Research Paper : Issue Identification

Identify your issue: Clearly define the issue(s) and or crisis the company is facing.

Identify the "triggering event:" This is a recent occurrence (or series of occurrences) that brought the issue to the public's attention, putting the company in the spotlight and forcing them to reevaluate their current business practices. Some examples of triggers are: injury or death of a stakeholder, a lawsuit, or a news report.

Clearly and concisely (using bullet points or similar good business writing practices) describe the events leading up to the triggering event and what's happened since then. This should be written in the form of a timeline and an accompanying summary of the key events. This will also explain how various stakeholder groups have reacted to the issue and triggering event.

Relevance and importance of the issue to the company must be clearly established. This will require some research, and you will want to stay current with the issue as the term progresses so you know what stakeholders are involved and how the company is responding. Cite your sources.

Tell me whose perspective you will be taking: Consider who is in a position to make decisions for the company in response to the ethical issue. I'll need to know the name of the company, and more specifically, the name and title of the person(s) whose perspective you'll be taking as you write the paper.

This is usually the CEO, another executive manager, or even the board of directors. Please remember that your analysis and recommendations need to be objective and practical to implement.

Present the issue as a question(s) that you will then be answering in the final section of this research project. Here are a couple of examples of issues stated as questions. "Is the use of euthanasia an ethical choice considering we are an organization supporting animal rights?"

"What obligations do we have to consumer stakeholders in light of recent injuries associated with product x?" You will notice that I used "we" in the previous examples. Since you are putting yourself in the shoes of the CEO (or other primary decision maker), you can write in first person.