ETH 501: Business Ethics case module 3

ETH_501_module_3_case_assignment_instructions

Sethi_S_Veral_E_Shapiro_H_&_Emelianova_O._(2011)._Mattel__Inc_Global_manufacturing_principles_(GMP)

ackground:

In the Module 3 Case, you will apply virtue ethics to an organizational problem. Please be sure that you have completed the Module 3 SLP before you complete the Module 3 Case.

Required Reading:

Find and read the following journal article in the Library:

Sethi, S., Veral, E., Shapiro, H., & Emelianova, O. (2011). Mattel, Inc.: Global manufacturing principles (GMP) - A life-cycle analysis of a company-based code of conduct in the toy industry. Journal of Business Ethics, 99(4), 483-517. Retrieved November 19, 2012 from ProQuest.

While the Sethi et al. article is certainly a quite interesting case study, it is a very lengthy and fairly complex one as well. To this extent, I don’t want you to simply recount the storyline of the article in your response to the requirements. Rather, I want you to locate and evaluate the most salient business ethics issue, critically analyzing them within the context of virtue ethics - and the questions that I have posed for you below.

Assignment:

In a 5-6 page paper (not including your cover page and references), please address the following:

Choose three virtues, and then discuss how the three virtues you have selected may have appropriately guided the actions and behaviors of Mattel, Inc.

Keys to the Assignment:

• Choose three "virtues," and provide a clear definition of each (for example, you might choose such virtues as temperance, justice, honesty, or fairness);
• Apply each of the three virtues you have chosen to the Mattel case, describing how the virtue you have selected might have been used to more appropriately guide the actions, behaviors, and/or policies of the company (e.g., you may choose to discuss the company's working conditions, worker safety, company fairness, or Mattel’s attitudes towards the environment).
• Considering the normative ethical theories we've studied in the first three modules (deontological, utilitarian, and virtue ethics), which do you believe is most useful in evaluating the Mattel case? Why?

Assignment Expectations:

Your paper will be evaluated on the following seven criteria:

• Precision - Does the paper address the question(s) or task(s)? 
• Breadth - Is the full breadth of the subject (i.e., the Keys to the Assignment) addressed?  
• Depth - Does the paper address the topic in sufficient depth and include the background reading and other background resources as references? 
• Critical thinking - Is the subject thought about critically (i.e., accurately, logically, relevantly, and precisely)?
• Clarity - Is the writing clear and are the concepts articulated properly? Are paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts the primary means of responding to the questions or are points conveyed through excessive use of quotations? 
• Organization - Is the paper well written?  Are the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary appropriate for graduate-level work?  Are headings included in all papers longer than two pages? 
• Referencing (citations and references) - Does the paper include citations and quotation marks where appropriate?  Are the references from the background reading and assignment present and properly cited?  Are all the references listed in the bibliography present and referred to via citation? 

Tips and Suggestions:

1) Be sure that you clearly define each of the virtues you've chosen. Use the SLP information to guide you in finding a quality and objective source to do so (as we have discussed in the SLP, Wikipedia should not be used as a graduate-level source).

2) Be sure to integrate the theory from the journal articles you read in the Background Information section of this module (i.e., Hartman; Duchon & Drake) into your paper.

3) Perform some additional research in the Library (include at least three additional references).

4) Be sure that you include appropriate in-text citations throughout your paper, and include your sources in your end-of-paper Reference Section. Your references should be derived from at at least two peer-reviewed journals and at least one book that you have found in the TUI library. Your references may relate to business ethics, to virtue ethics, to the toy industry, or to any other relevant source. Of course, you are at liberty to include those references that you believe are most relevant and meaningful to your paper.

5) Remember to follow the Well-Written Paper guidelines.

6) The following link (the Character/Virtue Test) may be helpful to you in your evaluation of this Case:http://ethicsops(dot)com/CharacterVirtue.php