Overview
Competencies
3066.1.1 : Ethical Issues in Business
The graduate analyzes ethical and socially responsible courses of action in a given business situation.
3066.1.2 : Ethical Leadership
The graduate analyzes ethical considerations that shape business leadership.
3066.1.3 : Employment Issues in Business
The graduate applies ethical principles to employment.
3066.1.4 : Environmental Concerns in Business
The graduate applies ethical principles to environmental concerns confronting business.
3066.1.6 : Ethics Programs
The graduate evaluates ethical policies in a given business scenario.
In today's complex and multicultural business environment, professionals must maintain ethical integrity in all aspects of their work. The goal of this course is to introduce concepts that will guide you in ethical courses of action in business. As part of your evaluation, you will assume the role of a human resources (HR) director and analyze ethical and socially responsible courses of action for the given business scenario. Your task involves examining alignment between your company's practices, corporate policies, and ethical principles, and proposing courses of action to address the company's ethical responsibilities.
TechFite, a high-tech British company renowned for its commitment to workplace collaboration, leadership development, and community engagement, recently opened its first U.S. factory in Dellberg to produce a new line of recreational equipment. The company's ethical principles strongly emphasize employee empowerment, environmental responsibility, and active community participation. To staff the new facility, TechFite has hired several local Dellberg residents, originally promising full-time roles with a 40-hour work week. However, due to budget constraints, funding for full-time benefits is limited and has led to the reclassification of many new employees to part time. This decision has created employee dissatisfaction, as the reduced hours prevent many workers from qualifying for full-time benefits. Recognizing the differences in labor laws and cultural expectations between the United States and the United Kingdom, TechFite's HR department is now tasked with reviewing its policies to address the ethical implications for employee well-being. As the HR director, you have noted a troubling trend. While employee hours and benefits are restricted, significant bonuses continue to be awarded to top executives, highlighting a disconnect between executive compensation and the company's stated values. During their initial presentations to the Dellberg City Council, TechFite committed to sponsoring local events, supporting youth leadership initiatives, and investing in Dellberg's infrastructure using environmentally conscious practices. To date, none of these commitments have been funded or acted on, which is beginning to damage TechFite's reputation in the community. Initial enthusiasm from Dellberg residents has waned, with complaints surfacing about limited hours, inadequate benefits, and the company's failure to engage in promised community and environmental initiatives. To regain the trust and support of Dellberg's residents, TechFite's leadership team recognizes the need for a clear, actionable plan that realigns the company's practices with its ethical values. This includes addressing community commitments, employee benefits, and environmentally sustainable practices to strengthen local relationships and fully integrate into Dellberg's community.
Your submission must represent your original work and understanding of the course material. Most performance assessment submissions are automatically scanned through the WGU similarity checker. Students are strongly encouraged to wait for the similarity report to generate after uploading their work and then review it to ensure Academic Authenticity guidelines are met before submitting the file for evaluation. See Understanding Similarity Reports for more information.
Grammarly Note:
Professional Communication will be automatically assessed through Grammarly for Education in most performance assessments before a student submits work for evaluation. Students are strongly encouraged to review the Grammarly for Education feedback prior to submitting work for evaluation, as the overall submission will not pass without this aspect passing. See Use Grammarly for Education Effectively for more information.
Microsoft Files Note:
Write your paper in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) unless another Microsoft product, or pdf, is specified in the task directions. Tasks may not be submitted as cloud links, such as links to Google Docs, Google Slides, OneDrive, etc. All supporting documentation, such as screenshots and proof of experience, should be collected in a pdf file and submitted separately from the main file. For more information, please see Computer System and Technology Requirements.
A. Analyze the alignment between TechFite's ethical principles and its current practices in Dellberg by doing the following:
1. Provide a description of one ethical theory from the following list, including at least two key features or characteristics:
2. Identify an ethical issue from the scenario.
a. Explain why the issue identified in part A2 is an ethical issue.
b. Identify two relevant stakeholders who are impacted by the ethical issue from part A2.
Note: TechFite and TechFite's reputation are not valid stakeholders.
c. Describe how both stakeholders identified in part A2b are impacted by the ethical issue identified in part A2 providing one impact for each stakeholder.
d. Explain how the theory described in part A1 can help TechFite resolve the ethical issue identified in part A2 and realign its practices with its ethical principles.
