Week 4 – Discussion

Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

  

The   Effects of Business on Consumers and the Environment: Case Study: Perdue   Farms

  

This discussion assignment   requires you to submit at least four posts: an initial post, two reply posts   to fellow students in threads other than your own, and a revised post.

  

Prepare: In preparation for your first post in this discussion,   you will become familiar with the case of Perdue Farms by means of the   material listed under Required Resources (Generally). You will also find more   material under Required Resources (Per Subject Heading) because the specific   task for this discussion is to examine this case with an eye for any one of   the following four subject headings in business ethics: (1) the environment,   (2) advertising, (3) consumer safety and (4) moral responsibility. You must select   one of these subject headings and your selection will be the specific focus   of your work for your discussion. Accordingly, you will be responsible to   complete the readings and videos listed under your chosen subject heading.

  

Reflect: If you choose the environment subject heading, reflect on   the sheer density of chickens raised at any given time in the Perdue   facilities. The disposal of their discarded remains and their processing for   distribution, either individually and most definitely together, pose a number   of environmental concerns.

If you choose the advertising   subject heading, reflect on how the two videos on Perdue farms present the   sharp contrast between the way the company presents its product and the way   in which it has been discovered to run its chicken farms. Consider whether   this is an example of failure to provide truth in advertising and how you   would support such a stance.

If you choose the consumer safety   subject heading, reflect on the way in which chickens raised in factory farms   risks consumer safety. These might include (a) bacterial contamination, (b)   the effects of antibiotics on the meat that is consumed, or (c) the release   of adrenaline, cortisone, and other chemicals resulting from the acute stress   endured by factory farm animals, which then becomes part of the meat that is   later consumed by humans.

If you choose the moral   responsibility heading, reflect on the stewardship role that may fall upon   humans toward non-human animals. Can we utilize them as mere means to an end   (for entertainment, companionship, or food)? Or do we have special   obligations toward them (e.g., not to mistreat or torture them and to   slaughter them quickly and without stress) because they are sentient beings?

Once you have completed the   indicated readings and videos, reflect on the ethical theories that we have   covered in the discussions thus far and identify one that you want to apply   for your analysis in your discussion post.

Also, reflect on the regulations   (or lack thereof) in the factory farming industry in order to be able to   examine how our nation’s laws affect the operations of the business. You   will need to research the applicable laws on the factory farming industry.

Finally, since Perdue Farms is an   American corporation, reflect on the mixed economic system in the United   States in order to articulate the setting for the operations of factory   farming, and then, be able to analyze the ethical actions of Perdue given   this setting.

  

Write: In the first part of your initial post, you will need to   introduce the Perdue case within the particular subject heading that you have   chosen. In this introduction, you will also need to (1) articulate the   relevant characteristics of our mixed economic system and (2) present the   regulations for the factory farming industry. These will provide the setting   for you to be able to examine how the nation’s laws affect its operations.

In the second part of your initial   post, present your analysis of the problem in a way that identifies which   entities (Perdue as a corporation, the economic system in the USA, the   regulatory control of the state, or all of these) have a role in the problem   that you have presented. In your analysis, you must assess the negative   effects of the interplay between business activity and one of the following:   the environment, advertising, consumer safety, or corporate social   responsibility. Your focus must be an ethical analysis of this interplay, and   it must be well supported by reliable and/or scholarly sources by clearly   identifying the ethical theory that you are applying in your analysis.

 

Revise: Read the feedback provided by your professor to your   initial post, either directly to you or to your fellow students. Use this as   an opportunity to learn from your professor, especially with regard to the   best ways to apply the course material and your research to your analysis. On   the basis of what you have learned in this process, post an improved revision   of your initial post that applies the additional knowledge that you have   gained.

Remember that your grade depends   on the quality of your initial and revised responses, not just on the   submission of an attempt at improvement. It is thus to your advantage to post   the best initial post you can and then to also improve that best effort as much   as you can through revision. Taking this process seriously will help you   develop the skills you need to do well on the Final Project.

 

Requirements for Your Initial   Post: Your initial post should be at least 400 words in        length and have citations and references in APA notation. It should        address the prompt in its entirety. This means that you should not split        your response to the prompt in multiple posts. 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. Please be advised that until you post, you will not        see what your fellow students are posting. Once you submit your post,        you will be able to view the posts from your other classmates. You can        then proceed to reply to at least two different threads based on the        required material for this discussion. Your list of references for your initial post should        include the videos and the other required reading material for this        discussion, the Instructor Guidance, and any other announcements        presented to you by your professor. List all the course material that        informed your work in the list of references and cite these too where        appropriate. In addition, your references should include any other        sources that you consult to inform yourself (but not Wikipedia or        similar sources). Your initial post for this discussion should be        submitted no later than the end of Thursday (11:59 pm, U.S. Mountain        time).

 

Requirements for Replies to Other   Threads: At least two of the four posts required should be in        the form of replies to fellow classmates in threads other than your own. Each of your replies should be at least 200 words        and informed by the course material. As such, the replies must have        citations and references in APA notation. Your list of references for        each reply should include all of the course material that has informed        your reply, in addition to any research that you have obtained on your        own. Your replies should focus on the specific examination        presented by your fellow student, and these should include an        examination of whether or not the characteristics of the ethical theory        and/or economic system were identified well, and whether or not their        application and analysis was also carried out successfully. Providing        such an examination is not an attack on your fellow student but an        attempt to work together with your fellow student toward the better        understanding of the ethical theories employed, as well as their        application.

 

Requirements for Revising   Your Initial Post: Submit a revision of your initial post by either        replying to your own post, or to the feedback provided to you by your        professor. There is no minimum word requirement for your revised        initial post. But you should always explain the reasons for revising        your post so that it is clear what you are doing. If you are revising        only a few words, or an ethical theory, you should not just submit a        post with vague language such as: “duty ethics works better here” or “I        did not consider the economic system.” It is important to recognize that        no one can read your mind so you need to provide the setting for your        revision (Why? What prompted it? What course material informed you?) ,        and it is important to write in clear language and complete sentences. Your revised initial post is your chance to correct        any oversights or errors in your initial post, or show your improved        understanding of the material and its applications to the case at hand.        You may, for example, come to the realization that another ethical        theory is better than the one that you initially chose. Accordingly,        your revision should indicate that you chose another ethical theory and        an explanation why you find the replacement more suitable. You may also        find the need to revise any relevant portions of your analysis. Or, you        might have realized that your conclusion did not take into account        important factors necessary for your evaluation of the situation. You should maximize the improvement of your initial        post by employing your professor’s feedback as a guide. Keep in mind that you may not always receive direct        feedback from your professor. But your professor will have submitted        feedback in the discussion to other posts. So read your professor’s        feedback whether it is addressed to you directlyor to other fellow        students. This will give you much to think about and apply to your own        post. If your professor or a fellow classmate responds to        your revised initial post, and on this basis, you find good reason to        submit yet another revision, then by all means do so. The more you        improve your initial post, the more you will benefit both in terms of        your learning and most likely your grade.