Exploring Business Ethics and Ethical Issues: Amazon Case Study

TMA 03 is marked out of 100 and accounts for 30 per cent of your marks for the module. This TMA is based on Sessions 11–17 (Block 2) of the module.

It is intended to develop and assess your ability to use information from a range of sources in order to build an argument. It also assesses your verbal communication skills in relation to a given business ethics issue or issues.

For TMA 03 you need to take part in a forum discussion on ethical issues and record an oral presentation on a business ethics issue or issues related to Amazon, a US-based multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce.

This TMA is intended to assess the following:

? paraphrasing

? summarising

? structuring a coherent argument

? using information from a range of sources to build an argument (identifying an issue, analysing it and providing recommendations to resolve it)

? using a range of business concepts and/or frameworks to solve problems

? using digital tools to take part in an online forum discussion and make an individual audio recording

? communicating effectively in speaking, showing recognition of audience, context and purpose.

In this section you will find detailed information about the two tasks that form part of TMA 03:

? Task 1: forum discussion

? Task 2: recorded oral discussion of business ethics issue(s) Read the tasks for both parts before starting your TMA.

Together with other students allocated by your tutor, post messages to a dedicated forum discussion thread on the ethical issues facing Amazon. Your discussion should focus on these questions:

? What do you think the ethical issues are?

? Why do you think they are ethical issues?

There are two parts to the forum discussion:

1. an introduction in which you and your group members state your respective positions in relation to the ethical issue (no more than 250 words)

2. a response to the other group members’ viewpoints on the ethical issue (there is no word limit for this part).

Task

Based on your reading and forum discussion for Task 1, make a 3–5 minute audio recorded presentation to the senior management team of Amazon UK. Your presentation should explain the ethical issues faced by the organisation and make at least two recommendations to address these issues.

3 of 11 Wednesday 4 December 2019

In preparing for TMA 03: Task 2, you have the option of sending a draft version of your audio presentation to your tutor by email in Week 14, to benefit from their comments.Although you may not have engaged in a forum discussion, it would be beneficial for you to have your tutor’s comment on an early draft such as notes to prepare for your presentation. Be sure to confirm with your tutor (in advance) the deadline by which your draft should be with them, in order to allow them sufficient time to respond to you. Note that the feedback will be at a general level and your draft audio presentation will not be assessed.

Guidance notes for Task 1

For this part of the TMA, you will be teamed with a group of other students from your tutor group in advance. Your tutor will have created a dedicated group discussion thread within your Tutor Group Forum for your group to use.

Task 1 is worth 15 marks. These marks relate to ‘Criterion E: Written interactive communication’ in the marking criteria. You should complete this task in order to proceed to Task 2.

Step 1: Prepare for the forum discussion

To help you prepare for this task, read the two sources (articles) listed in the task. While you read, keep in mind these two questions:

? What do you think the ethical issues facing Amazon are?

? Why do you think they are ethical issues?

There are relevant concepts introduced in the module materials in Sections 13.1 and 15.1, and look at the example discussion on zero-hours contracts in Section 13.7. Look back at the sections on language and techniques for discussion: Sections 13.5 and 15.5. Think about the ethical issues and prepare a written introduction that states your views on them and supports these views with evidence or provides some justification for them.

Include the citation of the relevant sources in your introductory post. It should also include the full reference list at the end. Your introductory post should be no longer than 250 words. The full reference list does not count towards this word limit.

Record and submit your audio presentation For the recording, use an appropriate audio recording tool, such as the OU Audio Recording Tool, or other audio recording software that you are comfortable with, as long as the output file is in WAV or MP3 format.

Follow these guidelines for recording and submitting your presentation:

? Make sure that you will not be interrupted during your recording, and that any background noise is low.

? Test and ensure that the audio recording software you are using works properly.

? Check the sound level by recording a short test. Do not place your mouth too close to the microphone. Ensure that you are in the same position as you will be in for the actual recording.

? Record your name and PI, before you start your introduction to the topic.

? When you have finished, stop the recording. You should save the recording and keep a copy on your computer with a clear and relevant filename.

? Listen to your recording to ensure that it is audible.

? Before you submit your recorded audio presentation, check the marking criteria for this task to make sure that there is nothing you want to improve. If you want to change anything, you will need to record your presentation again.