONATaFzi82I?
list=PLRXstY5OaIwfFdYTwRlwB-gnNCg8oH9sw
This is an overview of economist Friedrich Hayek’s most
influential book that concerns the
interplay of business and government in the economic and
political settings in which they
operate. Transcript
Accessibility Statement
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33. Mashable. (2014, October 9). What is Uber? | Mashable
explains [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://youtu.be/tQlgavP5cmo
This video presents a casual overview of Uber and its
comparison to the taxi industry.
Transcript
Accessibility Statement
Privacy Policy
PragerU. (2015, April 6). Profits are progressive [Video file].
Retrieved from
https://youtu.be/tdHwewUuXBg?list=PLIBtb_NuIJ1w_5qAEs5c
SUJ5Bk0R8QLaY
Economist Walter Williams examines the role of profit in
entrepreneurship. Transcript
Accessibility Statement
Privacy Policy
TechCrunch. (2015, June 17). Uber driver ruled employee, not
contractor, in CA | Crunch report [Video
file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/n3QJWPg5TLA
This is a report of the California Court finding that a particular
Uber driver in California
should have some costs reimbursed as she was deemed to be an
employee instead of an
independent contractor. Transcript
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https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGPa5Ob-5Ps
36. concluding remarks. In order to benefit the most, you
should start working on your Final Project from the time you
receive your Week Three Assignment back with
comments from your professor.
Your assignment should include the following:
A revision of your Week Three Case Analysis Assignment. Your
revision should represent a substantial edit
of your work that fully incorporates feedback from your
professor and goes well beyond correcting any
grammatical or APA errors.
The strongest possible objection to your thesis. After the final
paragraph of your Week Three Case
Analysis Assignment, start a new paragraph that introduces the
strongest possible objection to your thesis. The
considerations for this are detailed in Section 9.2 of With Good
Reason: A Guide to Critical Thinking (Hardy,
Foster, & Zúñiga y Postigo, 2015). Make sure to employ the
appropriate language to introduce the objection,
such as “some may object to my thesis as follows” or
“according to [so and so] the thesis presented here fails
to account for X” [whatever he or she finds problematic]. You
can find other language to do this, of course, but
the key point here is to make sure that you indicate that
someone else is speaking when presenting this
objection.
It is also important to remember that you do research to
discover good objections and not merely objections
that are weak and thus easily rebutted. Look for peer-reviewed
journal articles in the Ashford University Library,
full-text articles in Google Scholar, or articles in the Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Present the opposing
position fairly and in detail. This may take more than one
paragraph.
37. A rebuttal. This is a refutation of the objection that you have
just presented. Start this in a new paragraph
following the objection paragraph(s). Once again, follow the
indications of Section 9.2 of With Good Reason: A
Guide to Critical Thinking (Hardy, Foster, & Zúñiga y Postigo,
2015). You may point out an error in the
objection. Or you may show that, while it is an important
objection, it does not apply squarely to your argument,
or does not account for facts that make it irrelevant. Above all,
make sure to maintain philosophical decorum in
your rebuttal. Toward this end, you should apply the principles
of charity and of accuracy, first introduced in the
Week One course material. See “Confronting Disagreement” in
Section 9.4 of With Good Reason: A Guide to
Critical Thinking (Hardy, Foster, & Zúñiga y Postigo, 2015).
Closing remarks. End your argumentative essay with a
paragraph of closing remarks. Provide some
reflections of what you have attempted to achieve by means of
your essay. You could, for example, explain how
your essay sheds light on the broader controversy that it
addresses. Or you could point out how your essay
addresses a frequently ignored point or the unpopular side in the
controversy. You could also reflect on the
related matters in the broader controversy that would be useful
to examine by others. Do not merely summarize
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what you have done in the body of your essay, and do not add
new information here that would support or
contradict your essay since the body of your essay should have
addressed all the relevant points. See “Closing
Your Essay” in Section 9.2 of With Good Reason: A Guide to
Critical Thinking (Hardy, Foster, & Zúñiga y
Postigo (2015).
