Greening the Message: Ethical Decision-Making

In this Assignment, you will culminate two Course Outcomes by evaluating an ethical dilemma within the Capsim Core simulation concept:

Formulate strategic business decisions from a management, leadership and organizational design perspective.

Evaluate ethical rules applicable to the field of study.

A growing concern in business today is how to become environmentally friendly or "green." At times a management team may find itself torn between what it perceives as good for the company and what's good for the environment.

For access to resources that can aid your leadership and management decision-making in this assignment, visit the Management Policy and Strategy Knowledge Resources folder.

Scenario:

Watch the following video presenting an ethical dilemma you face as leader of your Capsim Core simulation business: "Greening the Message."

The company has developed a new production process, which reduces the use of electricity and labor. Upon hearing the news, the marketing team is eager to launch a new marketing campaign that outlines this development by capitalizing on consumer demand for products that support "sustainability."

The problem is the facility's waste output has not been reduced. Discussions with General Counsel, the Board of Directors' Executive Steering Committee, a company-wide task force, and the Marketing team leave you with only 4 courses of actions.

As the leader of your organization, you are presented with four options to address this ethical dilemma. Your job is to make a strategic decision that will have an effect on company performance in the future:

a) Do nothing.

b) Allow marketing to launch the campaign in an effort to "buy sometime" while you implement ?additional cost controls, and begin to revamp new product development. You believe waste ?qualifications are not likely to be challenged in the near term.

c) Despite protests from the marketing department, utilize the green message in a corporate- ?oriented campaign, acknowledging improved energy efficiency and honestly stating that production waste has not yet been decreased but that the company is working to achieve that, too.

d) Discard the green message altogether and launch a campaign that focuses on changes that have made the company more energy efficient.

Assignment Instructions:

You will be presented with this ethical dilemma in Round 2 of the Capsim Capstone Competition simulation. Analyze the "Greening the Message" ethics scenario you are presented with in the simulation from a strategic management and strategic leadership perspective.

You will be challenged with creating a plan that directs your management team on the decisions regarding the ethical dilemma as proposed in the "sustainability" marketing campaign.

Using the following Assignment checklist, prepare a brief business report to your management team detailing your strategic management and leadership position on this ethical dilemma.

Assignment Checklist:

Provide a synopsis of the ethical dilemma using ethical theories, principles, and concepts.

Reconcile conflicts in the development of your strategic decision-making using Agency Theory and Stakeholder Theory concepts and principles.

Explain how ethical theories should guide the implementation of your strategic decisions.

Using the strategic planning process, create a plan detailing your leadership and management decisions on the ethical dilemma.

Using inductive reasoning skills, explain how your decisions will build competitive advantage using the strategic management hierarchy.

Formulate and explain the company's positioning strategy based on your strategic management and strategic leadership decisions.

Use strategic analysis tools to demonstrate proficiency and to provide reasoning for your decision-making.

Use a minimum of three scholarly research resources to help substantiate your position.