Ethics Case Analysis
Scenario:
Disaster! You love your job and the people you work with, and so far, everything has been going along
smoothly. But you just discovered a business practice that is questionable, if not actually unethical. You
need to tell someone your boss, the Vice President, but don’t want to be labeled a troublemaker. You
need to develop a plan and craft a solid explanation for why this practice must change NOW.
Choose one of the following cases listed below and analyze the case.
Cases
1. Quality Management: Signing off on a Substandard Product
http://www.scu.edu/r/ethics-center/ethicsblog/silicon-valley/16452/Quality-Management:-Signing-Off-on-aSubstandard-Product
2. Hitting the number in sales generation
http://www.scu.edu/r/ethics-center/ethicsblog/silicon-valley/16446/Hitting-the-Number-in-Sales-Generation
3. To tell or not tell the Board: Reporting of Bookings
http://www.scu.edu/r/ethics-center/ethicsblog/silicon-valley/16454/To-Tell-or-Not-to-Tell-the-Board:Reporting-of-Bookings
The goal of the assignment is to critically analyze a case using the five ethical approaches discussed in
Module 3. The hope is that through the analysis of cases we can learn how to identify and avoid potential
ethical dilemmas. Use the following website to view the five ethical approaches:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTpwUUNepZc&list=PL4AE76B235A9EB6FE
The case analysis must conform to APA guidelines and include the following:
1. 1.
A cover sheet with your name and the Turnitin.com originality score.
2. 2.
A header with page #s on each page,
3. 3.
A reference list that conforms to APA guidelines.
4.
The case analysis should be no more than 5 pages, excluding the coversheet and References.
Step by step process:
1. 1.
Determine whether an ethical issue exists.
2. 2.
Describe the relevant facts of the case. Identify the stakeholders and determine whether
some stakeholders are more important. Determine whether all stakeholders have been consulted.
3. 3.
Describe the possible actions of the stakeholders.
4. 4.
Evaluate each of the possible options in light of the five ethical approaches discussed in
Module 3 (The Utilitarian Approach, the Rights Approach, The Justice Approach, The Common
Good Approach, The Virtue Approach)
5. 5.
Identify the best possible option and justify your choice, with reference to the ethical
approach on which you base your choice.
Parts of the paper
Introduction
An effective introduction grabs the reader’s attention and sets the tone and direction for the rest of the
paper. In reading an introduction, the reader should have a clear idea of what will follow. This introduction
should also include a thesis, telling the reader your main point (which in this case will preview you
response to # 5 above).
Supporting (Body) Paragraphs
Supporting paragraphs move the reader from the general introduction to the more specific aspects of your
position in the paper. These paragraphs show how the information you are providing supports and relates
to your thesis. Each body paragraph needs a topic sentence, which contains the main point of the
paragraph.
Conclusion
Conclusions bring to a close what you have presented in your paper. You have moved the reader from the
general (introduction) to the specific (supporting paragraphs) and now your conclusion moves back into
more general information that restates the main points of your analysis
Within the above structure you need to:
Begin with a clear introductory statement that identifies the ethical issue
Keep in mind the ‘one idea to one paragraph’ rule: each supporting paragraph (any paragraph
after the introduction) should contain one idea. If you start writing about a new idea, you need to
begin a new paragraph. To write a topic sentence, think of a paragraph heading, then write it as a
complete sentence and use it as the first sentence of the paragraph.
Keep in mind that to discuss the five ethical approaches, you will probably need to briefly define
these five approaches before you use the ethical approaches to evaluate the options you have
identified.
Write a conclusion that clearly wraps up the paper. Do not introduce new topics in the
conclusion.
References (this is the proper title for your listing of works cited in the body of the paper):
A. Must follow APA format (see the APA Publication Manual)
B. Must be on its own page
C. Must agree with text citations and include only entries that were cited within the body of the paper. Do
not introduce here sources that you have not referenced in the body of the paper.
D. References is not called a Bibliography, Reference List, or Works Cited in APA
All the organization and arguments of your paper must focus on Job 1: using the ethical
approaches to analyze the case-directly and concisely, but fully.
