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MMM0157 – Ethical & Responsible Management (business ethics) & International Corporate Social Responsibility

COURSEWORK 2; INDIVIDUAL ESSAY (3000 WORDS).

CW 2

INDIVIDUAL ESSAY (60 PERCENT WEIGHT; 3000 words +/- 10 percent) –

Each individual student to choose one ONLY out of the essay topics provided below for one 3,000 words individual academic essay (+/- 10 percent words are permissible).

RULES AND PENALTIES FOR LATE SUMBISSION FOR ALL COURSEWORK

All coursework (CW) MUST be submitted electronically on Turnitin /blackboard for marking.

Requirements for a pass – A weighted average mark of coursework (since this module has no extra examination) of 50%.

Penalties for late submission (new University policy from 2016 onwards)

The following penalties will be applied for work submitted late, in accordance with University policy:

· where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;

· where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/qualitysupport/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

Module convener’s tips for students for all CW topic options for the long individual essay (CW2):

OPTION 1

(1) Read the article ‘Nichols, M., ‘Third World families: child labour or child care?,’ Harvard Business Review, Jan. 1993. (ARC) Can the use of child labour in developing economies by multinational corporations ever be justifiable?  Critically analyse this question by using a) utilitarian theory AND b) Kant’s theory of duty.

Make sure your analysis appears as one integrated essay and not separate parts.

OR, OPTION 2

(2) Ethics of Supply chains, transparency and responsibility of MNCs.

Razat Gaurav, CEO of LLamasoft, said: “There are many ways companies can make their supply chains leaner and greener, but for organisations with potentially hundreds of suppliers, thousands of products and millions of customers, determining the best alternatives is far from straightforward, at times making sustainability and profitability an either/or choice – but it does not have to be. Source: CIPS: https://www.cips.org/supply-management/news/2019/january/cost-is-biggest-barrier-to-supply-chain-sustainability/

In recent years a rising number of multinational corporations have pledged to work only with suppliers that adhere to social and environmental standards. Typically, these MNCs expect their first-tier suppliers to comply with those standards, and they ask that those suppliers in turn ask for compliance from their suppliers—who ideally ask the same from their suppliers…It’s an admirable idea, but it’s been hard to realize in practice. Many of the MNCs that have committed to it have faced scandals brought about by suppliers that, despite being aware of sustainability standards, have nevertheless gone on to violate them. Consider the embarrassing scrutiny that Apple, Dell, and HP endured not long ago for sourcing electronics from overseas companies that required employees to work in hazardous conditions, and the fallout that Nike and Adidas suffered for using suppliers that were dumping toxins into rivers in China. Source: Villena, V.H. and Gioia, D.A., 2020. A more sustainable supply chain. Harvard Business Review, 98(2), pp.84-93.

Apply Aristotle/Virtue Ethics OR Kantian Deontology.  Apply the theory you chose to critically analyze and discuss the challenges and importance of MNCs like Apple, Dell, etc. to committed themselves to serve the common good and be an ethical and responsible global actors in a sustainable supply chain.

OR, OPTION 3

(3) Analysis of the responsibilities by businesses, the government and the press in the case of the Panama and the Paradise papers leaks:

Recently the Panama Papers (https://panamapapers.icij.org/) and in 2017 the Paradise Papers via independent global journalism leaked demonstrated shocking facts on how the tax avoidance and evasion have become wide spread business practices. Businesses’ habituation with such practices often relies on open backing by various national governments.  Some governments in Europe, Americas, Asia and elsewhere have been offering formal incentives enabling tax evasion/avoidance, acting in self-interested ways in order to attract foreign direct investment and capital.  Panama papers reveal other governments operating as tax evasion heavens.

Apply concepts from the Aristotelian Theory of Virtue (lecture 6-7), OR Kantian Deontology (lecture 5) to critically discuss

(a) the problem of tax avoidance and tax evasion, how they differ (in their legal permissibility and in wider ethical terms, as what is legal is not always ethical).  Discuss responsibility of businesses as tax payers especially MNCs tax payment in their HOST and not just their HOME countries. Discuss reasons why companies should pay their fair share of tax (if you apply Kant), or reasons why appropriate taxation of firms enables the common good of the wider society and not only a few in each nation and regionally (if you apply Aristotelian Virtue theory).

(b) the ethical shared responsibilities of independent journalism regarding how to treat information such as these leaks and if they have a responsibility to make this information public via the media.

TWO questions should be answered in a coherent continuous fashion and not as separate exam questions, and bear equal weight.

(NOTE: YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO DO A FULL KANTIAN ANALYSIS IF YOU CHOOSE KANT BUT YOU MAY ALSO DO SO IF YOU CHOOSE TO. IT IS UP TO YOU).

OR, OPTION 4

(4) Employee well being and ethics.

Critically analyse upon review of literature how literature thinks about / defines what we mean by Well-being and its key components which allow a person in roles of employee to both do well in their job, and to be enabled to grow and other elements (eg physical or mental health, work and life balance, learning etc).  Which are responsibilities of businesses vis a vis their employees and how can they enhance employee well being ethics? (up to 1500 words for these two questions)

Upon analysing these two questions refer to an example of virtuous business organisation, which is well known for being a top class workplace and taking care of its employees as much as its customers and profits and critically analyze what we can learn from this case study you chose and how this organisation’s best practice help inform theory on employee well being and how we can enrich and inform the definitions of well being and your view what you personally learn from this analysis (up to 1500 words for this question).

This is a quite open and less guided essay topic which allows you a lot of room for independent research and writing.

All questions should be answered in a coherent continuous fashion and not as separate exam questions, and all questions bear equal weight.

The essay needs to rely on a practical business case and example to support and illustrate your arguments and theoretical application, but it should draw critically from relevant theory and lectures.

OR, OPTION 5

(5) Critically analyze if you agree with Neo-Aristotelian scholars who argue that businesses must act as part of the broader surrounding “political community” they are parts of (nations and regions’ common good). Critically discuss with the use of theory in lectures 6 and 7, and business cases, why virtuous businesses which serve the common good have a duty of care for their employees mental and personal growth and wellbeing (beyond their responsibilities to other groups and investors) if they wish to be virtuous organizations and given their roles as “citizens” of a political community. Draw on examples, theory, a case and your views to provide illustration and support for your arguments and analysis.

OR, OPTION 6

(6) Present and critically analyze the one of the cases of E-waste of developed countries has been exported to the developing and less developed countries. Apply the Aristotle’s Virtue ethics OR Utilitarian’s Ethics of Consequence to argue such behaviours lead to a more OR less sustainable world with real stories and examples to illustrate and support your analysis.

PLEASE IGNORE THIS FOLLOWING OPTION FOR SPRING 2024 COURSEWORK TOPICS OR, OPTION 7

(7) Systematically compare how corporate governance is understood in its classical virtue ethics problematisation and the importance of practical wisdom for ethical Corporate governance in the classical virtue ethics tradition (lect 7 parts A and B), versus in the modernist corporate governance tradition.  How is the role of managers understood in the conception of corporate governance in virtue ethics (Lecture 7 parts A and B taught by prof Akrivou) and how is it understood in the modernist one (third lecture available as part of lecture 7 taught by Prof Newton)? Discuss and illustrate your analysis with examples from business. Critically discuss and draw from theory and examples to illustrate.

RULES AND PENALTIES FOR LATE SUMBISSION FOR ALL COURSEWORK