To engage you in considering this function, Assignment Three asks you to imagine that you are the newly appointed CECO of a company you select, but it must be one that is currently facing or has recently faced a significant ethical dilemma or breach. (Tip: The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics’ Website features a number of recent business ethics cases that would work well for this assignment.) Assume that this ethical issue has just emerged (or been discovered), so no response or plan of action has yet been formulated. Any action the company has actually taken should be set aside. As CECO, you must investigate the issue, weigh alternative courses of action, and recommend to the CEO and/or board of directors the approach which best balances the needs of the business with ethical conduct and principles.
You will present the results of your research and analysis, along with your recommendations, in an informal investigative report. You should begin by researching the company and gaining a solid understanding of the ethical issue it is facing (or has faced). You should then apply these processes of ethical decision-making to the situation: the Markkula Center’s Framework for Ethical Decision Making and the Model for Ethical Analysis of Management Decisions developed by La Rue Hosmer. Finally, you should prepare a report in memo form which does all the following:
• Introduces the ethical issue facing the company and explains its nature
• Presents the relevant facts of the case (bearing in mind the audience’s existing knowledge)
• Identifies the stakeholders involved and weighs their interests
• Determines the possible options for action
• Evaluates these options on the basis of at least three traditional approaches to ethics (e.g., utilitarian, rights, justice, common good, virtue, etc.)
• Determines economic impacts and legal requirements by applying the Hosmer Model
• Recommends the best solution as well as methods for implementation