Directions:

You are to write four (4) of the following five (5) essays. You must answer #5*. You may choose 3 essays out of ## 1,2,3,4. The essays should be about one to two pages in length, typed double-spaced in MS Word (2003). [SUBMISSION SHOULD BE BY E-MAIL ATTACHMENT  AND NOT BY INCORPORATING YOUR ANSWER INTO AN E-MAIL MESSAGE: <Lawrence.Ulrich@notes.udayton.edu>] You are to (1) recount what the authors you have read on the topic have said, (2) try to relate ideas with each other, and (3) state your own reactions/reflections about the issues under exploration. Please be clear about where your opinion begins. You should not merely state an opinion but give carefully considered reasons for your opinions. Remember that this is a philosophy course and the reasons, which you develop and organize to support your opinions, will be more important than the opinions themselves. Ultimately you should demonstrate that you (1) have read the text(s), (2) are familiar with the ideas, (3) have thought about them carefully, and (4) have been able to formulate soundly based opinions as a result of the reading you have done.

In submitting your work by e-mail attachment, please consult the Q&A Page for directions on submitting your work. Following the directions posted there as question number 1 will minimize any  problems you may have in submitting your work and my returning it to you.

1. How does Aristotle define virtue? Identify and explain the essential parts of this definition. Identify two virtues that you think are essential for good managerial practice and explain why you think they are essential. How does the NASDAQ credo fit into Aristotle's virtue ethics?

2. What is the Principle of Autonomy? Explain any limitations you might see on this principle. Do you think that "persuasive" advertising violates the Principle of Autonomy? Why?

3. Explain the Stakeholder theory. In what way is the system of Utilitarianism necessary to manage conflicts that might arise in the application of the Stakeholder theory. How would the notion of protecting "values" help in applying Utilitarianism to the Stakeholder theory?

4. Explain the Principle of Justice. In what way could we say that Bernard Ebbers violated the principle of Justice while he was head of WorldCom. If you were in Bernard Ebbers' position, what would you have done, or not done, to be faithful to the Principle of Justice? Explain.

5. As you begin this course, take a few moments to identify what you consider to be three (3) major issues in contemporary business practices in the United States or on the global corporate scene that you think need ethical attention. Explain why you think they are major issues and the direction that you think ethical reflection should take in analyzing and resolving the issues. Keeping in mind your study of the ethical systems early in this part of the course, which ethical system do you think is most helpful in thinking about the ethical dimensions of these 3 practices?