Reference no: EM132257913

Instructions

Project - The Smoking Alternative

Purpose:

The purpose of this project is for students to understand the relationship between government, business and society and demonstrate how each attempts to influence the others.

In completing this project, you will discuss the role ethics plays in business and how the actions of a business can influence society. Government supports businesses but at the same time, government acts as a regulator and must address societal matters to ensure businesses act in a socially responsible manner.

Outcomes Met With This Project:

• discuss the financial, economic, regulatory, sociopolitical, and technological factors as they relate to a dynamic business environment

• describe the ethical and social responsibilities that confront a business

Skill Building:

You are also completing this project to help you develop the skills of critical thinking, writing and developing a personal brand. Writing is a critical skill because in business it is important to convey information clearly and concisely and to develop a personal brand.

Developing a personal brand is important because it is the ongoing process of establishing an image or impression in the minds of others especially those in positions above you. Having a strong personal brand can lead to opportunities that include promotions.

Case Scenario:

Read the following case scenario and answer the questions that follow:

James Monsees and Adam Bowen, co-creators of Juul Labs has come under criticism for potentially marketing to teenagers the e-cigarette device. Monsees did not show much concern because he believed the small percentage of underage consumers were making a lot of noise that was distracting Juul from one of the greatest advances in public health. Believed to be safer than cigarettes, Juul devices have shown to be safer than traditional cigarettes containing fewer toxins.

The e-cigarette has captured 70% of the market share for e-cigarettes. A Juul that transforms a pod of nicotine-laced liquid into inhalable fumes sells for $34.99 with a pack of pods costing about $15.99. The company's revenue is expected to grow to $1 billion in 2018 making the value of the company worth approximately $16.3 billion.

A major attraction of the Juul device is the variety of flavors available to smokers. Flavors include mango, fruit, crème and cucumber, all attractive to adolescents.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is scrutinizing the company's advertising to assess whether Juul has intentionally targeted teenagers. In 2009, President Obama signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act granting the FDA the authority to regulate the marketing and sales of tobacco products to reduce adolescent tobacco use.

Although the FDA has authority over cigarettes, cigarette tobacco and smokeless tobacco, it does not have jurisdiction over e-cigarettes, cigars, and snus. However, the FDA proposed e-cigarettes, little cigars and other products be labeled as ‘tobacco products,' which provides regulatory jurisdiction to the FDA under the Tobacco Control Act.

Executives at Juul have taken a position that the company did not intentionally target teenagers. Despite its statement, management at Juul admitted to knowing about the popularity of the e-cigarettes among youth. In fact, since the release of the flash-drive shaped device in 2015, teenagers have been seen vapingJuuls.

Since coming under scrutiny, Juul has changed it advertising to move away from using young models in their 20's to models over 35 years of age. This effort was to better align its advertising to the company mission to appeal to adult smokers. In 2018, Juul Labs made another change to its advertisements that led to depicting real people who had switch from cigarettes to Juul.
Juul Labs has an official Marketing & Social Media Code that states, "We adhere to strict guidelines to ensure that our marketing is directed toward existing adult smokers."

On October 1, 2018, the FDA made a surprise inspection of the headquarters of Juul Labs confiscating documents that furthered its efforts against marketing tobacco products to children.

Instructions:

You will use the following steps to complete this project. Make sure to complete each step to ensure the highest possible grade. Note that you are using the case scenario facts and the course material. External sources are not permitted.

Step 1: Write an Introduction paragraph

The Introduction paragraph is the first paragraph of the paper and will be used to describe to the reader the intent of the paper explaining the main points covered in the paper. This intent should be understood prior to reading the remainder of the paper so the reader knows exactly what is being covered in the paper.

Step 2: Ethical and Legal Behavior

You learned about business ethics and the nature of ethical and legal behavior in business. You will use the course material to support your ideas and reasoning to:

• Differentiate between ethical and legal behavior.

• Discuss whether Juul Labs is facing an ethical issue or a legal issue. If so, identify and explain the ethical issue and/or legal issue.

Step 3: Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility is about companies conducting their business in a way that is ethical. Corporate social responsibility goes beyond taking actions that benefit external organizations or individuals but also is about improving processes and behaviors within the organization. The answer is not reflective of what Juul did in the case scenario in response to the FDA.

• Explain what actions or measures Monsees and Bowen can take to ensure Juul Labs is operated as an ethical organization.

Step 4: Business, Government and Society

In this step, you will analyze the role of business, government in relation to society using both the case scenario and the course material.

• Explain how society influences business through government activity.

Step 5: Conclusion

Write a concluding paragraph that is brief and summarizes the main points. Provide specific information related to the major topics discussed in the paper.

Step 6: Review the Paper

Read the paper to ensure all required elements are present. In conjunction with these instructions, use the grading rubric to ensure that you gain the most points possible for this assignment.
Proofread the paper for spelling and grammatical issues, and third person writing.

• Read the paper aloud as a first measure;

• Use the spell and grammar check in Word as a second measure;

• Consider submitting the paper to the Effective Writing Center (EWC). The EWC will provide 4-6 areas that may need improvement.
 
Step 7: Submit the paper in the Assignment Folder (The assignment submitted to the Assignment Folder will be considered the student's final product and therefore ready for grading by the instructor. It is incumbent upon the student to verify the assignment is the correct submission. No exceptions will be considered by the instructor).