A634.8.4.RB_MedinaM.

In Chapter 12 of The Practice of Ethics, LaFollette talks about gun control (LaFollette, 2007). LaFollette discusses the various ethical dilemmas of gun control. Is it ethical for citizens to have private ownership of guns? Do citizens have a right to bear arms? Should there be stricter restrictions of gun ownership? Are guns safe? Are guns deadly? These are some of the thought provoking questions I found myself wondering about as I read the chapter.

According to the US Constitution, the Second Amendment reads: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed” (Second Amendment, n.d.). In other words, the private citizens of the United States have the right to bear arms. The question is, is ethical for a private US citizen to own a gun? To be honest, it is difficult to say for certain if it is moral for private citizens to own guns. In one part of my belief, yes people have the right and the moral obligation to defend themselves, family, and property from those who may threaten their lives or livelihood.

In the other hand, it is the job of law enforcement and the government to protect the US citizens, so there is no moral obligation or necessity for a private citizen to own a gun. Guns can cause great harm if used for the wrong purposes. They can get stolen, end up in the wrong hands, be used to commit crimes, and cause great harm to innocent people. There are many unfortunate occasions where guns have been used to hurt others and unintentionally they have been used to hurt and it has killed children. Situations like these are the types of situations that make you wonder whether private citizens should own or be allowed to own guns. Some people believe that when they surround themselves around objects that can greatly cause harm, they fall into negative behaviors. Others argue that the presence of a gun in a household greatly increases the possibility of someone getting hurt.

But, reflecting on this notion, sometimes police officers are too far away, do not get to the scene of the crime on time, are called after the situation has passed, etc. To be honest, I would rather have my right to bear arms because after all, as the National Rifle Association says: “guns don’t kill people. People kill people” (LaFollette, 2007). A gun cannot load itself, choose its target, commit the crime, and pull the trigger all on its own. It is the person holding the gun that has the intention, character, and choice to do such harmful actions. But, even thinking about this causes me to believe that there should be more restrictions in place to avoid unlawful use of guns.

A couple of weeks ago, I was watching a Spanish show about the mediation of cases that are too small to be held in a civil court. A retired army gentleman had suffered numerous health problems to which he has to take many different types of medication just to function properly in society. The moments that he forgets to take his medication are the types of moments where he reverts back to the life in Afghanistan. When this happens, he looses total notion of what is currently happening.

The issue in all this is that he has a right to own a gun and he has a son that stays with him. The days that he forgets to take his medicine, he scares his son with the gun trying to teach him to be a soldier. His actions are unintentional but very risky. When he was watching the case evidence, he realized and recognized that he does not remember such occasion or behavior. Thankfully, no great harm has been done to the child but just the possibility of something happening is too great to allow such an individual to own a gun. Moments and situations like these make me believe that the government should implement more restrictions. Individuals, who suffer of mental problems from the war, should not be allowed to own guns.

“Household gun ownership has declined to a record low of 34%; yet, in contrast, another poll showed nearly 50% of houses self-reported having a gun on the property. In any event, it remains that America still has the highest rate of private gun ownership in the world. In 2012, the Department of Justice released a report revealing that firearm homicides declined nearly 40% between 1993 and 2011, and nonfatal firearm injuries declined nearly 70% within the same time period. In fact, all firearm violence, both fatal and nonfatal, was lower the former year than the latter” (If Guns Cause of More Crime, Why Isn't There More Of It?, n.d.).

Overall, the debate of whether private citizens should be allowed to own guns depends on the moral principles of the person debating this topic.  I agree to some extent that there should be more gun restrictions and I agree that we should be able to exercise our moral right to defend ourselves. Inkling believes that “these laws which the government is proposing are not to protect you; they are to hinder you from fighting back” (Inkling, n.d.). If the crime rate is down year after year, it means more people are becoming responsible gun owners. Therefore, I do not see the legal harm that owning a legally registered private gun can cause others. Remember the “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people” (LaFollette, 2007).

                          

Reference:

If Guns Cause of More Crime, Why Isn't There More Of It?. (n.d.). The Federalist. Retrieved July 24, 2014, from http://thefederalist.com/2014/01/16/if-guns-cause-more-violence-wheres-the-exploding-crime-rate/

Inkling, A. (n.d.). Why Should Citizens be Allowed to Own Guns?. Teen Ink. Retrieved July 24, 2014, from http://www.teenink.com/opinion/current_events_politics/article/576786/Why-Should-Citizens-be-Allowed-to-Own-Guns/

LaFollette, H. (2007). Gun Control. The practice of ethics (pp. 179 - 195). Malden, Mass.: Blackwell Publishing

Second Amendment. (n.d.). Legal Information Institute. Retrieved July 24, 2014, from http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/second_amendment

A634.7.4.RB_MedinaM.

After watching this week’s videos from business ethics speakers I realize that there is an unethical slippery slope. In the past weeks we have read about slippery slope arguments to try identifying them and to avoid falling into the traps of these false arguments. Now it is clear to me that as employees commit the first unethical action, there’s a small probability that he or she will continue to fall down the unethical path.

