Steps in Ethical Case Analysis - Case Study Assignment

Questions:

1. Get the facts straight. Review the case. Briefly recap the details of the case at the beginning of your paper.

2. Identify the central stakeholders in the case.

3. Identify the technical/professional problem in the case.

4. Identify the Ethical problem or problems in the case.

5. Solve the technical and ethical problems using both technical and Ethical standards. Analyze the case from 3 stakeholder perspectives, use 1 ethical principle for each perspective. The main perspective from which you analyze he case should be from a Business point of view.

6. Anticipatory Ethical analysis. Analyze the case from 3 stakeholder perspectives, use 1 of Miller’s 5 rules for each perspective. What can you anticipate about the development of your technology? Apply 3 rules from Keith Miller et al 5 rules to your subject. 

7. Will your solution to the problem withstand criticism from the perspectives of both a variety of Ethical principles and Professionals in your field?

8. What recommendations can you make about the problems in the case based upon your ethical analysis?

When you construct your analysis be sure and remember that we are assigning a 3-5 page analysis. With this length limitation it is important to realize that you will probably only be able to look at the problems in the case from 3 stakeholder perspectives. If you try to analyze every stakeholder perspective you will probably exceed the length limitation. 

Grading and Evaluation of Individual Papers

1. What are the objectives of the papers?

  i. To become sensitized to the ethical issues in Engineering and Information Technology.

  ii. Learn how to analyze a case.

  iii. Learn how to identify the major stakeholders in a case.

  iv. Learn how to identify the technical problems in a case.

   v. Learn how to identify the ethical problems in a case.

  vi. Learn how to apply ethical principles to a case.

  vii. Learn how to make recommendations in a case based upon ethical analysis.   

i. Did you identify and focus on the crucial material and facts in the case?

 ii. Did you support claims you make about the case with facts?

iii. Did you think about the case from a variety of stakeholder perspectives? 

 i. Did you identify the central Ethical problem(s)  

 ii. Did you conduct a well thought out ethical analysis by applying 3 ethical principles?

 iii. Did you justify ethical judgments with accurate facts and ethical principles?

  iv. Did you think about the case from a variety of ethical perspectives?

 v. Did you base your analysis upon ethical principles that cannot be easily criticized?
          

How will your papers be assessed?

Evaluations of Papers (Percentages)

Do you highlight the key points in the case?

 a. Are the facts in the case accurate?

 b. Did you focus on the crucial aspects of the case?

 c. Did you avoid including non essential or superfluous information?

 i. Who are the primary and secondary stakeholders in the case?

ii. Did you clearly identify from which stakeholder perspective you are analyzing the material in the case?

a From whose perspective are you analyzing the case?
  
What is the central technical problem? (.15)

i.. How is the central technical problem related to the ethical problems in the case?

D. What is/are the ethical problem/problems? (.15)

i. What ethical problems do you see in the case?

ii. What is the central ethical problem?

iii. Why is this the central ethical problem?

E. What ethical principles apply to the central ethical problem? (.30)

i. Do you correctly define the ethical principles you use?

ii. Have you correctly applied the ethical principles you use?

iii. Do the principles you use withstand obvious criticisms from other ethical perspectives? 

What are your recommendations? (.20)

i. Are your recommendations based upon your ethical analysis?

ii. Do your recommendations link to your ethical analysis?

iii. Rather than stating the obvious ( e. g. this problem could have been easily solved if … ) what do you recommend for similar cases in the future?