Organisations and Ethics

2025.02 MGMT321 Assignment Two

Individual Ethical Case Analysis

Purpose

In this assignment, the first skill you’ll practice is the ability to clearly communicate complex ideas in writing, and the ability to make a convincing argument – to persuade a reader by demonstrating that your reasoning is sound. In the workplace, for material that is very complex you’ll often be asked to explain it in writing so that you can include more detail than would fit in a verbal presentation and so that people can read it in their own time.

WriBen and verbal communication skills are likely to be foundational in any career, even in very technical roles. In large organisations the reports, policy documents, and analyses you write may be the first impression you make, making these skills highly valuable to you. We’ll use ideas from Module Two to practice these skills.

The other skill we want you to practice is, of course, ethical reasoning: being able to work through both sides of an argument, and to use ethical reasoning skills to test that your conclusion is sound.

Skills and Knowledge

The rubric is designed to give you feedback on where you are at with both your skills and knowledge. These are the skills and knowledge we’re aiming to develop and demonstrate.

Skills:

-     Demonstrate ethical reasoning. It’s tempting to fall back on the more familiar

operational or financial considerations but here we want you to grapple with the ethical implications of your case organisation’s decisions.

-     Communicate an argument in writing, in a manner that’s logical, easy to follow, and convincing.

-     Support your argument with evidence. The higher the quality evidence, the more convincing your argument.

Knowledge:

-     Understand and apply ethical frameworks to analyse and test ethical decisions.

-     Identifying stakeholders and why they maBer.

-     Understand the tensions that organisations face when mee7ng these dilemmas.

Instructions

Marks: 40% of overall grade (assignment is marked out of 100)

Overall length: 1,600-2,400 words (note this is a max word limit, not +/- 10%).

Due: Thursday 18th September, 4pm

Below is a list of ethical dilemmas faced in modern organisations. Choose one to explore in your assignment. You will research the question and present both sides of the argument. You will conclude by providing your answer to the question posed, incorporating at least one of the ethical theories we have discussed to justify your position.

Part 1 – The Dilemma (~300-500 words):

Introduce the dilemma to your reader. Explain why it maBers, what it involves, who the stakeholders are, and any other background context you think is useful or necessary.

Separate out the ethical issues from the economic or operational issues.

Part 2 – Arguments For (~400-600 words):

Present arguments in favour of a “yes” answer. Use real world organisations as examples and support your argument with evidence. Incorporate ethical reasoning in your arguments.

Part 3 – Arguments Against (~400-600 word):

Present arguments in favour of a “no” answer. Use real world organisations as examples and support your argument with evidence. Incorporate ethical reasoning in your arguments.

Part 4 – Your Conclusion (~500-700 words):

Based on the arguments you have presented, how would you answer the question?

Incorporate at least one of the ethical theories we have discussed in class to explain your position.

Note: These are not clear-cut questions so you may be tempted to rely on “it depends”

answers – try not to. It is reasonable to argue that something is ethical only when certain conditions are met but don’t hedge to avoid answering the question (and do explain why those conditions affect the answer).

In the real world, organisations have to make decisions so that they can act, even if the decision is not perfect.

Ethical Dilemmas (choose one):

1.   Should a tech company develop surveillance tools that improve public safety but could also be misused by authoritarian regimes?

2.   Should a company that prides itself on inclusive values withdraw from markets

where LGBTQ+ rights are suppressed to distance itself from discriminatory regimes, or stay engaged to protect its local workers and potentially exert quiet influence for change?

3.   Should a firm comply with a lawful court order to provide user data that will help

catch a violent criminal, knowing it breaks the company’s privacy guarantees and sets a precedent that could be abused later?

4.   Should organisations use behavioural nudges (e.g., default options, design cues) to influence employee decisions around wellbeing and productivity, or does this compromise informed consent and individual autonomy?

5.   Is it ethically acceptable for a values-driven organisation to fire an employee who

publicly expresses views contrary to the company’s mission, such as anti-diversity positions — or should organisations protect pluralism and freedom of thought, even when values clash?

6.   Is it unethical for companies to use lobbying and other political activities to resist

regulation, or is this a legitimate exercise of their right to free speech and advocacy?

7.   Should a company use generative AI tools to increase productivity, even if it results in significant job displacement?

8.   If none of the questions above suit your interests, you can choose your own.

However, I recommend emailing your question to me ([email protected]) before you start, and I’ll try to help you avoid any pioalls with question choice.

Submission Details

•    Format: Write this as a report, rather than an essay. You should use headings to help structure your report.

•    Referencing: Use APA 7th referencing (details available on Nuku)

•   Submission Method: Submit as a Word document or PDF. Upload to Nuku.

•    Late PenalJes: In fairness to other students, a penalty of 5% of the marks available

(marks available means what the assessment is worth i.e. 20% or 20 marks) will be

applied for each day or part day late. Assessment received more than 7 days a@er the due date will not be accepted unless an extension has been granted in advance.

•   AI Use Policy: For this assignment, you can use AI tools to help you understand

concepts, to check that your writing is clear and logical, and to check that it meets the requirements of the rubric. Do not use AI to write your answers for you.

Notes:

-     You should use at least 6 references, including evidence and background information. This can include reliable, well-chosen news/media reporting, quotes from involved parties, etc. You should also include references for the ethical theories you use. This can include textbooks and academic journal articles.

-     Referencing should be in APA 7th  format

-     You must stay within the overall word count for the assignment; however, word counts for each question are just guidelines. You can answer questions in more or fewer words if you prefer so long as you stay within the overall word count.

-     References and cover page information (e.g., your name and student ID) are not included in the overall word count but headings, subheadings, images, and tables (if you choose to use them) are.

-     References and cover page information (e.g., your name and student ID) are not included in the overall word count but headings, subheadings, images, and tables (if you choose to use them) are.