Applying Ethics: The Case of The Sole Remaining Supplier

Applying Ethics: The Case of the Sole Remaining Supplier

Santa Clara University houses the Markula Center for Applied Ethics. The Center focuses on providing ethics resources to groups, organizations, institutions, and society that heighten ethical awareness and improve ethical decision making. The Center offers ethical theory and practical methods for the application of ethical principles in the real world. The Center is committed to exploring the ethical dimensions of issues in the areas of business, health care, education, technology, and public policy.

The Ethics Connection is an outgrowth of the Center's mission. The Ethics Connection contains a great deal of information regarding the practice of ethics, including real life cases and a chance for visitors to contribute solutions to the cases. This case essay assignment uses one of the Ethics Connection's cases and related visitor comments as its focus.

This assignment requires that you read two brief articles available at the Ethics Connection web site. The first article, "Thinking Ethically: A Framework for Moral Decision Making", reviews theoretical approaches to ethical decision making. The second, "A Framework for Thinking Ethically", describes a model of ethical decision making.

After reading the two brief Ethics Connection articles, read and consider "The Case of the Sole Remaining Supplier" Think about the following issues as you do, then develop the first portion of your essay based on the following points.

What are the facts in the case? Briefly recap them.

The legal and business issues this situation involves are clear and easily identified. What about the moral issue(s)? Define it (them) as clearly as you can.

The readings at the Markula site describe at least five different moral perspectives that can be used to frame organizational problems. Identify and evaluate alternative actions from each of these five moral perspectives, using the questions suggested in the second half of the article "A Framework For Thinking Ethically" to frame your analysis.

Using one of the theoretical approaches from "Thinking Ethically: A Framework for Moral Decision Making to guide your reasoning, fully explain and justify ethically what you would do in this case.

The second half of your essay should deal with the comments to the case that are provided at the site. Read and consider each, then address the following in your essay.

There are several comments that focus on a particular theoretical perspective (rights approach, utilitarian, or common good, for example). Evaluate each comment to determine which one makes the best argument and explain why.

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