Module 1

Selected Ethical Constructs and Philosophies

Contents
Module Summary ............................................................................................................................... 1
Module Learning Outcomes ................................................................................................................ 1
Readings ............................................................................................................................................. 2
Class Activities .................................................................................................................................... 2
A Case: Samsung ................................................................................................................................. 2
Critical Thinking .................................................................................................................................. 3
Discussion Question ............................................................................................................................ 3
Here is the question ............................................................................................................................ 3

Module Summary
This is the second module is the course, and it focuses on the traditional moral theories in ethics,
namely Virtue Ethics, Utilitarianism, and Deontology. The module will address also Confucian version of
Virtue Ethics and lead students to explore moral issue based on the Chinese tradition. Ultimately,
students with examine business cases based on the moral theories to determine best moral cause of
action.

Module Learning Outcomes

By the end of this section, students will be able to

• Identify the key features of Confucian and Aristotelian virtue ethics

• Explain how Confucian and Aristotelian virtue ethics can be applied to contemporary
business
 • Identify the principle elements of Jeremy Bentham’s utilitarianism
• Distinguish John Stuart Mill’s modification of utilitarianism from Bentham’s original
formulation of it
• Evaluate the role of utilitarianism in contemporary business
• Explain Immanuel Kant’s concept of duty and the categorical imperative
• Differentiate between utilitarianism and deontology
• Apply a model of Kantian business ethics

Course Learning Outcomes Linked:

• Develop skills and frameworks to analyze ethical dilemma

Analytical and Critical Skills

• Analyze a business problem using one or more theory-based framework

• Communicate a solution to a business problem and present the reasoning behind the solution

Readings
Business Ethics, Chapter Two, “Ethics from Antiquity to the Present”

Class Activities
Single Cohort: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday All Cohorts: Fridays

A. Lecture: On Ethical Theories • Workshop on the discussion question

1.1 Virtue Ethics: East Versus West

1.2 Utilitarianism
1.3 Deontology
1.4 Honorable Behavior in Business
1.5 A Case from the Real World

B. Class Activity on the Key Terms

A Case: Samsung
In the fall of 2016, Samsung Electronics experienced a massive public relations disaster when its Galaxy
Note 7 smartphones started exploding due to faulty batteries and casings. Initially, the company denied
there were any technical problems. Then, when it became obvious the exploding phones posed a safety
and health threat (they were banned from airplanes), Samsung accused its suppliers of creating the
problem. In reality, the rush to beat Apple’s iPhone 7 release date was the most likely reason corners
were cut in production. Samsung finally owned up to the problem, recalled more than two million
phones worldwide, and replaced them with new, improved Galaxy Note 7s. The company’s response
and its replacement of the phones went a long way toward defusing the disaster and even boosting the
company’s share price. How might the categorical imperative become a part of organizational culture?
Could it ever work in business?

Critical Thinking
1. What do you think?
2. Which ethical standard upholds Samsung’s decision: Categorical imperative, utilitarianism, or
virtue ethics, and why?

Discussion Question
You have completed the assigned readings and engaged in class activities. This is your opportunity to
deepen your understanding and extend your perspective. To get the most out of your online discussion
board posts, you need to actually have a conversation. When you are posting, think about what you are
saying: why do you think this way? Using sources like your textbooks or even a journal article can boost
your credibility and increase the points you earn for your posts. This exercise has two parts:

First Part: Second Part:

Group response to the question by the due date
– Sunday, 11:59pm Weihai Time. The response
should be developed with critical insights with 3
paragraphs and no less than 500 and longer than
750 words. The response should contain at least
two (2) textual references documented in MLA
or APA style. To enhance the response, the
textual references should be integrated
effectively and grammatically, and cannot be just
added to the sentences.
Individual Peer Reviews of the group’s response.
You should respond to at least three (3)
responses posted by different groups than yours
by the Due Date: Monday, 11: 59pm Weihai
Time.
Your response should not be less than 200
words for each peer review.

You can respond by doing any of the following, and you should accomplish any of them respectfully:

1. Agree with a reason to show the logic of your understanding.

2. Agree and expand on the idea to show other perspectives.
3. Disagree with a reason to show the logic of your disagreement and apparent error in the post.
4. Ask questions based on context: do not let your response just be a question; you should supply
the context to show why the question is relevant and use the question to challenge your peers.
5. Comparison and Synthesis: show how several responses relate to one another or to an
experience or something you read.

Here is the question:

• Imagine a scenario in which Aristotle and Confucius sit down to discuss Chiquita Brands
International, a global produce conglomerate that paid “protection” money to right-wing and
Marxist guerrilla groups in Colombia between 1997 and 2004 to ensure there would be no
violence against its employees, banana plantations, and facilities. The payment violated the U.S.
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (1977), which prohibits bribes and kickbacks to foreign officials.
Chiquita claimed it was the victim of extortion and had no choice. However, for its actions, it
eventually paid $25 million in fines to the U.S. government. In 2007, a group of Colombians filed
a lawsuit against the company under the Alien Tort Claims Act, alleging that, because of its
illegal payments, Chiquita was “complicit in extrajudicial killings, torture, forced disappearances,
and crimes against humanity” perpetrated against plantation workers by the guerilla “death
squads.”36 The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015, but the Court declined to hear it.

What do you suppose Confucius and Aristotle, teachers of virtue ethics, would say about the
Colombians’ case, and how would they go about assessing responsibility? What would they
identify as the crime committed? Would they think the executives at Chiquita had acted
prudently, cravenly, or deceitfully?

• How would utilitarianism and deontology respond to the same case?