Requirements for your Assignment:
Your assignment should be between 1500 to 1700 words in
length, excluding the cover and references
pages.
Your examination should be both thorough and succinct. This is
a combination that demands time and
thought, so give yourself sufficient time to draft and revise.
Your assignment should include citations, as well as a list of
references. Both must be in APA form.
Your references should include at least four peer-reviewed
articles in addition to those that you will
be carrying over from our Week Three Case Analysis
Assignment. These references should be
drawn from the Ashford University Library, Google Scholar, or
the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Your assignment should be submitted no later than the end of
Monday (midnight, U.S. Mountain
time).
Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be
used to evaluate your assignment.
In Ashford courses, there are two different ways to submit
assignments for grading. Depending on the system
39. the course utilizes, assignments will either be submitted via the
classroom Assignment Basket or Waypoint
.
Waypoint Assignment Submission
The assignments in this course will be submitted to Waypoint.
Please refer to the instructions below to submit
your assignment.
1. Click on the Assignment Submission button above. The
Waypoint "Student Dashboard" will appear.
2. Browse for your assignment.
3. Click Upload.
4. Confirm that your assignment was successfully submitted by
viewing the appropriate week's
assignment tab in Waypoint, or clicking on Check Assignment
Status within the Meet Your Instructor
unit in the left navigation panel.
For more detailed instructions, refer to the Waypoint Tutorial.
http://ashford.waypointoutcomes.com/assessment/13086/previe
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Case Analysis: Case Studies: Lehman Brothers, British
Petroleum, Monsanto,
Merck, Goodyear, Perdue Farms
In the Week Three Discussion, you selected a current business
problem from the following case categories:
Banking
Fuel and the Environment
GMOs
Factory Farming
Pharmaceuticals
Gender Discrimination
In this written assignment, you will present your work on the
case analysis using selected components of an
argumentative essay as described in Sections 9.1 and 9.2 of
With Good Reason: A Guide to Critical Thinking
(Hardy, Foster, & Zúñiga y Postigo, 2015). This written
assignment will include a revised and polished version
of your discussion work, the presentation and support of two
premises, and an analysis of how your chosen
ethical theory offers the best moral solution to the business
problem in your case analysis.
Using the components of the argumentative essay located in
Sections 9.1 and 9.2 of With Good Reason: A
Guide to Critical Thinking (Hardy, Foster, & Zúñiga y Postigo
(2015), your assignment should include the
following:
41. An introduction. This is the “Problem” portion of the essay that
is covered in Section 9.1: The
Argumentative Essay (Hardy, Foster, & Zúñiga y Postigo,
2015). This should be an improved
version of the introduction in your initial post, revised on the
basis of your professor’s feedback
and additional research. In this introduction you will need to (a)
identify the specific issue or
problem that you want to address and give an impartial
presentation of the controversy, (b)
articulate briefly the characteristics of the economic system that
serves as the setting for the
business, and (c) examine the laws that affect the operations of
the business. The introduction
should be one paragraph of around 200 words in length.
A thesis. Start a new paragraph with a precise and clear
sentence in which you state your moral
position with regard to the case that you presented in your first
paragraph. This is known as
stating your thesis. (See the “Thesis” passage in “The
Argumentative Essay” in Hardy, Foster, &
Zúñiga y Postigo, 2015). The thesis you state here should be an
improved version of the thesis in
your initial post in the discussion, revised on the basis of your
professor’s feedback and your
reading of “The Argumentative Essay” indicated above.
A thesis is only one sentence, so do not write a series of
sentences, or a complex sentence with
explanatory clauses (e.g., “because…” or “since…” or
“according to Dr. Mary Expert, an economist
with the Bureau of Labor statistics…”, or “a law that was
ratified with 80% votes in favor…”). An
example of a precise and clear thesis is this: “Factory farms are
42. not morally justifiable” or, of
course, the opposite point of view: “Factory farms are morally
justifiable.” Keep in mind that your
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thesis in this assignment will be the basis for the argumentative
essay of the Week Five written
assignment, so take your time when formulating this thesis.
