On BE439 this year we have explored the various ways that ethical decisions are experienced, mediated, and managed in the contemporary business environment. Given the expansive nature of management in contemporary society, norms and practices of business ethics not only place demands on our behaviour as employees and managers, but also more broadly, on us as consumers and citizens. This sometimes results in ethical dilemmas for individuals. But these practices and expectations also can also play an important role in shaping our sense of moral selfhood, our motivations and self-understanding (Critchley 2007).
For this assignment, which constitutes 40% of the module mark, we ask you to write a 2,000 word essay (+/- 10%, not including reference list). With reference to Critchley’s article and to other theories and concepts covered on the module, please analyse how one of the following ethical phenomena shapes the ethical behaviour and experience of those involved.
Policies on discrimination based on race, gender, or sexuality
Policies on privacy and/or surveillance
Ethics codes
Whistle blowing
Consumer activism
How does the phenomenon shape ethical behavior? What demands does it make of us as moral actors?
Your essay may be more of a theoretical exploration, engaging intensively with business ethics theories in the academic literature, or it may be more of a case-based exploration, exploring one or two particular cases in more depth. In either case, however, you are expected to both, a) reference theories from academic sources, and, b) refer to some concrete real-life examples as well (as reported in the media, for example, or through publically available company documents or government reports).