Book : The Legal and Ethical Environment of Business Version 2.0 By Terence Lau and Lisa Johnson

Module 1: Portfolio Milestone

PORTFOLIO MILESTONE: Submit Topic with Tentative Policy Suggestions and Sources (worth 30 points of Portfolio Project)

You have a choice between two Portfolio Projects. Go to the Week 8 Assignments page, read both Portfolio Project descriptions, and pick one. Do not do both projects. This milestone applies to both Portfolio Projects.

This week you will submit your topic for approval with tentative policy suggestions and tentative list of sources.

Module 2: Portfolio Project

Portfolio Project

You have a choice between two Portfolio Projects. Do not do both projects. Identify your Portfolio Project choice in the title of your document. When you are ready to submit, click the Module 8 Portfolio Project assignment header on the Assignments page to upload your Portfolio Project. The milestone in Week 5 applies to both assignments.

Portfolio Project Assignment Choice #1: Policy Analysis

The Portfolio Project requires you to write a memorandum to a decision maker, such as the President of the United States, a member of Congress, a chairperson of the SEC, or a state governor, on how to reform corporate ethics in American business today.

As we have seen, legislation such as SarbanesOxley has received considerable media attention but has not prevented significant catastrophes such as the global economic meltdown of 2008. You should be prepared to propose policies that might help to ameliorate or to prevent corporate ethics lapses that might occur in the future.

You have the freedom to select any policy avenues that you think might help to strengthen and fortify corporate ethics. Your memo should cover the following:

Set forth why your chosen policy pathway is important

Compare and contrast with the policy it replaces

Articulate your ideas on how to remedy the issue of corporate malfeasance

Proffer some recommendations to the decision-maker about how to improve overall corporate governance.

Please note that your prescription for change is not nearly as important as your ability to forecast potential challenges to the corporate boardroom and to predict possible ways the government could intervene to assist not only solid corporate governance but also the interests of individual shareholders.

It is recommended that you suggest at least two methods and/or policy proposals that critically address the public policy concern. Bring in facts and other data to support the policy issue addressed and make sure each fact is cited to relevant authority.

Demonstrate critical thinking by analyzing, evaluating, and interpreting appropriate policy to provide original perspectives to enhance corporate legal and ethical environs.

You are expected to convey complex ideas in a clear, concise, and organized fashion, using the required and recommended readings from the course for analytical support.

Although you are encouraged to cite from your textbook, you are required to cite a minimum of four scholarly sources (beyond the textbook) to support your statements. The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find these sources.

Your well-written paper should be 8-10 pages in length, not including the title or references pages.

Review the Portfolio grading rubric, which can be accessed from the Course Information page, and make sure to follow the CSU-Global Guide to Writing and APA Requirements. Please be sure to reach out to your instructor at any point in the course if you have any questions about the assignment.

Portfolio Project Assignment Choice #2: Employee Use of Internet At Work:

Policy Proposals

Your consulting services have been requested by the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. The CEO is concerned about the use of the internet at work and employs your consulting services to discuss her concerns.

Primarily, she is concerned that employees might be abusing the internet and is wondering what repercussions the company might face in a variety of legal areas, specifically with respect to the legal environment of business, ethics, and human resources issues. She is also concerned with preventing abuse of the internet at all levels, from low-level employees to the Board of Directors.

She requests a memo from you regarding:

1. Possible torts that could be committed by employees who use the internet at work

2. Possible crimes that could be committed by employees who use the internet at work (and indicate whether the crimes are white collar or blue collar)
3. Liability of the corporation versus liability of the individual employee through commission of torts or crimes using the internet at work

4. Whether violations of the duty of care or duty of loyalty could exist through use of social media sites at work

5. Employee privacy rights or concerns that exist regarding use of the internet at work Submissions

6. Employment laws that protect the employee or the employer with respect to use of the internet at work.

Identify two policies that this CEO could put in place to curb the potential for abuse of the internet at work, with one policy that addresses low-level employees and one policy that is targeted for the board of directors.

Keep in mind the business judgment rule with respect to the latter policy and discuss whether it might ever be invoked to enforce or ignore such a policy.

Articulate your ideas on how to remedy the issue of corporate malfeasance that occurs through abuse of the internet at work. Proffer some clear recommendations to the CEO about how to improve overall corporate governance by reducing the potential for abuse of the internet at work.

You must also clearly address ethical issues that arise regarding your policies; note that ethical issues might exist on behalf of the employee if your policies are not utilized, but ethical issues might exist on behalf of the employer if the polices are implemented.

The CEO intends to pass along this memo to other employees in the company who might not have a strong understanding of these concepts.

Thus, you are also requested to clearly explain and define the legal concepts you raise. She also is concerned about offending employees with policy suggestions and requests you keep this in mind with your suggested policies.

This issue exists in many companies and corporations, so you are encouraged to research outside sources for data supporting policies to reduce abuse of the internet at work.

Demonstrate critical thinking by analyzing, evaluating, and interpreting appropriate policies to provide an original perspective to enhance corporate legal and ethical environs as they relate to use of the internet at work.

You are expected to convey complex ideas in a clear, concise and organized fashion, using the required and recommended readings from the course for analytical support.

Although you are encouraged to cite from your textbook, you are required to cite a minimum of four scholarly sources (beyond the textbook) to support your statements. The CSU-Global Library is a good place to find these sources. Your well-written paper should be 8-10 pages in length, not including the title or references pages.