Ethical theory. In the same second paragraph as the thesis
statement, identify the ethical theory
that supports your moral position. You may choose from
utilitarianism, duty ethics, or virtue ethics.
Present the characteristics of the ethical theory in a broad
sketch, and include citations and
references in APA form. Then, apply your chosen ethical theory
by explaining how it lends itself to
the moral position that you are defending.
Two premises. Present at least two reasons in support of your
thesis and these should be
presented in the form of a claim. These are called premises.
Articulate each premise in one clear
and grammatically correct sentence. Review Section 9.1 of With
Good Reason: A Guide to Critical
Thinking (Foster, Hardy, and Zúñiga y Postigo, 2015). Start a
43. new paragraph for each.
In the rest of the paragraph, support your premise by presenting
an analysis of how the ethical
theory lends itself to the best solution. This analysis includes
articulating the characteristics(s) of
the economic system at work that support the claims in your
premises. It also includes examining
the effects of the law(s) at work that also support the claims in
your premises.
Comparative analysis. In the final paragraph, analyze how this
application lends itself to a
solution that is superior to that offered by one of the ethical
theories that you did not select. To do
this, provide a clear statement describing the moral solution
offered by this other theory. For
example, if you chose utilitarianism to apply to your case, then
you can choose from either virtue
ethics or deontology for your comparative analysis. Explain in
no more than three sentences what
moral solution would result from the application of this other
ethical theory. See the “Sample Case
Analysis” in the required reading for an illustration of how this
would look like. Finally, analyze the
strengths of the moral solution presented by your chosen ethical
theory in ways that demonstrate
how it is superior to the moral solution offered by the other
ethical theory.
Once you receive your assignment back from your professor,
start working on revisions based on your
professor’s feedback. This is the first step in preparing your
Final Project and the details are presented on the
Final Project’s prompt. You will benefit from starting your
Final Project as soon as you receive your assignment
44. back from your professor.
Requirements for Your Assignment:
Your assignment should be 1000 words in length, excluding the
title page and reference page(s).
Your examination should be both thorough and succinct. This is
a combination that demands time and
thought, so give yourself sufficient time to draft and revise.
Your assignment should include citations, as well as a list of
references. Both must be in APA form.
You should draw from the sources provided in your chosen case
category in the discussion this week.
Also refer to Section 9.1: The Argumentative Essay and the
introduction to Section 9.2: Strengthening
the Argumentative Essay (intro only for the latter) from Hardy,
J., Foster, C., & Zúñiga y Postigo, G.
(2015).
Your references should include at least two scholarly sources
from your own research in the Ashford
University Library, Google Scholar (this is not the same as
Google), or the Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy. No Wikipedia articles and the like should be
included in the references, nor employed to
inform your paper. Also keep in mind that dictionary definitions
are not references in the academic
sense.Your assignment should be submitted no later than the
end of Monday (11:59 pm, U.S.
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Mountain time).
Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be
used to evaluate your assignment.
In Ashford courses, there are two different ways to submit
assignments for grading. Depending on the system
the course utilizes, assignments will either be submitted via the
classroom Assignment Basket or Waypoint
.
Waypoint Assignment Submission
The assignments in this course will be submitted to Waypoint.
Please refer to the instructions below to submit
your assignment.
1. Click on the Assignment Submission button above. The
Waypoint "Student Dashboard" will appear.
2. Browse for your assignment.
3. Click Upload.
4. Confirm that your assignment was successfully submitted by
viewing the appropriate week's
assignment tab in Waypoint, or clicking on Check Assignment
Status within the Meet Your Instructor
unit in the left navigation panel.
