This discussion assignment   requires you to submit at least four posts: an initial post, two reply   posts to fellow students in threads other than your own, and a revised post   in response to the professor’s feedback.

 

Prepare: The initial post in this discussion must be informed by   the required material for this discussion. Your preparation should focus on   three classical ethical theories that are fundamental in any ethical   analysis: utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics. Since the subject of   your examination is the Starbucks case, make sure to view the relevant   multimedia carefully with an eye toward the various ethical problems that   this company has had to confront.

 

Reflect: Keep in mind that although the notion of the moral good   will vary among ethical theories, they often produce the same or similar   results. So you should focus on the differences in (a) the intent and (b) the   consequences of the action under examination. In utilitarianism, for example,   the consequences of the action are weightier than the intent. Accordingly,   even if the intent was morally questionable, the action is nonetheless   morally good if it achieves good consequences for most. The opposite would be   the case if the action were being examined from a deontological point of   view. These reflections will aid your selection of an ethical theory for your   initial post, as well as your critical examinations of the analysis from   fellow students.

 

Write: Start your initial post by identifying two   characteristics of utilitarianism, two characteristics of virtue ethics, and   two characteristics of deontology. Organize this part of your post so that it   is clear which characteristics belong to which ethical theory. You can do   this by means of subtitles, or by presenting a table. You should aim to write   one complete and clear sentence for each characteristic rather than just one   or a few words.

Then, take the position that   Starbucks is guided by utilitarianism and analyze how the notion of the moral   good in utilitarianism leads to a unique approach to ethical problems. The   way to do this is as follows:

  • First, present an ethical        problem confronted by Starbucks. You can choose one such ethical problem        from the video.
  • Then, apply the        characteristics of utilitarianism that you identified for this        discussion in the attempt to solve this problem.
  • After this, analyze how the        notion of the moral good present in utilitarianism, and the        characteristics that you identified in particular, shape the approach to        solving this problem.

 

Revise: This is your chance to correct any oversights or errors   in your initial post, or show your improved understanding of the ethical   theories and their applications. Start by reading the feedback provided by   your professor to your initial post, either directly to you or to your fellow   students. Use this as an opportunity to learn from your professor, especially   with regard to the best ways to apply the course material and your research   to your analysis. On the basis of what you have learned in this process, post   an improved revision of your initial post that applies the additional   knowledge that you have gained.

Remember that your grade depends   on the quality of your initial and revised responses, not just on the   submission of an attempt at improvement. It is thus to your advantage to post   the best initial post you can and then to also improve that best effort as   much as you can through revision. Taking this process seriously will help you   develop the skills you need to do well on the final project.

 

Requirements for Your Initial   Post:

  • Your initial post should be        at least 400 words in lengthand have citations and references in        APA notation. It should address the prompt in its entirety. This means        that you should not split your response to the prompt in multiple posts.        Your examination should be both thorough and succinct. This is a combination        that demands time and thought, so give yourself sufficient time to draft        and revise.
  • Please be advised that until        you post, you will not see what your fellow students are posting. Once        you submit your post, you will be able to view the posts from your other        classmates. You can then proceed to reply to at least two different        threads based on the required material for this discussion on virtue        ethics and deontology.
  • Your list of references for        your initial post should include the video and the other required        material for this discussion, including Section 1.3 of the textbook on        Starbucks, as well as the Instructor Guidance and any other        announcements presented to you by your professor. Use all of the        material presented to you in the course and by your professor, in        addition to any other sources that you consulted to inform yourself        about Starbucks (but not Wikipedia or similar sources).
  • Your initial post for this        discussion should be submitted no later than the end of Thursday        (11:59 pm, U.S. Mountain time).

 

Requirements for Replies to Other   Threads:

  • At least two of the four        posts required should be in the form of replies to fellow classmates in        threads other than your own.
  • Each of your replies should        be at least 200 words and informed by the course material. As such, the replies must        have citations and references in APA notation. Your list of references        for each reply should include all of the course material that has        informed your reply, in addition to any research that you have obtained        on your own.
  • One of your replies should        identify the notion of the moral good in deontology and compare that to the        account of utilitarianism in Starbucks presented in your fellow        student’s post. Analyze how these different notions of the moral good        lead to different approaches with regard to how to address the problem        even if, ultimately, the result turns out to be the same or similar.
  • In your second reply, you        should identify the notion of the moral good in virtue ethics and compare and discuss that        to the account of utilitarianism in Starbucks presented in your fellow        student’s post. Analyze how these different notions of the moral good        lead to different approaches with regard to how to address the problem        even if, ultimately, the result turns out to be the same or similar.
  • Your replies should focus on        the specific examination presented by your fellow student and should        include an examination of whether or not the characteristics of the        ethical theory were identified well, and whether or not their        application and analysis were also carried out successfully. Providing        such an examination is not an attack on your fellow student but an        attempt to work together with your fellow student toward the better        understanding of the ethical theories employed, as well as their        application.

 

Requirements for Revising   your Initial Post:

  • Submit a revision of your        initial post by either replying to your own post, or to the feedback        provided to you by your professor.
  • There is no minimum word        requirement for your revised initial post. But you should always explain        the reasons for revising your post so that it is clear what you are        doing. If you are revising only a few words, or an application of an        ethical theory, you should avoidsubmitting a post with vague language        such as: “duty ethics works better here” or “I did not consider that the        end does not justify the means.” It is important to recognize that no        one can read your mind so you need to provide the setting for your        revision (Why? What prompted it? What course material informed you?),        and it is important to write in clear language and complete sentences.
  • Consider your revised initial        post as your chance to correct any oversights or errors in your initial        post, or to show your improved understanding of the material and its applications        to the case at hand. You may, for example, come to the realization that        your conclusion did not take into account important factors necessary        for your evaluation of the situation.
  • You should maximize the        improvement of your initial post by employing your professor’s feedback        as a guide. Keep in mind that you may        not always receive direct feedback from your professor. But your        professor will have submitted feedback in the discussion to other posts.        So read your professor’s feedback whether it is addressed to you        directly or to other fellow students. This will give you much to think        about and apply to your own post.
  • If your professor or a fellow        classmate responds to your revised initial post, and on this basis, you        find good reason to submit yet another revision (in addition to a        revision that you may have already submitted), then by all means do so.        Keep in mind that four posts is the minimum, not the maximum number of        posts that you may submit. The more you improve your initial post, the        more you will benefit both in terms of your learning and most likely        your grade.

 
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