HAGAKURE - University of Waterloomjborlan/SYDE261/pdf/S2/03-10-11-The... · 1 HAGAKURE 葉隠 It is said that what is called the Spirit of an Age is something to which one cannot

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HAGAKURE

葉隠It is said that what is called the Spirit of an Age is something to which one cannot return. That this spirit gradually dissipates is due to the world's coming to an end. In the same way, a single year does not have just spring or summer. A single day, too, is the same. For this reason, although one would like to change today's world back to the spirit of one hundred years or more ago, it cannot be done. Thus it is important to make the best out of every generation.

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SYDE261 - W2011

The Corporate Context - Part 1

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A corporation is a legal entity that is created under the laws of a State designed to establish the entity as a separate legal entity having its own privileges and liabilities distinct from those of its members.[1] There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter and many of these chartered companies still exist. Most jurisdictions now allow the creation of a new corporation through registration.Corporations exist strictly as a product of the corporate law.An important (but not universal) contemporary feature of a corporation is limited liability. If a corporation fails, shareholders normally only stand to lose their investment and employees will lose their jobs, but neither will be further liable for debts that remain owing to the corporation's creditors. [wikipedia]

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An important (but not universal) contemporary feature of a corporation is limited liability. If a corporation fails, shareholders normally only stand to lose their investment and employees will lose their jobs, but neither will be further liable for debts that remain owing to the corporation's creditors.Despite not being natural persons, corporations are recognized by the law to have rights and responsibilities like natural persons ("people"). Corporations can exercise human rights against real individuals and the state,[2] and they can themselves be responsible for human rights violations.[3] Corporations are conceptually immortal but they can "die" when they are "dissolved" either by statutory operation, order of court, or voluntary action on the part of shareholders. Insolvency may result in a form of corporate 'death', when creditors force the liquidation and dissolution of the corporation under court order,[4] but it most often results in a restructuring of corporate holdings. Corporations can even be convicted of criminal offenses, such as fraud and manslaughter.[5]

[wikipedia]

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TOPHAT MONOCLE POLL!!!

- Yup, I’ve watched The Corporation, it was grrrrrrrrrreat!

- Yup, I’ve watched The Corporation, it was meh!

- Yup, I’ve watched The Corporation, it was terrible!

- Nope, I didn’t bother to watch it!

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The structure of today’s class will again be a little bit different.

We are going to talk a lot.

We’ll talk about some specific questions about ethics.

Ethics, also known as moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice, etc.

Remembering that:

[wikipedia]

...here we go...

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o “Free agency” of corporate CEOs – individuals such as NoamChomsky remind us that we must differentiate between the institution and the individual. Is there a problem when a “nice” person is involved in a company that engages in some unethical practices? What responsibilities do people have to call attention to or try to stop practices that they view as unethical.

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o A stockbroker in the film said “in devastation, there is opportunity,” and gave examples of the positive market outcomes of tragedies such as 9/11 and wars. Are there any implications for this attitude, or is it simply looking for the “silver lining”?

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o Michael Moore felt that corporations and their CEOs are “out of touch” with what the majority want, because the majority of citizens are women and the working poor. Does it matter whether or not CEOs know who the “majority” are and what they want? (Note: encourage students to look at National Post Business magazineʼs November 2003 “CEO Scorecard” to investigate the gender and ethnic composition of Canadian CEOs).

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o Is it a conflict of interest for corporations to determine what constitutes socially responsible behaviour?

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o Is it fair for those who own media (e.g., book publishers, newspapers, television station owners, etc.) to be able to decide what is said? Is it fair for advertisers to exert influence over how they are portrayed in the media?

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o What, if any, responsibility do corporations have to the environment?

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o One CEO stated that export processing zones (low-wage labour in developing countries) allow people in those countries to contribute to their economies and make a living. Others describe this as “sweatshop” labour that violates human rights. To what extent do either or both of these positions have merit?

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o What responsibility do corporations have to provide consumers with the risks associated with their products? What are their responsibilities for testing products? Is there a difference between what is legally required, and what is ethically required?

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o Who should own “commons” such as natural resources and services for citizens (e.g., healthcare, police, education)? Who should make the decision about ownership? Is it the case that only those who own such commons can have an interest in maintaining them?

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o Many arguments for privatization focus on the belief that corporations can run operations more efficiently (and therefore minimize waste of public funds). Is this true a valid position? Should economic efficiency be the primary concern for commons and public services? Are there other criteria to determine who should own or operate them?

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o One individual in the film stated “when organizations go international, governments lose power.” What are the implications of such a shift in the balance of power? Is balance of power in favour of transnational corporations ethical?

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T H E C O R P O R A T I O N : R E S O U R C E S F O R C L A S S R O O M T E A C H E R S 12

BLM 2: California Academic Press Holistic Critical ThinkingRubric(Facione & Facione, 19961)

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________________

4 Consistently does almost all of the following:

! Accurately interprets evidence, statements, graphics, questions, etc.

! Identifies the salient arguments (reasons and claims), pros and cons

! Thoughtfully analyzes and evaluates major alternative points of view

! Draws warranted, judicious, non-fallacious conclusions

! Justifies key results and procedures, explains assumptions and reasons

! Fair-mindedly follows where evidence and reasons lead

3 Does most or many of the following:

! Accurately interprets evidence, statements, graphics, questions, etc.

! Identifies the salient arguments (reasons and claims), pros and cons

! Analyzes and evaluates major alternative points of view

! Draws warranted, judicious, non-fallacious conclusions

! Justifies some results and procedures, explains reasons

! Fair-mindedly follows where evidence and reasons lead

2 Does most or many of the following:

! Misinterprets evidence, statements, graphics, questions, etc.

! Fails to identify strong, relevant counter-arguments

! Ignores or superficially evaluates obvious alternative points of view

! Draws unwarranted or fallacious conclusions

! Justifies few results and procedures, seldom explains reasons

! Regardless of the evidence or reasons, maintains or defends views based on self-interest orpreconceptions

1 Consistently does almost all of the following:

! Offers biased interpretations of evidence, statements, graphics, questions, or the points ofview of others

! Fails to identify or hastily dismisses strong, relevant counter-arguments

! Ignores or superficially evaluates obvious alternative points of view

! Argues using fallacious or irrelevant reasons, and unwarranted claims

! Does not justify results and procedures, nor explains reasons

! Regardless of the evidence or reasons, maintains or defends views based on self-interest or

preconceptions

! Exhibits closed-mindedness or hostility to reason

1 Permission is granted online to reproduce copies of this rubric for teaching assessment and research by students,

faculty and administrators at public or nonprofit educational institutions. The California Academic Press LLC is

happy to provide the education community with this assessment tool. It is available at

<http://www.calpress.com/rubric.html>

I’ve gotten some questions about marking and rubrics etc...

I found this thing online and I think it, for the most part, gets what I am after.

This is NOT how I mark assignments, but generally speaking if you do well on this rubric you will do well in this course.