Competency
In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following competency:
- Analyze the ethical considerations related to an issue
Scenario
Your role in a new company includes brand management and public relations. The company has enjoyed a windfall in profits in its first year of operation. Because of its rapid success, it has attracted media attention. You see this as an opportunity to establish your firm as an upstanding corporate citizen.
To demonstrate your organization’s commitment to social responsibility, you propose that your firm should allocate a portion of your recent profits toward a worthy philanthropic cause. You survey your fellow board members and employees’ interests and receive a wide range of suggestions (listed in the Project Topics document in the Supporting Materials section). The scope of proposals ranges from economic and social justice to issues of war and sustainable peace. From a public relations standpoint, there are risks to taking a stand on one of these potentially controversial issues without first doing some research. For your company to make strategic decisions related to its charitable donations and advocacy, you need to start at the beginning.
Your task is to select one of the topics in the provided list to focus your research. You will demonstrate how to analyze ethical frameworks and apply them to your philanthropic decision making in a report to the executive board. You will incorporate your findings in a report to the executive board.
Directions
In your report to the executive board, you will demonstrate how to analyze ethical frameworks and apply them to your philanthropic decision making. Note that you should not take a stance or advocate for a specific charity. Instead, you will research the topic to answer more fundamental questions about how to approach the issue. In this way, you will illustrate sound ethical decision making that can then be applied to future philanthropic decisions.
Specifically, address the following in your report:
- Part One: Background
- Begin your report by explaining the relevance of ethical frameworks for your audience.
- Specifically, explain how ethical frameworks can influence decision making, including your organization’s philanthropic choices.
- Part Two: Analyze Your Chosen Topic
- Examine your topic from an ethical perspective.
- Identify at least two ethical issues that are currently relevant for your chosen topic.
- Illustrate each example for your audience using evidence.
- Evaluate the potential impacts of different ethical decisions related to your topic.
- In other words, describe how your organization could have real-world effects with its philanthropic choices.
- Provide specific examples to illustrate your claims.
- Examine your topic from an ethical perspective.
- Part Three: Reflect
- Conclude your report by explaining how your organization could use ethical frameworks to defend the validity of its future ethical decisions.
- Remember that you should not take a specific stance on any one issue. Instead, you should explain more broadly how ethical frameworks can be used to support sound decision making.
What to Submit
Every project has a deliverable or deliverables, which are the files that must be submitted before your project can be assessed. For this project, you must submit the following:
Ethical Considerations Report Your report should be submitted as a 500- to 1,000-word Microsoft Word document using the template provided in the Supporting Materials section. Keep in mind the goals and audience of your communication when crafting your responses. Include appropriate citations, as needed.