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Philosophy 162F Assignments General Note for Assignments Assignments should be neat and presentable, but there is no need for a title page for any of the assignments in this class, including the short essay assignments. Individual assignments should have the name and student number of the student submitting the assignment on the front page. The front page should also indicate that the assignmnent is addressed to me, for this class (by course number), and should include the due date of the assignment. Assignment Number One Two paragraphs. In paragraph one, describe a job position that you once held. In paragraph two, describe an ethical dilemma that someone in this job might face. Paragraph two will have to draw on the details in paragraph one to show what kind of decisions a person in the job might face, what kind of power they have in effecting that decision. Paragraph two will also have to say why the dilemma is an ethical dilemma and not merely one of preference, job effectiveness or of some other nature. (The dilemma cannot be something like, "A cab driver faces the difficult task of choosing which route to take from a pick-up location to a drop-off location.") This assignment is due next Monday, May 9th. Assignment Number Two Choose one of the three cases at the end of chapter two (pg. 89-93). Answer two of the questions at the end of the case with a short answer for each. This assignment is due Wednesday, May 18th. (NB: If you completed this assignment in class on May 11th., you do not have to hand it in again.) Assignment Number Three For this assignment, you are to find a magazine ad. The ad must make a health claim about a particular product or the ad must be an image ad as described in Bishop's essay in the text. If you chose an ad with a health claim, write a paragraph describing the claim made by the ad. Find a source that backs up the claim made by the ad. Write another paragraph about the nature of this source and its availability to the general public. If you can't find a source to back up the health claim, write a paragraph about the attempt that you made to back up the claim. If you chose an ad that is an image ad, then write a paragraph describing the ad and stating why this ad is an image ad. (Use two paragraphs if necessary.) Using one or more of Bishop's potential dangers from image ads, identify a potential danger from the ad that you chose. This assignment is due Monday, June 13th. Hand in the ad you chose stapled to the assignment and submit an electronic copy of your assignment to turnitin.com. Economics Reporting Journal Every week that there is a new Economics Reporting Review at the Center for Economic and Policy Research website, www.cepr.net, you are to pick one story and consult the original text of the article examined. In a short paragraph, you are to explain why the failure or success in the reporting in question relates to one of the following criteria: clarity, substance, or precision of argument. You are similarly to relate the story to one of the following: the application of a normative ethical theory, the purpose of the corporation, corporate vs. individual responsibility, ethical treatment of employees, marketing and the disclosure of information, social and economic justice. The journal is due on the last day of classes. It might be helpful to use the following template to present each journal entry: Date: Category: Headline: Author: Source: CEPR Comment: Discussion: Example One: Date: May 2, 2005 Category: Outstanding Story of the Week Headline: Big Tax Break Often Bypasses Idea of Charity Author: Stephanie Strom Original Source: New York Times, April 25, 2005, Page A1 CEPR Comment: This article reports on a loophole in tax law which some wealthy families have used to shelter hundreds of millions of dollars that remain under their control. This loophole allows them to get tax breaks for contributing to "supporting organizations" that are linked to a charity, but may still be under the donor's control. Discussion: This article is outstanding because is adds to the clarity of the understanding of the tax system of the US. It shows that there is a definition in the tax code of charity that does not match a more common definition of charity. Normally, people giving money to an organization that they control would not be considered charity. The individuals that use the tax loophole in this way can be condemned by utilitarianism. The tax code supports gifts to charity because charity increases the greater good. By diverting money from charitable purposes to an organization under one's own control, one is maximizing one's own utility at the expense of the greater good. Example Two: Date: May 2, 2005 Category: Mexico and Venezuela Headline: A Self-Styled Class Warrior Has Major Battle at Hand in Mexico Author: Mary Jordan Original Source: Washington Post, April 24, 2005, Page A16 CEPR Comment: This article discusses the possibility that Mexico City's mayor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, may be prevented from running for president next year because of pending criminal charges. At one point, the article compares Mr. Obrador to Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela. It asserts that Mr. Chavez's "giveaways to the poor have slowed economic progress." According to the Penn World Tables, which is the standard source for data on real GDP, per capita GDP was roughly one-third lower when Mr. Chavez took office in 1999 than it had been in 1970. During Chavez' term per capita GDP has grown slightly; although this growth has been slowed by several oil strikes, a military coup, and political turmoil, there is no evidence that government programs for the poor have had a negative impact on growth. Discussion: This article is problematic because it was unclear about the economic progress of Venezuela. It would have been clearer if the article had provided some reason to link Chavez's policies with the economic progress. This article reports on an issue of social and economic justice. Helping the poor may be something that is required by justice, though there may be means to this end that do not slow economic progress. Essay Assignment Choose one of the three cases from the end of chapter nine (pp. 318-323). Write an essay that uses your chosen case to bear on the success of an ethical theory studies in the class. By ethical theory, I mean any normative ethical from chapter one or any particular theory of applying ethics to business that is in the course readings. Your essay must have a thesis statement that presents the one overall point that your paper is meant to establish. The rest of your essay must establish this point. Do not feel that you have to provide a synopsis of the case that you are evaluating: only provide those details that you need to establish your position and assume that your reader will read the case from the text themselves. You should consider the target audience of this essay to be the other students in the class. Your audience will be familiar with the same terms you are familiar with from this class but not have a detailed technical knowledge of business or ethics. Address your audience in a bearing appropriate for an academic institution.   Home.

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