3. Identify a second ethical issue from the scenario.
Note: The ethical issue identified in part A3 must be different from the ethical issue identified in part A2.
a. Explain why the issue identified in part A3 is an ethical issue.
b. Identify two relevant stakeholders who are impacted by the ethical issue from part A3.
Note: TechFite and TechFite's reputation are not valid stakeholders.
c. Describe how both stakeholders identified in part A3b are impacted by the ethical issue from part A3, providing one impact for each stakeholder.
d. Explain how the theory described in part A1 can help TechFite resolve the ethical issue identified in part A3 and realign its practices with its ethical principles.
B. Analyze the alignment between TechFite's ethical principles and its corporate policies by doing the following:
1. Using the attached "TechFite Corporate Policies" supporting document, clearly identify two corporate policies.
Note: Please ensure that each corporate policy is clearly and accurately referenced by its official name.
2. Analyze the first corporate policy identified in part B1 by doing the following:
a. Discuss one way in which the first corporate policy aligns with TechFite's ethical principles.
b. Discuss one way in which the first corporate policy conflicts with TechFite's ethical principles.
3. Analyze the second corporate policy identified in part B1 by doing the following:
a. Discuss one way in which the second corporate policy aligns with TechFite's ethical principles.
b. Discuss one way in which the second corporate policy conflicts with TechFite's ethical principles.
C. Help TechFite align its current practices with its commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) by doing the following:
1. Explain CSR, including two key features or characteristics.
2. Propose one course of action that TechFite can implement to align its practices with its commitment to CSR focused on employees.
a. Discuss how the course of action focused on employees would promote TechFite's reputation as a socially responsible organization.
3. Propose one course of action that TechFite can implement to align its practices with its commitment to CSR focused on community engagement.
a. Discuss how the course of action focused on community engagement would promote TechFite's reputation as a socially responsible organization.
4. Propose one course of action that TechFite can implement to align its practices with its commitment to CSR focused on environmental sustainability.
a. Discuss how the course of action focused on environmental sustainability would promote TechFite's reputation as a socially responsible organization.
D. Acknowledge sources, using in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.
E. Demonstrate professional communication in the content and presentation of your submission.
File Restrictions
File name may contain only letters, numbers, spaces, and these symbols: ! - _ . * ' ( ) File size limit: 200 MB File types allowed: doc, docx, rtf, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, odt, pdf, csv, txt, qt, mov, mpg, avi, mp3, wav, mp4, wma, flv, asf, mpeg, wmv, m4v, svg, tif, tiff, jpeg, jpg, gif, png, zip, rar, tar, 7z
Competencies
3066.1.1 : Ethical Issues in Business
The graduate analyzes ethical and socially responsible courses of action in a given business situation.
3066.1.2 : Ethical Leadership
The graduate analyzes ethical considerations that shape business leadership.
3066.1.3 : Employment Issues in Business
The graduate applies ethical principles to employment.
3066.1.4 : Environmental Concerns in Business
The graduate applies ethical principles to environmental concerns confronting business.
3066.1.6 : Ethics Programs
The graduate evaluates ethical policies in a given business scenario.
In today's complex and multicultural business environment, professionals must maintain ethical integrity in all aspects of their work. The goal of this course is to introduce concepts that will guide you in ethical courses of action in business. As part of your evaluation, you will assume the role of a human resources (HR) director and analyze ethical and socially responsible courses of action for the given business scenario. Your task involves examining alignment between your company's practices, corporate policies, and ethical principles, and proposing courses of action to address the company's ethical responsibilities.
TechFite, a high-tech British company renowned for its commitment to workplace collaboration, leadership development, and community engagement, recently opened its first U.S. factory in Dellberg to produce a new line of recreational equipment. The company's ethical principles strongly emphasize employee empowerment, environmental responsibility, and active community participation. To staff the new facility, TechFite has hired several local Dellberg residents, originally promising full-time roles with a 40-hour work week. However, due to budget constraints, funding for full-time benefits is limited and has led to the reclassification of many new employees to part time. This decision has created employee dissatisfaction, as the reduced hours prevent many workers from qualifying for full-time benefits. Recognizing the differences in labor laws and cultural expectations between the United States and the United Kingdom, TechFite's HR department is now tasked with reviewing its policies to address the ethical implications for employee well-being. As the HR director, you have noted a troubling trend. While employee hours and benefits are restricted, significant bonuses continue to be awarded to top executives, highlighting a disconnect between executive compensation and the company's stated values. During their initial presentations to the Dellberg City Council, TechFite committed to sponsoring local events, supporting youth leadership initiatives, and investing in Dellberg's infrastructure using environmentally conscious practices. To date, none of these commitments have been funded or acted on, which is beginning to damage TechFite's reputation in the community. Initial enthusiasm from Dellberg residents has waned, with complaints surfacing about limited hours, inadequate benefits, and the company's failure to engage in promised community and environmental initiatives. To regain the trust and support of Dellberg's residents, TechFite's leadership team recognizes the need for a clear, actionable plan that realigns the company's practices with its ethical values. This includes addressing community commitments, employee benefits, and environmentally sustainable practices to strengthen local relationships and fully integrate into Dellberg's community.