For more detailed instructions, refer to the Waypoint Tutorial.
http://ashford.waypointoutcomes.com/assessment/13085/previe
w
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/Main/CourseMode/VizedHtmlView/About_Waypoint.html
http://vizedhtmlcontent.next.ecollege.com/pub/content/ebeade3b
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Week 2
Reflect: Keep in mind that Uber has presented itself into the
market not as a transportation service but as a service that pairs
consumers with ride sharing services by means of a unique
phone app. But some sources—including the taxi industry and
one California court finding (details in the required material),
as well as the characterization of Uber presented in Section 3.4
of the textbook—seem to challenge this branding. According to
these sources, Uber is avoiding laws that apply to the
transportation industry and, thereby, usurping a rightful place
that the taxi industry has carved for itself. Consumers, on the
other hand, have shown their preference for Uber by a high
demand for its services in the USA and abroad, including those
countries in which Uber has been banned. Compared to taxis,
Uber offers consumers an efficient system for procuring a ride
even in remote areas where taxis do not frequent, a convenient
payment method (no need for cash, and fares can be split among
different users on the same ride), and significantly cheaper fares
compared to taxis. In many instances, Uber cars come equipped
with water, candy, and magazines, all for free. Uber drivers are
also better off because they keep the majority of the fares for
the rides that they service, which is exactly the opposite case of
taxi drivers, and they can choose when they want to work.
Clearly, this is a controversial case and thus very apt for the
examination for this discussion.
Keep in mind that a nation’s economic system is shaped by the
laws that are in place. Accordingly, laws (including state
regulations and local ordinances) will give you a clue for the
kind of economic system that exists. Keep in mind also that
most nations have mixed economies and there is probably no
47. economic system that purely represents socialism or capitalism.
So you will find a different combination of both socialism and
capitalism in any nation that you are examining.
Write: You have four tasks for your initial post. In order to
present an organized post, address each one of these tasks in a
separate paragraph and in the following order. Your first task is
to articulate the economic system (or combination of
characteristics of both socialism and capitalism) that such laws
depict. Your second task is to examine the laws that either
support or limit the operations by Uber. Your third task is to
analyze how your findings from your first and second tasks
affect Uber. And your fourth task is to present your moral
position with regard to Uber. For this latter task, you will need
to identify one of the three ethical theories covered in the Week
One (utilitarianism, deontology, or virtue ethics) as support for
the moral position that you are taking. For example, you may
hold the moral position that Uber is morally justifiable because
it provides a good for consumers that fills in a gap that had not
been met by the taxi industry. Or you may take the position that
Uber’s positioning in the market is morally wrong.
Requirements for Your Initial Post:
Your initial post should be at least 400 words in length and
have citations and references in APA notation. It should address
the prompt in its entirety. This means that you should not split
your response to the prompt in multiple posts. Your examination
should be both thorough and succinct. This is a combination
that demands time and thought, so give yourself sufficient time
to draft and revise.
Your list of references for your initial post should include the
video and the other required material for this discussion,
including Section 1.3 of the textbook on Starbucks, as well as
the Instructor Guidance and any other announcements presented
48. to you by your professor. Use all of the material presented to
you in the course and by your professor, in addition to any other
sources that you consulted to inform yourself about the case
(but not Wikipedia or similar sources).
Week 3
Prepare: In your first post in this discussion, you will identify
and apply one ethical theory of your choosing to a current
problem in business, also of your choosing. Start by reviewing
your notes on the Week One course material and your completed
work for Week One. Then, choose one of the three ethical
theories—i.e., utilitarianism, deontology, or virtue ethics—on
the basis of your thoughtfully considered preference in general
and independent of the business problem that you will select
here. Keep in mind that you will employ this ethical theory for
supporting your position not only for this discussion, but also
for this week’s assignment and the Final Project.
To prepare for your selection of the current problem in
business, look at the list of required articles and multimedia
which are divided in the six case-categories as follows:
Banking (Lehman Brothers)
Environment (BP)
GMOs (Monsanto)
Pharmaceuticals (Merck)
Gender Discrimination (Goodyear)
Factory Farms (Perdue)
Choose the case-category that you find the most interesting and
note that each category also corresponds to one particular case.
Please choose carefully because your choice for this discussion
will establish the case that will be central to your argumentative
essay this week as well as your Final Project in Week Five. It is
recommended that you leaf through all the required resources
indicated for the possible case-categories that you identify as
possible contenders before making your final choice.
