Ethics Notes, Questions, and Study Resources

Assessment 2 Case Study STUDENT ID STUDENT NAME SUBJECT NAME: Stakeholers Values and Ethics SUBJECT CODE: BAP61 Total Marks: 30 Weight: 30% Due Date: Week 9 Ethics in Business: A Case Study on Whistleblowing and Corporate Responsibility Word Length: 2,000 words (+/- 10%) Case Study: Imagine you are an employee at a prominent IT company, MyIT Corp. The company has been working on a groundbreaking technology that has the potential to save countless lives. However, during the technology development, you come across evidence indicating that certain safety tests were manipulated to accelerate the technology approval process. You believe that this unethical conduct poses serious risks to to the public. You face a moral dilemma: whether to blow the whistle on the company's actions, potentially jeopardizing your job and facing backlash, or to remain silent and allow the unethical practices to continue. Assessment Questions: 1) Ethical Dilemma Analysis: (6 marks) a. Explain the ethical challenge encountered by the employee in the scenario. b. Outline the opposing interests and values involved, and discuss how choosing to report the issue or stay silent could affect the different stakeholders you identify. 2) Whistleblowing and Corporate Responsibility: (6 marks) a. a. Assess the ethical obligation of the employee to report MyIT Corp.'s misconduct. b. b. Examine the possible advantages and disadvantages of whistleblowing for both the individual and society, taking into account the employee’s responsibility to support ethical conduct and corporate accountability. 3) Utilitarian vs. Deontological Ethics: (6 marks) a. a. Use both utilitarian and deontological ethics to examine how the employee made their decision. b. b. Explain how each ethical framework would interpret the choice to report the wrongdoing, focusing on the outcomes, moral principles, and obligations considered in each approach. 4) Corporate Culture and Ethical Climate: (6 marks) a. a. Examine the role that MyIT Corp.'s corporate culture and ethical environment may have played in enabling unethical behavior. b. b. Highlight the significance of promoting an ethical workplace culture and explore how organizations can build a supportive atmosphere where employees feel confident to speak up about misconduct. 5) Legal Protections and Moral Courage: (6 marks) a. Investigate the legal rights and protections provided to whistleblowers in this context. b. Explore the idea of moral courage and why it is important when facing tough ethical choices. c. Consider how moral courage could influence the employee’s decision to report the wrongdoing. Rubric Criteria Fail (0-49) Pass (50-64) Credit (65-74) Distinction (75-84) High Distinction (85-100) Identify and define a problem or issue. Critically analyse using relevant theory and research. Draw conclusions and justify. Weighting 50% Poor identification of the problem or issue. Little research or application of relevant theory. Unsound conclusions. Basic effort in identification of the problem or issue. Some research and application of relevant theory. Conclusions not strong. Good identification of the problem or issue. Good research and application of relevant theory. Sound conclusions. Very good identification of the problem or issue. Very good research and application of relevant theory. Sound recommendations. Excellent and Insightful identification, analysis and conclusions of the situation. Clear and concise communication (understanding) Weighting 20% Poor level of reflected understanding. Inaccurate expression making meaning unclear. Poor spelling and grammar. Basic effort in reflecting understanding. Inaccurate expressions make meaning sometimes unclear. Some spelling and grammatical errors. Some insightful reflection. Expression generally accurate. Correct spelling and grammar. Insightful reflection. Consistent expression makes meaning concise and clear. Correct spelling and grammar. Exceptionally insightful (reflected understanding). Fluent expressions make it very easy to read and comprehend. Correct spelling and grammar. Coherent and logically structured Weighting 20% No clear logic and flow to the answers provided. Incorrect paragraph structure. Some structure and flow to the report. Inconsistent application of paragraph structure. Good structure and flow to report. Reasonable paragraph structure. Well-structured and easy flow to report. Very good paragraph structure. Very well- structured reflecting excellent insights. Quality flow to report, with excellent paragraph structure. Professionally presented with correct referencing Weighting 10% Poorly presented. No appropriate of in text or reference list. Presentation adequate (some mistakes). Met requirements. Some errors in referencing.. Presentation clear (few mistakes). Met requirements. Correct in text and reference list. Professional (no mistakes). Correct in text and reference list. Very professional. Correct in text and reference list. Page | 2

1. Share a current news example of something you think is an ethical issue. What makes you think it is an ethical issue? Provide some examples in your post. 2. How do you think this issue relates to global ethics or professional ethics? Provide examples to support your claim.

Which of the following studies would need IRB approval? Studies collecting identifiable information about living individuals. Studies that use data collected for internal department use only and the aim of the study is quality improvement for the department only. Studies that involve cadavers. Studies that use publicly available census data from the years 1890-1910.

What ethical issues arise from fabricating data? Is anyone harmed when data is fabricated? Take this scenario out of the science classroom and into a nursing setting. Would your opinion on the ethics of the situation change if the scenario shifted to a nurse fabricating information on a patient's chart? What does the Christian worldview say about the falsification of information?

Which of the following statements most accurately describes the requirement for the documentation of minors' assent to participate in research? To protect minors documentation is always required. Federal regulations do not require the documentation of minors' assent. Documentation is required unless waived by an IRB. Parents must approve written documentation.

Question 1 Which of the following is true regarding research misconduct? Funding agencies normally perform their own misconduct inquiry before the institution becomes involved. Federal funding agencies typically rely on an institution to make the initial response to an allegation of research misconduct. A central federal agency handles all cases of research misconduct. The U.S. government is required to reveal publicly the identity of any person who commits misconduct. Question 2 The typical first main phase in response to a research misconduct allegation is called: Remediation The adjudication The inquiry The audit Question 3 Which of the following is true regarding the U.S. Federal Research Misconduct Policy? The Policy covers conflicts of interest and the misuse of grant funding. Misconduct must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. To have a misconduct finding, the action must have been committed intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly. The standard of innocent until proven guilty does not apply in misconduct cases. Question 4 Which of the following is the most effective strategy for preventing research misconduct? Creating hypercompetitive research environments Good mentoring Limiting data sharing Working unsupervised

Which term describes an ethical issue?

Question 1 A research collaboration can be enhanced by: Discussing intellectual property issues while the collaboration is forming. Waiting to discuss authorship issues until after data collection. Avoiding the issue of which journal to target since research team members might disagree. Limiting the communication between researchers and industry partners. Question 2 What is the main function of a Technology Transfer Office with respect to collaborative research? It arranges movers to pack and ship equipment to a researcher's new facilities. It helps collaborative researchers to commercialize their work. It arranges the purchase and delivery of new computer hardware for research teams. It sets up new e-mail accounts. Question 3 Which of the following is true regarding academic-industry collaborations? The industry sponsor typically owns the data from research that it funds. Federal law does not permit an academic institution to own anything that is produced from the collaboration. Conflicts of interest are not common in these collaborations. They cannot happen because of the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980. Question 4 What is the most appropriate process for research collaborators to use in determining which journal they should submit their work to? Obtain advice from the Technology Transfer Office. It is appropriate to submit the work to any peer reviewed journal. Submit the work to several journals that represent the interests of all the authors. The research team should discuss the issue early on and while the project is ongoing.