PHI 2604 FINAL: LIST OF TOPICS & LINK

Chapter 6
1. What's “job description” and “job specification”?
2. “Aptitude test,” “personality test,” “skill test.”
3. Distinction between “validity” and “reliability.”
4. Qualifications vs. seniority.
5. “Inbreeding” and “nepotism.”
6. “Due process” and “just cause.”
7. The difference between “firing,” “terminations,” “layoff” and “position elimination.”
8. Go over the seven guidelines on wages established on pp. 289, 290.
9. Highlights of the history of the Union Movement.
10. Direct strike and Gonsalves’ 3-point criteria.

Chapter 7
1. Informed consent
2. Why do companies use “personality tests”?
3. Drug testing

Chapter 8
1. “Conflict of interest”
2. Insider trading
3. What happens when novel information is patented or copyrighted? What’s a trade secret?
4. Define bribe and kickback
5. Seven rules on “gifts.”
6. Define “whistle blowing.”

Chapter 9
1. Job discrimination
2. Highlights of the legal context of Affirmative Action: Brown v. Board of Education, the 1961 executive order, Civil Rights Act of 1964, etc.
3. Arguments in favor and against affirmative action
4. What is “sexual harassment”? Two common types of sexual harassment.

Chapter 10
1. What is the meaning of “due care” and “caveat emptor”
2. Define “legal paternalism.”
3. Go over the 6 steps on page 514, regarding business responsibilities.
4. Define: a) Express warranty, b) implied warranty, c) merchantability.
5. Describe: a) “price fixing,” b) “price gouging.”
6. Differentiate: a) ambiguity, b) concealed facts, d) exaggeration, e) psychological appeals
_________________
Moral Issues in Business Link. To the left of the page, you have the chapters (6-10), then, check each of the tutorial exams. Play with it and have fun. I may use some of these questions for the midterm. (Don't forget to bring your scantron sheets to the exam).

Topics for Quiz #2

Chapter 6

1- Job description & job specification.
2- Validity & Reliability.
3- How to conduct interviews.
4- Seniority vs. qualifications.
5- Inbreeding and Nepotism.
6- Just cause and due process.
7- Four kinds of discharge: firing, termination, layoff, position elimination.
8-Guidelines on wages.
9- Brief history of the Union Movement.
10- Direct strike, sympathetic strike, boycott and corporate campaigns.

Chapter 7

1- When does a firm has legitimate interest?
2- Informed consent.
3- Polygraph Test: (a) Reasons for use, (b) Asumptions, (c) 3-point suggestion for evaluating polygraph test use.
4- Personality Tests.
5- Drug Testing. (a) 4 remarks regarding drug testing on p. 335
6- Day care and maternity leave.

Find the link to our textbook here.

PHI 2604 Chapter 9: Homework

1. What’s the meaning of job discrimination?
2. Explain the three arguments in favor of Affirmative Action.
3. Do the same with the arguments against Affirmative Action.
4. Now pick what you consider to be the best argument in favor and against and why (even if you’re against or in favor you must do it).
5. What is “sexual harassment”?
6. Examine the three types of sexual harassment.

PHI 2604 Homework: Chapter 1

Have the answers to these questions ready for our next meeting on Wednesday.

1- Discuss the different meanings of “Ethics”?
2- Establish the distinction between “moral” and “non-moral” standards.
3- What’s the difference between morality and etiquette. Think of one example.
4- Point to the differences between “morality” and “law.” Think of one example.
5- Where do moral standards come from?
6- Is religion necessary for morality? Explain why or why not.
7- Define “ethical relativism.” Go over some of the counterarguments explore in the text. Do you have any other possible objections to this position?
8- Is it true that “business” has its own kind of ethics as Albert Carr argues for?
9- How reliable is our conscience when it comes to acting morally? Comment on Huck example.
10- Regarding individual responsibility within a corporation, what was David Frew’s discovery?
11- What is a defensible moral judgment?
12- Discuss the requirements for moral judgments?

Bonus question: From the Reading "Moral Responsibility in the Age of Bureaucracy" (page 45, 9th Ed).

1- What is the "psychology of destructive obedience"?
2- The reading addresses 5 kinds of obligations connected to the idea of individual responsibility: (... of investigation, of protection, of prevention, of precaution). Explain each one.

Link to "Moral Issues in Business"

This is the link to your PHI 2604 text. To the left of the page, you have the chapters (7-11). Check each of the tutorial exams. Play with it and have fun. I may use some of these questions for the final. (Don't forget to bring your scantron sheets to the final exam).

Homework: Chapter 11

1- Define the following: (a) ecology (b) ecosystem
2- What's the "traditional view" of business toward the environment?
3- Define "spillover" and "externality."
4-Is "cost benefit analysis" justifiable? Can "ecological economics" help?
5- Who should pay the costs of pollution?
6- Explain the difference between regulation, incentive and pricing mechanisms.
7- DO we have an obligation to future generations? Explain
8- Is nature intrinsically valuable? Explain

Update

I apologize for my tardiness today (Tuesday). I talked to a number of students (still in the class) about the quiz this Thursday: Chapters 7 and 8. Revise the topics and go over the questions asked in class.

