ADM 477 IWU Ethical and Social Responsibilities of Business Paper

ADM-477: Business Law

I can provide book link if needed.

Getting Started

You don’t have to search hard to find controversies resulting from poor business decisions. Take, for example, the high-profile case involving General Motors (GM). In 2002, General Motors became aware of a faulty ignition switch in one of its vehicle models. The defect caused the ignition to turn off when a heavy key chain was being used by the driver. The defect could also prevent airbags from deploying during an accident. Despite the dangers, GM chose not to repair the defect, opting instead to issue service bulletins to dealerships instructing customers to keep key chains light. Although it is required by law to report safety-related defects, GM did not report the defect to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

In 2005, the first reported fatality occurred as a result of the faulty ignition switch. However, it wasn’t until 2014 that GM issued its first recall. Unfortunately, by that point, hundreds had either died or been injured in accidents involving the faulty ignition switch. Since then, millions of vehicles have been recalled, and GM is facing lawsuits filed by consumers, along with governmental regulatory agencies. GM prides itself on being an ethical and socially responsible company, but do its poor business decisions here support that notion?

Upon successful completion of the course material, you will be able to:

• Explain the relationship of business ethics and social responsibility to the law.

Resources

• Textbook: The Legal Environment of Business

Background Information

To support a culture of ethics, a business organization must encourage its members to engage in ethical and socially responsible behavior. It must emphasize sound ethical principles and decision-making strategies as the basis for decision making within the organization. The organization must emphasize the importance of the critical thinking process as a way to make sound judgment calls when resolving ethical dilemmas.

Business organizations cannot rely on the law alone to provide guidance for ethical conduct. While laws and penalties have been created to address many problematic behaviors, the legal penalties alone are not enough to ensure ethical behavior. Therefore, business organizations must create and implement ethical codes or codes of conduct. This approach will help to educate members about expectations and encourage ethical behavior on their part. Enforcement of ethics codes is key to ensuring that ethics guidelines are being followed.

An ethical business organization also must be a socially responsible one. As members of the communities in which they operate, it is paramount that organizations engage in socially responsible behaviors by treating employees fairly, producing safe products for consumer use, operating within the legal requirements if a product defect is discovered, and operating in a transparent manner.

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.
2. In your textbook, The Legal Environment of Business, read Chapter 1, “Today’s Business Environment: Law and Ethics.”
3. If you have not read the book Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, use Internet research to discover the basic premise of this 1957 novel.
4. Navigate to the threaded discussion and respond to the following prompts:Describe the basic premise of the book Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.Explain whether you support the book’s premise.Discuss whether the book’s premise is defensible in light of the ethical and social responsibilities of business as it markets its products or services.
5. Your initial post is due by the end of the fourth day of the workshop.
6. Read and respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings, as well as all instructor follow-up questions directed to you, by the end of the workshop.
7. Your postings should also:Be well developed by providing clear answers with evidence of critical thinking.Add greater depth to the discussion by introducing new ideas.Provide clarification to classmates questions and provide insight into the discussion.Be posted on three different days during the workshop.

2/11/22, 12:43 PM
Preview Rubric: Course Discussions – 4WI2021 Business Law (ADM-447-01B) – Indiana Wesleyan University
Course Discussions
Course: 4WI2021 Business Law (ADM-447-01B)
Criteria
Quality
Level 4
Level 3
Level 2
Level 1
15 points
12 points
8 points
4 points
(13–15 points
possible)
(9–12 points possible)
(5–8 points possible)
(0–4 points possible)
Your posts show some
development, and
some critical thinking
is evident.
Your posts show
nominal development
and only the
beginnings of critical
thinking.
Your posts show no
development and
mostly reiterate what
the textbook or others
have said.
Your questions and
observations add to
the discussion by
expanding the ideas of
others.
Your questions and
observations do not
clearly add to the
discussion.
Your questions and
observations detract
from the discussion.
5 points
4 points
2 points
0 points
(5 points possible)
(3–4 points possible)
(1–2 points possible)
(0 points possible)
Your initial post is
made by the fourth
day of the workshop.
Your initial post is
made by the fifth day
of the workshop.
Your initial post is
made by the sixth day
of the workshop.
Your initial post is
made by the seventh
day of the workshop.
Your posts are well
developed and provide
clear evidence of
critical thinking.
Your questions and
observations add
greater depth to the
discussion by
introducing new ideas.
Timeliness
https://brightspace.indwes.edu/d2l/lp/rubrics/preview.d2l?ou=158670&rubricId=488081&originTool=quicklinks
Criterion Score
/ 15
/5
1/3
2/11/22, 12:43 PM
Criteria
Interaction
Preview Rubric: Course Discussions – 4WI2021 Business Law (ADM-447-01B) – Indiana Wesleyan University
Level 4
Level 3
Level 2
Level 1
20 points
17 points
13 points
9 points
(18–20 points
possible)
(14–17 points
possible)
(10–13 points
possible)
(0–9 points possible)
You respond to at least
two classmates as well
as all instructor followup questions directed
to you.
You respond to two
classmates and some
of the instructor
follow-up questions
directed to you.
You respond to two
classmates but not to
instructor follow-up
questions directed to
you.
You are clearly
collaborative by taking
the initiative to
respond to classmates’
questions, providing
clarification and
insight on issues in the
discussion.
You are collaborative
in some situations and
show some initiative in
workshop discussions.
You show little
initiative in the
discussion, and your
presence is not
collaborative.
Total
https://brightspace.indwes.edu/d2l/lp/rubrics/preview.d2l?ou=158670&rubricId=488081&originTool=quicklinks
Criterion Score
/ 20
You do not respond to
the postings of others
in the discussion.
/ 40
2/3
2/11/22, 12:43 PM
Preview Rubric: Course Discussions – 4WI2021 Business Law (ADM-447-01B) – Indiana Wesleyan University
Overall Score
Total Points
0 points minimum
https://brightspace.indwes.edu/d2l/lp/rubrics/preview.d2l?ou=158670&rubricId=488081&originTool=quicklinks
3/3