COMM 631 Strategic Corporate Communication

Ethics Action Plan (Individual Project)

Each student will develop an ethics statement and action plan for the corporation you considered in your crisis communication project. This assignment is worth 20 points.

Instructions.

1)Write a corporate ethics statement for your organization. Remember, ethics statements should provide an implementation roadmap and may address stakeholder groups specifically.

2)Describe an ethical dilemma related to your crisis, including details and pertinent facts. State your ethical question or questions clearly and explain them and their implications thoroughly.

  1. What are the risks to corporate reputation in areas of strategic communication programming, such as employees, communities, investors, etc.?
  2. Determine who should be involved in the decision making process and identify the stakeholders in the situation. What are their perspectives on or stake in the issue?
  3. Identify a number of alternative solutions and thoroughly present the pros/cons of each. If there is only one reasonable outcome, thoroughly list the pros/cons of that solution.
  4. Formulate a plan that outlines the implementation of the decision and indicates a thoughtful reflection on the benefits and risks of action. Integrate corporate communication principles, methodologies, and terminology as you present your plan. How can youclarify or prepare for similar ethics challenges in the future?

Organization/Structure. Present your project in outline format. Use a bold headline and subheads, page numbers, and bulleted lists, if appropriate, to present information. If any information is borrowed, use in-text citations and a works cited list in APA style at the end of the paper. Page limit: 3 pages single spaced with 1-inch margins and 12-point font.

Grading. Project will be graded on completion of project requirements, writing, and overall quality. Please keep in mind that merely meeting the basic requirements of the project will not result in an "A". Instead, A-work is characterized by excellent research and writing; careful, creative, and sophisticated analysis; and a diligent integration of vocabulary and concepts we've discussed in class.

Ethics Assessment. Please note that this assignment will also be evaluated by an MBA program committee using the ethics rubric which appears below. These criteria will be judged as part of your score for this assignment.

Submission. Submit your work to the dropbox on D2L by next week's class.

Ethics Assessment Rubric

Level of Skill Development / 1
Student(s) demonstrate a lack of understanding of ethical decision-making skills / 2
Student(s) demonstrate a minimal level of understanding of ethical decision-making skills / 3
Student(s) demonstrate an acceptable level of understanding of ethical decision-making skills / 4
Student(s) demonstrate mastery of ethical decision-making skills
Identifies Ethical Issue(s) / Cannot identify the dilemma / Has a vague idea of what the dilemma is, but is uncertain what must be decided / Identifies the dilemma, including pertinent facts, and determines what must be decided / Describes the dilemma in detail having gathered pertinent facts, and determines exactly what must be decided
Identifies Stakeholders / Does not consider stakeholders in the decision-making process / Is unsure as to who should be involved in the decision-making process / Determines who should be involved in the decision making process and accurately identifies all the stakeholders / Determines who should be involved in the decision making process and thoroughly reflects on the viewpoints of the stakeholders
Evaluates Alternatives / Cannot identify alternatives or related consequences / Begins to appraise the relevant facts and assumptions and identifies some alternatives / Clarifies at least two alternatives and predicts their associated consequences in detail / Clarifies a number of alternatives and evaluates each on the basis of whether or not there is interest and concern over the welfare of all stakeholders
Formulates Action Plan / Cannot identify an appropriate course of action / Has difficulty identifying and appropriate course of action from among alternatives / Formulates an implementation plan that describes the implementation of the decision / Formulates a plan that defines the implementation of the decision and indicates a thoughtful reflection on the benefits and risks of action

Adapted from Bridging the Gap

Education Component

Samaritan House Training Centre
National Literacy Secretariat