Ethics in Retailing II

Author: Denise Gregor

First Authored: April 19, 2012

Last Revised: June 13, 2018

Introduction

Students will build on their prior knowledge of ethics to look at the ethical practices of a business. Working in groups, students will investigate several aspects of the business to determine if the selected business is ethical or not. This lesson is best suited as a means of further studying ethical considerations in business.

Related Instructional Objectives

Activities in this Lesson

The Cookie Monster

Hooks / Set

 

This Sesame Street video is an example of the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme, illustrated by Cookie Monster.

Use the video to remind students of the ethical considerations in business and how each individual or company's ethical standards effect the world around us.

Resources and Materials

Ethical Considerations

Check Understanding

 

In the first ethics lesson, considerations in a business culture were examined. It is very important to check for understanding of these areas prior to introducing the project.

Remind students of their case study work, how ethics is defined, and what that means to all stakeholders involved. If needed, review these the following topics that relate to their business research concerning:

-How they treat their customers, employees, and suppliers

-How they market their products or services

-What they do to make the world a better place (sustainability, philanthropy, environment, community involvement,etc.)

-What does their code of ethics say? Does their business practice reflect that code?

-If the company is global, how do they manage their business affairs abroad?

Tell the students that these are the things they are going to need to consider in their research of the business.

Business Research Project

Group Work

 

Having learned about the importance of ethical considerations in a business setting, students will complete a project to determine if a particular business is ethical in its practices.

Students should work in small groups, 3-5 students works best. Deciding on the company can be a daunting task. Choosing a publicly owned company is much easier than a private one. For example, many students like In N' Out. They are privately owned and finding information on them is difficult. Any privately held business will be difficult. If tyhey feel strongly about an privately held company, tell them they will have to do a lot more research bu contacting the company, looking for books that might be already published about the company (like In N Out). But, it will take a little more outreach and digging deep to find it.

The method that seems to work well is a process of elimination or the teacher can assign certain companies to research. Allowing the students to select on their own is usually easier and they are more interested in doing the research. Have students raise their hands if they have a company in mind. Assign a student to be the recorder at the board. Have the recorder jot down the names of the businesses. Ask students to identify what company they might be interested in researching. Put their names down under the company. Usually, going through the process you can eliminate those that have low numbers. Eventually, it will be a manageable number. This also works because students become grouped according to interest rather than wanting to be with their friends.

Encourage them to call companies, email them, talk to representatives if possible. They will find out a great deal of information they won't find otherwise.

To monitor progress and check for understanding, give the group a date for the final presentations. Have them set deadlines for researching each topic and turn in their notes for points. Using a simple 3-2-1 point value, give them a meets expectations, somewhat meets, and does not meet. Make sure that they keep their sources available. Requiring a bibliography slide helps. Also, as they are researching, keep a folder of relevant links or images they might want for their presentation.

After they've made their decisions, provide them with the template and rubric. It's a good idea to go over it with them. Remind them that the presentation should be "talking points" not even word they want to speak. The presentation should take each group around 10 minutes.

If you want to expand the project, you can have them submit a written report as well.

 

Sample Project

Demo / Modeling

 

Show the students the sample project provided. There is a template also included. If the students are given the template, they should modify it to reflect the company. For example, they might want to use the colors that the company uses in its branding (red and white for Target for example). This will give them an idea of what is going to be expected of them. The rubric for the lesson is in the assessment section of the lesson plan.

 

 

Resources and Materials

Assessment

Assessment Type: Rubrics

Use the attached rubric as an evaluation tool for the project presentations.  It is a good idea to provide this to the students before they begin their research so they know exactly what needs to be included in their presentations.  Using a peer group evaluation tool is also helpful when working in groups. Attached is a common form to use for that purpose if desired.

Resources and Materials