Ethics Assignment
The purpose of this exercise is to explore ethics and decision making within organizations.
Case Overview
George Stein, a college student working for Eastern Dairy, is suddenly faced with an ethical
dilemma. George has very little time to think about his choices less than a minute. On the one
hand, he can do what Paul tells him to do, and his shift can go home on time. However, he finds
it tough to shake the gross mental image of all those innocent kids drinking milkshakes
contaminated with pulverized maggots. If he chooses instead to go against Paul, what would the
guys say? He can almost hear their derisive comments already¦.
Assignment Guidelines
1) Provide an overview of the case (1 paragraph). Name this section Identification of Dilemmaand address the following:
a. What do we know about George? Paul?
b. What is the overall ethical dilemma?
c. Who can be impacted by the dilemma (people and/or groups)?
2) Provide a brief overview of 2 Frameworks (Approaches) to Managerial Ethics (2 paragraphs
). Name this section Ethical Frameworks. Name each sub-section after the ethical
frameworks you choose.
a. Choose from: Utilitarian, Self-Interest (Ego), Rights, Justice,
Religious/Deontological, or Social/Cultural.
b. The textbook, and presentations provide brief explanations for the approaches above. Expand
on these with external sources.
c. This section of your paper should not reference the milkshake case. Instead
focus on what youve learned regarding each ethical approach.
3) Provide outcomes to this ethical dilemma (1 paragraph). Name this section Evaluation of
Ethical Dilemma. Address the following in this section
a. Based on what youve learned about George from the case, which framework
(from the two youve explained in the previous section) do you believe will guide
George in this situation? Why do you believe he will go this direction?
b. Theres no right/wrong answer choice, so I wont grade this on your ability to
choose a particular ethical framework. Instead, Im more concerned with your
ability to describe why you chose the approach. The explanation will help me assess whether or not you understand the concepts.
