After reading (1) Chapter 2 of the textbook (P17-18),
(2) read the article, Why Social Responsibility Produces More Resilient Organizations (CSR Article),
(3) and watch the TED Talk by Alex Edmons, The Social Responsibility of Business, available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5KZhm19EO0,
(4) as well as the 2020 documentary, Amazon Empire: The Rise and Reign of Jeff Bezos (available on PBS and YouTube). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVVfJVj5z8s
Plan ahead to ensure you have time to read the article and view the TED Talk and film at least once before beginning your paper.
Essay Prompt:
There are numerous examples of ethically ambiguous practices featured in the Amazon Empire film. These practices may include actions, affirmative statements, omissions and/or schemes. Identify and explain one specific ethically ambiguous practice, including a brief description of the parties involved and how the practice worked. Then, utilizing the ethics material discussed in class and Chapter 2 of the textbook, as well as the information contained in the article and TED Talk, analyze the ethics of the one specific practice on which you are focusing. Your analysis should:
(1) Include two of the Theories of Ethics (you must choose from Utilitarianism, Deontology, and Justice) presented in Chapter 2.
(2) Include at least one concept from the CSR article and one concept from the TED Talk.
(3) Define and explain the theories and concepts you are utilizing.
(4) Apply the theories and concepts to analyze the one specific practice you are focusing on.
(5) Use specific conversations and evidence from the film to assist in your analysis.
Your paper must be written in essay format; in other words, it should not be divided into individual answers to the above questions. Your paper must include an introduction and a conclusion, and the bulk of your paper should focus on analysis, not recitation of facts. There is no need to consult sources beyond your textbook, your class notes, the film, the TED Talk, or the CSR article (outside research is, in fact, discouraged). Your paper must be a minimum of 1200 and a maximum of 1400 words, and must be double-spaced, utilizing Times Roman 12-point font and 1 inch margins. In the upper left-hand corner of the first page of your paper, list your name, your instructors name, the course (BSL 212), the date, and the exact word count of your paper. Direct quotes from the film, the TED Talk, the article or the textbook must be placed in quotation marks and the source should be noted in parentheses directly after the quote (Amazon for the film, Mann, Roberts, followed by the page number, for the textbook, TED for the TED Talk, and Article, for the CSR article). Failure to comply with these specific instructions will negatively impact your grade, as reflected in the Analytical Paper Grading Rubric posted on Blackboard.
