STUDY QUESTIONS FOR EXAMINATION ON 11/5/02

1. Be able to apply the various ethical systems: natural law ethics (human nature ethics), deontology, utilitarianism (consequentialism), and virtue ethics to cases on the exam..
2. Be able to apply the various ethical principles, namely, autonomy, beneficence, and justice in case analyses.
3. Be able to define what a right is, the difference between moral and legal rights and how these two kinds of rights surface in cases on the exam.
4. Be able to identify the values that underlie particular rights claims, e.g., the value underlying a right to be respected.
5. How does Kant think that lying affects society? In what way does lying treat someone as a means to another's end?

6. In what way is Kant's position on lying consistent with his overall deontological perspective?
7. How does lying make an individual vulnerable?
8. In Kant's view, how can lying be an affront to an individual as well as to all humanity?
9. Is bluffing the same as lying? In what way can it be said that bluffing creates an "impression" without actually lying?
10. What does it mean to have an autonomous desire?
11. How could it be said that advertising subverts the possibility of autonomous desires? How could advertising support autonomous desires?
12. What does it mean to be vulnerable? as a consumer? as an employee?
13. Identify and explain in detail three areas in which business practices promote or take advantage of an individual's vulnerability. In the three areas that you have identified, how could corporations reduce the vulnerability of individuals?
14. Identify and explain the basic features of sexual harassment.
15. In what way does the notion of "personal dignity" underlie concerns about sexual harassment?

16. What does it mean to "respect" a person? How can "respect" for persons be nurtured?
17. Explain the reasonable person standard of making judgments and apply it to the issue of sexual harassment.
18. Is the reasonable person (woman) standard an effective standard for judging what counts as sexual harassment?
19. What strategies should a company utilize to (1) prevent sexual harassment and (2) to deal with it when it occurs?
20. What advantages are there for a company to have a diversity-promoting program in its hiring practices?
21. What ethical problems has affirmative action attempted to address?
22. What problems has affirmative action generated?
23. How do Beauchamp and Wasserstom justify affirmative action programs?
24. How do Rawls' principles of justice (EIB, page 196) give guidance to thinking about affirmative action?
25. What does it mean to work in a free market economy?
26. How does "employment at will" function in a free market economy. Do you think this theory renders employees vulnerable?
27. Identify three moral rights that employees have in the workplace? How doe you justify these clams to moral rights?
38. What does it mean to say that employees have only contractual rights in the workplace. Identify two of these rights and explain the foundation on which they are based.

29. How does Health describe responsibility as a virtue? Give an example of employees exercising this responsibility.
30. Explain the four types of responsibility that Heath identifies. Be able to give examples.
31. What types of responsibilities do employees have?

32.What types of responsibilities do employers have toward employees?

ARTICLES FOR REVIEW

EIB = Ethical Issues in Business (Donaldson and Werhane)
ER = ERESERVE
RW = Readings Webpage
WUC = Wake up Calls (Newton and Schmidt)

Ulrich, "Ethical Systems in Business Ethics." RW.
Newton and Schmidt, "The Discipline of Ethics." WUC, 3-19.
Facione, "Rights and Duties." ER.
Ulrich, "Ethical Principles in Business Ethics." RW.
Heath, "Honesty and Integrity in Business." ERESERVE.
Kant, "Ethical Duties Towards Others: 'Truthfulness.'" EIB, 100-105.
Carr, "Is Business Bluffing Ethical?" EIB, 106-112.
Crisp, "Persuasive Advertising, Autonomy, and the Creation of Desire." EIB, 503-510.
Heath, "Responsibility, Action, and the Conduct of Business: Individual Responsibility," (ERESERVE)
Dodds et al. "Sexual Harassment." ERESERVE.
Werhane et al. "Employment at Will and Due Process," EIB, 304-314.
Epstein. "In Defense of the Contract at Will," EIB, 352-361.
Kanter, "Employability Security," EIB, 361-363.
Machan, "Human Rights, Workers' Rights, and the 'Right' to Occupational Safety." (ERESERVE).
Daniels, Norman. "Does OSHA Protect Too Much?" (ERESERVE)
Heath, "Justice," (ERESERVE)
Beauchamp. "The Justification of Reverse Discrimination." (ERESERVE).
Wasserstrom. "A Defense of Programs of Preferential Treatment." (ERESERVE).

CASES FOR ANALYSIS

Run, Inc. EIB, 269-284.

Fingerhut's Pricing Strategies, EIB, 486-498.
The Ford Pinto. WUC, 47-59.
The Case of Rena Weeks. WUC, 119-131.
The Case of Unequal Opportunity. EIB, 335-343.

REQUIRED CASE (This case will be reprinted on the examination.)

Genetic Transitions, Inc. is a technology company that has been specializing in developing new genetic strains of agricultural products. It has been very successful in producing wheat, corn, and soybeans that are resistant to insects and to drought. The plant is located in rural Iowa. Prior to 2000 the company employed 650 workers. It prides itself on not only the success of its research but also on its environment-friendly means of production. Since it is located in a rural area it is the only major industrial employer in the area --- farming and its support services are the only other means of support for the citizens of this area.

Since Genetic Transitions, Inc. has been so successful in its genetic research it decided in 2000 to expand its research program to include stem cell research using human embryonic stem cells as its preferred focus of research. There has been much controversy about this form of research since human embryos must be destroyed in order to harvest the stem cells that will be used in research. On the other hand, this research holds great promise in curing all sorts of seriously debilitating diseases. Its expanded research program has increased the work force to a total of 1,000.

In August of 2001 President Bush restricted the use of federal funds for stem cell research to existing stem cell lines and would not allow federal funds to be used to develop more stem cell lines to expand research in this area. Genetic Transitions, Inc. was furious at this restriction. They had been using some federal money for their research but now their expanding research program was in serious jeopardy. They knew that it was only a matter of time before Congress would move to abolish all stem cell research because it involved the destruction of human embryos.

The Board of Directors, in June 2002, decided to close its entire research facility and move it to Mexico where no restrictions on stem cell research existed. They offered to bring their research personnel with them to Mexico. This would mean a devastating economic blow to the area and a serious personal blow to the employees who did not want to move to Mexico. When protests were lodged with the Board of Directors, it refused to consider abandoning its stem cell projects, which held out the promise of being very lucrative, and return to its agricultural focus.