Individual Deliverable Assignment 2: The Final Case Brief

Develop and justify an action plan to manage an ethical challenge.

The Final Case Brief is a formal paper that frames, evaluates, and develops an action plan for managing an ethical challenge that your have identifies. This is your opportunity to demonstrate everything you know about applying values to the challenges of business leadership.
In writing your final case brief, you should select an ethical problem either from current business news or from your own observation or experience.  Remember that you are conducting an ethical analysis to develop an action plan, so your brief will be evaluated for your framing of the problem, the arguments you make, and the evidence and expertise you apply to support your arguments.  Your choice of a problem, its complexity, and its relevance for contemporary business will be considered in your grade for this assignment.  It is in your interest to choose a unique, complex, and relevant problem that has not been widely discussed or evaluated to demonstrate your values, intelligence, and skill.
You will conduct your own ethical analysis of a scenario and develop an action plan using the tools, methods, and frameworks from the course as well as your own independent inquiry and thought.  You are encouraged to explore sources beyond course materials.
You may consult any and all learning materials from the seminar and elsewhere; you may also consult and discuss the case with others. The written brief, however, must be entirely your own work.  If you do consult other sources, you must credit and cite them properly in APA format.

LENGTH: Approximately 1500-3000 words | Time frame for completion: 7 weeks

DUE DATE:  Final Class Session

GRADING: This assignment is evaluated on a 3-point scale based on the grading rubrics on page 13 of the Syllabus. Failure to complete the assignment will result in a score of 0.  3 points = A; 2 points = B; 1 point = C; 0 points = F

FORMAT AND OUTLINE FOR YOUR FINAL CASE BRIEF: The Moral Challenge Action Plan

1.    CASE SYNOPSIS. Your interpretation of the case in one paragraph.  What facts, values, and judgments characterize the moral challenge of this case? Why is it important?
2.    KEY FACTS. Your factual discoveryof key events, actors, and evidence:  What relevant evidence and contextual/technical knowledge needs to be considered to understand the situation or problem? What are your sources for the facts of this case and how reliable are they?
3.    MORAL ANALYIS.  Your interpretation of the values conflict or moral challenge:
•    What is the main moral issue in this case?  What is at stake?
•    Who is the key moral actor in this case? Whose actions and decisions determine the moral resolution of this case?
•    What is your intuitive moral judgment of the issue? What values are involved (care, justice, truth, loyalty, human life, social order, property, freedom, sanctity, tradition, etc?)
•    How do your values and moral judgments conflict? Is it a right/right or right/wrong conflict? What type of right/right?
•    What other moral perspectives should you reasonably consider? How do the six universal moral value perspectives (CARE, LIBERTY, FAIRNESS, LOYALTY, AUTHORITY, SANCTITY) illumine and focus moral understanding of the challenge? How do the ethical standpoints of COMMON HUMANITY (care, justice, equality, utility), CHARACTER (virtue, duty, principle), and CONSEQUENCES (outcomes, harm, cost, benefit) illumine and focus moral understanding of the challenge? How would you apply the values and code of your wisdom tradition to understand and explain the moral issue? How does the moral challenge align/conflict with the core values of your Wisdom Tradition? With the Wisdom Tradition of stakeholders?
4.    STAKEHOLDER ANALYSIS. Your interpretation of stakeholder interests in light of precedents, context, and evidence:
•    Who are the stakeholders (Individuals, groups, or entities) whose values, moral claims, and duties constitute the moral challenge of the case?  What values, Wisdom Traditions, and moral arguments support their claims?  How valid and sound are those claims?
•    What competing or contested values, claims, or duties complicate this case? Which stakeholders have more urgent and compelling claims?  Why?
•    What similar cases or situations are useful as analogues for evaluating this case?
5.    OPTION ANALYSIS.  Your interpretation of options:  What are the feasible options for the key moral actor to consider in resolving the moral problem?  On what grounds are they morally justified?
6.    DECISION. Your action recommendation:  Which option is the most ethical, and on what grounds? How does the action express/reflect your core values?
7.    SUMMARY ARGUMENT.  Your argument in brief:  Can you explain the best decision option or action plan persuasively in <25 words?

Assessment Rubrics for the Final Case Brief
Learning Objective
Develop and justify an action plan for managing an ethical challenge
Learning Standards    SCORING: 1(C)=Needs Improvement; 2(B)= Proficient; 3(A)=Exemplary
1    2    3    Score
Command of course content, tools, and methods    •    Does not follow the Final Case Brief framework or address questions as assigned
•    Reflects a superficial understanding of methods for identifying, evaluating, and managing an ethical challenge    •    Follows  the Final Case Brief  framework to address assigned questions thoughtfully and completely
•    Reflects a thorough understanding of methods for identifying, evaluating, and managing an ethical challenge    •    Imaginatively applies and adapts the Final Case Brief framework to develop a highly original and flawless case brief
•    Reflects a deeply critical and creative understanding of methods for identifying, evaluating, and managing an ethical challenge
Quality, depth, breadth, and originality of thought, discourse, and discernment about values and ethical challenges    •    Identifies a conventional, uncomplicated ethical challenge
•    Draws superficially from personal values, experience, observation, and/or mainstream media sources to evaluate and manage an ethical challenge
•    Demonstrates little or no awareness of moral complexity    •    Identifies a complex ethical challenge
•    Draws thoughtfully from personal/social values/experience, relevant knowledge, empirical evidence, wisdom traditions, and reputable sources to evaluate and justify a credible action plan for managing an ethical challenge
•    Demonstrates awareness and insight about moral complexity    •    Identifies a highly complex, multi-faceted ethical challenge
•    Synthesizes personal experience, empirical observation, independent inquiry, wisdom traditions, and other expert sources to  evaluate and justify a highly original and persuasive action plan for managing an ethical challenge
•    Demonstrates deep thought and critical understanding of moral complexity
Personal integrity and engagement with values    •    Does not question personal values or social norms
•    Upholds Carey personal conduct and academic integrity norms    •    Critically scrutinizes personal values and social norms in managing an ethical challenge
•    Upholds Carey personal conduct and academic integrity norms    •    Thoroughly critiques personal values and social norms from multiple perspectives in managing an ethical challenge
•    Exemplifies Carey personal conduct and integrity norms
AVERAGEOF SCORES