Your submission must represent your original work and understanding of the course material. Most performance assessment submissions are automatically scanned through the WGU similarity checker. Students are strongly encouraged to wait for the similarity report to generate after uploading their work and then review it to ensure Academic Authenticity guidelines are met before submitting the file for evaluation. See Understanding Similarity Reports for more information.
Grammarly Note:
Professional Communication will be automatically assessed through Grammarly for Education in most performance assessments before a student submits work for evaluation. Students are strongly encouraged to review the Grammarly for Education feedback prior to submitting work for evaluation, as the overall submission will not pass without this aspect passing. See Use Grammarly for Education Effectively for more information.
Microsoft Files Note:
Write your paper in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) unless another Microsoft product, or pdf, is specified in the task directions. Tasks may not be submitted as cloud links, such as links to Google Docs, Google Slides, OneDrive, etc. All supporting documentation, such as screenshots and proof of experience, should be collected in a pdf file and submitted separately from the main file. For more information, please see Computer System and Technology Requirements.
A. Analyze the alignment between TechFite's ethical principles and its current practices in Dellberg by doing the following:
1. Provide a description of one ethical theory from the following list, including at least two key features or characteristics:
2. Identify an ethical issue from the scenario.
a. Explain why the issue identified in part A2 is an ethical issue.
b. Identify two relevant stakeholders who are impacted by the ethical issue from part A2.
Note: TechFite and TechFite's reputation are not valid stakeholders.
c. Describe how both stakeholders identified in part A2b are impacted by the ethical issue identified in part A2 providing one impact for each stakeholder.
d. Explain how the theory described in part A1 can help TechFite resolve the ethical issue identified in part A2 and realign its practices with its ethical principles.
3. Identify a second ethical issue from the scenario.
Note: The ethical issue identified in part A3 must be different from the ethical issue identified in part A2.
a. Explain why the issue identified in part A3 is an ethical issue.
b. Identify two relevant stakeholders who are impacted by the ethical issue from part A3.
Note: TechFite and TechFite's reputation are not valid stakeholders.
c. Describe how both stakeholders identified in part A3b are impacted by the ethical issue from part A3, providing one impact for each stakeholder.
d. Explain how the theory described in part A1 can help TechFite resolve the ethical issue identified in part A3 and realign its practices with its ethical principles.
B. Analyze the alignment between TechFite's ethical principles and its corporate policies by doing the following:
1. Using the attached "TechFite Corporate Policies" supporting document, clearly identify two corporate policies.
Note: Please ensure that each corporate policy is clearly and accurately referenced by its official name.
2. Analyze the first corporate policy identified in part B1 by doing the following:
a. Discuss one way in which the first corporate policy aligns with TechFite's ethical principles.
b. Discuss one way in which the first corporate policy conflicts with TechFite's ethical principles.
3. Analyze the second corporate policy identified in part B1 by doing the following:
a. Discuss one way in which the second corporate policy aligns with TechFite's ethical principles.
b. Discuss one way in which the second corporate policy conflicts with TechFite's ethical principles.
C. Help TechFite align its current practices with its commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) by doing the following:
1. Explain CSR, including two key features or characteristics.
2. Propose one course of action that TechFite can implement to align its practices with its commitment to CSR focused on employees.
a. Discuss how the course of action focused on employees would promote TechFite's reputation as a socially responsible organization.
3. Propose one course of action that TechFite can implement to align its practices with its commitment to CSR focused on community engagement.
a. Discuss how the course of action focused on community engagement would promote TechFite's reputation as a socially responsible organization.
4. Propose one course of action that TechFite can implement to align its practices with its commitment to CSR focused on environmental sustainability.
a. Discuss how the course of action focused on environmental sustainability would promote TechFite's reputation as a socially responsible organization.
