It is about your ability to analyze an ethical situation and process the information so that you can explain why you believe what you believe

MGT/BUS 301 Business Ethics Application Paper #1, 100 points, 3 – 4 content pages minimum (plus a source page), double-spaced, 12 font, Times Roman. Put your finished work (with your name on the paper) into a Word document and
Spell check and proofread your paper. Use either APA or MLA (whichever your campus prefers) and add Works Cited documentation for all sources. For online articles and textbook – it is enough to say, “Ghillyer, p. 25” or “ibtimes.” Late papers and papers that it is obvious the student did not spell/grammar check, will be docked points.
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Look up the following online articles:
Peloton insiders sold nearly $500 million in stock before its big drop (nbcnews.com)

Investor calls for Peloton to fire CEO, consider selling company

Peloton saw its stock price collapse and now faces tough questions about its post-pandemic future – The Washington Post
Peloton hires McKinsey to review cost structure as equipment sales slow (cnbc.com)
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2022-01-20/a-good-reputation-is-expensive
TV Peloton incidents undermine a basic reality about exercise, experts say – CNN
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YOU ARE ENCOURAGED to use additional articles (from recognized sources) to support your paper. Make sure you include all of your sources in your bibliography (source page) and give credit in your paper.
Remember – this is not about your opinion – it is about your ability to analyze an ethical situation and process the information so that you can explain why you believe what you believe (Dobrin #8).
To do that you take the information from Ghillyer and the class and use it to analyze the articles. You should only use the words, “I think” if they are followed by, “because such and such points out the following fact, idea or concept…”
Please note this paper is about applying Dobrin and Kohlberg to an ethical situation (so you need to understand Dobrin and Kohlberg AND use them in the paper.) It also means if Dobrin and Kohlberg are not mentioned in your paper – chances are you did not understand the assignment or chose not to follow the instructions – and your grade will reflect that.
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The paper MUST contain all four key points: 23 points each + 6 discretionary points for how well you integrate the class information with Dobrin and Kohlberg and 2 points for including a source page.
1) Create an outline to list the ethical challenges (23 points)
Note the perspective of the different authors in all the articles (you should have 6 when you are done). Use bullet points to list the article’s perspective. Each article has a very specific point of view. List the main point each article is calling your attention to. This is “the truth” from that particular author/corporation/news source.
Example:
Peleton Insiders Article: $… in stock sold by… The author believes…
Analyze the different points – what do they have in common, where are they different, how different are they, are any of the points spot on from everyone’s view – are others “just theory” and are any so far off the mark they are “fiction.”
2) What is the One Favorite from each Article (23 points)
Read between the lines (Dobrin 2) and list specifically what the “one favorite” is for the various stakeholders: Peleton Execs, Wall Street, The Media, Peleton Uses, and any other groups mentioned. Use the Toothpaste Tube Test to see what they value, why they value it and whether or not it is the best thing for everyone (or just them.)
3) Apply tools from Kohlberg, Dobrin or Badaracco (23 points)
You do not need to apply all of them – they don’t all fit. Identify specifics about:
1) what the various sides claim
2) what they say is the real problem
3) whether or not the problem should/can be solved
Document your information using quotes from the articles and note which of Dobrin or Kohlberg’s theories you are applying.
Remember – Dobrin is about analyzing why someone (or an organization) is doing something so you can understand their thought process (their one thing). Kohlberg is about understanding where they are in the development of ethics. Are they doing something because someone told them to do it (no thinking involved), doing something because it gets them what they want (some thinking involved), or doing something because it is the right thing to do (or at least the right thing for them) which requires a lot of thinking and often some sacrifice.
4) Now summarize your paper from your perspective 23 points.
Based on your analysis – from an ethical point of view utilizing the various tools at your disposal and the theories you have applied – what is this all about? Why is it a news article? Why have people taken different sides? Be Specific. This is where you say “this is what I think – and here is why I think that (Dobrin 8)…”
Important notes: Ethics is often not about a clear Right or Wrong (as much as we would like it to be.) Sometimes you have to choose the “Most Correct” answer or the answer that benefits the most people (Utilitarianism). However, there are other options such as situational ethics and universal ethics. Rarely does someone do something solely because it is the right thing to do – most often; they stand to benefit either directly or indirectly. This is what you are trying to discover – who are the players, what do each of them stand to gain or lose, what are their claims, are those claims true and what are the possible outcomes.
Make sure your name is on the paper and your pages are numbered!
You will NOT be graded on a “right or wrong” answer. You will be graded on how well you analyze the articles and apply what you have learned so far in the class.
You are expected to use Kohlberg and/or Dobrin in your work (so make sure you point out their stages in your analysis). Integrate the principle into your discussion. Do not use all of the principles – just use the ones that make sense and prove your point.
Also, and this is very important, note why Dobrin or Kohlberg helped you understand or analyze that particular section. Part of each section’s points will be based on whether or not you used their tools to analyze the subject from a business ethics point of view. Make sure you clearly point out that you are using Dobrin and Kohlberg!
Think – learn – adapt – apply and have fun. This is your first Application Paper so I don’t expect perfection (remember, this class is about learning to process).
The world needs to change. Can you be a person that helps lead necessary change in the business world? I believe you can – now you get to prove me right.