49. Reflect: Once you have selected your ethical theory and your
case category, articulate the characteristics of the economic
system (or combination of both systems) that serves as the
setting for the case presented in the case category sources.
Given this context, examine how the nation’s laws affect the
operations of the business.
Next, identify the characteristics of your chosen ethical theory
and its notion of the moral good. For the latter, you will need to
review again the PowerPoint that was introduced in Week One,
which is also listed in this week’s Required Resources and it is
titled The Moral Good in Three Traditional Ethical Theories.
Then, think how you would apply the ethical theory to the
specific problem presented in the case category sources.
Write: Start your post by (a) identifying the issue or problem
that you want to address in the case that you have selected and
providing an impartial presentation of the controversy, (b)
articulating briefly the characteristics of the economic system
that serves as the setting, and (c) examining the laws that affect
the operations of the business.
The following illustration should help. Consider, for example,
the case of Uber that we examined in Week Two. If the
California decision establishes a precedent for similar claims,
then Uber would have to do business as an employer and not
merely as a service that pairs consumers with ride sharing
services by means of a unique phone app. Accordingly, the law
would require Uber to reimburse its drivers for certain costs and
perhaps offer benefits. Take in consideration, then, the legal
setting for the case that you have chosen. Does the case take
place in the United States or another country? What are the laws
that are relevant to the problem under examination? Keep in
mind that all laws are constraints on our actions, whether those
by individuals or corporations. The relevant laws, then, will be
50. (a) any laws that present not only a constraint on the company’s
operations, (b) any laws that are being violated by the
corporation, or (c) any laws that unfairly limit the goods and
services that can be offered to and are demanded by consumers.
In a second paragraph, formulate a sentence that presents the
moral position that you want to defend in regard to the issue or
problem introduced in the previous paragraph.
In the same paragraph, present the ethical theory that you
choose to employ. Your choices are utilitarianism, deontology,
and virtue ethics, and the necessary material is included in the
required readings and media. Make sure to identify the
characteristics of the ethical theory, and include in-text
citations and full references in APA form at the end of the post.
Once you have done this, apply the ethical theory to your
selected case by explaining how it lends itself to the moral
position that you are defending
Requirements for Your Initial Post:
Your initial post should be at least 400 words in length and
have citations and references in APA notation. It should address
the prompt in its entirety. This means that you should not split
your response to the prompt in multiple posts. Your examination
should be both thorough and succinct. This is a combination
that demands time and thought, so give yourself sufficient time
to draft and revise.
Your list of references for your initial post should include the
videos and the other required reading material pertaining to
your chosen subject heading, as well as the ethics, economic,
and law components of Weeks One and Two, the Instructor
Guidance, and any other announcements presented to you by
your professor. In addition, your references should include any
other sources that you consult to inform yourself about your
51. chosen case category (but not Wikipedia or similar sources).
Week 4
Prepare: In preparation for your first post in this discussion,
you will become familiar with the case of Perdue Farms by
means of the material listed under Required Resources
(Generally). You will also find more material under Required
Resources (Per Subject Heading) because the specific task for
this discussion is to examine this case with an eye for any one
of the following four subject headings in business ethics: (1) the
environment, (2) advertising, (3) consumer safety and (4) moral
responsibility. You must select one of these subject headings
and your selection will be the specific focus of your work for
your discussion. Accordingly, you will be responsible to
complete the readings and videos listed under your chosen
subject heading.
Reflect: If you choose the environment subject heading, reflect
on the sheer density of chickens raised at any given time in the
Perdue facilities. The disposal of their discarded remains and
their processing for distribution, either individually and most
definitely together, pose a number of environmental concerns.
If you choose the advertising subject heading, reflect on how
the two videos on Perdue farms present the sharp contrast
between the way the company presents its product and the way
in which it has been discovered to run its chicken farms.
Consider whether this is an example of failure to provide truth
in advertising and how you would support such a stance.
