SuperTutor
$15/per page/Negotiable
Part 1:
1) What stereotypes do we hold about the poor, and how does this way of thinking
perpetuate poverty? Has your understanding of people living in poverty changed as a
result of your service experience? If so, how? If not, why not?
2) What, and how do, other systems of oppression contribute to the perpetuation of poverty?
3) Compare, critique, and apply at least one course theory to your service
experience. (Choose from: Aristotle’s virtue ethics, Appling virtue ethics to
business with an emphasis on integrity, Legacy and “What I want out of work life
including my end goals,” The Corporation as a legal person and a sociopath,
CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility, Micro financing from “Creating a World
without Poverty,” Nickel and Dimed, B-corps.)
4) What would it take to positively impact homelessness, food insecurity, lack of
education, transportation, …self-confidence… from a business perspective?
Which practiced values could a business emphasize to make a strong impact
on any of these?
5) Put yourself in the shoes of one of the people we served. Now, from this
perspective, what might be some of your values? Which virtue or value do you
imagine would come first for a person in these circumstances? What thoughts
might this person have about business? As this person, do you think businesses
have a responsibility to the communities they are involved in? As this person,
which business model do you think would work best at getting you and your
community moving toward prosperity? Write your answer in first person, as if you
really are a person that comes from the same kind of community we encountered
during our service. Use I statements. Part 2:
The fundamental question of ethics is not "What should I do?" but "What kind of person
should I be?"
According to "virtue ethics" there are certain ideals, such as excellence or dedication to
the common good, toward which we should strive and which allow the full development
of our humanity. These ideals are discovered through thoughtful reflection on what we
as human beings have the potential to become.
At the heart of the virtue approach to ethics is the idea of "community". A person's
character traits are not developed in isolation, but within and by the communities to
which he or she belongs, including family, school, governmental setting, neighborhood,
economic constraints, business associations, corporate climate and more. As people grow and mature, their personalities are deeply affected by the values that their
communities prize, by the personality traits that their cultures encourage, and by the
role models their organizations set out through the imitation of the attitudes and
behaviors of all those around them. The virtue approach urges us to pay attention to the
contours of our communities and the habits of character they encourage and instill.
The moral life, then, is not a matter of following moral rules and of learning to apply
them to specific situations. The moral life is a matter of trying to determine the kind of
people we should be, and of attending to the development of character within our
communities and ourselves. ( Markkula Center for Applied Ethics)
Many people today believe that corporations have a greater influence in forming the
communities we live in, then anything else. This influence extends to governments,
media, education and the rules, regulations and customs that shape the beliefs and
behaviors of humanity.
Although the corporation, as a form and structure, is relatively benign, it provides a
method for a collection of individuals to unify their efforts and capital to achieve a
mission. Like a pot of stew, corporations are analogous to a container of boiling water. It
has no flavor or character, but takes on the characteristics of the ingredients thrown into
the pot. The corporate stew consists of such things as the mission, purpose,
organizational structure, leadership, employees, policies, and culture (HuffPost).
If a corporation is run by ethical, equitable, socially responsible and environmentally
conscious management with a highly functional governance structure for eco-social
benefit, and is supported by like-minded shareholders and customers, a corporation can
do great good in the world. However, when a corporation, with the rights and powers of
an immortal person, is controlled by greedy, corrupt and power hungry sociopaths
whose management and shareholders rationalize the abandonment of virtue and values
for profit and turn a blind eye to toxicity, injustice and suffering they cause, a corporation
can become a dangerous and powerful opponent to humankind and the planet
(HuffPost).
Just 150 years ago, the business corporation was a relatively insignificant institution.
Today, corporations have become the dominant institution of business and impact
practically everything on this planet from people, animals and plants to the quality and
availability of water, food, energy and resources (e.g., fossil fuels, timber, metals, gems,
chemicals) to transportation, housing, media, education, communications and the
shaping our socio-economic-political system (HuffPost).
Questions:
1.)
If it is true that people’s character traits and personalities are deeply affected by
the values of their communities, and it is also true that corporations have a great
influence on nearly every aspect of people’s communities, what conclusion follows, and
why? Explain your answer in detail. 2.)
Which part will you play in this conclusion? Where will you choose to invest your
time, energy, and attention? Who do you want to be, how do you want to influence or
change the culture of business, what influence do you, as a business person, want to
contribute to communities, and how are you going to become that person?