Melissa MBAA Blog for ERAU

Select three key lessons you take away from the course. Share if your perception of ethics has changed. Has this course expanded your perspective on ethics as an individual, in an organization, and in society. If so, how. If not, why not? Taking this course in ethics has opened my eyes to how important it is to take the time to reflect and to look inward and to seek to find where our basis for our ethical understanding and perspective comes from.  What are my values, and do I make ethical decisions based on morals or rules?  What bias do I hold and where did they come from? How can I mitigate my own implicit bias? These are some of the questions that I have had to consider throughout this course.  Three key lessons that I have taken away from this course include the following: 1.       By understanding the power and social structure that leads to racism, we can work towards deconstructing or ‘unpacking,’ as our professor s...

In Chapter 12, LaFollette (2007) discusses gun control. In recent years, we have witnessed many tragedies with respect to guns in the workplace. Do citizens have a right to bear arms? Answer the question in your reflection blog. State your opinion and follow up your position with supporting documentation. Next, present the opposing side to your stance. Use external sources to enhance your claims. Gun Control             Gun control in the United States is such a complicated issue as many Americans seem to think that it is somehow a threat to their personal freedom.  One arguement that I would like to propose is one of historical context and perspective. When the constitution was written, what types of guns were available to the public and why was it that the founding fathers felt it necessary to put the right to bear arms in the Constitution of the United States as a right to their citizens?  We do not ...

A634.2.4.RB.MELISSA BURNS In Chapter 2, A Tale of Two Theories, LaFollette (2007) discusses Consequentialism and Deontology. Discuss your thoughts on these two theories. Do you tend to lean toward being a consequentialist? Deontologist? Consequentialism is the theory of ethics that focuses on the consequences of an action or decision.  When considering a situation, a consequentialist would weigh the outcomes of the decision against one another and choose based on which one has the best overall consequences (LaFollette, 2007).  For example, in the train scenario discussed earlier, the consequentialist would decide to throw the switch or to push the man in front of the train to stop in and would see that sacrificing one life to save five lives is the ethically right thing to do.     Deontology is the theory of ethics that focuses on the act itself rather than on the consequences of the act or decision and includes a set of moral rules (LaFollette, 2...

MSLD634.1.5.RB.MELISSA BURNS How shall we live, as individuals in the face of decisions about right versus wrong? How shall we handle those occasions when none of the choices are attractive? Consider the following ethical dilemma and create a reflection blog regarding what you would do when having to make a choice in each train scenario. Justify your position and create a synopsis of your position and the implications.  Scenario One A train is hurtling down the track where five children are standing. You are the switch person. By throwing the switch, you can put the train on a sidetrack where one child is standing.  Will you throw the switch?  When considering the ethical implications, I have to look at the outcomes and whether or not it is ethical to involve myself in the scenario. From the utilitarianism perspective, I have to consider which alternative would have the best overall consequences and this would implore me, ethically, to throw the switch sacrificing on...

Module 7 Reflection Blog Explore both forms of egoism discussed in Chapter 18 (LaFollette, 2007) and answer the following questions in your post: 1.      What is your view on egoism? 2.      How do you see ego getting in the way of ethical decisions in the workplace? 3.      Should leaders get benefits others do not receive?  4.      How could leaders be better rewarded to promote ethical behavior? Egoism comes in two forms, psychological and moral (LaFollette, 2007).  Psychological egoism is defined as, “the theory that everyone’s actions are always and completely self-interested (LaFollette, 2007).”  Moral egoism is the view that, “although people might be able to satisfy significant moral demands, they should not be required to do so (LaFollette, 2007).  One form of moral egoism is ethical egoism, “the claim that people ought to always and only act to promot...

After reading the article,  An Overview and Analysis of Marketing Ethics (HRMars - PDF),  (Links to an external site.) reflect on how companies can balance the need to win with being ethical. Cite some examples where you felt a company did a great job or a set a poor example for marketing with integrity. As a leader, how will you manage the ethical aspects of marketing/selling something you are working on or trying to get sponsorship for?   500 words.             When I consider ethics in marketing, the first example that comes to mind is the tobacco industry.  We have all seen the old advertisements showing the use of tobacco as being sexy and cool when, in fact, it just kills you.  False or misleading advertising is based a set of faulty values in which a company considers their bottom line to be more important than the trust and well-being of their customers.  How then, ...

Benjamin Franklin's self-improvement program included 13 virtues that he felt were important guides for living along with principles for each that would, in his opinion, define a person of good character. He developed a scorecard for evaluating how well he measured up to his own ideals. Throughout his life, Franklin tried to live by these virtues though not always successfully. Review  Ben's 13 Virtues (PBS)  (Links to an external site.)  and take the  Virtue Quiz (PBS)  (Links to an external site.)  to find out how you measure up against Franklin's virtues. Select three of Franklin's virtues and reflect upon them in your blog. Ask yourself, how can I include them in my daily life? Ben Franklin's Virtues Melissa Burns After taking the virtue quiz I was given 4 areas of improvement to work on including:  temperance, order, sincerity and tranquility.  For the purposes of this blog I will discuss how I can apply order, sincerit...