Learning Activity 1:

The Connolly Communications Company, Inc. is looking for a construction company to lay 18 miles of telephone cable as part of its new factory in the country of Mishkalon. They have narrowed down their choices to the Lewis Construction Company and Spaulding Enterprises (hereinafter, "Spaulding"). Lewis has presented the lower cost bid by approximately 20 percent, and has promised to have the work completed in a shorter period of time by at least 4 months. The company is known for being fast and efficient, so Connelly is not concerned about cost over-runs and delays in completion. Further, with their budget for the new factory they estimate they could hire at least 20 additional works for the factory than if they accepted Spaulding's bid. However, Lewis is also known for an almost scorched earth policy toward the environment when getting the job done. Spaulding is a leader in the sustainability area, and has received awards for its care and restoration of the environment as part of their projects.

Which company do you think Connelly should choose for the project and why? Your initial response is due Thursday. Remember to comment on at least 2 other students' posts by Sunday.

Learning Activity 2:

The Super X Credit Corporation is one of the industry leaders in credit card processing systems. They are known for being at the forefront of advances in technology, and offering some of the lowest prices for their services. However, Super X has designed their programs to secretly track customer data based upon the transactions their system handles, and in turn uses that data in a joint venture with Wesley Marketing to offer other products and services to these customers. Both Super X and Wesley believe they are doing nothing wrong as they are simply using the information collected to help customers get better deals, and do not share personal information about customers outside of the company.

Do you think Super X's actions are ethical? Why or why not?