Directions:

You are to write two (2) essays selected from the four (4) essays below.. The essays should be about one to one and one-half (1-1&1/2) pages in length (about 300-500 words), typed double-spaced in MS Word. [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.

1. Define what makes trading "insider." How does the principle of justice give guidance in assessing the morality of insider training. (you will have to state and apply the principle of justice to be able to answer this)? Do you think that insider trading is as bad as some folks would like us to believe? Explain.

2. What is Aristotle's definition of virtue? Explain the essential elements of his definition. How is "being virtuous" communicated? How does the NASDAQ Creed provide a virtue basis for business practices in the spirit of Aristotle's notion of virtue?

3. The contention could be made that the generation of wealth in the Western world was made possible only as a result of the development of market economics. While this contention may be true as a matter of fact, the question still remains as to whether the development of the market was an unconditional good. So what do you think? Can you identify three (3) harms that human beings have suffered as a result of the market and explain whether there are three (3) advantages that the market has produced for human beings that made it worth our while to suffer the harms you have identified? [Notice that you are giving a utilitarian answer to this question.]

4. What are the basic features (assumptions, principles, etc.) of Kant's deontological approach to ethics. Do you think that it can be useful in addressing ethical problems that arise in BUSINESS practices? You might want to use an example from business practices to illustrate the points you are making.