If you choose the consumer safety subject heading, reflect on
the way in which chickens raised in factory farms risks
consumer safety. These might include (a) bacterial
contamination, (b) the effects of antibiotics on the meat that is
consumed, or (c) the release of adrenaline, cortisone, and other
chemicals resulting from the acute stress endured by factory
52. farm animals, which then becomes part of the meat that is later
consumed by humans.
If you choose the moral responsibility heading, reflect on the
stewardship role that may fall upon humans toward non-human
animals. Can we utilize them as mere means to an end (for
entertainment, companionship, or food)? Or do we have special
obligations toward them (e.g., not to mistreat or torture them
and to slaughter them quickly and without stress) because they
are sentient beings?
Once you have completed the indicated readings and videos,
reflect on the ethical theories that we have covered in the
discussions thus far and identify one that you want to apply for
your analysis in your discussion post.
Also, reflect on the regulations (or lack thereof) in the factory
farming industry in order to be able to examine how our
nation’s laws affect the operations of the business. You will
need to research the applicable laws on the factory farming
industry.
Finally, since Perdue Farms is an American corporation, reflect
on the mixed economic system in the United States in order to
articulate the setting for the operations of factory farming, and
then, be able to analyze the ethical actions of Perdue given this
setting.
Write: In the first part of your initial post, you will need to
introduce the Perdue case within the particular subject heading
that you have chosen. In this introduction, you will also need to
(1) articulate the relevant characteristics of our mixed economic
system and (2) present the regulations for the factory farming
industry. These will provide the setting for you to be able to
examine how the nation’s laws affect its operations.
53. In the second part of your initial post, present your analysis of
the problem in a way that identifies which entities (Perdue as a
corporation, the economic system in the USA, the regulatory
control of the state, or all of these) have a role in the problem
that you have presented. In your analysis, you must assess the
negative effects of the interplay between business activity and
one of the following: the environment, advertising, consumer
safety, or corporate social responsibility. Your focus must be an
ethical analysis of this interplay, and it must be well supported
by reliable and/or scholarly sources by clearly identifying the
ethical theory that you are applying in your analysis.
Requirements for Your Initial Post:
Your initial post should be at least 400 words in length and
have citations and references in APA notation. It should address
the prompt in its entirety. This means that you should not split
your response to the prompt in multiple posts. Your examination
should be both thorough and succinct. This is a combination
that demands time and thought, so give yourself sufficient time
to draft and revise.
Your list of references for your initial post should include the
videos and the other required reading material for this
discussion, the Instructor Guidance, and any other
announcements presented to you by your professor. List all the
course material that informed your work in the list of references
and cite these too where appropriate. In addition, your
references should include any other sources that you consult to
inform yourself (but not Wikipedia or similar sources).
Week 5
Prepare: In your first post in this discussion, you will become
familiar with the case of Abercrombie & Fitch by means of the
relevant material in the Required Resources this week. There is
also a specific media feature located at the end of Section 5.3 of
the textbook titled Workplace Discrimination: Abercrombie &
54. Fitch. In order to be prepared for this task, you will need to
complete the required readings and media listed.
Reflect: There are two sides to consider in the Abercrombie &
Fitch case. On the one hand, we have the job candidate’s side.
She went to the job interview wearing a hijab. The interviewer
did not remark on the hijab, and the candidate also did not
volunteer that her religious beliefs required her to wear a hijab.
She was subsequently not hired based on the perception that her
appearance was incongruous with the company’s look policy.
For example, caps are not permitted and the male sales
associates (referred to as “models” in the company’s corporate
language) are often shirtless and in sweatpants in order to create
the mood at the stores for the aesthetic for which Abercrombie
& Fitch has become known: young, preppy, and hormonally
charged. When she was notified that she was not hired for the
position, she filed a complaint with the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission that, in turn, filed a lawsuit on her
behalf alleging a violation of Title VII.
