You don’t have to read the Schor, but…

if you never got it open, here’s another link to her: http://www.bostonreview.net/BR24.3/summer99.pdf
I don’t know why the other link only works for some of us!

I’m in 10-2.30 this week, also Monday.

If you would like to comment on another student’s paper, I will give you blog comment credit for doing so (depending on how carefully you comment- up to the equivalent of 3 blog comments). To do this, just email the class and ask for volunteers. If you find one send that student and me the comments you enter. They have to be thoughtful and helpful!

One more contest for philosophy papers…

Click for info…

Professor Baker’s responses to review questions

Here are my responses to questions. If I had all the energy in the world, I’d refer you to passages in the reading. That would be the best way to study- find answers to questions you have in the text!!! Please ask any more questions in comments.

Come in for copies of any of the readings you don’t have, for whatever reason. Who doesn’t have the Holley? Isn’t it right here on the blog?

Final exam on the 14th!

You will get to choose to answer a selection of essay questions on one portion of the final exam. That means you may not need to answer all of these, but only some. How many, I’m not saying.

1. Your professor has tried to present to you as much relevant material as she could in order to prove the following: there is not currently available to us a coherent account of the purpose of business or the justification (including its own purpose and what it needs to work) of the market.
Do you, too, believe this is the case? If so, why? What convinced you of this? If not, why not? If not, where else might we need to look to find a clear account of these matters?

2. Tullock seems to suggest that large, named companies in competitive fields benefit from developing “good reputations”. Why, then, did Gymboree not gain customers for its efforts to comply to safety regulations for children’s clothing? Could the Gymboree example show that Tullock’s thesis is wrong?
Be sure to explain Tullock well in your answer. I’ll include the news article about Gymboree in the final exam.

3. Do you think the view John Mackey gave in the Reason interview is compatible with the memo he wrote to his board concerning Wild Oats? Why or why not? Try to prove your take.

4. Can you ethically assess McDonald’s by weighing ethical complaints against economic benefits? I will give you this handout along with the final: http://www.mcspotlight.org/campaigns/translations/trans_uk.html
Please look at it in advance. It lists a number of complaints, just like we did in class against Wal-Mart. How can you balance these against any economic benefits of there being McDonald’s? Come to any conclusion you’d like- but I will be looking for your attempt to at least acknowledge the benefits to general affluence that McDonald’s may bring (despite any complaints like those listed).

5. There is another I warned you about: would you would defend or support consumerism with reasoning? The best way to do this might be to represent Schorr’s views, which we went over in class. If you can’t open her reading still – you can just skip this question on the test. You will have a choice of these questions! Our discussion was also complex enough to give you an opportunity to learn the concerns people have. Articulate a clear position on the matter. Use examples and consider objections others might have.

Please post your final assignment here.

Enter it as a comment below. Please try to make them enjoyable to read, meaning: very clear. We don’t need to learn the material in the article, so no outlines. We just want to learn what business ethicists are writing on at this very moment, how they are doing it, and what your impression is of their topic and methods. (Specific questions are in the post two below).

FYI: Paper contest for philosophy students in SC

http://www.cas.sc.edu/phil/scsp/upstate11-cfp.html
If you want to submit your paper idea (and you should! some of them are GREAT and business ethics is IMPORTANT!) abstracts are due by Dec. 1. An abstract is a short summary of your paper idea. I could help you with yours.

Online review, final assignment

Dear class, we’re helping each other read a whole slew of articles in business ethics. We’re doing this by reading one and telling the class all about it. Fill out the questions below to complete this assignment. I will take them by next week Thursday. (Emailing them in is fine!)

In addition, by next week Tuesday please take this review. It is required.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/honorsBusinessEthicsfall2010

For this assignment you need to find a relatively recent article in one of the serious journals in business ethics: Business Ethics Quarterly, Journal of Business Ethics, or Business & Society.

Title of article:
Journal:
Author:

Class logistics and two links to view

Hi class, thanks for discussing Schor’s issues today. I wish more of you could see her talk! 7.15 Wachovia TONIGHT!

Earlier, from 3-4, she is taking questions from students (we were invited) in Stern.

If you attend, I will give you some credit for comments on the blog (or give me some other idea).

Schor’s visit has inspired me to add this to the final exam essay questions you know of:
Do you believe consumerism hurts people in our society, if so how?
Do you believe action should be taken? What sort? Defend your answer.

A very good answer would reference Schor, but you could just articulate and defend your own views. So keep thinking!!!

Tuesday we’ll go over each answer on the last midterm, we’ll talk about writing philosophy papers, and I’ll give you your last assignment (which is: go to the library, find a recent article in a business ethics journal, and sum it up in 2 pages).

I’ll take paper drafts at any time!

Here are the two articles I mentioned in class. The first is long, and you may want to scroll down to the mention of “TV”. The second is short- take a look.

On consumer use of social media, video games, and TV and its psychological impact on us

On the surprising uses for cell phones in Africa

Juliet Schor is visiting campus Thursday

Please read her chapter, attached as a pdf here (and in an email to you). They really work, they have taken a long time to load at various times (on various computers) for me. Under the comments I have a link to an interview you can read if for some reason you can’t open this! Or feel free to just google her name and take a look around at things she’s said. Schor_New Politics of Consumption