Merger Madness weaves

Unit 6 [GB590: Ethics in Business and Society]
September 2017 Page 1 of 3
Assignment: Merger Madness
In this Assignment, you will be assessed by the following outcome:
GB590-4: Critique ethical decision making within the context of corporate social responsibility.
GENERAL OVERVIEW: Merger Madness weaves together ethical dilemmas from six typical business
disciplines: Contracts (NDA agreements), governance (business model), management (workplace
conditions), marketing (paid placement), IT (privacy), and corporate citizenship (culture and
copyright).
You are the CEO of a start-up whose board has determined that you must accept one of two offers
for merger. After the acquisition dance, with whom will you be dancing the last dance?
To resolve each dilemma, you will answer a series of questions that will help you analyze the problem
and practice identifying and using different ethical perspectives. Then you can use all of the
viewpoints when making a final decision. The exercise has several elements:
1. Introductory pages: Each exercise has between 1 and 4 introductory pages. These pages outline
the learning objectives, provide additional background on ethical decision making, and set the
stage for the task ahead.
2. Multiple-choice questions: The overarching story line is presented through short conversations
among the different characters in the exercise. Each character has a particular ethical perspective
as well as a level of ethical maturity and perspective. These questions are designed to have one
right answer: Were you able to accurately determine which analytical or ethical perspective the
speaker was using in the conversation? The Overview of the Four Ethical Lenses, in the menu of
the exercise, provides a quick reference guide demonstrating the differences among the ethical
lenses.
3. Mastery bar: At the top of each page is a status bar that indicates correct and incorrect answers.
You cannot complete the exercise until all questions are answered correctly. At the bottom of the
mastery page is a feature that allows you to print out the questions and correct answers. For the
final exercise, the status bar serves to track which of the two companies you favor as you move
toward a final decision.
4. Iterations: Merger Madness presents five exercises. Each exercise includes multiple questions.
You must complete every question, making notes of what you answered correctly or incorrectly.
When all the questions have been answered, you will have the opportunity to go through the
questions again, making corrections where appropriate. Your grade is based on how many times
you had to go through the questions to assure all the answers were right.
5. Grading rubric: Upon completion, a grade will be assigned based on the number of iterations
required. This applies to Merger Madness one through four.
6. Discussion: You will use the memo template provided in Course Resources, and transfer the
memo written in the Ethics Game to it. That memo in template form will be submitted to the
Discussion Board as your initial post in Unit 6.
Unit 6 [GB590: Ethics in Business and Society]
September 2017 Page 2 of 3
View the grading rubric below. In the first four exercises, full points will be awarded if at least three
answers in each section are correct. Half the points will be awarded if only two are correct, and no
points if fewer than two are correct.

GB590 Unit 6 Assignment: Stressful Strategy
Content and Analysis	Possible Points	Points Earned
Dragged to the Dance Identified the values in tension within a specific ethical dilemma. (Questions 1-5)	6
Differentiated between an ethical issue and technical issues or business decisions within the context of a specific ethical dilemma. (Questions 6-8)	6
Distinguished facts, inferences, and assumptions within the context of a specific ethical dilemma. (Questions 9-12)	6
Correlated the ethical perspectives of decision makers to statements evaluating the context of a specific ethical dilemma. (Questions 13- 16)	6
Sizing Up the Partners Identified the ethical task assigned to each ethical lens to help discern a path of action. (Questions 1-4)	6
Identified the characteristics of the primary ethical theories within the context of a specific ethical dilemma. (Questions 5-7)	6
Applied the foundational values of each ethical perspective to the problem and course of action. (Questions 8-13)	6
Correctly analyzed the choices against the key phrase for each lens. (Questions 14-16)	6
Mastering the Jive Determined a path of action based on the secondary ethical values assigned to each ethical lens. (Questions 1-3)	8
Considered definition of an ethical act from the perspective of each lens. (Questions 10-13)	8
Identified ethical vices with each lens. (Questions 14-16)	8

Unit 6 [GB590: Ethics in Business and Society]
September 2017 Page 3 of 3

The Last Dance Determined a path of action based on the checklist for action assigned to each ethical lens. (Questions 1-6)	8
Chose an action that meets the definition of an ethical act. (Questions 7-10)	8
Analyzed the choices against the blind spots for each lens. (Questions 11-16)	8
Memo Formulated a final decision based on the use of the core questions for the fourth step of the Baird Decision Model—Being Responsible— together with the information gained from the previous four exercises.	2
Appropriately communicated to colleagues in a memo/content.	2
Provided the ethical problem.	2
Clearly presented the values in conflict in the problem.	2
Clearly and concisely stated the reason for the decision of choice.	2
Clearly provided the ethical framework or ethical principles used to make the decision.	2
Clearly used intellectual empathy (ability to entertain opposing views).	2
Clearly used intellectual autonomy (ability and willingness to be an independent thinker).	2
Correctly synthesized a forward-thinking conclusion.	2
Provided context in which to build relationships with other team members and constituents.	2
Correctly summarized what the decision means to others.	2
Appropriate use of tone in the memo to communication to colleagues.	2
Total	120