D. Acknowledge sources, using in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.
E. Demonstrate professional communication in the content and presentation of your submission.
File Restrictions
File name may contain only letters, numbers, spaces, and these symbols: ! - _ . * ' ( ) File size limit: 200 MB File types allowed: doc, docx, rtf, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, odt, pdf, csv, txt, qt, mov, mpg, avi, mp3, wav, mp4, wma, flv, asf, mpeg, wmv, m4v, svg, tif, tiff, jpeg, jpg, gif, png, zip, rar, tar, 7z
A1:ETHICAL THEORY
Not Evident A description of an ethical theory from the list is not provided. | Approaching Competence The description of the chosen ethical theory is inaccurate or includes fewer than 2 key features or characteristics. | Competent The description of the chosen ethical theory accurately includes 2 key features or characteristics. |
A2:FIRST ETHICAL ISSUE
Not Evident An ethical issue from the scenario is not identified. | Approaching Competence Not applicable. | Competent The first ethical issue identified is relevant to the scenario. |
A2a:EXPLANATION OF FIRST ETHICAL ISSUE
Not Evident An explanation of the ethical issue identified in part A2 is not provided. | Approaching Competence Not applicable. | Competent An explanation of the ethical issue identified in part A2 is provided. |
A2b:STAKEHOLDERS
Not Evident No stakeholders are identified. | Approaching Competence Only 1 stakeholder is identified, or 1 or more stakeholders identified are not relevant to the ethical issue in part A2. | Competent 2 stakeholders are identified, both of which are relevant to the ethical issue in part A2. |
A2c:IMPACT ON STAKEHOLDERS
Not Evident A description of how both stakeholders are impacted is not provided. | Approaching Competence The description of the impact on stakeholders does not address both stakeholders identified in part A2b or does not logically provide 1 impact for each stakeholder. | Competent The description of the impacts on stakeholders is logical, addresses both stakeholders identified in part A2b, and provides 1 impact for each stakeholder. |
A2d:ETHICAL REALIGNMENT
Not Evident An explanation of how TechFite can realign its practices with its ethical principles is not provided. | Approaching Competence The explanation of how TechFite can realign its practices with its ethical principles does not include the theory described in part A1 or does not address the ethical issue from part A2. | Competent The explanation of how TechFite can realign its practices with its ethical principles includes the theory described in part A1 and addresses the ethical issue from part A2. |
A3:SECOND ETHICAL ISSUE
Not Evident A second ethical issue from the scenario is not identified. | Approaching Competence Not applicable. | Competent The second ethical issue identified is relevant to the scenario. |
A3a:EXPLANATION OF SECOND ETHICAL ISSUE
Not Evident An explanation of the ethical issue identified in part A3 is not provided. | Approaching Competence Not applicable. | Competent An explanation of the ethical issue identified in part A3 is provided. |
A3b:STAKEHOLDERS
Not Evident No stakeholders are identified. | Approaching Competence Only 1 stakeholder is identified, or 1 or more stakeholders identified are not relevant the ethical issue in part A3. | Competent 2 stakeholders are identified, both of which are relevant to the ethical issue in part A3. |
A3c:IMPACT ON STAKEHOLDERS
Not Evident A description of how both stakeholders are impacted is not provided. | Approaching Competence The description of the impact on stakeholders does not address both stakeholders identified in part A3b or does not logically provide 1 impact for each stakeholder. | Competent The description of the impacts on stakeholders is logical, addresses both stakeholders identified in part A3b, and provides 1 impact for each stakeholder. |
A3d:ETHICAL REALIGNMENT
Not Evident An explanation of how TechFite can realign its practices with its ethical principles is not provided. | Approaching Competence The explanation of how TechFite can realign its practices with its ethical principles does not include the theory described in part A1 or does not address the ethical issue from part A3. | Competent The explanation of how TechFite can realign its practices with its ethical principles includes the theory described in part A1 and addresses the ethical issue from part A3. |
B1:CORPORATE POLICIES
Not Evident No corporate policies are identified from the supporting document. | Approaching Competence Only 1 corporate policy is clearly and accurately identified from the supporting document. | Competent 2 corporate policies are clearly and accurately identified from the supporting document. |
B2a:FIRST POLICY ALIGNMENT WITH ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
Not Evident A discussion of how the first TechFite corporate policy aligns with its ethical principles is not provided. | Approaching Competence The discussion of how the first TechFite corporate policy aligns with its ethical principles is inaccurate or not relevant. | Competent The discussion of how the first TechFite corporate policy aligns with its ethical principles is accurate and relevant. |
B2b:FIRST POLICY CONFLICT WITH ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
