UCW Philosophy 210 Group Project
You and your team are a specialized investment group at a large ethical investment fund, and you
have been chosen by the company leaders to produce an investment report on key large companies
that the fund would like to invest in.
While the fund, like all funds, is interested in short term quarterly returns (because this is what
investors demand) part of the company’s strategy is to encourage investors to adopt a long-term
investment orientation with a 10-to-15-year investment horizon.
Thus, part of your team’s task is to advise your bosses not only on the money-making prospects of
the company in the short term, but to use the tools of ethical analysis to help potential investors
understand where the company is headed—how it defines its ethical strategy and what ethical
actions it is taking and intends to take in the future.
Your bosses feel that over the long term, ethically-focused companies—ones that not only are doing
what they claim they are doing, but also that incorporate an ethical focus throughout the company,
from making money each quarter, to serving the world, will provide better long-term returns.
Because of their influence, reputation and brand-names, your bosses want your group to start with
the world’s largest and most powerful companies.
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Choose one of the top companies in the world by revenue:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_companies_by_revenue to perform an ethics
audit. You are encouraged, but not required, to select companies based in the U.S. or
European countries for which there is a large amount of publicly available information. With
my permission you may also choose a company not on this list if you believe you can find
appropriate information for it.
By the end of Week 4 you will provide me with a list of your top 4 choices, and I will choose
one from this list for your final report. Providing me with this list is essential for proceeding
with the report.
You and your group will produce a 15–20-page report, with graphs, charts, tables, and other
visual information along with proper APA citation for every source cited or consulted. This
includes 1) annual and quarterly reports, 2) information from the company website(s), 3)
stories in the business press or news, 4) video interviews with company leadership, e.g.,
CEO, COO, members of the board, 5) gossip, word on the street, etc.
As a part of your final report every group will provide a signature page as an essential part of
your report. Each member of the team must produce a handwritten signature, certifying that
they fully and honestly completed the work assigned to them by the group. This will be
witnessed by the other group members Any group member who fails to personally sign the
signature page will receive a 0 on the group assignment.
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Report Headings/Sections
One of the key things I will be looking for in this report is your ability to successfully use the
ethical tools and concepts we’ve discussed in class to a real-world example.
1. Abstract/Introduction: In this section you will provide a brief overview of the company
and a quick overview of the conclusions from your report. (This section should be written
last.)
2. Stated Business Purpose/Mission/Goals/Values: In this section you will find, quote,
list and analyze the stated mission and goals of the company. What is the purpose of the
business? How does it define itself for the public? What is its brand image?
3. Company’s Ethical History: In this section you will look at the ethical history of the
company. What ethical mistakes has it made? How effectively has it deal with its ethical
problems?
4. Current Stakeholder Analysis: In this section you will perform a detailed stakeholder
analysis. You should include a prioritized stakeholder list with a detailed justification for
why the stakeholders have the priority they do and why you have included or excluded
certain possible stakeholders. A stakeholder diagram/diagrams is strongly recommended.
5. Financial Ethics: Making money is always ethical. Making money is a necessary part of
being ethical, and depending on the mission and nature it may also be sufficient. Is the
company making money? How much? For how long? A table or chart looking at financial
history is recommended here.
6. Current Person/Situationist Analysis (including Kohlberg): In this section you will
look at how the company attempts to integrate ethics into its company. Items could include
the company’s code of ethics, if it has one, its use of internal and external ethical controls,
e.g., ethics training, penalties and punishments for ethical wrongdoing etc. Some attempt at
working with Trevino’s categories is strongly recommended.
7. Current Employee Relationships: How does the company treat its employees? Does it
pay fairly? Are there, have there been any recent strikes, protests, union drives, etc.? How
has the company responded?
8. Customer and Public Relations/CSR: In this section you will assess how the company
deals with the public. How does the company show the public it is ethical? Does it engage
in ethical initiatives, e.g., supporting minority rights, women’s rights, earth day, truth and
reconciliation, DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) etc.
9. Sustainability: The planet is the ultimate stakeholder. How has the company approached
this problem? Does it reduce, reuse, recycle? How is it reducing its impact on the planet?
10. Recommendation to Invest/Conclusion: In this section you will advise your bosses on
whether a long-term ethical investment is worth it. Your answer may be “No” or “Yes” (you
must choose one) but in either case you should review your report to justify your
conclusion.
11. Appendix/Works Cited: In this section you can include any additional notes, charts,
graphs as needed, and your required Works Cited section, including all sources cited and
consulted, e.g., webpages, ChatGPT, books, articles, video interviews, etc.
12. Signature Page (required)
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