Bruton, PHI 300, Fall ‘10
Decision Analysis Paper
The Assignment:
Your assignment is to analyze the ethics of a particular business situation anddefend a conclusion as to what should be done (or should have been done) in the situation, ethically/morally speaking. Your paper should be approximately 4 - 5 pages (excluding title page and works cited page), double-space typed, with standard 1 - 1.25” margins and 12 point font, and it must be stapled in the upper left hand corner (no paper clips, “foldovers” or plastic sleeves, etc.). Papers are due in class onMonday, 11/15 (not 11/22, as originally announced). Late papers will be penalized at my discretion, usually by one letter grade (10 points). Follow the guidelines below:
Structure:
Your paper needs to have this structure:
a) Provide a thesis statement in your introductory paragraph. This statement should clearly identify the moral issue you will address and the specific stand or position you will argue for. (for example, “I will argue that Kermit Vandivier was wrong to go to the FBI with what he knew about Goodrich’s flawed 4 disk brakes before he had first approached Goodrich’s CEO.”) Good thesis statements are direct, clear and specific.
b) Describe the relevant facts and explain them so that it makes sense to someone not familiar with the situation. (approx. 1 page)
c) Make a moral argument (give reasons) for your conclusion. (about 1 paragraph)
d) Make an objection to your argument, that is, reasons for disagreeing with the argument you make in part c). (about 1 paragraph)
e) Rebut the objection, that is, explain why the objection fails and add any further concluding thoughts together with a clear reiteration of your thesis.
This is what is sometimes called a “dialectical paper” – one that requires you to make arguments on both sides of an issue. I am not asking for you to use moral theories. You may refer to the theories if you find it helpful, but often the best papers do not do so.
Finding a Topic
Any actual business situation in which someone must make an ethical decision is fair game, except you are not permitted to use casesthat have already been part of the class (either in readings, our text, or discussion). The purpose of ruling out cases from the class is that one of the aims of this assignment is to get you to research and think about ethical issues and scenarios in the business world beyond what we have already discussed. I also strongly discourage the use of “canned cases,” that is, short, contrived vignettesfrom the web or textbooks. Further, your topic needs to be clearly a business ethics issue. There are many issues that relate to business indirectly but are not primarily about business. For example, were the government to ban human cloning this would affect biotech companies doing cloning research, but the ban itself is a gov’t policy, not a business decision. Please ask me if you have any doubts about whether your topic is appropriately “business ethical”. The best situations to write about are those where the ethical answers are not entirely obvious. You need to be able to make plausible arguments on both sides of an issue. If a business or business person is doing something morally outrageous –such as knowingly selling cancer-causing children's pajamas - this is unlikely to make for an interesting discussion. (How could you defend that?) Also, avoid getting entangled in complicated legal and economic issues – we’re interested in cases from a moral point of view.
Further Requirements:
1) Prior to submitting a hard copy of your paper to me in class, you must submit it to Turnitin.com. I advise you not to wait until the last minute to familiarize yourself with the turnitin.com process. A student quickstart guide is available at class ID for the 9:00 am class is3461883,and the password is eagles1. The class ID for the 10:00 am class is 3461887, and the password is eagles2.
2) Do not identify yourself by name on the hard copy – the title page should include only your paper’s title, your EmplID number, and class section (PHI 300, sec. 1 or 2).
3) You need at least two references from respectable sources (i.e., in addition to class materials and the text), and at least one of these must be the Wall Street Journal. Be cautious - much on the web is not respectable. Dictionary references, encyclopedia entries, references to our text, and Wikipedia references do not count.
4) All ideas that are not your own need to be cited, even if you are not quoting a source directly. I encourage you to read through the library's tutorial on plagiarism. You are responsible for knowing its contents. Plagiarized papers (even if the plagiarism is only partial) will receive a 0.
5) Consistent with the learning goals articulated by CoB’s Undergraduate Programs Committee, you must use APA citation format. The APA style guide can be found here: Additional resources are linked from our website. In addition to parenthetical references in the text, you’ll need a “Works Cited” page.
6) Good spelling and grammar “count.” You must examine the “Common Writing Mistakes” page on our class website. This page discusses writing mistakes that I see often from students and that I will penalize severely.
7) I’ve also posted to the web site a paper checklist that I recommend that you complete before turning in your paper. You need not include the checklist with your paper, however.
Help
The grading rubric is posted on the website. You will be graded according to, 1) how interesting and appropriate (to the class) your topic is, 2) your recognition of the ethically significant features of the situation, 3) how well you can construct arguments for and against your position and work through them to a reasonable conclusion, and 4) the quality of your research.
I am happy to give suggestions as to how to formulate a thesis, construct arguments, and make your paper stronger. I also encourage you to use USM's Writing Center. (Cook Library Room 112, 601-266-4821) It is a free service staffed by knowledgeable and helpful folks. It is not a proof-reading service, but the staff there will help you think through the assignment, brainstorm, structure your thoughts, and identify weak points in your writing. They will tailor their help to what I'm asking of you. Appointments recommended.