Business Ethics Case Study Page

1. Realism - The cases give you a real life complex scenario. You have to analyze the problem in the whole context of people, power, multiple values, competing interests and more!

2. Collaborative learning - a good case discussion allows you to test your analysis against that of your team. On the premise that more heads are better than one, you increase the chances of a deeper, fuller discovery of the meaning of the case and possible courses of action. It's more fun and profitable than going it alone.

3. Relative risk free - you can try out ideas on your team mates before writing them up in the case study report.

4. Challenging - a good case discussion is not a lecture or a bull session. It is a focused exercise in observation, analysis, recommendation and action planning. People challenge and build on each other's thinking. It's rewarding.

5. Involving - Participating in small group case studies is one way to overcome that feeling of isolation. It makes learning more fun when you can do it with others.

1) Read the case through once quickly. Get the main plot and character ideas. What's your initial sense of the problems, challenges and options?

Prepare responses to any questions which have been posed by the case or the Professor

You and your team mates need to work toward some resolution of the questions posed as part of the case. The team may assign responsibility form writing up the answers any way it wishes. I would suggest however the team gets this done, that the team circulate a draft of the answers among the team mates for comments and revisions. Once the team is satisfied with the answer, then the team can submit the case study answers for the Professor's assessment. Team members may earn up to 80 points for their group submission. All team members get the same number of points. Since this is a group effort I hold a higher standard of performance.

Access Colorado States E-ethics Center website: http://www.e-businessethics.com/mattel.htm
At the top of the page under Case Studies pick: The Mattel Case
Read all of the material on the Mattel case and then as a study group answer the following questions

Questions for Discussion and Write Up

What role does the chief executive officer (CEO) have in creating an organizational culture that values ethics and compliance?
How well has the CEO discharged his responsibilities in this area?
Do manufacturers of products for children have special obligations to consumers and society? If so, what are these responsibilities? If not, why not?
Is Mattel's commitment to Global Manufacturing Principles less than should be expected of any US company, about right, or above and beyond. Defend your answer.
How effective has Mattel been at encouraging ethical and legal conduct by its manufacturers? What changes and additions would you make to the company’s Global Manufacturing Principles? What are other companies doing in this area?
What problems do you anticipate Mattel will face in holding to its ethical commitments?

Access Colorado States E-ethics Center website: http://www.e-businessethics.com/sunbeam.htm
At the top of the page under Case Studies pick: The Sunbeam and Chainsaw Al case
Read all of the material related to the Sunbeam and Al Dunlap case. Then as a study group discuss and write up the following questions:

Questions for Discussion and Write Up

How did pressures for financial performance contribute to an organizational culture that tried to manipulate quarterly sales and to influence investors?
What were Al Dunlap’s contributions to financial and public relations embarrassment at Sunbeam that caused investors and the public to question Sunbeam’s integrity?
List and evaluate the possible ethical implications of Al's four principles.
Discuss the ethical issued raised by firing thousands of workers? When can this be justified? When can it not be justified? How would you evaluate Dunlap's actions on this issue?
Identify ethical issues that Al Dunlap’s management team may have created by using a short-run focus on financial performance. What lessons could be learned from the outcome?
What is Chainsaw Al doing these days? What has happened at Sunbeam since his departure?

This case study was originally developed by Professor Joseph McCaffrey. I am using it with his permission. I have altered the questions at the end.

A fictitious case developed by Professor Randy Richards, St. Ambrose University, for Business Ethics

1. Does the company's campaign encourage underage people to drink? Defend your answer.

2. Would you recommend changing the campaign? Why or why no? Explain the task force’s thinking on this matter. How will your recommendation affect: the bottom line, employees, customers, the community?

3. If we change the campaign how are we to counter our competition’s appeal and in-roads into the youth market?

4. If we do not change the campaign, what can we do to counter any negative reactions to it?

Your job as a case study group is to examine this issue from the perspective of all of the task force participants and try to come to what you believe would be a consensus answer to each question. If you can not come to a consensus answer, explain why not, in some detail, and what you think would be the most likely answer to emerge from the group.

A case study for business ethics, based on actual events Professor Randy Richards, St. Ambrose University
Copyright 2002

3) In each role responsibility what are the relevant virtues (excellences) that are required for a person to be successful.

3) What courses of action are open to Steve? What course would you recommend he take? Why?

4) Connect this action to his three roles and their respective responsibilities and virtues.