Reference no: EM133515029

Homework: Legal Reasoning

Part I

A. Many companies have taken the position that their products have no GMOs. In the United States, foods that contain ingredients derived from corn, soy, canola, and sugar beets have usually been genetically modified. Sixty-four countries around the world have required that GMO foods be labeled. A 2015 survey from ABC News founds that 93% of Americans believe that GMO foods should be labeled.

On the other hand, many scientists and political leaders have argued that the use of GMOs has permitted the United States to grow more food, food that supplies those who are starving throughout the world. Former Governor Mitch Daniels of Indiana maintains that the intentional starvation of people is callous and cruel, but he also believes that denying the world the benefits of increased food production from GMOs carries no moral distinction in resulting starvation.

There are scientific concerns about the effects of GMOs on the environment and on humans when they ingest the food.

If you were on the board of a company that is faced with using GMO or non-GMO suppliers, discuss what position Milton Friedman might take on this issue.

B. Using the facts in question 1, discuss how Edward Freeman would address the issue the company faces.

C. Andy Puzder, once a candidate for secretary of labor in the Trump administration, has written, "When a store closes, the minimum wage for your lost job is zero." Mr. Puzder believes that increases in minimum wage destroy jobs and hurt working class Americans. What readings and cases in Unit 3 provide support for Mr. Puzder's view? Which readings and cases would take a different view?

D. Who are the stakeholders in those situations in which pharmaceutical companies substantially increase the prices of their drugs?

E. What would Milton Friedman say about the pharmaceutical price increases?

Part II

A. What types of ethical issues did you see in the cases on contract formation?

B. Describe the stakeholders involved in the case of excessive use of returning goods.

C. Explain the conflicts of interest issues in pension funding.

D. Regarding the Stanford University research funding case (Case 5.9), discuss whether Stanford was in a gray area in terms of its overhead reimbursement requests. Be sure to list any other rationalizations Stanford used with regard to its conduct.

E. Make a list of the legal issues that created confusion in the dispute between Katy Perry and the nuns from the Los Angeles convent. Discuss the impact on the various stakeholders of these points of legal confusion.

Part III

A. Gingham Best, Inc. is a US company with clothing production facilities around the world. Gingham is concerned about conditions in the factories with which it has production contracts. What advice can you offer Gingham for preventing a public relations crisis or a boycott over factory conditions?

B. You have just been put in charge of supervising all of your company's offices around the world. What will you do to be certain that there are no FCPA violations?

C. You have been given the task of analyzing whether your company should expand its operations into a particular country. There are concerns about risk in that country. Based on the cases that you have studied, what would you examine in that country to provide input on risk?

Part IV

A. Regarding the Kodak Appraiser case (7.10), explain the scheme that the participants used to reduce Kodak's taxes, and what ethical issues arose.

B. Based on the case readings, what components of an employer romance policy could reduce the tensions and other problems that might arise?

C. If you were developing a policy to give employees about blogging, what would you include based on the readings and cases?

D. Regarding the case involving the Welch/Wetlaufer affair, discuss how that private relationship affected the workplace for both parties (Ms. Wetlaufer and Mr. Welch).

E. Using Reading 7.22 on performance evaluations and Case 7.23 on the denial of a partnership to Ann Hopkins, make a list of the things the partners should have done differently in performing partner evaluations.

Discussion Post

A. How do the following technologies help you in your quest to become a digital citizen: kiosks, enterprise computing, natural language processing, robotics, and virtual reality?

B. What additional uses of technology can you see in the workplace? List ways technology impacts other careers not discussed in this module, such as finance, government, non-profits, and agriculture.

Module Critical Thinking Activities

A. You work in the educational software industry. Your boss asks you to give a brief lecture to other employees about the digital divide. Create a one-page document in which you define and give examples of the impact of the digital divide, and list ways your company can work to narrow the gap between students without reliable access to educational software, the Internet, and the hardware on which to run both. Discuss the ethical ramifications of not addressing the digital divide-what is your role as a company?

B. You and your roommate decide to reduce your environmental impact by recycling more, going paperless, and using environmentally safe cleaning products. You know you also can use green computing tactics to reduce electronic waste, minimize power use, and more. Create a list of five reasons why you should add green computing to your efforts. List 10 ways you can apply green computing to your daily life.

C. Research the trend of BYOD in workplaces. Compare the advantages to any potential disadvantages. Do you think more companies should adopt this policy? Why or why not?

Homework: The Verge Tech Essay Submittal

Open a new Microsoft Word document, and enter your answer to one of the prompts below:

A. Select two articles from the RSS feed, one that details a concern related to the previous modules and one that explains a new technology or service. Summarize each article and include a concluding paragraph that explains how you as a working professional would use this information.

B. Scan the articles that appeared over the last two weeks. Use those articles to create your own one-page summary of significant innovations or concerns over the last two weeks and the major events that have occurred.

C. Select one article that is of particular interest to you. Perform additional internet research on that topic and then write a summary of that article. Include why you were interested in the article, what you learned from it, and how you could use it in your career as a working professional.