The purpose of the personal reflection paper is for you to reflect on one of the key ideas or key passages we have covered in our readings. To do this, you will need to explain clearly the idea or the

PERSONAL REFLECTION PAPER THREE

The purpose of the personal reflection paper is for you to reflect on one of the key ideas or key passages we have covered in our readings. To do this, you will need to explain clearly the idea or the meaning of the passage first. Then, you should reflect and comment. Your reflection and comment might take the form of any one of the following:

a. Discussion of one key strength and one key weakness of the concept. Explaining why you think the strength outweighs the weakness or vice versa is a plus.

b. Whether the passage or idea has ongoing significance for you personally OR people today and why.

c. The relevance or usefulness of the idea or passage to people in the profession you plan to enter

d. How someone might apply or adapt the idea or passage to a situation faced in his or her own life

e. Discussing an implication of the idea or argument if adopted.

f. Pointing out questions that a passage raises, but does not address.

g. Pointing out a key underlying assumption

If you have an idea for a different sort of reflection than these examples, run it by the instructor or your T.A.

EXAMPLES OF KEY IDEAS, CONCEPTS, PASSAGES FOR REFLECTION FOR PAPER THREE AND ONE OVERVIEW POSSIBILITY

You can reflect on a key idea, concept, passage from rights theory, Kant, Moral Reasoning in Velasquez 45-56, Boatright and Smith on employment rights, business information and conflict of interest, marketing in terms of anti-competitive practices, etc. ---anything we have covered since the last reflection paper. It may be helpful to bring in ethical theories we have discussed when reflecting on cases or practices. For example, one might talk about a rule utilitarian analysis of non-competition agreements.

You could also write about the following:

Concept or Skill -Describe in detail one of the most important or surprising concepts or skills you have learned in our study of Business Ethics this semester. For your Reflection, explain why it was most important or surprising.   You will still need an Executive Summary as well as a Bibliography/Works Cited.

Examples of Key Ideas or Concepts

Kant’s claim that it is a categorical imperative that we never use ourselves or others merely as means.

The problem of conflict of duty in Kant

An aspect of Rawls’ approach to distributive justice

An aspect of Nozick’s approach to distributive justice

Contractual rights and duties and the elements of a valid contract

“Moral seduction” (Velasquez 54-55)

An aspect of moral disengagement that can lead us not to identify an ethical situation (Velasquez 50-52)

An aspect of Biased Theories about the World, Biased Theories about Others, and Biased Theories about Oneself that you find important to consider. (Velasquez 52-54)

A way to manage or avoid a conflict of interest

The idea that perfectly competitive markets are a standard to measure monopoly markets and oligopoly markets against ethically

An aspect of the “Fraud Triangle”

Confidentiality agreements or non-competition agreements

The Barbie and the Brat Girls case

Aspect of freedom of workplace expression

Robert Greeley Case

Employment at will

Minimum wage and/or living wage

Price-fixing

Bid-rigging

Various other forms of non-competitive practices

A type of deceptive or manipulative sales practice such as “bait and switch” or selective disclosure of information discussed in Boatright and Smith on pages 212-213

Examples of Key Passages:

Kant, Groundwork in Solomon, Martin, and Vaught, p. 292:

4) A fourth man, for whom things are going well, sees that others (whom he could help) have to struggle with great hardships, and he thinks to himself: What concern of mine is it? Let each one be as happy as heaven wills, or as he can make himself; I won’t take anything from him or even envy him; but I have no desire to contribute to his welfare or help him in time of need. If such a way of thinking were a universal law of nature, the human race could certainly survive—and no doubt that state of humanity would be better than one where everyone chatters about sympathy and benevolence and exerts himself occasionally to practice them, while also taking every chance he can to cheat, and to betray or otherwise violate people’s rights. But although it is possible that that maxim should be a universal law of nature, it is impossible to will that it do so. For a will that brought that about would conflict with itself, since instances can often arise in which the person in question would need the love and sympathy of others, and he would have no hope of getting the help he desires, being robbed of it by this law of nature springing from his own will.

