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Law & Ethics Matters

Competency

In this project, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following competency:

• Differentiate between matters of law and matters of ethics in business situations

Scenario

A few years ago Clare Applewood started a small outdoor equipment business called Mountain Top View. The company is a sole proprietorship. The company began as a single storefront and has grown rapidly to include online ordering through the company website. The company’s website includes the statement, “We are committed to keeping customer information secure and protected.” Clare also uses social media sites to market the company.

 

Law & Ethics Matters

Carlos Rodriguez has worked for the company since the beginning. He oversees both store and online operations. Clare and Carlos make most decisions together.

Steve, the company’s Information Technology lead, discovered that the company database of customer information was hacked. Customer names, addresses, and phone numbers were accessed for only those customers who placed online orders in the first quarter of the year. Steve was able to correct the code that allowed the hack and is confident that the database is now secure.

When Carlos overhears Steve talking about the database fix in the store break room, he questions Steve about why he did not bring the breach to anyone’s attention. Steve explains that because he was able to quickly correct the code that led to the breach, and because only address and phone number information for a handful of customers was accessed, he didn’t think it was necessary to say anything.

Clare asks Carlos to evaluate whether the company has an ethical and/or legal obligation to report the breach to their customers and to recommend a course of action. She also asks Carlos to select an ethical test or framework that all employees can use in the future to help guide their decisions.

Law & Ethics Matters

Directions

Report
Evaluate whether the company has an ethical and/or legal obligation to report the breach to its customers. ,Your evaluation should be framed as a report for the owner Clare that includes the following sections and information. Cite your sources using APA style.,

1. Introduction
   1. Include a definition of ethics and explanation of how ethics compares to law.,
   2. Provide an explanation of corporate social responsibility and how it relates to ethical business practices.,
2. Analysis
   1. Provide a summary of the ethical and/or legal issues involved in this situation.,
   2. Briefly describe the relevant stakeholders the key facts and the potential implications or impact of the situation.,
3. Recommendation
   1. Provide your recommendation for a course of action supported by relevant resources such as specific laws and commonly accepted ethical practices.
   2. Explain the reasoning behind your recommendation and use reliable sources, such as the textbook and other course resources, to support your position.
4. Conclusion: Describe how advances in technology in today’s business world have both legal and ethical implications.

Ethical Test or Framework
Select a test or framework for all employees in this company to use. Demonstrate how it can be used when faced with an ethical dilemma. Cite your sources using APA style.

1. Test or framework
   1. Select a test or framework option from among those described in the textbook.
   2. Name the option you selected and describe the test or framework, including its advantages and potential shortcomings.
   3. Explain why the test or framework that you selected is appropriate for this company; justify your selection.
2. Apply the test or framework to the scenario to demonstrate how Steve could have used it to guide his decision making and actions.

What to Submit

To complete this project, you must submit the following:

Report
Your submission should be a 3- to 5-page Word document with 12-point Times New Roman font, double spacing, and one-inch margins. Sources should be cited according to APA style.

Ethical Test or Framework
Your submission should be a 1- to 2-page Word document with 12-point Times New Roman font, double spacing, and one-inch margins. Sources should be cited according to APA style.

Project Two Rubric

CriteriaExemplary (100%)Proficient (85%)Needs Improvement (55%)Not Evident (0%)ValueIntroductionExceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, or sophisticated mannerAccurately defines ethics and its comparison to law; includes an explanation of social corporate responsibility and how it relates to ethical business practicesShows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include accuracy in content, scope of content, and greater insight about the relationships among ethics, law, and corporate social responsibilityDoes not attempt criterion15AnalysisExceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, or sophisticated mannerProvides a complete and accurate summary of the ethical and/or legal issues, relevant stakeholders, key facts, and potential implications or impact of the situationShows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include accuracy in content, scope of content, and greater insights into the ethical and legal implicationsDoes not attempt criterion15RecommendationExceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, or sophisticated mannerIncludes a viable recommended course of action that is supported by relevant resourcesShows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include justification for the recommended course of action, supported by specific laws and accepted ethical practicesDoes not attempt criterion15ConclusionExceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, or sophisticated mannerIncludes a clear description of how advances in technology have both legal and ethical implications for businessesShows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include greater insights into the legal and ethical implications of advancing technology in businessDoes not attempt criterion15Test or FrameworkExceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, or sophisticated mannerProvides a logical justification for the selection of a test or framework and includes an accurate description of that selectionShows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include justification for the test or framework selection and greater insights into the description of the test or framework advantages and potential shortcomings in relation to the scenarioDoes not attempt criterion15Application of Ethical Test or Framework

Law & Ethics Matters

Exceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, or sophisticated mannerClearly demonstrates how text or framework could have been used in the scenario to guide decision making and actionsShows progress toward proficiency, but with errors or omissions; areas for improvement may include greater insights into the use of the test or framework in the scenario situationDoes not attempt criterion15Articulation of ResponseExceeds proficiency in an exceptionally clear, insightful, or sophisticated mannerClearly conveys meaning with correct grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, demonstrating an understanding of audience and purposeShows progress toward proficiency, but with errors in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, negatively impacting readabilitySubmission has critical errors in grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, preventing understanding of ideas5Citations and AttributionsUses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with few or no minor errorsUses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with consistent minor errorsUses citations for ideas requiring attribution, with major errorsDoes not use citations for ideas requiring attribution5Total:100% Plagerism Free