Assignment 8: Interpret the Implications of Unethical Behavior
The Implications of Unethical Behavior
As discussed earlier in the course, there has been a plethora of unethical cases in business. The case of Bernard Madoff is well-known to many. Madoff was an American businessman, investment manager, and financier who duped more than $50 billion from investors in his Ponzi scheme (Kennedy, 2023). To date, Madoff’s actions reflect the largest financial fraud in American history. Mega corporations have been investigated for ethical, negligence, and environmental issues. The list appears to be almost endless and the need to adjust business practices for stronger ethical practices is more important than ever.
Although the public may view the term ethical lawyers as an oxymoron, when contending with business ethics issues, lawyers must be aware of the ethical and legal implications. Although unethical behavior may not be illegal per se, the fine line between unethical and illegal is easily crossed. Lawyers, as legal counsel for businesses, are responsible for ensuring their clients understand the differences between illegal actions and unethical ones. Differences between the two are not always obvious, and as a business leader, it is foolish not to use and rely on competent legal counsel.
Lawyers learn through professional training and experience that court rulings establish the distinctions between illegal, unethical, and appropriate actions, which are also continually subject to change. A legal opinion provided by an attorney one day may be revised, reversed, or confirmed by a court of competent jurisdiction the next day. As legal representatives of their clients, lawyers must maintain their knowledge and guide them to avoid ethical and legal issues.
Review previously assigned resources as necessary to prepare for this lesson’s assignment.
Resources
Kennedy, A. A. (2023). Bernie Madoff. Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia.
Assignment 8: Interpret the Implications of Unethical Behavior
This assignment will be submitted to Turnitin™.
Instructions
This week, you will prepare a presentation with a PowerPoint file with an audio presentation of the slides.
Now is the time to compile all the concepts you have learned in this course into a comprehensive case study analysis. Assume you are an instructor presenting an unethical case study to your graduate students. Develop a PowerPoint presentation on a business of your choice, highlighting unethical business actions from 2015 to the present. Be sure you include clear examples to support your findings. Address the following key components for your student audience:
1.
Provide a brief historical summary of the organization.
Identify and explain the unethical business practice examined.
Reflect on ethical standards and why this practice violated ethical behavior.
Determine the influence of leadership regarding this behavior.
Explain any cultural, environmental, and legal implications related to the behavior.
Interpret the impact of the behavior on individuals, the organization, and society as a whole.
Explain the event’s outcome or events, along with a comparison of the consequences (mention legal implications for the action).
Determine the fairness of punishment. Explain your rationale using an ethical theory found in
the literature to justify your rationale for the punishment’s fairness.
Explain how organizational policies and procedures could be implemented to deter future occurrences like this from happening.
Incorporate appropriate animations, transitions, graphics, and speaker notes for each slide. The speaker notes
may be comprised of brief paragraphs or bulleted lists and should cite material appropriately. Your speaker
notes serve as the video’s transcript.
Also, prepare a brief handout that your audience could take with them. Include recommendations for
responsible and ethical strategies based on organizational consequences of unethical behaviors. You may
include these in the form of a table or chart.
Support your presentation with at least seven scholarly and professional resources. In addition to these
specified resources, other appropriate scholarly resources may be included.
Length: 10-15 slides (with a separate reference slide)
Notes Length: 100-200 words for each slide or other transcript file of your presentation
One (1) handout.
Your PowerPoint presentation with audio (or video) should be 10-15 minutes long. Be sure to include citations for quotations and paraphrases with references in APA format and style where appropriate. Save the file as PPT with the correct course code information. Upload your file(s), and then click the Submit to Dropbox button.
Learning Outcomes: 4, 5, 6
Assess the extent to which social, ethical, and public issues must be considered in internal and
external stakeholder relationships.
Interpret ethics in a business setting with regards to integrity and code of conduct.
Categorize the organizational consequences of ethics violations.