Not Evident A discussion of how the first TechFite corporate policy conflicts with its ethical principles is not provided. | Approaching Competence The discussion of how the first TechFite corporate policy conflicts with its ethical principles is inaccurate or not relevant. | Competent The discussion of how the first TechFite corporate policy conflicts with its ethical principles is accurate and relevant. |
B3a:SECOND POLICY ALIGNMENT WITH ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
Not Evident A discussion of how the second TechFite corporate policy aligns with its ethical principles is not provided. | Approaching Competence The discussion of how the second TechFite corporate policy aligns with its ethical principles is inaccurate or not relevant. | Competent The discussion of how the second TechFite corporate policy aligns with its ethical principles is accurate and relevant. |
B3b:SECOND POLICY CONFLICT WITH ETHICAL PRINCIPLES
Not Evident A discussion of how the second TechFite corporate policy conflicts with its ethical principles is not provided. | Approaching Competence The discussion of how the second TechFite corporate policy conflicts with its ethical principles is inaccurate or not relevant. | Competent The discussion of how the second TechFite corporate policy conflicts with its ethical principles is accurate and relevant. |
C1:CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Not Evident The explanation of corporate social responsibility does not include any key features or characteristics. | Approaching Competence The explanation of corporate social responsibility is inaccurate or includes only 1 key feature or characteristic. | Competent The explanation of corporate social responsibility is accurate and includes 2 key features or characteristics. |
C2:COURSE OF ACTION: EMPLOYEES
Not Evident A course of action focused on employees is not proposed. | Approaching Competence The proposed course of action does not align with TechFite's commitment to corporate social responsibility focused on employees. | Competent The proposed course of action aligns with TechFite's commitment to corporate social responsibility focused on employees. |
C2a:ENHANCEMENT OF REPUTATION
Not Evident A discussion of how TechFite can promote its reputation is not provided. | Approaching Competence The discussion of how TechFite can promote its reputation is incomplete or is not focused on employees. | Competent The discussion of how TechFite can promote its reputation is focused on employees. |
C3:COURSE OF ACTION: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Not Evident A course of action focused on community engagement is not proposed. | Approaching Competence The proposed course of action does not align with TechFite's commitment to corporate social responsibility focused on community engagement. | Competent The proposed course of action aligns with TechFite's commitment to corporate social responsibility focused on community engagement. |
C3a:ENHANCEMENT OF REPUTATION
Not Evident A discussion of how TechFite can promote its reputation is not provided. | Approaching Competence The discussion of how TechFite can promote its reputation is incomplete or is not focused on community engagement. | Competent The discussion of how TechFite can promote its reputation is focused on community engagement. |
C4:COURSE OF ACTION: ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Not Evident A course of action focused on environmental sustainability is not proposed. | Approaching Competence The proposed course of action does not align with TechFite's commitment to corporate social responsibility focused on environmental sustainability. | Competent The proposed course of action aligns with TechFite's commitment to corporate social responsibility focused on environmental sustainability. |
C4a:ENHANCEMENT OF REPUTATION
Not Evident A discussion of how TechFite can promote its reputation is not provided. | Approaching Competence The discussion of how TechFite can promote its reputation is incomplete or is not focused on environmental sustainability. | Competent The discussion of how TechFite can promote its reputation is focused on environmental sustainability. |
D:SOURCES
Not Evident The submission does not include both in-text citations and a reference list for sources that are quoted, paraphrased, or summarized. | Approaching Competence The submission includes in-text citations for sources that are quoted, paraphrased, or summarized and a reference list; however, the citations or reference list is incomplete or inaccurate. | Competent The submission includes in-text citations for sources that are properly quoted, paraphrased, or summarized and a reference list that accurately identifies the author, date, title, and source location as available. |
E:PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
Not Evident This submission includes pervasive errors in professional communication related to grammar, sentence fluency, contextual spelling, or punctuation, negatively impacting the professional quality and clarity of the writing. Specific errors have been identified by Grammarly for Education under the Correctness category. | Approaching Competence This submission includes substantial errors in professional communication related to grammar, sentence fluency, contextual spelling, and/or punctuation. Specific errors have been identified by Grammarly for Education under the Correctness category. | Competent This submission includes satisfactory use of grammar, sentence fluency, contextual spelling, and punctuation, which promote accurate interpretation and understanding. |