Posted by Professor Comisso on March 9, 2009, 11:32 am
132.239.208.141
I am not able to post all of the sample questions on the VS in one "sitting," so to speak. So I am posting them first three, and will be posting more in succession. Just be patient, please!
To: Poli Sci/Philo 27 students
Re: Final
Two of the questions below, all of which deal with business ethics, will be on the exam. You will then choose one, and answer it fully. The choice as to which questions will appear on the exam has not been made yet. If you have questions about the questions or the exam, please post them on the bulletin board, so that everyone will have the same answer.
We will give you further information about Part II—and indeed, whether or not there will even be a Part II—in a day or two.
Also, I cannot post all of the questions at once on the bulletin board. So I will be making 3 separate posts.
1. Ladd defines formal organizations as “planned units, deliberately structured for the purpose of attaining specific goals.” Formal organizations include “all sorts of industrial, military, and government bureaucracies,” and they may be private (as in the case of large corporations) or public (as in public agencies ranging from a police force to the State Department).
As such, Ladd argues, “formal organizations cannot assume a genuine moral posture toward individuals...affected by their actions or subject to their actions...for the only relevant principles in rational decision-making are those relating to the objectives of the organization...”
(a) Would Iam Davis agree with Ladd? Do you agree with Ladd? Explain why or why not, commenting on whether and how moral considerations can be brought to bear on the activities of large “formal organizations.”
(b) Based on your answer, morally assess the actions of any two of the following cases:
--Lauris and Gove, in agreeing to “rationalize the data” at Aero Products, in the expectation that they can continue to work on improving the defective braking system;
-- Al Dunlap’s decision to transfer most of Sunbeam’s manufacturing operations from McMinnville Tennessee to Mexico;
--Google’s decisions to limit political content available through its search engine in China and/or Yahoo’s willingness to turn over data that led to the arrest of a Chinese journalis;
-The procedures observed by Mattel in the manufacture of Elmo in China.
2. A few years ago, Michael Capellas, ex-CEO of Compaq Computer, was appointed CEO of MCI/WorldCom, once the second largest long distance carrier in the United States. WorldCom was in bankruptcy, following the revelation of accounting “irregularities” to the tune of some $9 billion over a 3-year period. In his first public comments as WorldCom CEO, Capellas declared, “When I took this job, I committed myself to the highest ethical standards. Everyone should know that our company will do the right thing, because it is the right thing to do.”
--Is Capellas’ statement credible? Compare and contrast how Ladd and Friedman would interpret Capellas’ statement. Given their understanding of how a formal organization or a company works, would either of them find it credible? Why or why not? Do you find it credible? Why or why not?
Based on your response, choose any two of the following and discuss whether the standards Capellas set above were followed. Remember that merely because you approve (or disapprove) of a particular decision or action, it may not necessarily conform to (or conflict with) Capellas’ standard.
--the employment practices of Wahl Clippers, as discussed by Mr. Wahl, its CEO;
--the management of Déjà vu, in creating its new “dwarf-tossing” nightclub act;
--Michael Price’s strategies as a mutual funds manager
--the garment manufacturer paying women $40/month in Bangladesh
3. Who should decide what kind of moral responsibilities we all have? Friedman suggests we each should decide for ourselves. If we don’t like a product, we can decide not to buy it. If we don’t like what we are required to do at work, we can quite and find another job. If we disapprove of what a company does, we can sell our stock or take our business elsewhere. Davis, in contrast, privileges “society,” suggesting private companies operate within a kind of “social contract” it is in their interest to respect. Almeder, as well as some of the theorists Maitland criticizes, argues that business practices should conform to some more general moral rules, even if the individuals involved (owners, employees, consumers) might normally be inclined to act in a different way.
--What should the source of moral guidelines be for business? Individuals within them? The corporation itself, as an organizational “person”? The government? The society within which a company operates? The capital market? Or some other source? Give reasons for your answer.
Answer this question using two of the following cases. Make sure you discuss whether the outcome would have been different in each case, if the source you recommend had set the rules.
--Dwarf tossing in Illinois;
--the decision to market the 1971 Ford Pinto;
--Google’s decision to limit access to sites not approved by the Chinese government;
--Sunbeam-Oster’s decision to move operations to Mexico and pay workers less than $1/hour
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