Cecilia Rice

OGL 345

Professor Glover

27 February 2021

Module 6: Course Reflection Paper

The Fryer textbook contributed to most of what I learned during this course. The title of the

textbook titled “Ethics Theory and Business Practice” taught me lots about ethics and morals. The topic

discussed in the textbook about environmental ethics really interested me. I had never heard of this

ethic theory, yet after learning about the theory I realized how important it is in any company."Any

business that wishes to meet the expectations of influential stakeholders- that is, those people, such as

shareholders, customers and employees, upon whose support it depends- must take environmentalism

seriously” (Fryer, 325). Businesses should take environmentalism seriously because it not only impacts

their reputation, but also the planet. All corporations are in the position to make a huge impact on the

environment, they can make a positive impact by expressing and making a difference with their

concerns about pollution, climate change, and the depletion of natural resources. I currently work as a

barista at Starbucks and have realized how much of an effort Starbucks has put towards environmental

ethics. The company recently made a switch to strawless lids as they hope to positively impact the

environment by using less plastic straws. Many restaurants in California are no longer using plastic

straws and have completely transitioned to paper straws. These are some examples of how

environmental ethics are being used in the present day.

company such as directing, planning, and coordinating all activities for their company. They are

typically responsible for devising policies and strategies to meet a company's goals. In the Planet

Jocket Moral Minefield simulation about Business ethics I was able to see a lot of different scenarios

where the company's executive was in charge of many tasks. Any executive of a company has to be an

ethical leader. In the textbook Ethics Theory and Business Practice we learned a lot about The Kantian

Ethics Theory. This theory explains what it means to be ethical and how intent, reason, and

responsibility all make up ethics. “As Kant put it, if any action is to be morally good, it is not enough

that it should conform to the moral law- it also must be done for the sake of the moral love” (Fryer, p.

91). This quote from the text explains how ethical actions must be done because one has the freedom to

do what they believe is right. In the Ring Binder scenario from the Moral Minefield scenario game, the

company questions using information they found dumpster diving to work against a competitor

company. I decided we should not use the material found, even though it could be a huge advantage for

our company. It is not ethical to use. The chairman character states “What you do sets permissions for

other organizations''. I really liked this statement because it is so true and relates to what Kent talked

about. Any executive in charge of a company has to do what's right because they are setting examples

to their employees and other companies. If they are dishonest or unethical then they are setting a

normality to their employees to act the same way. Moral and ethical reasoning within a company is

important in order to decide right from wrong.

In the textbook Ethics Theory & Business Practice the author talks about his theory on ethical

absolutism. This topic was also shown in the Moral Minefield simulation game scenarios on corporate

policy. The scenario talks about a woman who has been with the company a long time, yet made an

unethical decision that was wrong. If the company lets her slide because of her personal relationship

with all employees then they will be setting double standards. So they must let her go due to her wrong
doings when not making an ethical choice in her job. “Ethical absolutism encourages us to think about

ethics in terms of universal principles that have objective validity” (Fryer 214). Fryer makes a good

point when describing ethical absolutism. It is the concept that ethical rules are the same everywhere.

Which is why it makes us think about universal principles that are concerned with judgement. Ethical

absolutism should be the same for everyone in a corporate policy. One should not be able to get “let off

the hook” if something unethical was done due to their relationship with the company. This is the most

important topic I got out of this course. There should be no double standards. As a leader you should

not base ethical decisions off of personal relationships.

As I reflect on all I learned during OGL 345 I believe many of it contributed from the Fryer

Textbook and the discussion format. The textbook Ethics Theory & Business Practice was used on

Perusal which allowed all students in the class to be able to annotate and discuss throughout the

chapters read. This discussion format was very helpful when I struggled with understanding parts of the

text because I was able to ask questions and receive responses that helped. Also, being able to view

others annotations really helped me get a better understanding throughout the course. It is important to

be able to look at things from different perspectives and this course I was able to do so! The discussion

format of the textbook played a huge role in helping me keep up with the course and not fall behind.

The Planet Jockey Moral Minefield simulation by E.I games provided me with a great visual of real life

scenarios that take place within a company. Each week I was guided by reading materials in the

textbook that correlated with the Business Ethics with Emotional Intelligence Game.This game really

helped me understand better by putting myself in the situations that were occurring in the simulation

and working through what decisions to make. During my semester of this course my understanding of

business ethics grew tremendously, mainly because I never truly understood what business ethics was.

I learned that there are so many different perspectives on ethics and no single set of standards to tell us

what is right and what is wrong. The theories in the textbook show different perspective approaches to
ethical theories which helped me get a better idea of what is right to do versus wrong. I learned the

importance of ethics and being an ethical leader. No company would survive without ethics and moral

values within their employees or in the company. As a barista at Starbucks I was able to relate business

ethics to my job. I have learned the many values of the company and as an employee I must follow

these values in order to help achieve the company's goals. Starbucks gives us a clear set of values that

has taught and helped me understand what the companies stand for. These values have given me

guidance for what I do when I work and a sense of security due to the fact that I have respect from the

company. Employees that work with a company that has a set of ethical values are more likely to make

the right decisions as it helps them achieve the company's vision and goals. I am leaving this class with

lots of knowledge on business ethics that I plan to take with me in my current and future career. I hope

to one day become a leader within an organization and I plan to use the many different ethical theories

I have learned in this course with me.

EI Games. (2021) Business Ethics with Emotional Intelligence Game.

Fryer, M. (2015). Chapter 6 : Ethical Relativism: Business Ethics and Personal Conviction. In

Ethics Theory and Business Practice. Textbook, Oxford University Press.

Fryer, M. (2015). Chapter 3 : Kantian Based Theory:Reason-based Duty and Business. In

Ethics Theory and Business Practice. Textbook, Oxford University Press.