On the other hand, we have Abercrombie & Fitch’s side. As a
company doing business in the United States, Abercrombie &
Fitch is legally permitted to hire those employees who fit its
look policy. This is no different from the look requirements for
the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, the Chicago Bulls, the New
York City Ballet company, or for jockeys hired by thoroughbred
owners to race them at the Kentucky Derby. In all of these
cases, there are height, size, and other look requirements for
employment that are justified by the particular demands and
aesthetics of the position. She was found to be qualified for the
job but her dress was clearly in conflict with Abercrombie &
Fitch’s look policy. Yet, the job applicant knowingly sought
employment at this retailer.
According to the law, should a special accommodation be
required due to a religious practice, then Title VII dictates that
55. the look requirements give way to the religious requirement in
order not to be considered an act of religious discrimination.
The EEOC prevailed in the District Court, but this judgment
was reversed by the Tenth Circuit on the ground that failure-to-
accommodate liability only attaches when a job candidate
provides the potential employer with knowledge of the need for
an accommodation due to religious practice. Once it reached the
Supreme Court, the decision was made in favor of the job
candidate. According to Justice Scalia,
Title VII does not demand mere neutrality with regard to
religious practices—that they be treated no worse than other
practices. Rather, it gives them favored treatment, affirmatively
obligating employers not “to fail or refuse to hire or discharge
any individual . . . because of such individual’s” “religious
observance and practice.” An employer is surely entitled to
have, for example, a no headwear policy as an ordinary matter.
But when an applicant requires an accommodation as an
“aspec[t] of religious . . . practice,” it is no response that the
subsequent “fail[ure] . . . to hire” was due to an otherwise-
neutral policy. Title VII requires otherwise-neutral policies to
give way to the need for an accommodation.
The only dissenting opinion was that of Justice Thomas who
wrote:
Mere application of a neutral policy cannot constitute
“intentional discrimination.”…I would hold that Abercrombie’s
conduct did not constitute “intentional discrimination.”
Abercrombie refused to create an exception to its neutral Look
Policy for Samantha Elauf ’s religious practice of wearing a
headscarf… In doing so, it did not treat religious practices less
favorably than similar secular practices, but instead remained
neutral with regard to religious practices…Resisting this
straightforward application of §1981a, the majority expands the
56. meaning of “intentional discrimination” to include a refusal to
give a religious applicant “favored treatment.”…But contrary to
the majority’s assumption, this novel theory of discrimination is
not commanded by the relevant statutory text.
Write: In the first part of your initial post, you will need to
introduce the Abercrombie & Fitch lawsuit. In this introduction,
you will also need to (1) articulate the freedoms that companies
in the United States enjoy given our relatively-free market
system and (2) present the Title VII regulations concerning
employment discrimination. These will provide the setting for
you to be able to examine how the nation’s laws affect the
hiring practices of Abercrombie & Fitch and other companies
whose hiring policy includes a particular aesthetic for
employees.
In the second part of your initial post, present your analysis of
this case in a way that identifies which entities (Abercrombie &
Fitch as a corporation, the economic system in the USA, the
regulatory control of the state, or all of these) have a role in the
problem that led to the lawsuit under examination. In your
analysis, you must assess the positive or negative effects of the
interplay between business activity and one of the following:
the free-market system, advertising, hiring regulations, or
corporate social responsibility. Your focus must be an ethical
analysis of this interplay. Be sure to clearly identify the ethical
theory that you are applying in your analysis, and to support
your analysis by reliable and/or scholarly sources.
Requirements for Your Initial Post:
Your initial post should be at least 350 words in length and
have citations and references in APA notation. It should address
the prompt in its entirety. This means that you should not split
your response to the prompt in multiple posts. Your examination
should be both thorough and succinct. This is a combination
57. that demands time and thought, so give yourself sufficient time
to draft and revise.
Your list of references for your initial post should include not
only the video and the other required material for this
discussion, as well as the Instructor Guidance and any other
announcements presented to you by your professor. Use all of
the material presented to you in the course and by your
professor, in addition to any other sources that you consulted to
inform yourself about this case (but not Wikipedia or similar
sources).
