MANG 474 Term Paper

MANG 474 Term Paper Instructions

1. Select one of the three general topics listed below:

Business ethics related to current events

Ethics as related to marketing

Ethics as related to international business

Ethics as related to human resource management

2. Once you have selected a topic, scan the press over the last few years to find real-world examples of the topic. The examples may be violations or sound ethical practices. Look at several examples, especially those that might allow you to explore different solutions or choices. Be sure to draw your examples from credible news sources. (For example, you may choose articles from newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, or the New York Times. You should not choose articles from online blogs.)

3. Review the examples that you locate. Select the examples for which you think you can examine the specific ethical problem from more than one stakeholder perspective. If you are uncertain, you may ask me for assistance at this stage. Your final paper may present more than one real world example.

4. Develop two topic proposals. Write a paragraph on each describing the topic and why you think it is important. The proposals may be from the same or different general topic areas. Cite your news source in your proposal. Topic proposal due dates are indicated on the syllabus and in Canvas.

5. Once your topic has been approved, continue to locate and review supporting material and develop an outline for your final paper. See the term paper module in Canvas for the due date for the outline. See the section on “Structure of the Paper” (attached) for the required structure of the outline. Outlines due dates are indicated on the syllabus and in Canvas.

6. Develop the outline into a first draft of your paper. You are required to have your paper reviewed by the Writing Center. You are responsible for setting up an appointment with the Writing Center so that your paper can be reviewed and you are provided with comments before the due date. The paper for review must be organized to conform to the structure indicated below. At this stage, the paper must:

Include your title and your name
Be at least 5 pages in length (your final paper must be at least 6 pages in length)
Include all the components/sub-sections required in your outline assignment; use headings and sub-headings to guide the reader
Be supported with appropriately cited references
Be grammatically correct. Use spell check and proof read your paper
Not use more than three quotes
Be double-spaced, using size 12 font and standard one-inch margins
Be submitted on time. NO LATE WORK will be accepted. You may schedule and meet your appointment with the Writing Center as early as you wish in order to allow you more time to complete the final version.

7. Revise the draft incorporating suggestions from the Writing Center review and your own additional work to prepare the final draft of the paper. You may submit the paper for an optional instructor review by the date indicated on Canvas (online submission by midnight). Complete all revisions and submit the final paper by the due date indicated on the syllabus and in Canvas. You must submit the paper online using the link provided in Canvas.

Plagiarism Detection: Beginning with the draft of the paper submitted for Writing Center review, the papers will be evaluated using Turn-it-in (TII) plagiarism detection software. It is our goal and preference to use TII for plagiarism prevention. TII will be set so that you can receive a report on your work soon after you submit your paper, review the report, and correct any problems that are located. As you probably know, not everything “flagged” by TII is a problem; therefore, if you have questions about the TII results, please ask.

Structure of the Paper

The outline and final paper should be organized as follows:

1. Introduction to the situation and the companies involved.

2. An introduction to the ethical dilemma, including a history of how it developed and emerged. Remember that an ethical dilemma is a choice between two potentially right courses of action.

3. Identification and discussion of ALL of the relevant stakeholders as well as their perception of the positive and negative outcomes of the pending decision.

4. Discussion of the relevant ethical perspectives and a thorough analysis of how each would impact decision making in this case. You must examine the situation from the standpoint of at least two ethical theories or models.

5. Description of the course of action the organization actually pursued. Why was it a good decision, or why was it a sub-optimal decision? Cite facts from the actual events, as well as your own thoughts of where the outcomes may lead if they have not yet been concluded. What stakeholders were/could be positively impacted and how? What stakeholders were/could be negatively impacted and how? Incorporate at least two ethical theories or models in your analysis. State whether each theory indicates that the course of action is appropriate, or whether the action would be unethical according to the theory.

6. Propose at least two other solutions that the organization could have explored. For each, how would each stakeholder be positively or negatively impacted as compared to the course of action that the organization originally took? Describe the analysis that you used to evaluate this choice. One of these solutions must be as opposite as possible from the solution chosen by the actual organization. The other solution(s) should be your own creative hybrid(s) that attempt to satisfy as many stakeholders as possible and/or harm the fewest number of stakeholders. Again, be sure to incorporate at least two ethical theories or models into your analysis by stating whether the theory supports the course of action, or whether the action would be unethical according to the theory.

7. Conclusion: “The course of action the organization took was best because…..” or “The better course of action would have been _____ because…” In your justification of the choice, be sure to discuss what might be the short-term and long-term benefits or downfalls of each option. Do you think that the actual direction taken by the business was a sound decision or not? Support your conclusion with a convincing argument. State which ethical theory you used to support your decision.

8. Include a bibliography listing all references cited. The bibliography and in-text citations should be in APA format. Be sure to cite all sources of information on the organization and the ethical example that is the focus of your paper. You should also support your arguments with information from the scholarly literature on business ethics. A list of recommended scholarly sources can be found in Canvas.

The body of the final papers should be a minimum of six pages long. The papers should be typed, double-spaced in a 12-point font, with standard one-inch margins. Appropriate headings and sub-headings should be used to guide the reader through the paper. Transitions should guide the reader between sections of the paper.