Writing paper 1.

Writing paper

1. Assignment overview

This assignment will challenge you to identify an important issue in business ethics that is especially important to you, analyze it, conduct relevant research to find both facts and ethical principles to use as premises, evaluate opposing arguments that support a different point of view, construct a strong argument for your own opinion, and consider the practical consequences that your opinion implies. As part of the assignment, you will also exercise your critical thinking and communication skills by giving feedback to another student about how his or her paper could be improved.

2. Instructions for writing the paper

The final product, submitted for a grade, will be a position paper of approximately 6-10 pages based on your own original thought, and using research beyond the textbook with sources appropriately cited. Give your paper a title of your choice, but use the headings provided in Section 3 below. The entire process should reflect the following steps:

A. Identify a "live" or "burning" issue (for you personally, not for others!) - the heading of the first section of your paper will be:

The general ethical issue and why it is important to me personally

1. You read a book or magazine, listen to a discussion program on radio or TV, or overhear a conversation, and find that you're keenly interested in questions about fairness or morality. Afterwards, you find yourself continuing to think about some of the questions that were raised.

2. You are faced with a decision in your own life that you find difficult to make because the alternatives seem to raise ethical questions that are difficult or unclear. The decision could be something with long-term consequences in your life, such as which career to follow, or something more immediate, such as whether to mention to your supervisor that your company's treatment of employees or customers doesn't seem entirely fair, whether to join a union, or whether to shop at WalMart.

3. You have an experience that makes you question something you hadn't thought much about or had always taken for granted. Here are a few examples: (1) one of your colleagues at work has been passed over for a promotion, and you wonder whether it has something tto do with her being an African American female and if so, what her rights should be; (2) in a casual conversation with someone from your firm's IT department, you learn that your employer regularly monitors your e-mail, phone conversations, and Internet usage, making you think about whether there should be basic rights to privacy; (3) you hear that your employer is planning to lay off a large number of employees and outsource the jobs overseas, making you wonder what the company's moral obligations are to you and your employees.

4. You hear someone--for example, a co-worker, a politician, a teacher, a friend, your parents--condemn or praise certain people or practices on grounds you think you disagree with, but you aren't sure how you'd explain what your position is or what reasons you'd give to support it. You'd like to be able to get clearer about it, at least in your own mind.

Please note: The first part of your paper should explain the reasons why you chose your topic as a "burning issue!"

B. Identify the key ethical question or questions that underlie the issue, including key words or concepts that may be unclear and need clarifying The section heading will be:

The underlying ethical question or questions involved that I intend to answer

This may take some careful thought, since many such issues are unclear, complex, or both. Focus on one particular question that you want to investigate, and write it down as concisely and clearly as you can. To help you avoid wasting effort or getting a lower grade because you chose an unsuitable topic, you will be required to e-mail the instructor with a proposal before you begin writing the rest of your paper. If your topic includes any key terms whose meanings are unclear, controversial, or difficult to explain, mention and clarify them. For example, if the question is whether the right to free speech should allow companies to advertise their products in any way they choose, it will be important for you to clarify what is meant by "free speech."

D. Identify what empirical (factual) information is crucial to answering the ethical question you're dealing with. The section heading will be:

Factual information that is crucial to answering the ethical question or questions

For example, if you're considering whether or not it's unethical for advertisers to target young children in trying to sell products such as unhealthy food, violent video games or sexy clothing, a key question will be whether there is evidence that the ads cause harm to the children who are exposed to them. With each factual issue you identify, think of the kind of reliable source that might have the data you need. Look for sources that are likely to be objective and to use scientific methods, avoiding those that are tied to a particular position for ideological, political, or financial reasons. This preparation will allow you to obtain research data that you can use in arguing for your ethical conclusions, and to avoid basing your views on unsupported assumptions.

E. Do some research to find out what a few leading philosophers or social and political theorists have said about the issue, and consider which of the ethical theories described in Chapters 2-7 of the textbook seem to apply. The section heading will be:

How arguments based on ethical theory and empirical evidence led me to adopt a position on the issue I identified

Read the comments and theories, and consider them carefully. Don't just accept others' authority (anyway, different thinkers often disagree!) but evaluate their arguments for yourself. Note down the sources you find helpful, and be sure to cite the ones you use in your paper. After careful consideration of the strongest evidence and arguments you can find on opposing sides of the issue (not just on one side), reach a conclusion. Then compose a concise list of the steps in the argument (the premises) that you believe lead to that conclusion. Some of your initial steps should include clarifying the meanings of any crucial unclear terms that you identified in Step C above. Also, remember that because you are dealing with an ethical question, at least one of the premises must be some kind of ethical principle or rule.

G. Describe the strongest arguments that opponents of your view have made or could make against it, and explain briefly why you think the opposing arguments are less convincing than those in your own list. The section heading will be:

Why my position is more persuasive than opposing views that are based on different evidence or ethical theories

Be sure that you select the strongest opposing arguments you can find, doing them full justice, and explain why the arguments you provided for your own conclusion are superior.

H. Describe some important practical consequences of accepting the conclusion you arrived at. Section heading:

The practical application of my position

Briefly explain: first, what difference will having this opinion make in your own life? and second, what changes, if any, should be made to existing laws, organizations, customs, or other aspects of the society at large?

3. Format, length, structure and headings

Your final paper should be approximately 6-10 pages of text--not counting the title page and bibliography-- 12 font, Times New Roman, double spaced, with an appropriate title, with either APA or MLA formatting used for the in-text citations of research sources and for the reference list/bibliography at the end. The body of the paper must consist of each of the headings given below in bold print, followed by one or more paragraphs

To summarize the paper's structure explained above, it should consist of sections arranged in logical order with the following headings:

• The general ethical issue and why it is important to me personally (Include information of the type mentioned in 2A above.)

• The underlying ethical question or questions involved that I intend to answer (In this section you should also identify any key words that are ambiguous, unclear, or controversial. You will deal with them later, when you present your conclusion.)

• Factual information that is crucial to answering the ethical question or questions (Explain what the most significant empirical issues are, what sources you researched and why you chose them, and the evidence you derived from those sources. Be sure to cite all of the sources you use.)

• How arguments based on ethical theory and empirical evidence led me to adopt a position on the issue I identified (In explaining the arguments, separate the different premises consisting of the factual evidence, ethical theories or principles you found convincing, and any other reasons that led you to the conclusion. Cite any sources you used from the research you conducted, and explain how ethical theories you are using in your arguments apply to your topic.

• Why my position is more persuasive than opposing views that are based on different evidence or ethical theories  (Explain the strongest arguments that someone who disagreed with you might make, and why they are less convincing then yours. Be sure to deal with any alternative ethical theories that support the opposing views.)

• The practical application of my position (Explain whether accepting your conclusion would have practical implications for your own life, and for possible changes in current laws, organizations, customs, and so on.)