Background information

Deontological Ethics

Deontological (deontos is Greek for duty) theories address the moral nature of the action itself. Here we assess the rights people have and what duties might go along with them without consideration given to consequences.

The most important deontologist is the German philosopher Immanuel Kant. Kant is given more attention in the required background reading. Here we focus on a few of the most important elements of his philosophy.

• For every right there is a reciprocal duty. If I have a right to life, then others have a duty not to kill me. The right to a fair wage implies a duty to earn it.
• Rights have specific origins. Simply because an action is permissible does not mean that one has a right to do it. Walking down the street is a permissible activity. But one does not have the right to walk down any particular street. If a city closes a particular street to traffic for a legitimate objective then it can do so without violating anyone’s rights.

So what are the sources of rights?

Presentations: Ethical business: Reasoning from principles. Focus on the sections discussing deontological and consequentialist ethics.

Review also the Module 1 Background coverage of those topics.

In his article, "Introduction to Dataveillance and Information Privacy, and Definitions of Terms" (http://www.rogerclarke.com/DV/Intro.html) Roger Clarke goes over the background issues on information privacy.

Presentations: Ethical business: Reasoning from principles. Focus on the sections devoted to deontological ethics and stakeholder analysis.

Federwisch, A. (2006). Ethical issues in the financial services industry. Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, Santa Clara University (October). Retrieved March 31, 2014, fromhttp://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/focusareas/business/financial-services.html

Financial Reporting Manual. (2014). U.S. Securities Exchange Commission Division of Corporate Finance. Retrieved May 16, 2014, athttp://www.sec.gov/divisions/corpfin/cffinancialreportingmanual.shtml

Sherman, F. (2014). Ethical issues among stakeholders in Google. Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 29, 2014, at http://smallbusiness.chron.com/ethical-issues-among-stakeholders-google-30716.html

Module 5 – SLP Assignment

This Module 5 SLP assignment calls for a comprehensive ethical analysis of the issue you identified earlier and have been examining through Modules 1–4.

1. Define the ethical dilemma associated with this issue.
2. Identify at least two ethical principles to be observed in analyzing this problem.
3. What alternative courses of action, including one or more that differ from the do vs. don`t options posed in the dilemma, could narrow conflicts between principles or interests, ideally allowing a win-win solution to this problem?
4. Evaluate each of these alternatives in turn according to the ethical principles chosen to apply to this problem. Be sure to include business or organizational interests in this task.
5. What do you recommend as your preferred solution?
6. Conclude with a brief justification for your recommendation.

SLP Assignment Expectations

Write a 2 page paper, not including cover page and reference page.

Your paper should be double-spaced and in 12-point type size.

Your paper should have a separate cover page and a separate reference page.

Proofread your paper.