In the Week Three Discussion,
you selected a current business problem from the following case categories:
·
Banking
·
Fuel and the Environment
·
GMOs
·
Factory Farming
·
Pharmaceuticals
·
Gender Discrimination
In this written assignment,
you will present your work on the case analysis using selected components of an
argumentative essay as described in Sections 9.1 and 9.2 ofWith Good Reason: A Guide to
Critical Thinking(Hardy, Foster, & Zúñiga y
Postigo, 2015). This written assignment will include a revised and polished
version of your discussion work, the presentation and support of two premises,
and an analysis of how your chosen ethical theory offers the best moral
solution to the business problem in your case analysis.
Using the components of the
argumentative essay located in Sections 9.1 and 9.2 ofWith Good Reason: A Guide to
Critical Thinking (Hardy, Foster, &
Zúñiga y Postigo (2015), your assignment should include the following:
An
introduction. This is the “Problem”
portion of the essay that is covered in Section 9.1: The Argumentative Essay
(Hardy, Foster, & Zúñiga y Postigo, 2015). This should be an improved
version of the introduction in your initial post, revised on the basis of your
professor’s feedback and additional research. In this introduction you will
need to (a) identify the specific issue or problem that you want to address and
give an impartial presentation of the controversy, (b) articulate briefly the
characteristics of the economic system that serves as the setting for the
business, and (c) examine the laws that affect the operations of the business.
The introduction should be one paragraph of around 200 words in length.
A
thesis. Start a new paragraph with a
precise and clear sentence in which you state your moral position with regard
to the case that you presented in your first paragraph. This is known as
stating your thesis. (See the “Thesis” passage in “The Argumentative Essay” in
Hardy, Foster, & Zúñiga y Postigo, 2015). The thesis you state here should
be an improved version of the thesis in your initial post in the discussion,
revised on the basis of your professor’s feedback and your reading of “The
Argumentative Essay” indicated above.
A thesis is only one sentence,
so do not write a series of sentences, or a complex sentence with explanatory
clauses (e.g., “because…” or “since…” or “according to Dr. Mary Expert, an
economist with the Bureau of Labor statistics…”, or “a law that was ratified
with 80% votes in favor…”). An example of a precise and clear thesis is this:
“Factory farms are not morally justifiable” or, of course, the opposite point
of view: “Factory farms are morally justifiable.” Keep in mind that your thesis
in this assignment will be the basis for the argumentative essay of the Week
Five written assignment, so take your time when formulating this thesis.
Ethical
theory. In the same second paragraph
as the thesis statement, identify the ethical theory that supports your moral
position. You may choose from utilitarianism, duty ethics, or virtue ethics.
Present the characteristics of the ethical theory in a broad sketch, and
include citations and references in APA form. Then, apply your chosen ethical
theory by explaining how it lends itself to the moral position that you are
defending.
Two
premises. Present at least two reasons
in support of your thesis and these should be presented in the form of a claim.
These are called premises. Articulate each premise in one clear and
grammatically correct sentence. Review Section 9.1 ofWith Good Reason: A Guide to
Critical Thinking (Foster, Hardy, and
Zúñiga y Postigo, 2015). Start a new paragraph for each.
In the rest of the paragraph,
support your premise by presenting an analysis of how the ethical theory lends
itself to the best solution. This analysis includes articulating the characteristics(s)
of the economic system at work that support the claims in your premises. It
also includes examining the effects of the law(s) at work that also support the
claims in your premises.
Comparative
analysis. In the final paragraph,
analyze how this application lends itself to a solution that is superior to
that offered by one of the ethical theories that you did not select. To do
this, provide a clear statement describing the moral solution offered by this
other theory. For example, if you chose utilitarianism to apply to your case,
then you can choose from either virtue ethics or deontology for your
comparative analysis. Explain in no more than three sentences what moral
solution would result from the application of this other ethical theory. See
the “Sample Case Analysis” in the required reading for an illustration of how
this would look like. Finally, analyze the strengths of the moral solution
presented by your chosen ethical theory in ways that demonstrate how it is
superior to the moral solution offered by the other ethical theory.
Your assignment should
be1000 words in length, excluding the
title page and reference page(s).
·
Your examination should be
both thorough and succinct. This is a combination that demands time and
thought, so give yourself sufficient time to draft and revise.
·
Your assignment should include
citations, as well as a list of references. Both must be in APA form.
·
You should draw from the
sources provided in your chosen case category in the discussion this week.
·
Also refer to Section 9.1: The
Argumentative Essay and the introduction to Section 9.2: Strengthening the
Argumentative Essay (intro only for the latter) from Hardy, J., Foster, C.,
& Zúñiga y Postigo, G. (2015).
·
Your references should include
at least two scholarly sources from your own research in the Ashford University
Library, Google Scholar (this is not the same as Google), or the Stanford
Encyclopedia of Philosophy. No Wikipedia articles and the like should be
included in the references, nor employed to inform your paper. Also keep in
mind that dictionary definitions are not references in the academic sense.