As Gallagher explains, the unethical continuum consists of 5 stages. The first stage is the “not good for customers” action (Gallagher, 2013). This stage consists of doing actions that may not necessarily harm the customer but it is not beneficial for him or her, in turn, this action is beneficial to the employee. The second stage consists of “not good for the company” actions (Gallagher, 2013). Gallagher used the explanation of using company supplies to complete a personal task (Gallagher, 2013). This action can be classified by the organization as stealing organizational supplies as it brings the cost of the company supplies up.

The third stage consists of the “policy violation” (Gallagher, 2013). In other words, violating organizational rules and policies conveniently. The fourth stage is “unethical behavior, practices” (Gallagher, 2013). This stage can consist of sharing private company information with the competition, telling out of the workplace jokes inside the company, talking bad about other employees, and so on. The last stage consists of “illegal actions, behaviors, and practices” (Gallagher, 2013). This may consist of unlawful behavior such as stealing, hurting people, and so on. In this stage, the behavior or action of the person can result in jail time.

Reflecting on this information, I can only discuss how my past organization portrayed its values. The organization’s values are: service-spirit, team spirit, and the spirit of progress (Sodexo Core Values, n.d.). In the service spirit, employees seemed to have a good connection with customers and majority of the employees always seemed to go the extra mile for customer satisfaction.

In the team spirit value, employees seemed to connect with each other over the bad situations of the company. When things were going great for the organization, employees seemed more focused on the customers and on the tasks. But when things seemed to be going down for the company, it seems as if employees shared the same views of the company and would stand against the unethical practices of the company. Some of these unethical practices consisted of asking employees to keep food products past the expiration times, requiring employees to complete small tasks off the clock, and much more. When employees seemed to voice their concerns about the situation, somehow the managers under some excuse would cut the hours of the employees complaining by either one or five hours. Managers would excuse their actions by stating that he or she was only trying to cut back on labor as the sales were down for the week. As it can be seen, this would be considered stage 3 and 4 of Gallagher’s unethical continuum.

In the spirit of progress, the company seemed to portrayed this value positively by installing new equipment that would benefit customers and employees during busy times, giving back to the community by volunteering employees to community programs, investing back into the gardens of the organization by using used coffee grounds, and so on. Overall, the organization, in my opinion, is a good organization but certain actions by management and supervisors done to try and save the company money seem unethical and against the company own values.

Reference:

Sodexo Core Values. (n.d.). Sodexo. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from http://www.sodexo.com/en/group/fundamentals/values.aspx

Gallagher, C. (2013). Business Ethics Keynote Speaker - Chuck Gallagher - shares Straight Talk about Ethics! YouTube. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUJ00vNGCPE

A634.6.3.RB_MedinaM.

After completing Benjamin Franklin’s self-improvement program quiz, the result of the 12-question quiz was the need to improve on only one of Benjamin’s 13 virtues, the virtue of resolution. According to the quiz results, I have made some very virtuous choices so far that closely reflected Benjamin’s own self-improvement plan (Benjamin Franklin Virtue Quiz results, n.d.). Throughout my undergraduate college years, I have made decisions that ensured my safety while being away from my parents. Meaning I took care of myself, thought things through, was the designated driver when my friends wanted to drink, and so on. In other words, I basically had fun while being safe and by not putting my life at risk.

According to Benjamin Franklin’s 13 virtues, the virtue of resolution is “resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve” (Benjamin Franklin's 13 Virtues, n.d.). Basically, Benjamin Franklin thought that resolutions were meant to be kept regardless of their worth. This applies to me because every New Year I make a resolution to myself to eat healthier, join the gym, and exercise every other day. Unfortunately by the second month of the year, I have misguided my intentions or have stopped completely committing to my goal of losing weight. It not a matter of giving up, it’s a matter of keeping my priorities straight. At the beginning of this years, I let school and work get much of my daily schedule that by the time I even thought about going to the gym it was either late at night or I was exhausted. Being able to reflect on this information and knowledge, I can now prepare a better plan that is easier to follow and stick to without waiting for the New Year to start.

The second virtue that I would like to reflect on, even though it was not mentioned in the results of the quiz, is the virtue of order. According to Benjamin Franklin’s 13 virtues, the virtue of order is to “let all your things have their places. Let each part of your business have its time” (Benjamin Franklin's 13 Virtues, n.d.). In my opinion, this means having order in ones life, being orderly, and dedicating the adequate amount of time to each daily task. Reflecting on this, I have been known in the past to run around “like a chicken with its head cut off”. Meaning, I was always scrambling around either late for class, doctor appointments, or paying bills at the last minute.

Growing up into my 20s I realized I needed to have order in my life, so I began by writing down the tasks that needed to be completed each week with an adequate timeline so as not to wait until the last minute to complete them. This helped a little bit with the time management of my personal life but to this day I still struggle to effectively manage my time. For example, having to take care of parents, I find it hard to have time to concentrate on my graduate school assignments as I have to take them to their appointments, therapy, I have to clean, cook, and so on. I believe the only option left for me to have more order in my life is to have more help. If I can get someone to take care of my parents at least two days out of the week, I will be able to concentrate more on my assignments so as to be effective on everything I must do.

