Ford Pinto

instructions
Course Objectives:

CO1 Define the legal environment that is applicable to the business world.
CO2 Review basic business law concepts
CO3 Describe the litigation system in the United States CO4 Apply legal concepts to business to business scenarios
CO5 Analyze the differences between major forms of intellectual property protection, and current ethical issues that arise under intellectual property law
CO6 Identify antitrust issues in business decisions
CO7 Analyze what a contract is, how a contract is formed, the types of law that govern contracts, the elements of common-law contract formation, and defenses to contracts
CO8 Identify various forms of business structure
CO9 Evaluate employment laws affecting business
CO10 Define ethical environment that is applicable to the business world.
CO11 Identify means to avoid alter ego liability
CO12 Evaluate how the Sarbanes Oxley Act applies to business.

Instructions:

This essay is due on Sunday of Week 7, 11:59 pm ET.

“Unlimited submissions” – This means you have multiple opportunities to submit a draft of your paper to the Assignment dropbox before the due date to check for yourself the TurnItIn Report for similarity and any other issues, and make any revisions you need. There is only one final submission for grading.

Essay topic: Reflecting on the concepts in the course, select and research one (1) of the company situations listed below and discuss the legal and ethical issues surrounding it. At least one citation for each company is provided to get you started and you may use this citation as one of your sources. It is expected you will use the course required readings plus your own independent research in support of this paper.

Your essay should include the following, organized in your paper using APA headings with logical and smooth transitions.

1) A well-formulated introduction that

identifies the company,
states the company’s ethical dilemma presented in the facts, and
states a thesis statement for the paper that provides the reader a well-conceived approach or practical perspective on the problem presented by the company’s situation. This will demonstrate more than one academic topic is covered.
2) Discuss how the philosophy of economist Milton Friedman’s shareholder or free market ethics may have influenced the leadership of the company; include the concept of corporate social responsibility.

3) Identify and define another ethical framework that the company leadership could have utilized in this situation and explain how this ethical framework would have led to a different result. Explain specifically how the company effectively would have employed this framework.

4) Identify and apply three general legal topics that are discussed in the required readings this term. Do NOT use ethics or the company’s main legal issue. These are to be additional legal issues. For example if you chose Ford, that is a consumer and product liability problem so additional legal topics cannot be consumer and product liability topics or the ethical issues you are addressing. There are many other possibilities — employment, contract, bankruptcy, criminal law, fIP, etc. Fully define the principles you select and analyze their application to your chosen company’s business, issues and circumstances. Include in-text citations to the course materials, as failing to cite your sources will result loss of credit. NOTE: The required readings are listed in the Lessons section for each week under “Required Readings” plus any other sources that may have been assigned during the course.

In addition to the above, study the Rubric for this Assignment. The Rubric is attached to these Assignment instructions, a template for an APA paper, and APA guidelines.

COMPANIES – SELECT ONE (1) OF THESE COMPANIES/SITUATIONS FOR YOUR ESSAY

Ford Motor Company – Pinto car defect – Beginning informational source: The Pinto memo: “It’s cheaper to let them burn!” (2008, October 17). The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved from http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/autos/2008/oct/17/pinto-memo-its-cheaper-let-them-burn/ Additional source: Case study: Ford’s Pinto: Collective welfare versus rights and freedom. (2014, January 22). ethicsworkshop. YouTube. [Video File]. (6:23 minutes)
Boeing – 737 MAX defect, plane crashes – Beginning informational source: Italiano, L. (2019, May 19). Boeing acknowledges flaw in 737 MAX flight simulators. New York Post.
Purdue Pharmaceutical – Opiod lawsuits (and at least one huge settlement): Beginning informational source: Chatterjee, P. (2018, January 25). New York City sues Purdue Pharmaceutical and others over opiod deaths. Corpwatch.
Length of paper: The exemplary level of the Rubric provides length at 1800-2300 words.

Sources: At least 7 credible sources should support your essay, including at least two new sources from the University library (in addition to the course materials.)

How to name your document in Word: Use your last name and the Assignment name in the saved document name of your paper in Word. Example: JonesWk7Paper.docx

Submit this essay as a Microsoft Word document attachment in this Assignment section of the class, no later than 11:59 pm ET Sunday of week seven. A sample outline is attached to help you organize your paper.

You must support your statements with materials from the Required Readings in the course, as well as the outside research. Cite your sources in APA format. An abstract is not needed and will not count in your word count. All material must be appropriately cited with an APA in-text citation and a complete reference page listing.