Second phase of the paper

I’m reading your papers (not done yet). This is what I find (and these are general problems that concern most of the class). Papers are one-sided; the interaction of points of view is limited, too much insistence on religious arguments; lack of proper research, etc. I’m going to ask you for the second revision (which is due April 14) to fix those problems. 1- Add about six more paragraphs to the existing paper, 2- Try to embroider better the opposing sides, 3- Take your essay to a place where you can either give it a conclusion or leave it close to that point. If you have any questions, let’s talk it in class.

Topics for Quiz #2

Chapter 7
Informed Consent, Polygraph Tests: Purpose of PT
Major assumptions: Personality tests, what are they good for?
Drug Testing; 4 remarks
Day Care and Maternity Leave

Chapter 8
Conflict of Interest: ExamplesInsider Trading
Trade secret: Examples
Bribes, Kickbacks, Gifts: Seven rules p. 398
Obligations to third parties
Whistle blowing: examples: Five guidelines p. 402

Chapter 9
Meaning of job discrimination
Affirmative action
Supreme Court’s Position
Arguments in favor and against affirmative action
Sexual Harassment: Explain the three different kinds of harassment discussed in the text

PHI 2604 / Wednesday Night (paper)

I'm beginning to discuss how I want this paper to look like. 1- First choose a theme; preferably one you feel strongly in favor or against (we want the paper to be fun). 2- Research this topic throroughly, that is, not only of arguments for the position you defend, but also research the arguments for the position you oppose (remember: the more you know your enemy's point of view, the better your paper will look). 3- Now, flesh out the arguments by embroidering the two points of view, giving a few sentences to each, so the reader has time to understand both). When you have this ready. You can go ahead and write the exercise. I think that eight paragraphs is enough to embroider both points of view for now. I don't want a conclusion yet. Just warm up and mix the ingredients. Let's leave the conclusion for the next exercise. Tips: You could use phrases like this: "My thesis is that" or "I believe that" or "With this paper I would like to show that," etc. When you want to mix both arguments you move to "on the other hand," "one could retort that" or "against soandso one could add that," etc. Any questions? Post them! The deadline for this exercise is Wednesday March 21.

PHI 2604 Topics for Midterm

(Find summary of topics for Chapters 1-3 here)

Chapter 4

1- Historic background of Capitalism
2- Key Features of Capitalism (companies, profit motive, competition, private property).
3- Moral Justifications of Capitalism (Natural Right to Property, Adam Smith’s Concept of the Invisible Hand)
4- Critiques of Capitalism (Inequality, Human Nature and Capitalism, Capitalism breeding Oligopolies, Exploitation and Alienation)
5- Declining Interests in Production

Chapter 5

1- LLC
2- Meanings of Moral Responsibility
3- Corporations and Moral Decisions
4- Narrow View of Corporate Responsibility
5- Broader View of Corporate Responsibility
6- Invisible Hand argument
7- Do-It-Government argument
8- Inept Custodian argument
9- Materialization of Society
10- Four-point guideline for companies to follow a "broader view"

Chapter 6

1- Hiring (Screening): Job description, job specification
2- Tests: Aptitude, Personality, Skill Tests
3- Interviews (how should they be conducted)
4- Promotions: Tensions between seniority and qualifications
5- Inbreeding
6- Discipline and Discharge: “just cause” and “due process”
7- Wages p. 289
8- History of the Union Movement
9- Direct Strike, Sympathetic Strike, Boycotts

Link to textbook for questions, exams, etc.

This is the link to your PHI 2604 text. To the left of the page, you have the chapters (1-6). Check each of the tutorial exams. Play with it and have fun. I may use some of these questions for the final. (Don't forget to bring your scantron sheets to the exam).

TOPICS FOR QUIZ PHI 2604

Chapter 1

Moral vs. non-moral standards
Morality and etiquette
Morality and Law
Where do moral standards come from?
Religion and Morality (differences between the two)
Ethical relativism, Cultural Relativism
Critiques: (a) Moral dissent, (b) artificial vs. deep values in the culture, (c) Logical contradictions
Defensible Moral Judgments: Requirements for Moral Judgments

Chapter 2

Consequentialist and non-Consequentialist Theories
Egoism; Misconceptions about Egoism
Psychological Egoism
Problems with Egoism (3 arguments)
Utilitarianism; (Six points about Utilitarianism)
Critical Inquiries of Utilitarianism (3 arguments)
Kantian Ethics: Good Will, The Categorical Imperative; Universal Acceptability and Second Formulation (humanity as an end)
Critical Inquiries of Kant’s Ethics (3 arguments)
W.D. Ross’s Prima Facie Principles (you must know all and in the said hierarchy)
Moral Rights; Distinction between Moral, Legal and Human Rights
Positive and Negative Rights


Chapter 3

Justice (as a complex of Rights, Freedoms and Equality)
Rivals Principles of Distribution
The Utilitarian View (Worker Participation, Greater Equality of Income)
The Libertarian View: Nozick’s Theory (include Libertarian definition of Liberty, Markets and Property Rights)
Rawls’ Theory of Justice (Original Position, Veil of Ignorance)
Triff’s Comparative Chart of 20th century Political/Economic Theories