Kant, Groundwork in Solomon, Martin, and Vaught, p. 299

Second, as concerns necessary or strict duty to others, the man who intends to make a false promise will immediately see that he intends to make use of another man merely as a means to an end which the latter does not likewise hold. For the man whom I want to use for my own purposes by such a promise cannot possibly concur with my way of acting toward him and hence cannot himself hold the end of this action. This conflict with the principle of duty to others becomes even clearer when instances of attacks on the freedom and property of others are considered. For then it becomes clear that a transgressor of the rights of men intends to make use of the persons of others merely as a means, without taking into consideration that, as rational beings, they should always be esteemed at the same time as ends, i.e., be esteemed only as beings who must themselves be able to hold the very same action as an end

Velasquez, 55:

Moral seduction occurs one step at a time. For example, in one year, an auditor might decline to demand that the client change an accounting practice that is at the edge of permissibility. The next year, the auditor may feel the need to justify the previous year’s decision and may turn a blind eye when the client pushes just past the edge of permissibility. The following year, the auditor might endorse accounting that clearly violates GAAP rules in order to avoid admitting the errors of the past two years and in the hope that the client will fix the problem before the next year’s audit. By the fourth year, the auditor and client will both be actively engaged in a cover-up to hide their past practices.

Boatright and Smith, 95:

Suppose that a good friend of yours is hired to be your direct supervisor at work. This person will now conduct your official performance reviews and determine whether you get raises or promotions, more desirable work assignments, permission for requested days off, and so on. Do you have a responsibility to inform your employer of your friendship with this person? What other actions could you take to prevent the possibility of favoritism? What if you believe your friend is fair-minded enough to treat you the same as your coworkers while on the job?

REQUIREMENTS:

1. Your essay should be word-processed, double-spaced, one-inch to one and one-half inch margins. It should be grammar and spell-checked. Pages Numbered. Font no smaller than 12 point. Correct spelling, grammar, and style are required.
2. Your entire paper file should start with your check sheet. Your reflection paper should follow.

3. You should upload your file to Blackboard Learn. Your file should be in MS Word doc or docx, rtf, or pdf file formats. Please label it with your name, section, and assignment. For example, smithphil208-01personalreflectionthree.

5. The body of your paper should be approximately 350-400 words, not counting the Works Consulted/ Reference/Bibliography list or the check sheet.
6. You must include a Works Consulted/Reference/Bibliography list. It does not have to appear on a separate page. You need not consult any other sources than what we have read for class. Those sources and any other sources you consult must be included in your Works Consulted/Reference List and cited in-text where this is required. CAREFUL AND CORRECT CITATION IS REQUIRED. WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE. Remember that simply paraphrasing or changing every third word is not OK. Quote and cite or radically summarize and cite. Use quotation marks when quoting or indent if quote is five lines or longer. Guessing at where your information comes from is not OK. Use page numbers or in the case of classical authors cite by Book and Section or Chapter in your in-text citations. Book or journal titles are italicized. If you have questions Turabian 7th ed., Chicago Manual of Style, and current MLA are the preferred citation formats. I will assume that you have consulted and understood K. Turabian et al, Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations 7th edition, the Chicago Manual of Style 15th edition, or the current MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers on these issues.

7. Your reflection should begin with an “Executive Summary.” You can use first or third person. Here are some examples:

In this paper, I first outline Aristotle’s idea that a moral virtue is a habit or trained faculty that becomes part of who a person is through practice. Then I argue that Aristotle’s advice about how to acquire a virtue such as temperance still applies today because . . . .

This paper first outlines Aristotle’s idea that a moral virtue is a habit or trained faculty that becomes part of who a person is through practice. It then argues that Aristotle’s advice about how to acquire a virtue such as temperance still applies today because . . . .

8. A STANDARD OUTLINE is as follows. Using these labels as headings is a good idea.

I. Check Sheet

II. Personal Reflection Paper

A. Executive Summary

B. Concept or Passage Explanation

C. Reflection

D. Bibliography/Works Consulted

GRADING – 40 points

Your T. A. will be looking for the following:

a. The degree to which you have explained clearly and adequately the key idea, concept, or passage chosen.

b. The degree to which you show evidence of having considered thoughtfully the idea or passage as a basis for your reflection.

c. The degree to which your reflection includes cogent reasons for your views and provides examples to illustrate where relevant. [Cogent means valid and convincing.]

d. Correct grammar, style, spelling, structure, and citation.

e. Check Sheet at beginning of file.

f. Well-crafted Executive Summary

CHECK SHEET BELOW

CHECK SHEET FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION PAPER

Please type an “x” in the boxes to the left of tasks you completed.