The last virtue is moderation. According to Benjamin Franklin, moderation is to “avoid extremes. Forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve” (Benjamin Franklin's 13 Virtues, n.d.). If I understand this virtue correctly, moderation means having things in adequate portions. For example, not overeating during the holidays, eating smaller portions, having fun safely, and not joining extreme outdoor activities in which I am consciously aware that my body cannot handle the stress or pressure. Reflecting on this information, it is important for me to realize that eating two full plates of food for dinner is not going to help me lose weight. Therefore, I believe implementing this virtue into my daily life can help me cut down on sweets, not overeat, eat all three meals, and have adequate amounts of food so as not to overeat or starve.

Reference:

Benjamin Franklin Virtue Quiz results. (n.d.). PBS. Retrieved July 10, 2014, from http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/exp_virtue_results.html?a=334143344444

Benjamin Franklin's 13 Virtues. (n.d.). PBS. Retrieved July 10, 2014, from http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/pop_virtues_list.html

A634.5.4.RB_MedinaM.

1.         Do you feel ethical guidelines make a difference to marketers?

According to the code of ethics of the American Marketing Association, “marketers must accept responsibility for the consequences of their activities and make every effort to ensure that their decisions, recommendations and actions function to identify, serve and satisfy all relevant publics: customers, organizations and society” (Code of Ethics, n.d.). In my opinion, ethical guidelines should make a difference to marketers, as this will avoid marketers from doing harm to people, organizations, and society. Imagine buying a shaving razor that marketers market as “… so razor sharp you only need one blade”. But it turns out that the blade of the razor is so dull that people begin to press the razor against their skin and it cuts into the skin of a few customers. As it can be seen, it seems unethical for marketers to lie to consumers about the actual product and what it does. This can cause the organization great financial harm that may lead to bankruptcy and closing of the company. Overall, marketing ethical guidelines ensures the public their safety and health.

2.         How can companies balance the need to win with being ethical?

            Great question! I think that a great code of ethics, culture and organizational values can lead the way to ethical decision-making that will result in the organization’s financial well being. It’s important for the organization to remain proactive about ethics and ensure that its employees have a sense or ethical mind set when making decisions. In my opinion, if employees have an understanding of ethics and professionalism, there shouldn’t be a problem or issue when making decisions ethically. As Michelle Ong explains “Being ethical pays both in long-term sustainable profits and as a cost-cutting measure. Using the concept of ethical business as a strategy can thus be advantageous as business decisions are made based on balance sheets and through cost-benefit analysis” (Ong, 2014). In other words, an organization that follows ethical standards can be profitable. I would even argue that as business history has shown us, organizations that follow or fall on the trap of unethical practices/standards loose profit and eventually go out of business. So being ethical has its benefits and advantages.

3.         Is it ethical to track your buying habits or web visits to target you for marketing purposes?

            From my understanding of website tracking and buying habits, I find it that organizations who track consumer spending habits on their own website is helpful and not unethical as it will help them understand and know what you are looking for, what you look at, what you desire/want, etc. However, I find it unethical for tracker websites who track our spending and website visiting habits, 3^rd party trackers, to sell our information to other organizations. A plausible slippery slope argument may even be that companies like these sell our privacy to unknown companies. Therefore, understanding that organizations need spending habits and web visiting information in order to remain competitive and profitable, organizations should give consumers the option to have their habits tracked and the information sold. I know that I don’t want my information sold to anyone but everyone is entitled to his or her own opinions and views. In other words, it depends on the ethic and moral principles of the person.

As a side note: “The Wall Street Journal's What They Know series documents the new, cutting-edge uses of this Internet-tracking technology. The Journal analyzed the tracking files installed on people's computers by the 50 most popular U.S. websites” (Wall Street Journal, n.d.). This information can be viewed in the following link: http://blogs.wsj.com/wtk/ This information can help paint a picture of which websites use the tracking technology to track consumer habits to gain information on the targeted audience. It also helps us see which websites expose our habits to unknown organizations.

4.         As a leader, how will you manage the ethical aspects of your marketing efforts?

           

            As a leader I would make sure that the marketers are following the ethical guidelines/standards of the American Marketing Association. I would also make sure that all employees are following the code of ethics and organizational values of the organization we are working for. This will help everyone have a moral compass or guideline in which to base their decisions on when conflicting principles arise. Lastly, I would make a habit of each quarter reviewing or assessing the ethical practices of the organization. During such meetings we may review the code of ethics of the organization as a reminder of the rules we must abide by.

Reference:

Code of Ethics. (n.d.). College of Business Administration| California State University, Long Beach. Retrieved July 2, 2014, from http://www.csulb.edu/colleges/cba/marketing/code-of-ethics/

Ong, M. (2014). Ethical business: profit-making strategy or moral obligation?. Hijacked. Retrieved July 2, 2014, from http://hijacked.com.au/ethical-business-profit-making-strategy-or-moral-obligation

Wall Street Journal. (n.d.). What They Know - WSJ. What They Know RSS. Retrieved July 2, 2014, from http://blogs.wsj.com/wtk/